EurekAlert! - Mathematics and Statistics

A galaxy as particle accelerator

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Max-Planck-Gesellschaft) Astronomers observe simultaneously the center of the galaxy M 87 for the first time in gamma and radio frequencies of light.

UT multimedia program increases middle school interest in science

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston) Middle school students who were part of a unique science learning program developed by the University of Texas School of Public Health showed significant increases in interest and achievement scores compared to other students, a recent study found.

Report calls for new initiative to improve math education for preschoolers

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(National Academy of Sciences) To ensure that all children enter elementary school with the foundation they need for success, a major national initiative is needed to improve early childhood mathematics education, says a new report from the National Research Council.

Graduate students win prestigious prizes for their work

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics) Each year, the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics awards SIAM Student Paper Prizes to the most outstanding papers submitted to the SIAM Student Paper Prize Competition. SIAM is pleased to announce the winners of the 2009 SIAM Student Paper Prizes who will present their papers during the SIAM Annual Meeting in Denver, Colo., July 6-10.

All in sight

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres) A new measurement system for the detection of whales is used for the first time on board of the research vessel Polarstern. Visual sightings of whales by marine mammal observers are usually based on observations of the spout, the condensing and warm breathing cloud. It rises between one meter and ten meters over the water surface and remains visible for only a few seconds. A thermal imaging camera now uses the heat of this spout.

Research output in developing countries reveals 194 percent increase in 5 years

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Elsevier) The partners of Research4Life announced today at the World Conference of Science Journalists 2009 that a new research impact analysis has demonstrated a dramatic rise in research output by scientists in the developing world since 2002. By comparing absolute growth in published research before (1996-2002) and after (2002-2008) the advent of the Research4Life programs, the analysis has revealed a 194 percent or 6.4-fold increase in articles published in peer reviewed journals.

New statistical technique improves precision of nanotechnology data

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Georgia Institute of Technology Research News) A new statistical analysis technique that identifies and removes systematic bias, noise and equipment-based artifacts from experimental data could lead to more precise and reliable measurement of nanomaterials and nanostructures likely to have future industrial applications.

UT Austin professor honored with prestigious mathematics award

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics) Mary F. Wheeler, of the University of Texas at Austin, will be awarded the Theodore von Kármán Prize at the SIAM Annual Meeting for her seminal research in numerical methods for partial differential equations, her leadership in the field of scientific computation and service to the scientific community, and for her pioneering work in the application of computational methods to the engineering sciences, most notably in geosciences.

Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden professor to receive prestigious prize in mathematics

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics) The W.T. and Idalia Reid Prize in Mathematics will be awarded to Anders Lindquist at the annual meeting of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics in Denver, July 6-10. Lindquist is being recognized for his fundamental contributions to the theory of stochastic systems, signals and control. He is head of the Division of Optimization and Systems Theory and director of the Strategic Center for Industrial and Applied Mathematics both at the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden.

Professor honored with prestigious award for work in computational mathematics

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics) Professor Assyr Abdulle, of École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, will be honored with the James H. Wilkinson Prize in Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing during the annual meeting of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics in Denver, July 6-10.

Princeton professor to receive prestigious prize in mathematics

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics) Weinan E., professor in the Department of Mathematics and Program in Applied and Computational Mathematics at Princeton University will be awarded the Ralph E. Kleinman Prize at the annual meeting of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics in Denver, July 6-10.

Computational scientist receives prestigious honor

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics) The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics will honor Franco Brezzi, one of the leading computational mathematicians of our day, as the 2009 John von Neumann Lecturer during the SIAM Annual Meeting in Denver, July 6-10. Brezzi is director of the Institute of Applied Mathematics and Information Technology and professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, Italy.

Loyola University Chicago professor honored

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics) Rafal Goebel, assistant professor from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Loyola University Chicago will be honored with the SIAM Activity Group on Control and Systems Theory Prize. Goebel will be recognized during the annual meeting of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, and will present a plenary session at the SIAM Conference on "Control & Its Applications."

UT Austin professor to receive prize for distinguished service

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics) J. Tinsley Oden will receive the SIAM Prize for Distinguished Service to the Profession on Tuesday, July 7, during the annual meeting of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics in Denver. Oden, director of ICES at the University of Texas at Austin, will be honored for his tireless service to the applied mathematics and mechanics communities.

ASU scientist: Study of first wave of swine flu requires revised public health strategies

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Arizona State University) Gerardo Chowell-Puente, a mathematical epidemiologist at Arizona State University, is co-author of a new study of the A(H1N1) influenza pandemic strain circulating around the world. The study's findings reveal an age shift in the proportion of cases toward a younger population when compared with historical patterns of seasonal influenza in Mexico. The findings are published June 29 online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

NuTeV anomaly helps shed light on physics of the nucleus

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(DOE/Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility) A new calculation clarifies the complicated relationship between protons and neutrons in the atomic nucleus and offers a fascinating resolution of the famous NuTeV Anomaly. The calculation, published in the journal Physical Review Letters on June 26, was carried out by a collaboration of researchers from the US Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Tokai University and the University of Washington.

Accelerating personalized mental health care

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(King's College London) A powerful new research facility at the heart of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Center is being launched today by Professor Dame Sally C. Davies, director general of research and development and chief scientific adviser, Department of Health. The Biomedical Research Center Nucleus is a unique center housing key translational initiatives to support the development of novel therapies and treatments for mental health and related disorders.

Ecological Society of America announces 2009 award recipients

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Ecological Society of America) The Ecological Society of America will present societal awards to five distinguished ecologists at its 94rd Annual Meeting on Monday, August 3, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. More than 3,500 attendees are expected at this year's meeting.

New tool finds best heart disease and stroke treatments for patients with diabetes

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(North Carolina State University) Researchers from North Carolina State University and Mayo Clinic have developed a computer model that medical doctors can use to determine the best time to begin using statin therapy in diabetes patients to help prevent heart disease and stroke.

'Kill all the quants'?: Models vs. mania in the current financial crisis

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics) "Blaming quantitative analysis is akin to blaming E=MC2 for nuclear meltdowns," says MIT Sloan School of Management's Andrew W. Lo, the 2009 I.E. Block Community Lecturer. Lo will deliver a talk entitled "Kill all the Quants"?: Models vs. Mania in the Current Financial Crisis during the annual meeting of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

Taxpayer Alliance applauds bill to broaden access to federal research results

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(SPARC) Sens. Joseph Lieberman and John Cornyn today introduced the Federal Research Public Access Act, a bill to ensure free, timely, online access to the published results of research funded by 11 US federal agencies. The proposed bill is welcomed by the Alliance for Taxpayer Access, a coalition of research institutions, consumers, patients and others formed to support open public access to publicly funded research.

AIAA presenting 'Passport to the Future' teacher workshop

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) will present a "Passport to the Future" Teacher Workshop Aug. 3-4 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, sponsored by the Lockheed Martin Corp.

New book explores computational modelling

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics is pleased to announce that the new book "Computational Modelling and Simulation of Aircraft and the Environment: Volume I: Platform Kinematics and Synthetic Environment" is now available through the AIAA Educational Series.

Study on keeping nuclear bombs from US ports shows misplaced fear over cargo scanning cost

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences) A two-tiered scanning-protocol for inspecting all containers at international ports could be the most affordable approach to ensuring containers moving through the global transportation system are not carrying nuclear bombs, according to a paper being presented at a services special interest group meeting of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences.

CSHL scientists harness logic of 'Sudoku' math puzzle to vastly enhance genome-sequencing capability

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) Combining a 2,000-year-old Chinese math theorem with concepts from cryptology, scientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have devised "DNA Sudoku" -- a pooling strategy that allows tens of thousands of DNA samples to be combined and sequenced all at once. The new strategy promises to reduce costs dramatically, with sequencing projects that cost $10 million in the past now estimated to cost less than $80,000.