EurekAlert! - Mathematics and Statistics

The University of Oklahoma joins Kyoto University for international symposium in Japan

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of Oklahoma) The University of Oklahoma will partner with Kyoto University to present the International Symposium on Radar and Modeling Studies of the Atmosphere Nov. 10-13 in Kyoto, Japan. The symposium is being organized by OU's College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences and Atmospheric Radar Research Center in collaboration with Kyoto University’s Disaster Prevention Research Institute and Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere under a 2008 cooperative agreement between OU and Kyoto University.

UWM study explores why women leave engineering careers

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee) A study getting under way at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is the first systematic study of women's retention in engineering. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the study, POWER (Project on Women Engineers' Retention) includes an online survey open to all women who have completed at least a bachelor's degree in engineering, whether or not they have worked as engineers.

Keeping hearts pumping with 'LifeFlow'

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(American Friends of Tel Aviv University) LifeFlow, a new device from Tel Aviv University's Professor Ofer Barnea, applies a sophisticated algorithm to a computer-controlled IV drip to improve the efficiency of disaster response in the field.

DOE/Los Alamos National Laboratory names 6 scientists as 2009 Fellows

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(DOE/Los Alamos National Laboratory) Antoinette "Toni" Taylor, Stephen Becker, Joachim Birn, Lowell Brown, Patrick Colestock and Samuel "Tom" Picraux have been designated 2009 Los Alamos National Laboratory Fellows in recognition of sustained, outstanding scientific contributions and exceptional promise for continued professional achievement.

Dartmouth professor finds that iconic Oswald photo was not faked

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Dartmouth College) Computer Scientist Hany Farid has new evidence regarding a photograph of accused JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. Farid digitally analyzed the iconic image of Oswald pictured in a backyard setting holding a rifle in one hand and Marxist newspapers in the other, and he says the photo almost certainly was not altered.

Capturing those in-between moments: NIST solves timing problem in molecular modeling

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)) A theoretical physicist at NIST has developed a method for calculating the motions and forces of thousands of atoms simultaneously over a wider range of time scales than previously possible. The method overcomes a longstanding timing gap in modeling nanometer-scale materials and many other physical, chemical and biological systems at atomic and molecular levels.

Innovative R&D prioritization tool earns Baxter the 2009 INFORMS Decision Analysis Award

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences) The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences today announced that Baxter Healthcare is the winner of the INFORMS Decision Analysis Society Practice Award.

Rice U. lab leads hunt for new zeolites

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Rice University) In all the world, there are about 200 types of zeolite, a compound of silicon, aluminum and oxygen that gives civilization such things as laundry detergent, kitty litter and gasoline. But thanks to computations by Rice University professor Michael Deem and his colleagues, it appears there are -- or could be -- more types of zeolites than once thought.

Laser-plasma accelerators ride on Einstein's shoulders

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(American Physical Society) Using Einstein's theory of special relativity to speedup computer simulations, scientists have designed laser-plasma accelerators with energies of 10 billion electron volts (GeV) and beyond. These systems, which have not been simulated in detail until now, could in the future serve as a compact new technology for particle colliders and energetic light sources.

UAB earns $2.1 million grant to boost math teacher readiness

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Alabama at Birmingham) The Greater Birmingham Mathematics Partnership, a partnership between the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham-Southern College and area school districts, has earned a $2.1 million National Science Foundation grant to provide professional development programs for middle-school math teachers and research the impact of the programs.

Innovation task force unveils new Web site on physical sciences and engineering

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(American Physical Society) The Task Force on American Innovation today unveiled a new Web site, www.innovationtaskforce.org, which offers fresh and comprehensive information on federal policies and appropriations for key agencies that fund research in the physical sciences, engineering and mathematics.

Whooping cough immunity lasts longer than previously thought

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Public Library of Science) Immunity to whooping cough lasts at least 30 years on average, much longer than previously thought, according to a new study by researchers based at the University of Michigan and the University of New Mexico. Details are published Oct. 30 in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens.

INFORMS presents 11 new Fellows Awards

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences) The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences today announced 11 new recipients of the annual INFORMS Fellows Award.

Electrical engineers go head to head with Genius on music playlists

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of California - San Diego) Electrical engineers recently pitted Genius -- the music recommendation system in Apple's iTunes -- against two experimental music recommender systems. Genius appears to capture acoustic similarities among songs within the same playlist, the researchers found. The University of California, San Diego, electrical engineers also discovered that the music recommender they built from scratch can generate song playlists that human subjects thought were as good as those that Genius generates.

NJIT prof sees 70 percent chance for Yanks to win the 2009 World Series

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(New Jersey Institute of Technology) NJIT's Bruce Bukiet, a mathematician who has applied mathematical modeling techniques to elucidate the dynamics of run scoring in baseball, has computed the probability of the Yankees and Phillies winning the World Series. He also has computed the most deserving of Major League Baseball's prestigious 2009 Most Valuable Player and Cy Young awards.

University of Oklahoma leads effort to advance ecological forecasting

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Oklahoma) With a $6 million grant from the National Science Foundation, University of Oklahoma researchers will lead the effort to develop cyberCommons -- an information "commons" or cafeteria where others can obtain electronic real-time data or forecasts similar to those produced for weather.

Clemson professor receives award to study effect of mothers' obesity, diabetes on infants

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Clemson University) The National Institutes of Health has awarded Clemson University professor Maria Mayorga and Medical University of South Carolina professor Kelly Hunt a $735,000 grant to study the effects of a mother's obesity and diabetes on infant health in certain ethnic groups.

Professors receive $4.6 million to study impact of climate change on potential biofuel source

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Texas at Austin) Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have received a $4.6 million grant to explore how switchgrass, a native prairie grass and promising source of biofuel, will fare under future climate change.

Scientists use world's fastest supercomputer to model origins of the unseen universe

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(DOE/Los Alamos National Laboratory) The model is one of the largest simulations of the distribution of matter in the universe, and aims to look at galaxy-scale mass concentrations above and beyond quantities seen in state-of-the-art sky surveys.

NSF grant supports Rutgers-Camden program for science majors

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Rutgers University) Contrary to a national trend, more and more students at Rutgers University-Camden are signing up to major in math and science. Thanks to a $307,277 grant from the National Science Foundation, these (and future) students in the sciences at Rutgers-Camden will receive unprecedented support throughout their undergraduate years to the successful completion of their degrees.

DOE grant launches Carnegie Mellon initiative to automate discovery of astrophysical phenomena

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Carnegie Mellon University) Automated methods for discovering astrophysical phenomena by sifting through massive amounts of cosmological data are being developed by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Washington under a new three-year, $1.6 million grant from the US Department of Energy.

Music makes you smarter

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Faculty of 1000: Biology and Medicine) Regularly playing a musical instrument changes the anatomy and function of the brain and may be used in therapy to improve cognitive skills.

How technology is changing the practice of architecture will be forum subject

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(New Jersey Institute of Technology) NJIT's College of Architecture and Design will host a public forum on the changing status of technology in architectural practice and the emerging potential for the role of architecture in the design of the built environment. The NJ Chapter of the American Institute of Architects will sponsor the free event, open to the public, set for Oct. 28, 2009, 1:15-7 p.m.

How white is a paper?

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Swedish Research Council) Whiter paper and better color reproduction are examples of important competitive advantages on an international market. But how white is a paper? And why do vacation photos turn out so dark if you don't buy expensive photo paper? Per Edstrom at Mid Sweden University has attracted international attention for his research, which has resulted in a new generation of computational tools for simulation of light in paper and print.

New research suggests how low doses of radiation can cause heart disease and stroke

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Public Library of Science) A mathematical model constructed by researchers at Imperial College London predicts the risk of cardiovascular disease (heart attacks, stroke) associated with low background levels of radiation. The model shows that the risk would vary almost in proportion with dose. Results, published Oct. 23 in the open-access journal PLoS Computational Biology, are consistent with risk levels reported in previous studies involving nuclear workers.