Mathematical Moments from the American Mathematical Society

By American Mathematical Society

Technology Natural Sciences Science & Medicine

What's Mathematical Moments from the American Mathematical Society about?

The American Mathematical Society's Mathematical Moments program promotes appreciation and understanding of the role mathematics plays in science, nature, technology, and human culture. Listen to researchers talk about how they use math, from creating realistic animation to beating cancer.

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Mathematical Moments from the American Mathematical Society episodes:

03.08.2024
Smashing Particles up Against Mathematics
Dr. Abiy Tasissa of Tufts University, discusses the mathematics he and colleagues used to study particle collider data, including optimal transport and optimization. Collider physics often result in distributions referred to as jets. Dr. Tasissa and his team used...
02.16.2024
Supporting Wildlife with Statistics
Dr. Outi Tervo of Greenland Institute for Natural Resources, shares how mathematics helps recommend speed limits for marine vessels, which benefits narwhals and Inuit culture. Narwhals "can only be found in the Arctic," said Outi Tervo, a senior scientist at...
10.17.2023
Explaining Wildfires Through Curvature
Dr. Valentina Wheeler of University of Wollongong, Australia, shares how her work influences efforts to understand wildfires and red blood cells. In Australia, where bushfires are a concern year-round, researchers have long tried to model these wildfires, hoping to learn...
10.13.2023
Bridges and Wheels, Tricycles and Squares
Dr. Stan Wagon of Macalester College discusses the mathematics behind rolling a square smoothly. In 1997, inspired by a square wheel exhibit at The Exploratorium museum in San Francsico, Dr. Stan Wagon enlisted his neighbor Loren Kellen in building a...
07.13.2023
Bringing Photographs to Life
Dr. Rekha Thomas from the University of Washington discusses three-dimensional image reconstructions from two-dimensional photos. The mathematics of image reconstruction is both simpler and more abstract than it seems. To reconstruct a 3D model based on photographic data, researchers and...
04.05.2023
Giving Health Care Policy a Dose of Mathematics
Imelda Flores Vazquez from Econometrica, Inc. explains how economists use mathematics to evaluate the efficacy of health care policies. When a hospital or government wants to adjust their health policies — for instance, by encouraging more frequent screenings for certain diseases...
12.29.2022
Using Math to Support Cancer Research
Stacey Finley from University of Southern California discusses how mathematical models support the research of cancer biology. Cancer research is a crucial job, but a difficult one. Tumors growing inside the human body are affected by all kinds of factors. These...
11.15.2022
Keeping the Lights On
Rodney Kizito from U.S. Department of Energy discusses solar energy, mathematics, and microgrids. When you flip a switch to turn on a light, where does that energy come from? In a traditional power grid, electricity is generated at large power plants...
06.28.2022
Driving Up Air Pollution
Karen Rios Soto explains how mathematics illuminates the link between air pollution from motor vehicle emissions and asthma. Air pollution causes the premature deaths of an estimated seven million people each year, and it makes life worse for all of us....
05.19.2022
Deblurring Images
Malena Espanol explains how she and others use linear algebra to correct blurry images. Imagine snapping a quick picture of a flying bird. The image is likely to come out blurry. But thanks to mathematics, you might be able to use...
02.14.2022
Exploring Thermodynamics with Billiards
Tim Chumley explains the connections between random billiards and the science of heat and energy transfer. If you've ever played billiards or pool, you've used your intuition and some mental geometry to plan your shots. Mathematicians have gone a step further,...
10.21.2021
Pinpointing How Genes Interact
Lorin Crawford explains how he uses math to analyze interactions between genes. Your DNA (the biological instruction manual in all of your cells) contains a mind-boggling amount of information represented in roughly 20,000 genes that encode proteins, plus a similar number...
09.01.2021
Securing Data in the Quantum Era
Angela Robinson explains the math behind the next generation of cryptographic algorithms. Whenever you log in to a website, send an email, or make an online purchase, you're counting on your data being sent securely, without hackers being able to crack...
07.06.2021
Taking the "Temperature" of Languages
Ricardo Bermudez-Otero and Tobias Galla discuss the mathematics describing the evolution of human languages. The sounds and structures of the world's approximately 7,000 languages never stop changing. Just compare the English in Romeo and Juliet or the Spanish in Don Quixote...
05.24.2021
Doing the Math
Math may sometimes seem as if it's comprised of countless meaningless unconnected exercises, but in reality, it's much more. It's figuring out how to do something, and, even better, why something works the way it does. The math you're doing...
04.26.2021
Making Room for Patients
We've seen that the availability of hospital beds is important during a pandemic, and it's important during normal times as well. Whether it's for emergency medical help or for a scheduled procedure (for example, chemotherapy), access to hospital space, staff,...
03.22.2021
Fighting Fires
In many places, fire seasons keep getting longer with larger and ever more destructive wildfires. Teams of mathematicians, computer scientists, meteorologists, and firefighters are working to reduce the number of large fires before they happen and to contain those that...
02.22.2021
Describing Dryland Vegetation Patterns
Math is often described as the science of patterns, which makes it a natural subject to help in the study of the underlying causes of patterns found in nature, for example, bands of vegetation that often occur on gently sloped...
01.25.2021
Mixing Math and Cooking
Math's connection with cooking extends beyond the mathematical constant that sounds like a dessert. For example, using differential equations to model fluid flow and heat transfer, research teams have found how spaghetti curls as it's cooked, how to rotate a...
01.27.2020
Cracking Open Black Boxes
Algorithms can be very useful, but lately, with so much data being created and shared, and with the increase in their use in critical areas such as hiring, credit, and health care, algorithms are under intense scrutiny about their fairness....
10.21.2019
Solving the Mystery of the Wine Legs
What causes wine legs (tears)? Andrea Bertozzi explains and describes how to generate legs.
09.23.2019
Picturing Powehi
Fumie Tazaki talks about creating the first image of a black hole and its shadow, which relied on Fourier transforms. About the work to make the image, she says, "Our collaboration has 200 members and we did it with all...
09.23.2019
Unmasking Deepfakes
Hany Farid talks about fighting fake videos: "Mathematically, there's a lot of linear algebra, multivariate calculus, probability and statistics, and then a lot of techniques from pattern recognition, signal processing, and image processing."
09.23.2019
Making Beautiful Mathematics
Rob Schneiderman talks about the metaphorical connections between math and music
08.19.2019
Keeping People Alive Part 2
Steven Strogatz and Mary Bushman talk about math's role in controlling HIV and understanding malaria, respectively. Mary Bushman says, "It's really cool to try and use math to nail down some questions that have gone unanswered for a really...
08.19.2019
Keeping People Alive Part 1
Steven Strogatz and Mary Bushman talk about math's role in controlling HIV and understanding malaria, respectively. Mary Bushman says, "It's really cool to try and use math to nail down some questions that have gone unanswered for a really...
06.12.2019
Making the Earth Flat
Tom Patterson and Bojan Savric discuss the Equal Earth projection map that they created with Bernhard Jenny.
06.10.2019
Screening for Autism
Researcher: Jordan Hashemi, Duke University Description: Jordan Hashemi talks about an easy-to-use app to screen for autism.
06.09.2019
Unbunching Buses
Researchers: Vikash V. Gayah and S. Ilgin Guler, Pennsylvania State University Description: Gayah and Guler talk about mitigating the clustering of buses on a route.
06.02.2019
Winning the Race
Researcher: Christine Darden, NASA (retired) Description: Christine Darden on working at NASA.
12.03.2018
Screening for Autism
Researcher: Jordan Hashemi, Duke University Moment: http://www.ams.org/samplings/mathmoments/mm142-autism.pdf Moment Title: Screening for Autism Description: Jordan Hashemi talks about an easy-to-use app to screen for autism. Podcast page: http://www.ams.org/samplings/mathmoments/mm142-autism-podcast Audio file: podcast-mom-autism.mp3
12.03.2018
Unbunching Buses
Researchers: Vikash V. Gayah and S. Ilgin Guler, Pennsylvania State University Moment: http://www.ams.org/samplings/mathmoments/mm141-bus-bunching.pdf Moment Title: Unbunching Buses Description: Gayah and Guler talk about mitigating the clustering of buses on a route. Podcast page: http://www.ams.org/samplings/mathmoments/mm141-bus-bunching-podcast Audio file: podcast-mom-bus-bunching.mp3
12.03.2018
Winning the Race
Researcher: Christine Darden, NASA (retired) Moment: http://www.ams.org/publicoutreach/mathmoments/mm140-hidden-figures.pdf Moment Title: Winning the Race Description: Christine Darden on working at NASA. Podcast page: http://www.ams.org/publicoutreach/mathmoments/mm140-hidden-figures-podcast Audio file: podcast-mom-hidden-figures.mp3
09.17.2018
Revolutionizing and Industry
Researchers: Christopher Brinton, Zoomi, Inc. and Princeton University, and Mung Chiang, Purdue University Moment: http://www.ams.org/samplings/mathmoments/mm139-netflix.pdf Description: Christopher Brinton and Mung Chiang talk about the Netflix Prize competition.
09.17.2018
Going Into a Shell
Researcher: Derek Moulton, University of Oxford Moment: http://www.ams.org/samplings/mathmoments/mm138-shells.pdf Description: Derek Moulton explains the math behind the shapes of seashells.
09.17.2018
Keeping the Roof On
Researcher: Stefan Siegmund, TU-Dresden Moment: http://www.ams.org/samplings/mathmoments/mm137-hurricane.pdf Moment Title: Keeping the Roof On Description: Stefan Siegmund talks about his an invention to protect homes during hurricanes. Podcast page: http://www.ams.org/samplings/mathmoments/mm137-hurricane-podcast
09.17.2018
Scoring with New Thinking
Researcher: Andy Andres, Boston University Moment: http://www.ams.org/samplings/mathmoments/mm136-baseball.pdf Moment Title: Scoring with New Thinking Description: Andy Andres on baseball analytics. Podcast page: http://www.ams.org/samplings/mathmoments/mm136-baseball-podcast
08.22.2017
Generating Patterns Part 2
Researcher: Michel C. Molinkovitch, University of Geneva. Description: Michel C. Milinkovitch used math, physics, and biology for an amazing discovery about the patterns on a lizard's skin.
08.22.2017
Generating Patterns Part 1
Researcher: Michel C. Molinkovitch, University of Geneva. Description: Michel C. Milinkovitch used math, physics, and biology for an amazing discovery about the patterns on a lizard's skin.
08.22.2017
Hunting for Planets
Researcher: Konstantin Batygin, Caltech. Description: Konstantin Batygin talks about using math to investigate the existence of Planet Nine.
05.10.2017
Designing Better Bicycles
Researcher: Jim Papadopoulos, Northeastern University. Jim Papadopoulos talks about his years of research analyzing bicycles.
05.10.2017
Farming Better
Researchers: Eleanor Jenkins, Clemson University and Kathleen (Fowler) Kavanagh, Clarkson University. Lea Jenkins and Katie Kavanagh talk about their work making farming more efficient while using water wisely.
10.11.2016
Maintaining a Balance Part 2
Researcher: Daniel Rothman, MIT. Dan Rothman talks about how math helped understand a mass extinction.
10.11.2016
Maintaining a Balance Part 1
Researcher: Daniel Rothman, MIT. Dan Rothman talks about how math helped understand a mass extinction.
10.11.2016
Trimming Taxiing Time
Researcher: Hamsa Balakrishnan, MIT. Hamsa Balakrishnan talks about her work to shorten airport runway queues.
10.11.2016
Making Art Work
Researcher: Annalisa Crannell, Franklin & Marshall College. Annalisa Crannell on perspective in art.
10.11.2016
Explaining Rainbows
Researcher: John A. Adam, Old Dominion University. John A. Adam explains the math and physics behind rainbows.
10.11.2016
Farming Better
Researchers: Eleanor Jenkins, Clemson University, and Katie Kavanagh, Clarkson University. Eleanor Jenkins and Katie Kavanagh talk about their interdisciplinary team's work helping farmers.
06.09.2016
Dis-playing the Game of Thrones: Part 2
Researcher: Andrew Beveridge, Macalester College: Moment Title: Dis-playing the Game of Thrones: Description: Andrew Beveridge uses math to analyze Game of Thrones.
06.09.2016
Dis-playing the Game of Thrones: Part 1
Researcher: Andrew Beveridge, Macalester College: Moment Title: Dis-playing the Game of Thrones: Description: Andrew Beveridge uses math to analyze Game of Thrones.

What's Mathematical Moments from the American Mathematical Society about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Mathematical Moments from the American Mathematical Society episodes:

Smashing Particles up Against Mathematics

Supporting Wildlife with Statistics

Explaining Wildfires Through Curvature

Bridges and Wheels, Tricycles and Squares

Bringing Photographs to Life

Giving Health Care Policy a Dose of Mathematics

Using Math to Support Cancer Research

Keeping the Lights On

Driving Up Air Pollution

Deblurring Images

Exploring Thermodynamics with Billiards

Pinpointing How Genes Interact

Securing Data in the Quantum Era

Taking the "Temperature" of Languages

Doing the Math

Making Room for Patients

Fighting Fires

Describing Dryland Vegetation Patterns

Mixing Math and Cooking

Cracking Open Black Boxes

Solving the Mystery of the Wine Legs

Picturing Powehi

Unmasking Deepfakes

Making Beautiful Mathematics

Keeping People Alive Part 2

Keeping People Alive Part 1

Making the Earth Flat

Screening for Autism

Unbunching Buses

Winning the Race

Screening for Autism

Unbunching Buses

Winning the Race

Revolutionizing and Industry

Going Into a Shell

Keeping the Roof On

Scoring with New Thinking

Generating Patterns Part 2

Generating Patterns Part 1

Hunting for Planets

Designing Better Bicycles

Farming Better

Maintaining a Balance Part 2

Maintaining a Balance Part 1

Trimming Taxiing Time

Making Art Work

Explaining Rainbows

Farming Better

Dis-playing the Game of Thrones: Part 2

Dis-playing the Game of Thrones: Part 1