Science Speakers {Ecological Agriculture}

Ecological Agriculture: Good for North America and Good for Africa

Dale Hess, Merry Lea Collegiate Program Director and Associate Professor of Agroecology, Goshen College

Dr. Luke Gascho, Director of Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center, Goshen College

Science Speakers {Applied Science: Forensic Toxicology}

Monday, April 8, 4:00-5:00 PM in SC 106

Applied Science: Forensic Toxicology

Samantha Beauchamp, Forensic Scientist Forensic Science Division, Michigan State Police

Searching for a Connection Between the Insect Circadian Clock and Seasonal Clock {Science Speakers}

Megan Meuti, PhD Candidate, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University

Science Speakers {The Awesome Arbelos}

Special Science Speakers Presentation Candidate for the Mathematics Faculty Position

5:15 - 6:15 PM in Science Hall 106

The Awesome Arbelos Abstract: The arbelos is a geometric shape whose boundary is created by three semicircles. This shape was studied by the ancient Greeks using Euclidean methods. We will show several interesting properties associated to this shape, using a more modern approach in some cases, and will see how the speaker did undergraduate research on the arbelos without realizing it.

Brian Whitehead, Eastern Connecticut State University

Science Speakers {Is There Anything Computers Can't Do?!}

Special Science Speakers Presentation Candidate for the Mathematics Faculty Position

Thursday, April 11, 5:15 - 6:15 PM in Science Hall 106

Is There Anything Computers Can't Do?! Abstract: (Hint: Yes). We will explore an 80-year-old field of mathematics and computer science known as "computability." The goal of computability is simple: which problems can be solved in an "effective" manner. Usually, this boils down to determining for which problems does there exist an algorithm to solve them. For example: suppose we have a polynomial with integer coefficients. Is there a sure-fire way to determine whether or not its roots are all rational numbers or not? It turns out that there is no such algorithm, and this is an "undecidable" problem!

We will give the basics of computability through the idea of Turing machines. Focusing on functions on the natural numbers, we will explore some "computable" functions and "non-computable" functions. We will give a bit of historical context for computability, giving examples of how it has affected mathematics and computer science. Finally, we will introduce an exciting area of mathematics with many open problems known as "computable structure theory."

Jesse Johnson, University of Notre Dame

Science Speakers {Classifying Quasars}

Classifying Quasars

Tina Peters, PhD Candidate, Drexel University

Friday, April 12, 4:00-5:00pm in SC 106

Science Speakers

Special Science Speaker Presentation Candidates for the Mathematics Faculty Position

Thursday, April 18, 5:15 - 6:15 PM in Science Hall 106

Does a Neuron Need Math? Abstract: Neurons process and propagate signals through electrical (action potential or spike) and chemical mechanisms (synapses). A mathematical model (HH-model) that describes how action potentials are produced within neurons was derived by Hodgkin and Huxley through experiments on squid. The HH model is based on a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations, so we may think of a neuron as a nonlinear dynamical system. In this talk, we present the HH-model and simplifications of the HH model including the Fitzhugh-Nagumo model and the integrate-and-fire model. As an example of a synaptically coupled neuronal network and its activity patterns, we also consider how irregular activity patterns can be generated in an excitatory-inhibitory network using simple maps, work which is motivated by experimental recordings from a brain area called the basal ganglia.

Choongseok Park, University of Pittsburgh

Working to Find Sustainable Solutions in the Midst of Real World Complexity {Science Speaker}

Lydia Yoder, Krystel Pierre and Karsten Hess: "Building the future for the Farm-to-Fork Heritage Center"

Hannah Geiser and Jonathan Mark: "Lawns of Communication: GC and the EPA Campus RainWorks Challenge"