Chaos is not Random

 

On Monday, February 10 at 4pm in Olin 201 Dr. Andrés Aragoneses will talk about how chaos is a relatively recent field of research that merges topics as diverse as mathematics, biology, physics, astronomy, economics, and geology. It encompasses phenomena ranging from avalanches in piles of sand to population dynamics, virus propagation, soccer strategies, stock market fluctuations, laser oscillations, and the dynamics of particles in Saturn’s rings. Chaos is not randomness, though it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish between the two. In this presentation, he will explore how chaos can be simulated, the physical systems in which it can be found, how mathematical techniques can be developed to characterize and unveil hidden symmetries in chaotic behaviour, and how universality patterns can be discovered within chaos.

 

BIO: Andrés Aragoneses conducts experimental research in photonics and complex dynamics. In his experimental setups, known as Photonic Neurons, he induces chaos in the output intensity of diode lasers to study and characterize their dynamics, aiming to replicate the behavior of biological neurons. Previously, he conducted research in quantum key distribution at Duke University, the electrical properties of polymers at UPC in Spain, and cosmology at UAB in Spain. However, for the past 15 years, his primary focus has been on the vast interconnectivity of chaos and complex dynamics, and the potential of photonic neurons to study them.

 


 






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Graphs and Hypergraphs and Topology, Oh My!

Image
Monday October 21 at 4pm in Olin 201. Emilie Purvine, of the Pacific Northwest National Lab will talk about how mathematical structures and concepts can be great models of real-world data. For example, differential equations have a long history of success in applied mathematics to model dynamics found in rivers and oceans, the atmosphere, and molecular systems (just to name a few!). Network science is an area of applied math that uses graph structures to model relational systems like social, collaboration, and transportation networks. Graphs, however, are limited to modeling pairwise relationships among entities. Hypergraphs and topological spaces provide alternate models of relational systems that allow for arbitrary sized and structured relationships. In this talk, Dr. Purvine will introduce the mathematical concepts of graphs, hypergraphs, and topology and show how they are used to model real-world data from a variety of applications including biological systems, chemi...
Read more

Mathematical Sciences Foundry Talks

This semester, we will have a series of talks on Mondays at 4pm in Olin 201 loosely organized around the mathematical sciences. Hosted by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Whitman College, we'll provide some snacks and a speaker (or speakers) that will share some aspect of the mathematical sciences. The talks will be accessible to undergraduate STEM students. Some of the talks will be in-person by Whitman students and/or professors. Others will be remote perhaps featuring alums in industry or academics from other institutions.  This series of talks is organized by Professors Marina Ptukhina and Albert Schueller. Reach out to them if you have an idea for a talk.
Read more

From Sports Analytics to Business Analytics

Image
Monday April 24 at 4pm in Olin 201. Riley Foreman '15 will talk about business analytics, as part of her role within Hippo . Riley partners with various business units to solve highly analytical and operational problems. She will be sharing one of her recent analyses that helped inform the day-to-day activities of Hippo's new Account Management team and efforts to retain customers within the Hippo Agency. Riley will also discuss how her liberal arts and mathematics background helps her navigate the highly-regulated and complex insurance industry and understand how other areas of the company, such as the actuarial team, affects overall strategy and operations.   Bio: Riley Foreman '15 is currently the manager of business operations and finance at Hippo Insurance. After completing a combined degree in Economics-Mathematics from Whitman College, she began her career in ESPN's Stats & Info Group as a Production Researcher, providing stats-driven storylines to b...
Read more