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PRISM: Attracting Students to Mathematics, Physics and Biology Through Interdisciplinary Research and Discovery
Supported by the National Science Foundation |
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COMING in Spring 2010: PRISM course MTH 1190
"Exploration and Research: Mathematics, Physics, Biology" Click here for details about this 1-credit course, click here to reserve a place (enrollment is limited!). Interested in Mathematics? Physics? Biology? Primarily for first- and second-year students, this course is open to all students with an interest in learning about interdisciplinary research conducted by Northeastern faculty doing research in Mathematics, Biology, and Physics. The main goal of this course is for students to engage in work on open-ended problems and inquiry at the earliest stages of their undergraduate experience. The course will be at a level typical of science courses for first-year students. Topics will include: Networks Science for social interaction and disease propagation; Boolean Networks for learning and memory; Quantum Information for cryptography and security; Diffusion Limited Aggregation for branching in nature; Synchronization of oscillators for understanding rhythmic movements; Probability in Evolutionary Genetics for tracking the ancestry of living forms. Paid Summer Internship: Participants in the MATH 1190 course will be invited to apply to the "Summer Discovery Experience" Program, which will run for four weeks in May. This program provides in depth exploration of Mathematics, Physics, and Biology research topics through interactive class work, computer labs, experimentation, and team projects. Successful applicants to the Summer Discovery Experience receive room and board plus a $1,000 stipend. |
| Welcome to PRISM, a new initiative at Northeastern University designed to promote Mathematics, Physics and Biology among college and high-school students! Careers in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) are the wave of the future, and we want to help you kickstart your entry into these exciting research areas. Northeastern University is home to many researchers working on some of the most exciting developments at the forefront of these fields. The PRISM program is designed to connect participants to these cutting edge developments, and to open up career opportunities in some of the most promising areas of current STEM research. The activities commenced in August 2009 and will continue throughout the 2009--2010 school year, and for several years thereafter. Participants will have access to an interesting selection of seminars and exploratory teamwork activities throughout the year. This will culminate in the Summer Discovery Experience, which will be an intensive 4-week program exploring topics in Mathematics, Physics and Biology. Second-year PRISM students can apply for special Research Co-ops at labs on and off campus. If you would like to learn more about the program please contact any of the Professors listed below: Alain Karma (Physics), Chris King (Math), Dagmar Sternad (Biology, ECE and Physics), Rick Porter (Math), Jonathan Weitsman (Math), Christos Zahopoulos (Center for STEM Education). |
Schedule for Fall 2009
| Date | Time and Place | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| August 31 -- September 4 | 9:00am-4:00pm, 509 Lake Hall | Summer Preview: Exploring Mathematics -- a week-long intensive exploration and discovery for incoming mathematics majors, run by Prof Tom Sherman |
| Friday September 11 | 12:00 noon, 509 Lake Hall |
Kickoff PRISM meeting for the year: there will be a presentation about the PRISM program as well as a question and answer session. Pizza is provided, so be on time! Slides. |
| Friday October 2 | 12:00 - 1:00 pm, 105 Shillman Hall |
PRISM Lunchtime Movie Series. Special presentation of the movie How Kevin Bacon Cured Cancer. This will describe some of the extraordinary consequences of the emerging science of complex networks. Popcorn provided. Slides. |
| Friday October 9 | 12:00 noon, 105 Shillman Hall |
Interdisciplinary Research Seminar. Networks -- from Hollywood to the human cell. Our speaker is Prof. A.-L. Barabasi (Physics), his topic will be network theory and its wide applicability in science and society. Pizza provided. Here are slides from the talk. |
| Friday October 16 | 12:00 noon, 509 Lake Hall |
Follow-up seminar: we will explore the mathematics behind the research of Prof Barabasi, and learn how it connects to your coursework. Pizza provided. Here are the links used in the seminar. |
| Friday October 23 | 12:00 noon, 509 Lake Hall |
Follow-up seminar: continuation of last week's seminar, further exploration of networks and their representations. Pizza provided starting at 11:45am. Here are the slides. |
| Friday October 30 | 12:00 noon, 135 Shillman Hall |
Interdisciplinary Research Seminar. "Building Brains for Biomimetic Robots". Our speaker is Prof. Joe Ayers (Biology), who will talk about his work on biomimicry and demonstrate some of his lifelike machines! Pizza provided. |
| Friday November 6 | 12:00 noon, 509 Lake Hall |
Follow-up seminar: Profs Tom Sherman (Math) and Dagmar Sternad (Biology/Physics/Engineering) will lead an exploration of the mathematics behind the research of Prof Ayers. Pizza provided starting at 11:45am. |
| Friday November 20 | 12:00 noon, 135 Shillman Hall |
Interdisciplinary Research Seminar. "Taming the Chaotic Heart". Our speaker is Prof. Alain Karma (Physics), who will talk about his work on applying dynamical systems to study how the heart functions. Pizza provided. |
| Northeastern University | Web page: Chris King, based on a page design by Alex Suciu |
| Mathematics Department | Started : September 2009. Last modified : November 30, 2009. |