by We’re happy to report that we have already interviewed several scientists about their fascinating research and the math they use every day.
Oceanographer Emmanuel Boss told us how he first got excited about marine biology when he was a young man windsurfing in the Mediterranean Sea. Nowadays, he shines bright light into the depths of the ocean to assess the populations of organisms in various waters.
Entomologist Sara Bushmann talked about her research with sweat bees in Maine and their role in the pollination of blueberries. She spends a lot of time catching and counting bees in the field to discover whether these insects can help blueberries grow more effectively.
Physicist Paul Mirel explained some of the math he uses to calculate the strength of bolts used to connect the structures he builds to the balloons and satellites that take them above Earth’s atmosphere.
Theoretical Astrophysicist Scott Tremaine talked about how he uses a lot of algebra and calculus to predict the existence of as-yet-unknown planets and other objects beyond the outer reaches of our solar system. It’s pretty cool when advances in technology allow astronomers to find objects in space just where his math had predicted they would.
Physicist Nicholas Carrera told the story of his many years with the US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, where he used his knowledge of math to advise the US government whether to trust the Soviets when they claimed to be conducting nuclear weapons tests on a smaller scale than was widely believed.
These generous scientists have helped us start building a robust curriculum that connects math students with scientists who use the math they are learning.
