The work of an applied mathematician
is by nature related to other disciplines, whether they be economics, biology,
chemistry, physics, business or finance. The model we’re creating this summer
to describe chlorophyll concentration and population growth requires lots of
understanding of mathematics, biology, and computer science. Since I haven’t
taken a biology class since high school, this has been an interesting learning
experience. This project has taught me the skill of using what basic knowledge
I have of biology and then slowly learn the most efficient way of learning the
new material. This has required learning to read research papers in a field I’m
not an expert in and talking to others who have more knowledge to help put the
puzzle pieces together. Another skill I have learned is being better at stepping
back from all the details and really understanding how these 3 disciplines
intersect to solve one problem.
This week I also got to spend one
day with the economists and saw how they are using math in their model. To
create a pricing model, they’re running a bunch of regressions using different
variables to see how much a clean lake is worth. They’re using more advanced
statistics and statistical programming than us but the critical thinking skills
are still the same. The combined knowledge of our two projects could tell you
how much a clean lake is worth and given the biological conditions of the lake,
if a bloom will occur. People can use this information to make intelligent
decisions about buying houses near these lakes and see if the increased price
of the house is worth the risk of a potential bloom.
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