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The guest speaker this week Monday 16 July was Mark McGuinness who lectures at the School of Mathematics and Statistics Victoria University of Wellington.  I was really keen to hear what Mark had to say and was expected monster calculation but he made it very easy for us all to understand how maths is applied in real world situations. 

 

Mark’s interest was sparked as a youngster at birthday parties in particular when birthday games involved problem solving he was more interested in the problem solving exercises offered than the birthday party itself!  He has come from being a shy problem solver having to learn public speaking at the Gisborne Rotary Club to an accomplished lecturer. 

 

Mark has a degree in Physics from the University of Canterbury and has worked around the world including at the University of Limerick.  He came back to NZ via a role in the Applied Maths Division in the DSIR.  Mark was pleased to be back in NZ and now travels from time to time in one week study groups bringing great minds together to problem solve.  He referred to Problems Solved “with a little help from my friends”.  This now operates under the MINZ Maths in Industry NZ.  Examples of this work have been used to solve the following problems: 

Some of this sounds pretty cool and the equation looked amazingly confusing but in a nutshell he took a nonlinear diffusion equation and converted it to a linear poisson equation?  Whatever that means?  But what I did gleam from this – the equation has been used to problem solve across sectors i.e. from making crispy cereal to wool scouring!

 

Hearing about Mark’s time in the Antarctic provided a very poignant appreciation of the ice shelf.  It is massive in area but if it is not thicker than one metre it does not reflect the suns heat.  They discovered that ice platelets do not form in ice less than a metre thick obviously contributing to the great melting problem the world needs a solution to.  Bring in Mark and his friends who in solving this problem are trying to find a way to grow sea ice faster than it would form naturally.  This apparently requires turbulence from tidal waves to form ice crystals – who knew Maths could be so fascinating.  Mark put up some quotes about Maths and Music and the love of Maths.  For me it served to remind us all that while we might be able to solve problems with experience, instinct and a calculator - a solution for many problems can be found in an equation.  Fascinating talk Mark thank you.