But for the second-year PhD student in the Department of Combinatorics and Optimization, the research is fully grounded and relevant. Van Dyk’s research finds practical application for one of the largest companies in the world, Amazon.
Movies are a cultural mirror that shows us who we are. They reflect our values and aspirations, but also our preconceived notions and assumptions. Movies about math and mathematicians are no different.
For example, many movies featuring mathematicians depict them as savants. The stereotypical savant character ranges from quirky genius to troubled outsider to dangerous deviant.
Mathematics is like a language.
Nowadays, it’s a language with the same symbols and meaning in every place it’s used. A multiplication sign is a multiplication sign everywhere, and everybody agrees on what a multiplication sign means.
But it wasn’t always so.
In the history of mathematics, Hypatia’s legend looms large. She was a woman mathematician in an era when women were not generally seen as academics. She has been called a martyr for truth and reason. And because of the context of her life and death, Hypatia continues to be one of the most enigmatic figures in mathematics.
Two entrepreneurial teams with links to the Faculty of Mathematics advanced to the final of the bi-annual Concept $5K challenge, which is hosted by the Velocity startup incubator.
July 10 is Nikola Tesla’s birthday. He was born 165 years ago. Tesla is one of the most enigmatic figures in the STEM world, and had he been alive today, he would be a massive fan of the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Waterloo.
Nicholas Vadivelu, a Computer Science and Statistics double major and Spencer Whitehead a Pure Mathematics major are the recipients of the prestigious Jessie W.H.
Wherever Adina Goldberg goes, she leaves a trail of newly-created community events, academic initiatives and connection opportunities behind her. The Pure Mathematics PhD student and self-described “huge extrovert” carries the mantra: “Make things happen if they don’t exist – just build it yourself.”
Starting Friday, April 30th at noon, 127 Waterloo undergraduate students found themselves knee-deep in data for 48 hours at the University of Waterloo’s 2021 American Statistical Association (ASA) DataFest.
Eight incoming master's students at the University of Waterloo have each been awarded a Vector Scholarship in Artificial Intelligence, valued at $17,500, from the Vector Institute.