Mathematical Sciences Hosts School for Non-Linear Analysis
Nearly 100 advanced graduate students and post-doctoral students from around the world are gathering at Carnegie Mellon the first week in June to learn the latest applied analytical tools for transforming the understanding, design and testing of materials at the nanoscale level. (http://www.math.cmu.edu/cna/Summer04/summerschool.html).
Funded by the National Science Foundation, the Center for Nonlinear Analysis Summer School hosts lectures by prominent international speakers in the fields of computation, mechanics, partial differential equations and numerical equations.
"This school provides a unique opportunity for students to experience novel ways of doing mathematics that are not discussed in any textbook," said co-organizer of the conference Irene Fonseca, Mellon College of Science Professor of Mathematical Sciences and director of the Center for Nonlinear analysis. Other program co-organizers in include David Kinderlehrer, Giovanni Leoni and Shlomo Ta'asan, all faculty in Mathematical Sciences.
Applications of nonlinear analytical tools include understanding problems associated with materials such as the liquid crystals used in electronic devices. Applied analysis also can help determine the best ways to create stable foams for use in automotive lubricants, ceramics and tissue engineering.
"Starting with a practical application such as making a material that can withstand certain conditions is what motivates mathematicians to develop a model and then perform an analysis," said Fonseca. "Ultimately, we want to close the loop with engineers to see whether our model can predict how a material will behave."
While materials science continues to pose important analytical challenges, said Kinderlehrer, nonlinear analysis is becoming increasingly important to address complex problems in biophysics, such as the behavior of tiny motors within cells that are responsible for cell movement and protein transport.
June 1, 2004
For more information, see:
 2004 CNA Summer School Advances in Nonlinear Analysis
Center for Nonlinear Analysis
Department of Mathematical Sciences
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