UT Dallas Magazine: Our Mathematical Minds

UT Dallas News Center Natural Science And Mathematics


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July 13, 2017
Editor's Note: The following is an excerpt from "It All Adds Up” by Erin Peterson from the latest edition of UT Dallas Magazine. Innovative programs. Remarkable teaching and research. Alumni successes. All of these factors add up to a continuing appreciation for mathematics at UT Dallas. Some interesting applications of the discipline are showcased here.The statistical modeling of Dr. Swati Biswas, associate professor, is helping guide patients with a high risk of breast cancer in crucial and timely management of their condition.A Better Cancer TestThe statistical modeling of Dr. Swati Biswas, associate professor of statistics, is helping guide patients with a high risk of breast cancer in crucial and timely management of their condition.She has contributed to creating a statistical software that works in tandem with physician-administered questionnaires about a patient’s family history with breast and ovarian cancer.“Those factors are fed into the model, and it will (reveal) the chance that a patient has a mutation of a breast cancer gene, and her risk of developing breast cancer in five or 10 years,” says Biswas.Gabriel Dawe MFA'11Geometry Threaded Through ArtGabriel Dawe MFA’11 creates beauty by combining the Pythagorean theorem with up to 60 miles of thread. While the results of his efforts are striking, the process of creating an installation — calculating the distance of every triangle leg and hypotenuse, climbing up and down a ladder to place each thread with pinpoint precision — is exceptionally demanding.He’s constantly looking for new ways to improve the work by creating ever-more pleasing symmetry and integrating other mathematical concepts like the Fibonacci sequence. “Mathematicians often talk about finding ‘elegant’ solutions to problems, and I relate to that,” says Dawe. “I’m always trying to find ways to make something a little more perfect.”Michael Peticolas BA'95The Brewer’s Formula for SuccessLawyer-turned-brewer Michael Peticolas ...

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