Month: February 2019

“An Orchestra without a Conductor: The Mathematics of Synchronizing Fireflies” at noon on Thursday 2/28 in Olin 268

Posted on by Lucas Waddell

Student Colloquium talk by Professor Matthew Mizuhara ’12 of The College of New Jersey

Title: An Orchestra without a Conductor: The Mathematics of Synchronizing Fireflies

Abstract: In Amphawa, Thailand trees are lined with thousands of fireflies spontaneously flashing in near perfect unison. However, there is no “leader” driving this coordination. The Kuramoto model, a non-linear system of differential equations, describes the firefly flashes. Using numerical simulations, we can capture this spontaneous emergence of synchronization and explore other, new patterns which can arise. No background in differential equations is required to enjoy this talk!

“Using Genetic Algorithms for U.S. Army Robot Design” at noon on Thursday 2/14 in Olin 268

Posted on by Lucas Waddell

Student Colloquium talk by Professor Lucas Waddell of Bucknell University

Title: Using Genetic Algorithms for U.S. Army Robot Design

Abstract: In recent years, Operations Research practitioners have increasingly utilized nature-inspired algorithms (NIAs) to solve real-world, large-scale optimization problems. One of the most popular NIAs is the Genetic Algorithm (GA), which is based on ideas from Darwin’s theory of evolution. This talk will provide an introduction to GAs through the lens of a project that Lucas worked on for the U.S. Army during his time as an Operations Research Analyst at Sandia National Laboratories.