“The AfterMath of an Extreme Natural Event” – Colloquium by Prof. Linda Smolka, Thurs, April 6 at noon in Olin 268

Bucknell Mathematics Student Colloquium Series

Thursday, April 6 | Noon-12:50PM  | Olin 268

The AfterMath of an Extreme Natural Event
presented by Linda Smolka, Professor of Mathematics, Bucknell University

ABSTRACT: An astonishing thing happened on January 15, 2022. The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai submarine volcano located in the South Pacific Ocean erupted, becoming the largest volcanic eruption in the modern satellite era on a scale not observed since Krakatoa erupted in 1883. The eruption was so powerful that among the shock waves it generated, the largest traversed the globe multiple times over several days. We’ll focus on the mathematics to model and understand this shock wave and also recount other extraordinary phenomena in the eruption’s aftermath. Curious where calculus is used in the real-world? Come see.

Arrive early for free pizza!