The Annulal UNM-PNM Statewide Math Contest Public Lecture

Title: Why Math?

Speaker: Dr. Yuliya Gorb (Division of Mathematical Sciences, National Science Foundation)

Free registration for Zoom webinar at https://unm.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_59DhkJYTTK-iAa673NcrbA

Abstract: This talk is about why mathematics is so important, and how it may help you in your future career and everyday life. Mathematics is at the center of our culture and its history and is the “universal language” that is understood across different cultures, countries, and languages. It develops our reasoning, quickens our minds and helps us, in general, deepen and think when we are faced with complex problems. It provides us with analytical thinking, which in its turn, helps us develop the ability to investigate and know the truth about the world around us. The mathematics is present in our daily lives. Mathematicians are solving today’s most challenging problems in the world. However, knowledge of mathematics, and its complexities, can help in almost every career. Overall, studying mathematics allows us to understand the world better. Last but not least, mathematics can be also interesting and fun.

About the speaker: Dr. Yuliya Gorb received her PhD from Pennsylvania State University in 2006 followed by the postdoctoral studies in Texas A&M University in 2006-2009. In 2009, she joined faculty of the Department of Mathematics in the University of Houston (UH), where she was the first one in the Department of Mathematics at UH who received a prestigious NSF CAREER award while a faculty there. Her research interests include but are not limited to asymptotic analysis and simulation of partial differential equations describing applications that arise in materials science. In the UH, Dr. Gorb was a faculty sponsor and oversaw the UH Association for Women in Math Student Chapter. Since 2018, Dr. Gorb has been an Associate Editor for SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics. In Fall 2018, Yuliya joined the Division of Mathematical Sciences in NSF as a rotating program director in Computational Mathematics program. While at NSF, she has been a member of DMREF team, the Mathematical Sciences Research Institutes management team, and has overseen proposals submitted to Quantum Algorithms Challenge. Currently, Yuliya is also a member of Focused Research Groups in the Mathematical Sciences (FRGMS), and AI/ML venture team.