Work-Life Balance

Focused for Graduate Students

Reception and Discussion

Wednesday, December 5

2:30 - 4:30 p.m.

Neill 216

Dr. Rachel Kuske

University of British Columbia

Senior Advisor to Provost on Women Faculty

Department Chair, 2007-2011

Brought to You by the

Department of Mathematics

Dr. Rachel Kuske – Background

• Professor of Mathematics, University of British Columbia

• Senior Advisor to the Provost on Women Faculty, University of British Columbia

• Canada Research Chair, Applied Mathematics, Tier II

• General Research Interests: Stochastic and nonlinear dynamics, mathematical modeling, asymptotics and semi-analytic approximations, mathematics in industry

• Specific Research: Noise sensitivity, localized phenomena, coherence resonance with applications in neuro-synamics, infectious diseases, mechanical systems, hydraulic fractures, mathematical finance

ColloquiumThursday, Dec. 6, 4:10 p.m. in Neill 5W, on Balancing Complex

Dynamics: Interactions of Delays, Time Scales and

Noise, Refreshments at 3:00

p.m., Neill 216

presented by Department of Mathematics

Professor of Mathematics and Senior Advisor to the Provost on Women Faculty at the University of British Columbia

Dr. Rachel Kuske

Dr. Rachel Kuske – Abstract

Balancing Complex Dynamics:

Interactions of Delays, Time Scales, and Noise

Dynamical systems with delayed feedback often exhibit an array of complex behaviors. These phenomena have been studied in the context of applications such as mechanical systems and neural dynamics. Stochastic effects can often change the picture dramatically, particularly if multiple time scales are present. Recently the mathematical techniques for canonical models have been transferred to the study of balance in the context of human postural sway and robotics. While the similarities facilitate this transfer, differences such as discontinuous control of balance require new ideas that allow an analysis of the interplay of nonlinearities, delays, randomness, and piecewise smooth dynamics. A few preliminary results and many open problems will be discussed.