Network Pages

It is almost Christmas, schools have closed and you are looking for our Christmas-reads! You may not expect it but we have a Christmas-read ready for you. Have a look at our article, A Santa Claus network, written by Clara Stegehuis some time ago! https://lnkd.in/eN4_jMtp

The whole series is online, in these three articles Frank P. Pijpers wrote about logistic chains and discussed their new research results published in Nature Physics. In part 1 you can read an introduction into logistic chains and how small buffers can lead to global problems. In part 2 you can read about the mathematics behind logistic chains and the research of Frank and his colleagues. In part 3 Frank wrote some personal ideas about interdisciplinary research, the importance of collaboration, and of broad funding in fundamental research! Part 1: https://lnkd.in/dpyTGzb8 Part 2: https://lnkd.in/etNaBk9t Part 3: https://lnkd.in/etNaBk9t

In the first article of this series Frank P. Pijpers described how logistic chains work. He also talked about the ”just-in-time” model, and he discussed the phenomenon that small delays can have cascading effects when we schedule the whole process in an optimal way. The main idea is that the system can't absord such small delays. In this second part, he goes one step further and dives in the mathematics. https://lnkd.in/e42PZCV8

We continue with number 5 of our top 10 most read article of the past two months! At number 5 our article Percolation theory: about math and gossip, which was also published in the Dutch magazine Euclides Nederlandse Vereniging van Wiskundeleraren (NVvW) for mathematics teachers! Percolation theory is a branch of mathematics at the interface between probability theory and graph theory. The term 'percolation' originates from materials science. A representative question (and the source of the name, from Latin percolare, "to filter" or "drip through") is as follows. Suppose some liquid is poured over a porous material. Will the liquid be able to make its way from hole to hole and reach the bottom? https://lnkd.in/eTBp9dwC

Think of a local car dealer selling cars in your region. To make sure new cars are delivered on time a whole mechanism involving various people, factories, and transport companies, must operate in coordination. This is a highly complex process where mathematics plays an important role. In our new article, Frank P. Pijpers from the Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek and UvA Faculty of Science, wrote about their new research recently published in Nature Physics! Part 1 is online, have a look. https://lnkd.in/dpyTGzb8

Great news, in total 20 researchers from Dutch universities are awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant. Among them mathematicians David Holmes from Leiden University with his project "Enumerative and Arithmetic Geometry of Logarithmic curves" and Jasper Nederlof from Utrecht University with his project "Combinatorially and Algebraically Decomposing Search spaces: Better Worst-case Bounds for Hard Search Tasks". Congratulations to all these researchers for this great achievement!

We continue with number 6 of our top 10 most read article of the past two months! Tales of the Tails: (Not so) mysterious Heavy Tail worldbeyond the Bell Curve, by Agnieszka Janicka from the Eindhoven University of Technology! The scientific world would not be what it is today without the normal distribution. It is the foundation of many statistical models for several good reasons. Most importantly, it appears commonly in nature.  But there is much more! Climb with us beyond the Bell Curve as we unravel the marvels of heavy tails in this exciting journey. https://lnkd.in/e37cabKm

Some weeks ago I had the pleasure to attend two events where prizes for outstanding research in mathematics were awarded, the Christiaan Huygens Science Prize and the CWI Best Thesis in Applied Math 2024. To keep it short I want to share some thoughts --> Doing research is a slow process and results are not obtained immediately. Investing in research (or not) today will have an impact after years. --> What we read in the news is the tip of the iceberg, to make those news possible researchers have been working, and failing, for years. --> We should increase awareness about the whole scientific way of thinking, and not only the fancy results. --> Fundamental research can have major implications for applications, it is very difficult to predict this. I wrote down two short posts about these events. https://lnkd.in/eRu8_YpJ and https://lnkd.in/e-i3Evh6

Dutch Research Agenda (NWA) Science Communication 2025 The NWO call ‘NWA Science Communication’ funds science communication projects that aim to strengthen the connection between science and society. For example by offering new science communication concepts to target groups without obvious links with science. This NWO grant is a great opportunity for mathematics to build a bridge to society. Do you have ideas? Let us combine forces. You can send suggestions to n.j.starreveld@uca.nl https://lnkd.in/ePW9r4qg

We continue with number 7 of our top 10 most read article of the past two months! Reading mathematics in Braille. Have you ever wondered how people with a severe visual impairment practice and understand mathematics? In most cases when people practice mathematics they rely heavily on visual information, write down formulas and work out examples, or draw diagrams and graphs. People with a severe visual impairment, who read in braille (from here on braille readers), have to rely on other skills and use other methods to practice and understand mathematics. https://lnkd.in/ewT2UF4N