Mainly of interest for those living in the Netherlands. Translated where needed.
The Platform Wiskunde Nederland (Dutch organization for mathematics), an organisation jointly founded by the the Koninklijk Wiskundig Genootschap (Royal Mathematics Society, KWG) and the Nederlandse Vereniging van Wiskundeleraren (Dutch Association of Mathematics Teachers, NvvW), makes an effort to improve the public image of mathematics and mathematicians in the Netherlands.
As part of the
MPE2013 (Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013) a public event is held:
time: 21st December 2013; 12:30-17:30
place: Educatorium Utrecht
Main speaker: Ken Golden
Mathematics and the melting polar ice caps
In September of 2012, the area of the Arctic Ocean covered by sea ice reached its lowest level ever recorded in more than three decades of satellite measurements. In fact, compared to the 1980's and 1990's, this represents a loss of more than half of the summer Arctic sea ice pack. While global climate models generally predict sea ice declines over the 21st century, the precipitous losses observed so far have significantly outpaced most projections.
Prof. Ken Golden (Dept. of Mathematics, Univ. of Utah, USA) will discuss how mathematical models of composite materials and statistical physics are being used to study key sea ice properties and advance how sea ice is represented in climate models. This work is helping to improve projections of the fate of Earth's ice packs, and the response of polar ecosystems. In addition, an exciting video from a 2012 Antarctic expedition where sea ice properties were measured will be shown.
The parallel sessions are interesting too:
Ute Ebert: How thunderstorms create antimatter
Carel Eijgenraam: Optimal dike heights in the Netherlands
Arjen Doelman: Climate change, desertification and billiard
Target is a general, non-mathematics audience. I am not associated with the PWN in any way, but for me there seem to be few excuses not to go.
Information and reservations:
http://www.platformwiskunde.nl/home_mpe2013.htmMPE2013:
http://mpe2013.org/about-mpe2013/