AustMS Education Afternoon 

27 September 2011, Hope Theatre

The 55th Annual Meeting of the Australian Mathematical Society will be held at UOW 26-29 September 2011. As part of this there will be an Education  Afternoon on Tuesday 27 September 2011.
There will be no registration fee and refreshments will be provided.

3:00   Registration
3:30   Talk: Michael Giudici (UWA) - Wallpaper, crystals and symmetry
4:00   Talk: Michael Barnsley (ANU) - Fractals and Dynamics in Education
4:30   Panel discussion: Cave or Tunnel? Is there light ahead?
5:30   Reception
6:30   Public Lecture: Mick Roberts (Massey, NZ) - The mathematics of epidemics and pandemic

The whole event will take place in the Hope Theatre and its foyer, Building 40, UOW.

Abstracts of the talks

Title: Wallpaper, crystals and symmetry
Speaker: Associate Professor Michael Giudici
Abstract:
Next time you are struggling to choose wallpaper and are faced with what seems like a myriad of different patterns, you will be relieved to know that a little mathematics proves that there are essentially only 17 patterns to choose from.  I will discuss how group theory (the mathematical abstraction of symmetry) can be used to make this assertion. The same ideas are also used in crystallography to analyse the different possible structures of crystals.  

Title: Fractals and Dynamics in Education
Speaker: Professor Michael Barnsley
Abstract:
I will present some accessible ideas, new to me and of pedagogical value, concerning fractal geometry and dynamical systems. I will include a demonstration of the Fractal Camera.

Title: The mathematics of epidemics and pandemics
Speaker: Professor Mick Roberts
Abstract:
This talk will describe how mathematical models may be used to explain the dynamics of infectious diseases, especially those caused by a virus. The measles vaccination schedule in New Zealand was redesigned in 2001 using a model, and there have been no further epidemics. Mosquito-borne viruses such as dengue are spreading into new regions due to climate change.
Other viruses, like influenza and HIV, are difficult to bring under control, as they evolve rapidly to avoid the immune response. Mathematical models help us to understand epidemiology and guide public health interventions. I will explain how these models are constructed and analysed, using a minimum of mathematics.