Research
Research: a Cornerstone of Progress Resulting in Significant Contributions
Research in the Mathematical Sciences department at WPI plays a vital role toward solving complex problems facing our world today. The department is currently involved in a wealth of diverse research projects, both fundamental and applied, including:
- Coding theory, which helps transmit and recover data
- Cryptography, which leads to the increase of electronic data security
- Fractals, whose study has implications across scientific fields, including physics (e.g., highly fragmented electrical conductors), engineering (e.g., hydraulic fracturing in oil wells), chemistry (e.g., catalytic converters), and biology (e.g., bone fractures)
- Partial differential equations, often encountered by engineers to study heat flow, vibrations and electric circuits
- Biostatistics and biomathematics, utilized in biological, biomedical and biotechnology research
- Computational fluid dynamics, used heavily by the HVAC and IAQ industries today
Research in the mathematical sciences is well funded, thanks to numerous grants and awards. Check out the research profiles by faculty members, who continue to expand the department’s reputation internationally, as they address today’s vital global questions.
Rediscovering Algebra for Information Security Issues
Professor William Martin explains how Algebra, once considered “useless” in the world of cryptology and cryptography, now plays an important role in creating authentication codes and encryption systems.
A New Type of Calculus
Learn how Harold J. Gay Professor of Mathematics Umberto Mosco is providing applied scientists with a way to model phenomena on objects with rugged surfaces, for which derivatives do not exist, using a new kind of calculus.
