AMS Congressional Lunch Briefing

Fred S. Roberts, professor of mathematics and director of the Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science (DIMACS) at Rutgers University, presented an AMS sponsored briefing to Members of Congress and staff on September 15, 2004 that highlighted contributions of the mathematical sciences to emergency preparedness, disaster prevention, and related security matters.

Fred Roberts, Rutgers University, gives a presentation on mathematical modeling as a tool to address security concerns

Emergency preparedness/disaster prevention/security require detailed planning of preventive measures and responses and these require precise reasoning and extensive analysis.  Experimentation or field trials are often prohibitively expensive or unethical and do not always lead to fundamental understanding. Therefore, mathematical modeling becomes an important experimental and analytical tool.

AMS President-Elect, Jim Arthur, speaks with Rep. Vernon Ehlers following the Congressional briefing on Capitol Hill

Mathematical models have become important tools in the relevant planning for prevention and response, especially when combined with powerful, modern computer methods for analyzing and/or simulating the models.  Dr. Roberts' talk showcased several situations where mathematical modeling plays a crucial role - for example, in sensor location for detecting biological contaminants; identifying new "events" from large databases of text; identification of authors; and getting early warning of new disease threats.