March 2, 2016
Dr. Daniel E. Bentil, Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Vermont, spoke on mathematics modeling, under the topic “Mathematical Models of Love and Happiness” at the Ashesi Mathematics Seminar Series.
For the presentation he built on scenarios from the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet, as an anecdote to illustrate how mathematical modeling can be applied in social psychology. “The key idea that I wanted to project to the students is that modeling goes through a cyclical affair, and a key example is the love dynamics between Romeo and Juliet,” he said. “So I chose a topic in social psychology that involves love dynamics between two people, using some very simple differential equations models to describe the love dynamics.”
Professor Bentil further shared the importance of mathematical modeling as a viable technique not only social psychology but also as a significant step in the engineering process. “Modeling is extremely important, especially for engineering students,” he emphasized. “Before an engineer puts together a gadget, he or she should think of modeling the concept first. If there is no mathematical model they’ll have to keep ‘re-inventing’ until they get it right. So mathematical modeling gives a better approach to better designs of equipment. It is very useful for engineers to know some basic underpinnings of mathematical modeling before they embark on manufacturing gadgets.”
The Ashesi Mathematics Seminar Series creates an opportunity for students to experience math beyond its abstraction. “The aim of the seminar was to help students appreciate that mathematical concepts and skills can be applied in all areas of one’s life, even in complex situations such as love as well as happiness,” said Kwame Atta Gyamfi, Pre-Calculus Lecturer at Ashesi. “Another motivation is to help our premier engineering class to see the need for the math courses required of them throughout their curriculum. We want them to have a feel of how basic and fundamental concepts are used to describe natural phenomena via mathematical models. This would help them to appreciate the value of thinking computationally as an engineer.”
Professor D. Bentil is an Applied Mathematics Professor at the University of Vermont where he holds a joint appointment in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics within the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, and Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, in the College of Medicine. He is currently a Fulbright Specialist visiting the University of Mines and Technology UMaT here in Ghana. In the United States, he is a recipient of the US National Science Foundation’s Career Award; serves on a Review Panel Member for the United States National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. His research work interfaces applied mathematics and the biomedical sciences, including designing appropriate mathematics courses for life science majors. He previous projects have involved constructing mathematical models which capture key biological processes including Muscle Physiology, Lung Physiology and Renal Physiology.
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