Organic Mathematics: Stan Wagon

Invited Speaker
Stan Wagon
Professor
Macalester College
St. Paul, Minnesota

Email:
wagon@macalstr.edu

Homepage:
http://www.math.macalstr.edu/~wagon/

Paper:
New Visualization Ideas for Differential Equations

Talk:
New Visualization Ideas for Differential Equations

(QuickTime movie - 1.5M)

Abstract:
Modern software allows us to go farther in the visualization of solutions to differential equations. I will present a Mathematica package called VisualDSolve that does the standard things in terms of presenting solutions to DEs graphically, but also has several new features, such as:

the use of curvy fish shapes instead of lines to represent flow fields
the use of shading of the regions defined by nullclines to elucidate the phase plane for a system of two autonomous equations.

About Myself

Born: Montreal, Canada

Education:
High school in Montreal (1967)
Undergraduate at McGill, B.Sc. (1971)
Phd from Darmouth College (1975)

Family: My wife (Joan Hutchinson) is a mathematician (graph theorist) and colleague. She and I have shared one position for over 20 years now, first at Smith, currently at Macalester. We love the mountainous outdoors and have a house in Colorado where we spend a lot of time.

Interests: Recently (1988) I have taken up the piano and I spend a fair bit of time at my Knabe grand piano. Gave my world debut in a recital for adult students last year. Played "Kitten on the Keys", a ragtime classic. Favorite piece of piano music: "The Graceful Ghost" by William Bolcom. Also, since coming from inner-city Montreal (I grew up within two blocks of McGill) to Dartmouth College, the outdoors have played a big role in my life. I continue to rock climb, but wilderness skiing has become my number one interest. In 1991 I completed a big trip in Canada on skis: From Rogers Pass to the Bugaboos. 14 days. One major avalanche. A detailed report of that appeared in the 1991 Canadian Alpine Journal.

Comments: I think it important to maintain a youthful enthusiasm throughout life. Robertson Davies once said that old people are often thought dull, but that is because most of them have been dull throughout their lives.

Email:	wagon@macalstr.edu
Homepage:	http://www.math.macalstr.edu/~wagon/
Paper:	New Visualization Ideas for Differential Equations
Talk:	New Visualization Ideas for Differential Equations (QuickTime movie - 1.5M)
Abstract:	Modern software allows us to go farther in the visualization of solutions to differential equations. I will present a Mathematica package called VisualDSolve that does the standard things in terms of presenting solutions to DEs graphically, but also has several new features, such as: the use of curvy fish shapes instead of lines to represent flow fields the use of shading of the regions defined by nullclines to elucidate the phase plane for a system of two autonomous equations.

Born:	Montreal, Canada
Education:	High school in Montreal (1967) Undergraduate at McGill, B.Sc. (1971) Phd from Darmouth College (1975)
Family:	My wife (Joan Hutchinson) is a mathematician (graph theorist) and colleague. She and I have shared one position for over 20 years now, first at Smith, currently at Macalester. We love the mountainous outdoors and have a house in Colorado where we spend a lot of time.
Interests:	Recently (1988) I have taken up the piano and I spend a fair bit of time at my Knabe grand piano. Gave my world debut in a recital for adult students last year. Played "Kitten on the Keys", a ragtime classic. Favorite piece of piano music: "The Graceful Ghost" by William Bolcom. Also, since coming from inner-city Montreal (I grew up within two blocks of McGill) to Dartmouth College, the outdoors have played a big role in my life. I continue to rock climb, but wilderness skiing has become my number one interest. In 1991 I completed a big trip in Canada on skis: From Rogers Pass to the Bugaboos. 14 days. One major avalanche. A detailed report of that appeared in the 1991 Canadian Alpine Journal.
Comments:	I think it important to maintain a youthful enthusiasm throughout life. Robertson Davies once said that old people are often thought dull, but that is because most of them have been dull throughout their lives.