College
of the Redwoods’ second annual “Celebration of Women in Mathematics,
Science and Engineering” conference peaks tonight with a keynote
lecture by Harvey Mudd mathematics professor Lisette De Pillis.
The
conference, which has been on-going this week, centers on the obstacles
facing women entering the fields of mathematics, science and
engineering today, and existing opportunities for women in those
subjects.
Three guest speakers are featured at this year’s
conference, including De Pillis, CalTrans employee and CR graduate
Talitha Stimson, and Redwood National and State Parks geologist Vicki
Ozaki.
De Pillis’ keynote lecture, “When Medicine and
Mathematics Meet,” is tonight at 7 p.m. at the Wharfinger Building in
Eureka and will discuss the use of mathematics in modern cancer
research. She will also present a more in-depth lecture on the same
subject geared toward CR students and faculty on Friday at 11:30 a.m.
at CR’s Physical Science Building, room 113.
At the same time
and location on Friday, Stimpson will present “Confusion Hill:
Engineering a solution” about the development of a project to improve
the Highway 101 north of Confusion Hill and Ozaki will present “Living
in the Hot Zone: Evaluating stream temperature and juvenile Coho salmon
in Redwood Creek using thermal infrared imaging.”
All conference events are free and open to the public.
Some
of the issues De Pillis plans to address include why cancer sometimes
seems to vanish only to reappear years later, why tumors often grow
when treated and shrink when not treated, and if it is possible to
harness the body’s immune system to combat cancer.
The last topic is something De Pillis is particularly interested in.
Using
a person’s immune systems to fight cancer is “an emerging area of
oncology for fighting cancer,” she said. A combination of chemotherapy
with immunotherapy, it is “a very promising area.”
On Friday, De
Pillis will discuss the same topic with a focus on the mathematics
involved in cancer research. Called “Using Mathematics to Understand
Cancer,” the presentation involves fairly sophisticated mathematics and
is geared more toward CR students and instructors.
During a phone interview earlier this week, De Pillis expressed excitement about visiting CR and meeting the students.
“I’m
very excited about this symposium that’s going on because I have a real
passion to encourage young women to stay in science and math,” De
Pillis said.
For more information about the conference, visit http://online.redwoods.edu/womenMSE. |