Mesalands Staff Member presents mathematical research in Spain

August 10, 2015

Dr. Forrest Kaatz, Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Research and Adjunct Instructor at Mesalands Community College, recently presented his research on “Mathematical Methods in Cluster Science” at the 2015 International Conference on Mathematical Methods in Science and Engineering (CMMSE) in Rota, Spain. The theme of the conference was “Mathematics Meets Chemistry – Theoretical Models at the Nanoscale.”

“This was my first invited presentation at an international conference. This comes about from my various contacts and with my participation at the conference,” Dr. Kaatz said. “I am fortunate to have a

(Right) Dr. Forrest Kaatz, Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Research and Adjunct Instructor at Mesalands Community College and colleague, Professor Adhemar Bultheel, Department of Computer Science at the Katholieke University in Leuven, Belgium, at the 2015 International Conference on Mathematical Methods in Science and Engineering (CMMSE) in Rota, Spain.

(Right) Dr. Forrest Kaatz, Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Research and Adjunct Instructor at Mesalands Community College and colleague, Professor Adhemar Bultheel, Department of Computer Science at the Katholieke University in Leuven, Belgium, at the 2015 International Conference on Mathematical Methods in Science and Engineering (CMMSE) in Rota, Spain.

few contacts who work with me on projects of joint interest that we have published together.”

For the past 10 years, Dr. Kaatz has been working with his colleague, Professor Adhemar Bultheel, Department of Computer Science at the Katholieke University in Leuven, Belgium, on various mathematical research topics, including nanoclusters. They have conducted extensive research related to mathematics and nanoclusters, graph theories, and topological indices. As a result, Dr. Kaatz and his co-author Dr. Bultheel were invited to present their research on “Mathematical Methods in Cluster Science” at the international conference.

Dr. Kaatz also mentioned that the international conference was the first time he had met Dr. Bultheel in person. He said this was an added benefit to his trip.

There were approximately 200 attendees to the CMMSE conference, representing, New Zealand, Europe, Canada, and the U.S. Attendees included college professors, mathematicians, scientists, computer scientists, chemists, physicists, and editors of journals.

Dr. Kaatz stated that there were a diverse group of people that attended the conference, who are applying research to topics in science and engineering, in particularly, in mathematical methods that apply to these projects. He said he found the presentation regarding graph theory and social media interesting.

“There is a push from social media now to get qualified people that know something about graph theory to help them with their analysis of their social media websites,” Dr. Kaatz stated. “It’s not just chemists and physicists who are interested in mathematical methods, even social media professionals are interested in specific areas of mathematics.

Dr. Kaatz said that overall the conference was very enlightening. He is already working on another research project with Dr. Bultheel and another colleague from Italy, he met during the conference.

“There are not many community colleges doing research, so it’s a rare opportunity. When you get to the community college level, the emphasis is on teaching,” Dr. Kaatz said. “This interest of mine on science and mathematics, is based partly on my education background. It’s also a bit of a hobby for me. I find it interesting and stimulating. I’m lucky enough to get a little recognition for what my co-authors and I accomplish.”

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Dr. Forrest Kaatz, presents his research on “Mathematical Methods in Cluster Science” at the 2015 International Conference on Mathematical Methods in Science and Engineering  in Spain.