2010 - Jefferson Scholars Foundation

the fellows
Jameson Graber, the Trey Beck Fellow (Mathematics), discusses control theory in acoustic systems.
tion. In privileging this interstitial
discourse — the language of
cultural abjection — Loy adopts
both the formal and ideological
underpinnings of Fountain’s
relationship to excreta in order
to create a new model for poetic
productivity and the figure of
the enduring artist.
p. jameson
graber
mathematical Analysis
of Structural Acoustic
Systems
The purpose of this talk is to
explain how mathematics can
contribute to the study of a
real-world engineering problem,
namely that of stabilizing an
acoustic chamber (e.g., airplane
fuselage). I will begin by explaining
the physical scenario — an
acoustic chamber with “noise”
affecting acoustic pressure —
which engineers wish to control
(i.e., protect system from damage
or other unwanted effects
of noise). The core of my presentation
is to explain how the
particular area of mathematics
called control theory is used to
analyze this system. I will summarize
the basic philosophy of
control theory in a three-step
process: modeling the physical
phenomena using a system of
partial differential equations,
studying the properties of the
new mathematical problem, and,
finally, altering the model in
order to obtain desired behavior
(e.g., to obtain or enhance stability).
Having explained the basic
philosophy of control theory, I
will show how we apply it in
the case of structural acoustic
systems. I will present the differential
equations model that I
am studying, explain what properties
of the model need to be
demonstrated mathematically,
and then describe the control
methods hoped for in this model.
Finally, I will give a qualitative
(non-technical) description of
the mathematical techniques I
use to contribute to our understanding
of structural acoustic
systems.
jenifer m.
guimond
“greening”
Operations
Strategy: A
Life Cycle
Approach
In today’s business
environment,
“green” initiatives
are beginning to
permeate operations
strategy
across industries.
Companies
that have embraced
a life
cycle approach to
operations are recognizing
that economic success
is reliant on more than just
traditional profitability and
that a firm’s stakeholder base
consists of more than shareholders.
Employees, communities,
and the environment represent
additional stakeholders that
contribute to long-term sustainable
firm success. A life cycle
approach to operations allows
an organization to evaluate
the benefits, risks, and costs of
a product or technology from
inception to end of life use, and
ultimately to the reuse of product
components. It ensures that
businesses are thinking about
operations in the larger context
of long-term sustainability. In
addition, life cycle–based operations
and sustainable business
practices can lead to process
improvement, product innovation,
and increased profitability.
In evaluating the value added by
green operations and strategic
sustainability initiatives, the life
cycle view can offer a method of
understanding how cost tradeoffs
interact with one another
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