Dr Jean-Marie De Koninck, photo supplied
Discover The Secret Life of Mathematics. Mathematician Dr. Jean-Marie De Koninck, from Université Laval, will illustrate the importance of mathematics in our daily lives on Wednesday, February 27 at 12:30 pm in Room 1L11, Lockhart Hall. This lecture is presented by the Department of Mathematics & Statistics Seminar Series. It is free and open to the public.
De Koninck will answer questions like: if your doctor tells you that you have tested positive for a serious disease and he also tells you the test is reliable in 98% of the cases; should you be worried? Can math be useful in eliminating traffic jams? Why do airline companies practice overbooking and pretend that it is for your own good? In soccer, how important is it to score the first goal? Why hockey coaches should pull their goalie much earlier than they usually do.
De Koninck has been a researcher and professor of mathematics at Université Laval for more than 40 years and is well known to the scientific community for his work in analytic number theory. He is the author of 15 books and 150 peer reviewed articles in scientific journals. He is now Professor Emeritus. Professor De Koninck has also hosted his own science outreach television show “C’est mathématique!”, broadcasted on the French-Canadian channel (Canal Z) and later on TFO (Télévision française de l’Ontario). In 2005, he created the Sciences and Mathematics in Action (SMAC) program whose purpose is to excite kids about science and mathematics. He is well known by the general public as the founder of Operation Red Nose, a road safety operation involving over 55,000 volunteers across Canada. He was also very active in the media during the ten years he acted as President of the Table québécoise de la sécurité routière. He is now a member of the Board for the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec.
For more information please contact Dr. Anna Stokke (mathematics and statistics) at a.stokke@uwinnipeg.ca.
