T’is the season to be social and thanks to a growing list of apps, platforms and sites, this has never been easier. From Facebook and twitter to Pinterest and Instragram, we share more of ourselves than ever before. While it might feel more delicious than a Turkey dinner, is all this connectedness good for us?
According to AMSI Summer School 2016 Senior Lecturer, Dr Stephen Davis, our penchant for staying in touch may come at a price.
“Mathematical modelling has shown social networking has significant consequences for health and disease. For example, our social network’s influence on our behaviour can result in behavioural diseases such as obesity spreading the same way as a virus,” Dr Davis explains.
From gene biology to social media, complex networks are all mapped in the same way. And they all have common properties. Simply put, if A connects to both B and C then B and C are also likely to connect, whether A is a gene, a person or a website.
“Complex networks, such as the famous movie-actor network that gave us six degrees of Kevin Bacon, are reasonably easy to move around with lots of small nodes and a few well connected major hubs,” he explains.
The news is not all bad for social butterflies, with complex networks also a useful tool against disease.
“Used strategically, they can allow health measures to be directed at those with the highest connections, also referred to as hubs. As they are likely to be most responsible for disease transmission we can maximise our impact.”
Dr Davis is lecturing on Complex Networks and the development and application of statistical tools to large network data at AMSI Summer School 2016. It is this type of innovative research that, according to Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI) Director Professor Geoff Prince, sets the program apart.
“AMSI sets the gold standard with a world-class, discipline-wide research training framework equipping Australia for the future. Taking students to the cutting-edge of mathematical science, the AMSI Summer School provides exposure to global leaders and new research directions,” he says.
Lead Scientist Leonie Walsh will open the school that runs over four weeks from 4 – 29 January 2016 at RMIT University. The residential program is Australia’s biggest student maths event and a great opportunity to develop skills and networks. You can learn more about AMSI Summer School at http://ss16.amsi.org.au
The AMSI Summer School is funded jointly by the Department of Education and Training and the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute, with support from RMIT University, the Australian Mathematical Society (AustMS) and the Australia New Zealand Industrial and Applied Mathematics Society (ANZIAM).
Interview
Dr Stephen Davis (Complex Networks)
Professor Geoff Prince, AMSI Director
Media Contact
Laura Watson
E: media@amsi.org.au
P: +613 9035 3683
