Erin Craig Selected to Study with Mathematician Stephen Wolfram
Erin Craig, who will graduate from New College in May, 2009 with a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics, was one of only 40 students worldwide invited to participate in the New Kind of Science (NKS) 2009 Summer School at the CNR-Istituto ISTI in Pisa, Italy. At the three-week program, students from a diverse range of scientific backgrounds learn more about NKS and how to apply it to their fields of interest.
During her time in Italy, Craig will have the opportunity to study with renowned British mathematician and physicist Stephen Wolfram, the creator of the popular software program Mathematica and author of the book, A New Kind of Science (NKS). In her senior thesis work, entitled “One Dimensional Cellular Automata: Pascal’s Triangle and an extension of Rule 90 over a Non-Abelian Group,” Craig produced several original results that extend and generalize Wolfram’s early work.
More information about the NKS program can be found at: wolframscience.com/summerschool/2009.
“During my time at New College, the support of my professors allowed me to pursue in depth my two passions, mathematics and dance,” said Craig. “I have found incredible links between movement and mathematics. As I move forward in my career, I am particularly interested in creating and participating in works that marry the two fields and explore how they inform one another.”
Originally from Ohio, Craig moved to the Sarasota-Bradenton area just before entering her senior year at Lakewood Ranch High School. Her interest in attending New College was sparked by her participation in a Math Day co-sponsored by the College and local high schools, at which she heard an inspiring lecture by New College mathematics professor Eirini Poimenidou. “I made my final decision to attend New College as a direct result of her warmth and abilities as a professor, as well as my overall impression of the school,” said Craig.
“Erin is a talented young mathematician with a passion for both math and dancing,” stated Poimenidou, who was Craig’s thesis advisor. “It will be very exciting for her to participate in the NKS summer program in Italy, where she will have the opportunity to interact directly with Stephen Wolfram and other researchers.
“Erin represents the best that New College has to offer and we in the mathematics department are very proud of her accomplishments,” Poimenidou continued.
“She also exemplifies beautifully the flexibility and freedom of a New College education. She was able to pursue both her passions for dance and math through off campus study at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance while taking math classes at the University of California-Berkeley and online thesis teleconferencing with me.”
Erin Craig comes from a family of high achievers. Her younger sister, Kaitlin, also a New College student, is a talented pianist who has participated in many local musicals and is studying political science and economics. Her older brother, Nathan, is a first year doctoral candidate at Harvard in the Doctor of Business Administration program. Her family continues to reside in Lakewood Ranch in Manatee County.
For more information, contact Linda F. Joffe, associate director of public affairs, 941-487-4154 or [email protected].