Math Colloquium: Prof. Alex Capaldi

Title:  Using Math to Examine Extinction in the Anthropocene

Abstract:  The Anthropocene is the time of significant human impact on the Earth’s geology and its ecosystems.  In this talk, I will speak to the severity of biodiversity loss and how we can determine that loss and combat it using mathematical models. We will journey from the start of the Anthropocene, by seeing how math can be used to show that humans likely caused the extinction of the mammoth, to the present, where de-extinction efforts are underway to bring back some iconic species lost due to human hands. Along the way, we will use a number of mathematical tools such as differential equation models, Markov chain models, and agent-based models.