Chair of Mathematics and Computer Science Department and Associate Professor of Mathematics Eric Barth, Ph.D., has received a grant from the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) to explore formal connections between two areas of intense interest to him: mathematics and music. With his GLCA New Directions Initiative grant, Professor Barth will work to develop mathematical and computational models for music theory and analysis. “My goal is to elucidate patterns and correlations that emerge from collections of musical compositions, with the aim of identifying characteristic properties in a composer’s work not apparent from minute analysis of individual motifs and isolated pieces.” Barth’s research, titled “Scientific Computation to Computational Musicology,” draws on his undergraduate training in classical and jazz music performance, Ph.D. work in numerical mathematics, and research background in statistical mechanics. Barth earned a B. Music degree and both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in mathematics from University of Kansas. He spent three years as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Associate at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University before coming to “K” in 1997. Each year, he teaches courses in differential equations and complex variables, as well as several sections of calculus and one or two physics courses. He also plays tenor saxophone with the nearby Gull Lake Jazz Orchestra. The GLCA New Directions Initiative is funded by a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Initiative’s focus is to support the renewal and continued professional growth of liberal arts faculty members. A particular emphasis is to help faculty members think outside traditional boundaries and divisions of their discipline and of typical faculty work, in order to broaden intellectual perspectives, stimulate innovation in pedagogy, and pursue singular explorations.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
GLCA New Directions Grant Award
Chair of Mathematics and Computer Science Department and Associate Professor of Mathematics Eric Barth, Ph.D., has received a grant from the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) to explore formal connections between two areas of intense interest to him: mathematics and music. With his GLCA New Directions Initiative grant, Professor Barth will work to develop mathematical and computational models for music theory and analysis. “My goal is to elucidate patterns and correlations that emerge from collections of musical compositions, with the aim of identifying characteristic properties in a composer’s work not apparent from minute analysis of individual motifs and isolated pieces.” Barth’s research, titled “Scientific Computation to Computational Musicology,” draws on his undergraduate training in classical and jazz music performance, Ph.D. work in numerical mathematics, and research background in statistical mechanics. Barth earned a B. Music degree and both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in mathematics from University of Kansas. He spent three years as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Associate at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University before coming to “K” in 1997. Each year, he teaches courses in differential equations and complex variables, as well as several sections of calculus and one or two physics courses. He also plays tenor saxophone with the nearby Gull Lake Jazz Orchestra. The GLCA New Directions Initiative is funded by a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Initiative’s focus is to support the renewal and continued professional growth of liberal arts faculty members. A particular emphasis is to help faculty members think outside traditional boundaries and divisions of their discipline and of typical faculty work, in order to broaden intellectual perspectives, stimulate innovation in pedagogy, and pursue singular explorations.
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