Optimization methods for agriculture insurance

This project is an application of mathematical modelling and optimization to a livestock insurance problem. The goal is to analyze various scenarios from a farmer’s perspective and to minimize the loss. The main idea is to design and implement in Python a numerical simulation, including various scenarios in terms of the farm size and insurance premiums.  

Summer Statistical Consulting Projects

I taught STAT 496 (Statistical Consulting Project) in Winter 2023, a capstone course for our applied statistics majors. A couple of projects required follow-up; I would like to recruit a student to complete the necessary follow-up and handle several new consulting projects in the summer. I currently have two potential projects (Lyne Honey from psychology and Ross Shaw from biology) and three new consulting projects.

Level Up: Intra-familial versus Extra-familial Youth Sexual Offenders

Youth who commit sexual offenses are an understudied population, however, their crimes have lasting impacts on their victims and it is important to learn more about this group. The existing literature in this field mainly focuses on individual characteristics. The current research project is hoping to add to the clinical understanding of family characteristics of youth who commit intrafamilial sexual offenses. Data has been collected from approximately 200 files from four groups of youth: 1) who have committed an intrafamilial sexual offense, 2) have committed an extrafamilial sexual offense, 3) have committed a non-sexual offense, or 4) have no criminal history (clinically referred group). The research project has been a community collaboration with Alberta Health Services and MacEwan University.We want to hire a statistics student to assist with the data analysis. The student will analyze the data using R, conducting factor analysis and discriminate analysis and creating effective graphs to visualize the results.Position(s) available: 1

Numerical analysis with Python (part 3 of 3)

The student will write and test Python code for the labs for Numerical Analysis

Level Up: Pythagorean triples in model sets - part 3

For 100+ years physicists believed that only solids which are ordered in a periodic way can produce a clear diffraction pattern. This belief was shattered by Dan Shechtman's discovery of quasicrystals, a discovery for which he was awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.The clear diffraction of quasicrystals shows that they must be highly ordered but in a non-periodic way. The precise order present in them is still mysterious, and not understood. In this project we investigate mathematical aperiodic orders. Namely we will study the existence of infinitely many solutions to Pythagoras's equation in aperiodic model sets. Such solutions are known to be present in periodic crystals.This is new mathematical research that will be carried out by two MacEwan undergraduate research assistants under the supervision of Dr. Chris Ramsey and Dr. Nicolae Strungaru.Stage 3: Solutions in FibonacciIn this stage, the research assistants extend the approach to various other model sets such as the Silver Model set or the noble means model sets. For each model set they need to first find solutions to and then solve the Pythagoras equation in Z[lambda], where lambda is the largest eigenvalue of the corresponding matrix, and then by using this general solution to solve the question in that model set. If time permits, the research assistants will study various cases of Fermat's Last Theorem or other Diophantine equations in the above-mentioned model sets.

Level Up: Pythagorean triples in model sets - part 2

For 100+ years physicists believed that only solids which are ordered in a periodic way can produce a clear diffraction pattern. This belief was shattered by Dan Shechtman's discovery of quasicrystals, a discovery for which he was awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.The clear diffraction of quasicrystals shows that they must be highly ordered but in a non-periodic way. The precise order present in them is still mysterious, and not understood. In this project we investigate mathematical aperiodic orders. Namely we will study the existence of infinitely many solutions to Pythagoras's equation in aperiodic model sets. Such solutions are known to be present in periodic crystals.This is new mathematical research that will be carried out by two MacEwan undergraduate research assistants under the supervision of Dr. Chris Ramsey and Dr. Nicolae Strungaru.Stage 2: General solution in Z[tau]The research assistants search for solutions to the Pythagoras's equation in Z[tau]. Continuing with the particular solutions found in Stage 1 they go on to find the general solution, a description of all solutions. They complete this stage by using the general solution in Z[tau] to solve the problem in the Fibonacci model set.

Level Up: Pythagorean triples in model sets - part 1

For 100+ years physicists believed that only solids which are ordered in a periodic way can produce a clear diffraction pattern. This belief was shattered by Dan Shechtman's discovery of quasicrystals, a discovery for which he was awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.The clear diffraction of quasicrystals shows that they must be highly ordered but in a non-periodic way. The precise order present in them is still mysterious, and not understood. In this project we investigate mathematical aperiodic orders. Namely we will study the existence of infinitely many solutions to Pythagoras's equation in aperiodic model sets. Such solutions are known to be present in periodic crystals.This is new mathematical research that will be carried out by two MacEwan undergraduate research assistants under the supervision of Dr. Chris Ramsey and Dr. Nicolae Strungaru.Stage 1: Background research and Z[tau]The research assistants search the literature and read about the Fibonacci substitution. They get familiar with the geometric realization, find the eigenvalues/eigenvectors of the substitution matrix. They read and get familiar with the ring Z[tau], where tau = (1+squareroot(5))/2 is the largest eigenvalue of the Fibonacci matrix. They also read about solving the Pythagoras's equation in integers and find particular solutions in Z[tau].

Level Up: Modelling Impact of Anesthetic Gas Use on Cost and Environment

Data from the University Hospital at the University of Iowa on the use of anesthetic gases between the years 2011 and 2020 is being investigated by the team of researchers including Dr. Rakesh Sondekoppam (Clinical Associate Professor of Anesthesia - Acute Pain and Regional Anesthesia, U of Iowa), Dr. Timur Ozelsel (Associate Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, University of Alberta), and Dr. Karen Buro (Professor of Mathematics and Statistics, MacEwan University). The data includes over 300.000 records and provides substantial insight into the history of use of different anesthetic agents and their cost and environmental impact.The team would like to hire a student to help with the investigation on which factors are driving cost and environmental impact in anesthesiology. The student will be responsible to fit different models for investigating the effectiveness of non-parametric methods in this analysis and creating graphs visualizing the results. We will be using R for the analysis.Position(s) available: 1

Investigating semi-Dirichlet matrix operator algebras - Phase 2

Operator algebras are collections of linear functions on geometric spaces of vectors called Hilbert spaces. Operator algebras represent collections of physical observables in quantum mechanics, and have also found application to many other mathematical fields. In the last 50 years, the study of operator algebras which are "non-selfadjoint", such as algebras of triangular matrices, has been especially fruitful. Of special interest in modern research-level mathematics are non-selfadjoint operator algebras which are "semi-Dirichlet".In this project, a MacEwan undergraduate research assistant will instigate a theoretical and/or computer classification of those finite-dimensional operator algebras which are semi-Dirichlet. In the most basic cases, such algebras can be classified using directed graphs. A celebrated theorem of Burnside describes the structure of any finite-dimensional algebra, and a classification of the semi-Dirichlet property will combine graph theory and Burnside's Theorem.By the end of this project, the student will produce an article suitable for publication in an undergraduate or research-level journal. This is new mathematical research carried out by an undergraduate researcher at MacEwan University, supervised by Drs. Adam Humeniuk and Chris Ramsey.

Learning Partial Differential Equations with fMRI Data

In this project, we apply an appropriate data-driven method to derive the potential partial differential equation model hidden in an fMRI dataset collected by Visconti di Oleggio Castello, Matteo et al. (2020). This dataset records the responses of 25 subjects who watched part of the feature film "The Grand Budapest Hotel" by Wes Anderson.

Level Up Influence of COVID pandemic on the stock market Part I

Develop the time series framework and study the evolution of the Amazon stock and the influence of the pandemic

Investigating semi-Dirichlet matrix operator algebras - Phase 1

Operator algebras are collections of linear functions on geometric spaces of vectors called Hilbert spaces. Operator algebras represent collections of physical observables in quantum mechanics, and have also found application to many other mathematical fields. In the last 50 years, the study of operator algebras which are "non-selfadjoint", such as algebras of triangular matrices, has been especially fruitful. Of special interest in modern research-level mathematics are non-selfadjoint operator algebras which are "semi-Dirichlet".In this project, a MacEwan undergraduate research assistant will instigate a theoretical and/or computer classification of those finite-dimensional operator algebras which are semi-Dirichlet. In the most basic cases, such algebras can be classified using directed graphs. A celebrated theorem of Burnside describes the structure of any finite-dimensional algebra, and a classification of the semi-Dirichlet property will combine graph theory and Burnside's Theorem.By the end of this project, the student will produce an article suitable for publication in an undergraduate or research-level journal. This is new mathematical research carried out by an undergraduate researcher at MacEwan University, supervised by Drs. Adam Humeniuk and Chris Ramsey.

Research Assistant for 'Points of Access' (Book Project)

Co-edited collection of essays for Rowman & Littlefield - inclusive of associated work for the Association for Philosophy and Literature (which runs the book series in question).

Investigating semi-Dirichlet matrix operator algebras - Phase 4

Operator algebras are collections of linear functions on geometric spaces of vectors called Hilbert spaces. Operator algebras represent collections of physical observables in quantum mechanics, and have also found application to many other mathematical fields. In the last 50 years, the study of operator algebras which are "non-selfadjoint", such as algebras of triangular matrices, has been especially fruitful. Of special interest in modern research-level mathematics are non-selfadjoint operator algebras which are "semi-Dirichlet".In this project, a MacEwan undergraduate research assistant will instigate a theoretical and/or computer classification of those finite-dimensional operator algebras which are semi-Dirichlet. In the most basic cases, such algebras can be classified using directed graphs. A celebrated theorem of Burnside describes the structure of any finite-dimensional algebra, and a classification of the semi-Dirichlet property will combine graph theory and Burnside's Theorem.By the end of this project, the student will produce an article suitable for publication in an undergraduate or research-level journal. This is new mathematical research carried out by an undergraduate researcher at MacEwan University, supervised by Drs. Adam Humeniuk and Chris Ramsey.

Level UP-Analyzing factors impacting COVID-19 vaccination rates

positions available: 3This analysis used COVID-19 vaccination data, and country indicators from the World Bank to 1. Determine indicators that are associated with vaccination rate2. Create indices to measure the Vaccine Utilization and Vaccination Motivation per country3. Apply Decision trees and Pearson correlations to determine relationships with country indicators and these indices

Level Up Influence of COVID pandemic on the stock market Part II

Do a time series intervention analysis for tech, energy, financial, and transportation companies and compare the evolution during the pandemic.

Student Statistical Consultant Program

The Student Statistical Consultant Program aims to provide practical hands-on experience to the students by engaging them in real-world consulting projects. This program serves as a bridge between theoretical knowledge gained in the classroom and applying statistical methodologies to address practical problems raised by clients. Student consultants will work on a variety of projects, collaborating with internal/external clients to deliver actionable insights.

Integrals for Hopf algebras

In the pure algebraix setting, it is known that there exists a non-unital Hopf algebra which does not admit an integral. The project we are proposing is to extend this example to the case of Hopf C*-algebra. The main difficulty is to deal with the setting of norm topology.

Level UP-Prediction of functional COVID data

positions available: 2The students will implement the KNN algorithm for Covid data in Python based on existing libraries.

Level UP- Numerical analysis with Python(part 1 of 3)

positions available: 1The student will write Python code for the labs for Numerical Analysis

Level Up Exploring the relationship between oil prices and exchange rates

Do a time series analysis to analyze the relationship between gas prices and CAD/USD exchange rate.

Level Up: Graphic Design for Statistical Consulting Center

The Research Office and the Faculty of Arts & Science will establish a Statistical Consulting Center at MacEwan University.We seek a student to design graphics to advertise and represent the new consulting center. We are particularly interested in creating a logo that combines Statistics and MacEwan.We will use the logo on the center’s website and all communications like slides and letters related to the center.The successful candidate can add the product to their professional portfolio.The Statical Consulting Center will launch in January, and we hope to complete this project as soon as possible.

Investigating semi-Dirichlet matrix operator algebras - Phase 3

Operator algebras are collections of linear functions on geometric spaces of vectors called Hilbert spaces. Operator algebras represent collections of physical observables in quantum mechanics, and have also found application to many other mathematical fields. In the last 50 years, the study of operator algebras which are "non-selfadjoint", such as algebras of triangular matrices, has been especially fruitful. Of special interest in modern research-level mathematics are non-selfadjoint operator algebras which are "semi-Dirichlet".In this project, a MacEwan undergraduate research assistant will instigate a theoretical and/or computer classification of those finite-dimensional operator algebras which are semi-Dirichlet. In the most basic cases, such algebras can be classified using directed graphs. A celebrated theorem of Burnside describes the structure of any finite-dimensional algebra, and a classification of the semi-Dirichlet property will combine graph theory and Burnside's Theorem.By the end of this project, the student will produce an article suitable for publication in an undergraduate or research-level journal. This is new mathematical research carried out by an undergraduate researcher at MacEwan University, supervised by Drs. Adam Humeniuk and Chris Ramsey.

Level UP-Clustering of Covid data (part 1 of 2)

positions available: 1The students will clean the Covid data collected from OUR WORLD in DATA and implement a clustering algorithm for Covid data in R based on existing libraries.

Level UP-Writing-testing a R package on clustering functional data (part 1 of 2)

positions available: 2One student will write R/C code for the T-funHDDC algorithm for clustering functional data with outliers.The second student will do the testing.

Level UP-Clustering of Covid data (part 2 of 2)

positions available: 1The student will apply decision trees to explain the COVID data clustering. The student will interpret the results and write a report.

Level UP- Numerical analysis with Python(part 2 of 3)

positions available: 1The student will write Python code for the labs for Numerical Analysis

Level UP-Writing-testing a R package on clustering functional data (part 2 of 2)

positions available: 1The student will write R/C code for the T-funHDDC algorithm for clustering functional data with outliers and the package manual.

Hopf algebras

For every locally compact abelian group G, the set of characters is also a locally compact abelian group and the Pontrjagin theorem says that the double dual is isomorphic to the original group G. For a non-abelian group, a generalized dual can no longer be defined in the form of a group. One has to look for a larger category, namely quantum groups in the form of Hopf algebras. The objective is to study Hopf algebras in the setting of C*-algebras and von Neumann algebras such that a generalization of Pontrjagin duality is obtained.

Level UP: Test Project

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