Math Modeling Seminar: Humans Make Things Messy

Math Modeling Seminar
Humans Make Things Messy

Dr. Shelby M. Scott
Senior Consultant and Health Data Scientist
Guidehouse

You may attend this lecture in person at 2300 Gosnell Hall or virtually via Zoom.
If you’d like to attend virtually, you may register here for Zoom link.

Abstract:
Models become notably more complex when stochasticity is introduced. One of the best ways to add frustrating amounts of randomness to your model: incorporate humans. In this talk, I discuss three different ways in which humans have made things messy in my mathematical models, statistical models, and data science work. Despite the fact that humans do, indeed, make things messy, they also make our models so much more realistic, interesting, and intriguing. So while humans make things messy, it is so worth it to bring them into your work. I will then talk about my top tips and tricks for surviving (and maybe even thriving) during graduate school.

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Shelby M. Scott is a Health Data Scientist and Senior Consultant at Guidehouse. She received her B.S. in Biomathematics from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, where she used Agent-Based Modeling to study the population dynamics of the Santa Cruz Island Fox. After, she attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she received her M.S. in Statistics and Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. During this time, she used mathematical and statistical modeling to study the epidemic spread of gun crime in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Scott then pursued an alternative-academic route and joined Guidehouse where she works with different federal and commercial clients to determine advanced analytics solutions to problems involving diverse datasets. She continues to serve as the Communications Officer of the Society for Mathematical Biology's Education Subgroup and is also involved in numerous mentorship programs and writing groups. Read more here.

Intended Audience:
Undergraduates, graduates, and experts. Those with interest in the topic.

The Math Modeling Seminar will recur each week throughout the semester on the same day and time. Find out more about upcoming speakers on the Mathematical Modeling Seminar Series webpage.
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