Thiab Taha, a professor of computer science in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, received $18,000 from the National Science Foundation in support of the eighth IMACS international conference on nonlinear evolution equations and wave phenomena. IMACS is the acronym for the International Association for Mathematics and Computers in Simulation.
The conference, which was held in March, focused on the computational and theoretical aspects of nonlinear wave phenomena. Nonlinear waves are common in nature but difficult to analyze mathematically. The accurate simulation of nonlinear wave phenomena has potential applications in many areas, including acoustics, electromagnetics, optical fiber communications systems and the prediction of earthquake and tsunami behavior, among others.