Mason Porter

Brief biography: I am a faculty member of the Mathematical Institute at University of Oxford. I have been here since fall 2007 after previous stints at Caltech (undergrad), Cornell (grad school), Georgia Tech (postdoc in math), MSRI, and Caltech (postdoc in physics). I have very broad research interests within nonlinear and complex systems, and I am constantly starting projects in new areas. My PhD thesis was in the area of quantum chaos, but a very large fraction of my recent work has been on networks. I have some background in journalism and publishing in addition to science. For example, I co-edited and published a book (which came out in 2007) about the history of pranks at Caltech and was the co-editor of Caltech's newspaper for a year when I was an undergraduate. I have been a regular attendee at the Snowbird meeting since 1999 (since I started going, I have only missed 2005), and I have earned the periodic-in-time nosebleeds to prove it. I also have a memorable personality.

Thoughts about the Magazine: I would like to see the readership of the articles contained in DSWeb to expand far beyond professionals in dynamical systems and related areas. For example, some articles include expository discussions of phenomena in dynamical systems, and I think that we should include a lot more of that. These types of articles, which could e.g. point to and briefly discuss articles in science blogs and online newspapers about phenomena related to dynamical systems (there are a lot of relevant articles like this that are already being written!), can be extremely valuable for outreach efforts for postdocs, graduate students, undergraduate students, and even high school students and other members of the general public. I would like to place these brief blurbs and pointers to articles not only on DSWeb but also in social media like Facebook and Twitter. My hope is that these types of efforts can help recruit more people to dynamical systems---or at the very minimum promote a greater appreciation of mathematics and science among the public.
One of the recent good things in DSWeb (or at least one of the things that I have recently noticed there) are the editorial/opinion pieces, and I know that some of these have also appeared outside of DSWeb as personal blog entries. As these illustrate, there are plenty of important issues that we as a community ought to be discussing, and I think DSWeb is a good venue to facilitate some of these discussions. One such article, for example, could be about ethics training for the use of human data, which is common in the social sciences but unfortunately almost absent in the training of mathematical scientists (even though an increasingly high percentage of us deal with sensitive data in our research).
The main thing about DSWeb that I think needs to be changed is the clunky interface, though my understanding from the last Business Meeting at Snowbird is that this is already in the works. (I was very happy to hear that!)

Mason chilling.

Elizabeth Cherry

Brief biography: My interest in mathematics and science has been a constant throughout my life, and my continued passion for both areas has led me to combine the two as an interdisciplinary applied mathematician. I received a BS in Mathematics and American Studies from Georgetown University and a PhD in Computer Science from Duke University, with an advisor in Physics (Henry Greenside) and Committee members in four disciplines. After having worked at the UCLA School of Medicine, Hofstra University Department of Physics, and Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine, I am currently a faculty member of the School of Mathematical Sciences at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York. Over time, my career has come full circle and brought me back to mathematics, and although I consider the mathematical sciences a happy home for me, I maintain an interdisciplinary focus. I collaborate with researchers from many fields and regularly supervise undergraduate and graduate student researchers from a broad range of mathematics, computing, and engineering disciplines.
My specific research area is the electrical dynamics of cardiac cells and tissue. I have been studying modeling and simulation of cardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmias for more than 15 years. My research in this area began with a computational emphasis, but over the years I have broadened my focus to include modeling, dynamics, and medical applications.
I have been part of SIAM for nearly 15 years-I gave my first research talk at a DS conference, and I have organized minisymposia at 9 different SIAM meetings dating back to when I was a graduate student. I am excited now about the opportunity to continue and expand my involvement by helping to shape the Magazine. Along with mathematics and science, writing and editing have been lifelong interests for me; I helped write and edit school newspapers in high school and college. More recently, I founded and continue to serve as editor-in-chief of my department's quarterly Research Newsletter; this publication not only lists recent accomplishments such as grants and papers but also includes feature articles that highlight the research experiences of students and faculty. It would be a privilege and a pleasure to engage in similar work on a much larger scale at SIAM.

Thoughts about the Magazine: I believe many aspects of the Magazine already are quite well suited to serve its readers. For example, the tie-in with SIADS with a focus on interesting multimedia contributions is natural and useful, and the lists of job opportunities and of conferences and workshops should remain available and even be expanded as valuable resources for readers. I also particularly like the "Research groups around the world" articles and would like to include such profiles as regular features with a continued international flavor. I would like featured research groups to include relevant industrial connections from time to time as well to ensure that we get as complete an overview of our Dynamical Systems area as possible.
One content area I would like to emphasize is an increased connection with material available on DSWeb, especially software, by including a spotlight on a selected package. Although having a specific site for relevant software is a good start, describing the features of specific packages should increase the visibility of the software and should foster greater dissemination. In many cases, software packages are sought out of necessity, but promoting software using both highly-technical and less-technical descriptions together with graphics showing output and usability information may encourage more widespread adoption even among those without an immediate need. In particular, this software may find its way into more classrooms and help to train and stimulate interests within the next generation of dynamical systems researchers.
One additional priority for me is to increase the representation and visibility of researchers who are women and/or members of groups traditionally underrepresented in mathematics and science. At the same time, I would like to continue the focus on relevant events and research groups around the world. Overall, I would like everyone, regardless of background, to feel a welcome part of our vibrant Dynamical Systems community.
I am enthusiastic about the possibility of becoming Editor-in-Chief of the Magazine and appreciate your support in this election.