Math: Disciplinary Perspective
by Dr. Heather Moreland
The field of mathematics and, in particular applied mathematics, is an interdisciplinary field. My particular area of expertise is in mathematical biology/physiology. As a result, mathematicians in my field frequently are communicating and collaborating with biologists, ecologists, physiologists, and medical professionals. We seek to use mathematics to model real world issues in these areas such as population/extinction problems and physiological systems such as insulin secretion in the pancreas.
Professional organizations/networking
There are numerous organizations involved in these areas, but the most prolific are the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), the American Mathematical Society (AMS), the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), and the Society for Mathematical Biology. Most of these organizations have numerous scholarly journals associated with them. In my experience, blogs and advocacy groups have not been used or seen.