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These webinars offer an opportunity for you to listen to industry leading professionals from some of the most prominent organizations in the world. Throughout the series these industry experts will share their experiences and expertise on a variety of topics. Get valuable information about important new developments in the field of engineering and mathematics. As new live E-Symposiums become available, they will be posted here. To receive information about upcoming E-Symposiums, become a Maplesoft Member and opt-in to receive Maplesoft event and seminar notifications. To become a Maplesoft Member, click here. Note: QuickTime Player is required to view some of these recorded webinars - Download the latest version Upcoming E-Symposium Webinars The Evolution of Multi-Domain Modeling and Simulation Dr. Richard Gran, President and CEO Mathematical Analysis Company Register for this webinar During this presentation, Dr. Richard Gran will discuss the importance of the new multi-domain techniques that are being developed in the industry today. He will draw on his past experiences to illustrate the evolution of multi-domain modeling and simulation over 5 generations. Examples he will discuss include the Lunar Excursion Module from the 1960s; the Tokamk Fusion Test Reactor Hardware from the 1970s; the X-29, a forward swept wing aircraft design from the 1980s; a magnetically levitated train design from the 1990s; and a home heating system model from the current decade. Formerly with Grumman Corp. as Director of Advanced Concepts, Dr. Gran was a member of the Control System design team that created the digital flight control system for the Apollo Lunar Module. He is presently President and CEO of the Mathematical Analysis Company where he has had extensive long-term contracts for the US space and defense community in the areas of system simulation and control design. Past E-Symposium Webinars Computer Algebra's Deep Dark Secrets… or… Why won't Maple do this &%*#@ thing?!? Dr. Stephen Watt, Professor, Department of Computer Science University of Western, Ontario, Canada View this webinar recording How does Maple do its magic? In less than a second, it can compute algebraic answers to problems that would have taken a human hours or even days. Of course the related question is why won’t Maple do this seemingly simple operation when it's such an obvious step? This engaging Webinar deals with these fundamental questions and more. Dr. Watt, a renowned authority in symbolic and algebraic computing and one of the true creative thinkers of the field offers us a unique and accessible look at the inner workings of symbolic computation and the related field computer algebra. No, they are not the same thing and you’ll find out why. Dr. Watt discusses some of the main challenges that confront researchers and developers who try to make computers perform such advanced mathematics. Although Maple and related technologies are now mature systems and offer highly robust and dependable results, research still proceeds on a wide range of mathematical fronts to help us solve more problems, faster, and in more useful ways. In fields like polynomial manipulation and matrix operations, there are still intriguing and vexing issues that always have and still confound the best in the field. Through this Webinar, the audience will get a much better understanding of how Maple does what it does and what the future might reveal. Dr. Watt's achievements in mathematical computation are legendary. As part of the first Maple research team, he helped formulate the vision and build the framework for arguably the best computer math system in the world. Later, as a researcher at the renowned IBM T.J. Watson Research Centre, he was a principal architect of the Axiom computer algebra system. More recently he has been a leader in the MathML standards movement. His current research interests include algorithms and languages for mathematics and pen-based computing. Friday Specials! Professor Jack Weiner, Department of Mathematics and Statistics University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada View this webinar recording "Friday Specials!": another great idea from one of the most creative math professors in the business. Professor Jack Weiner from the University of Guelph is renowned for his energy, creativity, and an effervescent style second to none. This Webinar will present one of his most effective and popular learning tactics – the infamous "Friday Special". On Fridays, five minutes before the end of class, Professor Weiner would pronounce, "Pens down, books closed, it’s 'Friday Special' time!". Then he would show on screen an article or cartoon or letter or something that has to do with math, the "real world" and has absolutely nothing to do with class, assignments, or tests. It is math for fun. He has learned that a few very simple, yet enjoyable and appropriate diversions from the same old routine can make a big difference in the motivation and achievement among students. During the Webinar, Professor Weiner will provide an entertaining and engaging demonstrations of some of his best "specials". Time will be reserved for live Q&A with the audience. Jack Weiner is a celebrated professor of mathematics and the author of both the print and electronic (Maple) versions of the Mathematics Survival Kit – a popular resource for students and instructors in fundamental collegiate mathematics. As a full professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Guelph, one of Canada’s premier institutions, Professor Weiner has blazed many trails for enriching and enlivening the mathematics classroom. He has over 30 years of experience teaching mathematics and has won both the University of Guelph's Professorial Teaching Award and the prestigious Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations Teaching Award. Physics-based Plant Modeling for Automotive Control Design Dr. Ken Butts, Executive Engineer Toyota Technical Center View this webinar recording Over the past 15 years, the automotive industry has succeeded in addressing the need for fast and effective design, simulation, and development of control systems through “off-the-shelf” software tools. Companies such as Toyota have led the adoption of such tools and the concept of Model-Based Design. In this e-Symposium, Dr. Ken Butts of the Toyota Technical Center, USA presents some of the physical modeling challenges facing the company today and its vision for the future development of Rapid Plant Modeling methodologies based on symbolic computation. Challenges and Solutions in Implementing Technolgy in Distance Education in (STEM) Programs Dr. Annette M. Burden, Interim Distance Learning Director, Associate Professor Department of Mathematics, Youngstown State University View this webinar recording Distance education programs have become a key dimension in collegiate education and society’s need for rich lifelong learning is demanding an ever higher quality in these programs. As successful as the technology has been, the delivery of programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has faced unique challenges and to this day, remains problematic. STEM courses have demanding content such as mathematics, models, and simulations. Even something as basic as the composition and display of mathematical equations can be problematic. Today, many educators are overcoming these challenges through the innovative application of the newest generation of education technology as well as insights gained from extensive deployment of technology for traditional on-campus STEM programs. Dr. Annette Burden has over 30 years of experience in innovative education. In addition to actual teaching she has been a major driver for the modernization of distance education programs at Youngstown State and other institutions. In addition, she is an expert advisor to leading technology and information companies such as Maplesoft and Pearson Education. Her research interests include education technology and numerical analysis. Rapid Prototyping of Advanced Mechatronic Systems Dr. Jacob Apkarian, Founder and CTO Quanser Inc. View this webinar recording The ‘traditional’ definition of rapid prototyping is the automatic construction of physical objects using solid freeform fabrication. The concept of rapid prototyping however need not be limited to the physical realm. This seminar will expand on the concept of rapid prototyping further to include the rapid development of complex dynamical equations, rapid development of simulations and the rapid implementation of realtime control systems. An engineer can now take a design from concept to production using a variety of CAD tools that all fit under the umbrella of rapid mechatronic prototyping. Dr. Jacob Apkarian will describe Quanser’s methodical approach to the development of mechatronic system from concept to production using rapid prototyping technology. Dr. Jacob Apkarian is the Founder and CTO of Quanser Inc. Before launching Quanser, he held positions as Robotics and Assistive Devices Director at Lyndhurst Hospital and Senior Engineer at Spar Aerospace, where he contributed to the development of several key projects, including control systems for the Canada Space Arm and components of the Space Station. Now That Machines Do Math, What Do Teachers Teach? Dr. John Kenelly, Alumni Distinguished Professor Clemson University, Treasurer of the Mathematical Association of America View this webinar recording More and more the manipulation in mathematics is done by a machine and users are forced into using their energy in design and interpretation vs. past energy that was spent on “working the problem” How does that change teaching? You have to create grey box experiences that prepare students to work in a black box world. For example in finance, students need to construct and see loan payments in action (a grey box experience) to better understand the black box results of PMT keys. In Science, playing with the recursive derivations of solutions (a grey box experience) best instills understanding estimates and prepares one for a career built upon using the “SOLVE” key. Faculty mistakenly think that the laborious derivation of formulas (a white box experience) prepares one for a computer based world. The heart of this seminar is defining grey box experiences. Dr. John Kenelly, Alumni Distinguished Professor at Clemson University and Treasurer of the Mathematical Association of America, argues that classroom grey box experiences are the new challenge. Dr. John Kenelly was an early visionary in the teaching and implementation of technology in math education, winning two substantial National Science Foundation grants to research effective ways of using graphing calculators to enhance the student's understanding of math. Today he continues to explore new frontiers in mathematics education through a variety of scholarly, and outreach activities. Advanced Research Techniques in Mechatronics: Vehicle Dynamic Modeling in Steer-By-Wire Systems Dr. Venkat Krovi, Director of Automation, Robotics, and Mechatronics Laboratory SUNY Buffalo View this webinar recording Today’s vehicles are demanding increasingly sophisticated models in order to complete the design and prototyping process in a timely manner. Automotive OEMs continue to look to new-generation modeling, simulation, and control techniques to provide them with an analytical and competitive edge. This e-Symposium presents the work of Dr. Venkat Krovi, of the State University of New York, and his innovative application of new design software tools to accelerate the model development process and simultaneously increase model fidelity.