OUAGADOUGOU — Academics from Togo, Benin, Senegal, and Burkina Faso convened at Thomas Sankara University today to discuss the application of mathematical equations to address challenges in African societies. This gathering, part of the African Mathematical School (EMA), runs from August 19 to 31, 2024, and focuses on the theme “modeling and control of the living world.”
According to Burkina Information Agency, president of the Organizing Committee, the workshop will delve into various complex topics, including the modeling and stabilization of living organisms, stochastic processes, stochastic partial differential equations, and methods for inverse and parameter determination. The goal is to enhance the capability of master’s level students in using mathematical models to understand and potentially solve societal issues.
Professor Traoré emphasized the school’s mission to arm students with the skills to frame life phenomena within mathematical equations, thereby proposing viable solutions to societal problems. “Everything we observe, all phenomena we experience, can be modeled. That is to say, describing the parameters of these phenomena in the form of differential equations or partial differential equations,” he stated, suggesting that this approach could be applied broadly, from terrorism to wildlife management.
The African Mathematics School, a first for Thomas Sankara University, was organized in collaboration with the African Mathematical Union (AMU). The opening ceremony featured notable figures, including Professor Stanislas Ouaro, a professor of Mathematics at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University and former Minister of National Education, highlighting the significant academic and governmental interest in the potential of mathematics to address pressing issues facing the continent.