Applied Physics and Applied Math

Faculty News

OTREC Atmospheric Science Field Experiment

Prof. Adam Sobel, along with a team of APAM students, are part of an NSF-sponsored Organization of Tropical East Pacific Convection (OTREC) field campaign based in Costa Rica and Colombia, which runs from August 5th to September 30th, 2019. The goal of OTREC is to better understand atmospheric convection – tall systems of rain-producing clouds – on both sides of Central America, over both the eastern Pacific and western Caribbean.

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Nanfang Yu: How to make a flat lens

"Lens" is the Latin word for lentil. And it is indeed true that the shape of bi-convex lenses—the familiar sort used as magnifying glasses—resembles those leguminous seeds. But that resemblance may soon be a thing of the past. For a group of engineers led by Nanfang Yu, Associate Professor of Applied Physics, has worked out how to make magnifying lenses that are flat, and thinner than a hair.

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Adam Sobel: The Climate Crisis Movie Isn’t Out Yet, But We Just Saw the Trailer

"The basic thing that makes extreme precipitation events heavier in the warmer climate is that there’s more water vapor in the air, and that’s a pretty unquestioned consequence of warming," says Adam Sobel, professor of applied physics and applied mathematics at Columbia University. "The amount of water vapor in the atmosphere increases roughly about seven percent per degree Celsius. And so, the baseline expectation is that heavy rain events get heavier at about that rate also. Some models increase them faster than that, and some slower."

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Chemke & Polvani Provide New Evidence on the Reliability of Climate Modeling

A study, headed by Rei Chemke, a Columbia Engineering postdoctoral research fellow, together with climate scientist Prof. Lorenzo Polvani, addresses a major discrepancy between climate models and reanalyses regarding potential strengthening or weakening of the Hadley circulation in the Northern Hemisphere as a consequence of anthropogenic emissions.

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New Applied Mathematics Faculty Member: Amir Sagiv

Dr. Amir Sagiv has joined the Applied Mathematics faculty. A main facet of his research is the study of random dynamics and time-reversal breaking in nonlinear optics. This work combines elements of both mathematical analysis and physical modelling, as well as extensive use of numerical simulations. The study and development of such simulations, and specifically numerical analysis of uncertainty-quantification (UQ) problems, is in itself a fascinating field in which computation, statistics, approximation, and transport theory all play a roll.

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Department News

Sobel & Marvel at the Workshop on Correlated Extremes

Adam Sobel and Kate Marvel were featured on a kick-off panel at the Workshop on Correlated Extremes hosted by Columbia's Initiative on Extreme Weather and Climate.

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Spring 2019 Newsletter

Read the APAM Department Spring 2019 Newsletter featuring our student and faculty award winners!

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Marvel Testifies at Economic and Health Consequences of Climate Change Hearing

Dr. Katherine Marvel, APAM/GISS Associate Research Scientist testified before Congress on May 15

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In Memoriam: Paul Duby (1933-2019)

We mourn the loss of Prof. Duby who was one of the founding faculty members of the MSE Program. He taught many MSE classes until he retired and was also the adviser of the CVN MSE Program...

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In Memoriam: Edward L. Nickoloff

A long time affiliated faculty member of the Medical Physics Program, Dr. Edward L. Nickoloff, passed away on March 11, 2019 after a long illness.

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Student News

Trekkies in the Clouds: The OTREC Atmospheric Science Field Experiment in Costa Rica

Three days after Melanie Bieli defended her PhD thesis, she jumped on a plane to Costa Rica for the OTREC field campaign

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2019 Undergraduate Award Winners

Three seniors were presented with awards at the APAM Senior Dinner on Thursday, May 2. Each winner was selected by the faculty in recognition of their excellent academic achievements.

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Dr. Norman Nan Shi Wins 2019 Simon Prize Award

Dr. Norman Nan Shi is the 2019 Simon Prize Award winner for an outstanding thesis

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Jyotirmoy Mandal Named a Schmidt Science Fellow

Jyotirmoy Mandal, an APAM PhD candidate, has been selected as a Schmidt Science Fellow, an innovative post-doctoral program focused on developing the “next generation of interdisciplinary...

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Student Spotlight: John Brooks

Plasma Physics Ph.D. student, John Brooks is working with a tokamak (thermonuclear fusion power) machine at Columbia in hopes of containing its energy, and to slowly disperse the high...

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Events

Seminars

Check this page reguarly for updates on our weekly seminars (Applied Math, Materials Science, Plasma Physics, Research Conference, SCiCS, and special events)

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SEAS Colloquium in Climate Science (SCiCS)

Thursdays, 2:45 PM, in 214 Mudd (during the academic year)

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2019 APAM Commencement Celebration

The APAM Commencement Celebration took place on Wednesday, May 22, 2019 to celebrate the wonderful achievements of our October 2018, February 2019, and May 2019 graduating students.
...

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APAM Careers & Events

Capital One Info Session, Friday, 5/3, 3:30 PM, 210 Mudd

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Applied Mathematics Colloquium

The Applied Mathematics Colloquium meets on selected Tuesday afternoons during the academic year, from 2:45-3:45 p.m., in Room 214 Mudd.

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Videos

VIDEO: Wiggins on the History and Ethics of Data

Chris Wiggins: "What should future statisticians, CEOs, and senators know about the history and ethics of data?"

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VIDEO: Revolutionary Ultra-thin “Meta-lens” Technology

Flat, micron-thick lens offers performance comparable to top-of-the-line compound lens systems; could drastically reduce the size and weight of any optical instruments used for imaging,...

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VIDEO: Spinning Out, In Control (Michal Lipson)

Prof. Michal Lipson spoke on the “Spinning Out, In Control” panel at the Columbia Startup Festival

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VIDEO: Sobel - Preparing for the Next Big Storm

Adam Sobel discusses the challenging work of predicting extreme and rare weather events, and how he came to study in this field.

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VIDEO: Wiggins on Data - Past, Present, and Future

Applied Mathematics professor, Chris Wiggins, and Matthew Jones, the James R. Barker Professor of Contemporary Civilization in the History Department...

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