Maths and Society
CSIRO makes a vital contribution to the everyday lives of
Australians by delivering great science.
At CSIRO Mathematics, Informatics and Statisticswe use maths and
statistics to solve a vast range of problems. We work on a huge range of
projects, including:
- understanding and improving manufacturing processes
- using statistical methods to help identify the genes that cause particular diseases
- optimising the supply of goods to businesses
- assessing the risk of importing certain food products into Australia
- helping maintain the health and productivity of fisheries
Our focus in all of these areas is the smarter use of information
through better understanding.
The value of what we do
Mathematics and statistics form the cornerstone of many sciences. This
means that the work we do at CSIRO Mathematics, Informatics and Statisticsis very diverse. And we find it quite exciting!
The Stuart Piano
 In
a traditional piano, the strings are clamped to the soundboard with a
sideways (horizontal) zigzag. Using mathematics, CSIRO's Bob Anderssen
confirmed why this horizontal zigzag causes the strings to vibrate in an
unexpected way: the strings start vibrating vertically when they are first
struck from below, but change to vibrate horizontally in just a few
milliseconds. This affects the sustain and volume of the sound. Piano
music is written with these limitations in mind.
In a Stuart Piano, the strings are clamped to the soundboard with a
vertical zigzag. Wayne Stuart's experiments showed that this produced a
clearer and more dynamic sound. Mathematics then showed why. The new clamp
greatly reduces the tendency of the string to vibrate horizontally. The
stings keep vibrating vertically. This enhances the sustain and dynamics
and reduces the inharmonicty caused by a horizontal zigzag.
Visit: Stuart and Sons
Melissa Dobbie, Environmental Statistician
 An
environmental statistician develops and applies statistical methods to
solve environmental and ecological problems. In Melissa’s current work,
she is involved in understanding how best to monitor and manage the health
of some of Queensland’s waterways. On a day-to-day basis, she interacts
with scientists from other disciplines, performs statistical analyses,
writes reports, and makes presentations. She attends national and
international conferences and seminars, conducts workshops and publishes
scientific papers.
Melissa is never bored with her job. Working at CSIRO means that she
gets to be involved in projects at the cutting edge of science. Many of
the projects she gets involved in have high impact both nationally and
internationally.
“Statistics is a profession that does not exist on its own. It’s
an area of science that has fingers in all scientific pies. Think of any
discipline and I’m sure there’s a connection to statistics.
Statistics and statistical reasoning are essential ingredients in
solving most scientific problems and that makes the profession of a
statistician a very powerful one."
Melissa began her career by studying maths, statistics, computer
science and German as part of a Bachelor of Science. She then carried out
statistics-based research projects to complete an Honours year and then a
PhD. She has also spent a year teaching and researching at the University
of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
Melissa firmly believes that young people must be pro active on their
own behalf. She organised her own work experiences during high school,
spending holidays working in a variety of professional circumstances –
with a physiotherapist, a vet, an accountant, an actuary and many more.
This gave her an idea of what professions she did not want to pursue and
simplified the choice of what to study at university. However, she admits
that she fell into the profession of environmental statistics, a
relatively modern area of statistical application – sometimes you just
need to let destiny guide you.
More info
Contact
Sarah Wood
Ph: (02) 9325 3227
Fax: (02) 9325 3200
Sarah.Wood@csiro.au
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