Erica McEvoy



Ph.D. Candidate in Applied Mathematics
Department of Mathematics

Mailing
Address:    		Program for Applied Mathematics
University of Arizona
617 N. Santa Rita
Tucson, AZ 85719
 
Phone: (520) 621-2138
E-Mail:
emcevoy (at) math (dot) arizona (dot) edu
Office:  MTL 120M

"The essential fact is that all the pictures which science now draws of nature,
and which alone seem capable of according with observational facts, are mathematical pictures."
-- Sir James Jeans


Research:
I am a member of the Solar and Heliospheric Research Group in the UofA's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, which is headed by my dissertation advisor Randy Jokipii. In my doctoral work, I am using Stochastic Differential Equations to develop a correct and more precise theoretical model that describes the transport of cosmic rays in the solar system as they traverse through a shockwave. A numerical technique is being developed in tandem, which properly treats the particles' behavior at the shock in an efficient way.

Here's a copy of the paper I wrote for my PhD Oral Comprehensive Exam in December of 2009: paper

Here's an excellent review article for those starting out on numerically solving their own SDEs:
Higham paper

Here's a copy of a review for integrating ODE's in Matlab I wrote for Math 485:
ODE paper

Prior to moving to Arizona, I received my Masters degree in Astronomy/Astrophysics from MIT in 2005, in addition to two bachelor degrees in Physics and Math in 2004. I dabbled in two areas of research while there -- first in the Planetary Astronomy lab with Prof. Jim Elliot (initially as a code monkey for a newly installed CCD camera on the Magellean telescopes, and then as an observational lackey for occultations with Pluto ). Upon realizing that experimental work wasn't my flavor of tea, I moved to doing some really cool high-energy astrophysics research with physics Prof. Paul Joss on long-duration Gamma-Ray Bursts. A link to my Masters thesis is here, as well as further work it spawned with other physics undergrad UROPers.


Recent Talks

Stochastic Processes Approach to Cosmic-Ray Transport

Diffusive Shock Acceleration of Cosmic Rays and their Stochastic Differential Equations

Currently Teaching:

    Fall 2010
        MATH 254: Differential Equations


Curriculum Vitae

S.M. thesis

Funny stuff!