Dr. dePillis is a numerical analyst. She studies problems with many factors and uses mathematical models to determine the optimal combination of these factors. The three examples she discussed with our class are as follows:
If Duke University's annual budget was
cut by 3% every year, money would be saved immediately, but there would be
adverse effects as well. Instead of examining the drastic changes
that would come about if the university completely disappeared, a problem
addressed by most standard impact studies, Dr. dePillis would create a
continuum model that demonstrates the gradual effects of these budget cuts
on the university and on the regional economy. She would model the
impact of such cuts on education, using as factors the number of competent
teachers, enthusiastic students, and the intellectual atmosphere in
general. Her model would also include the long-term effects on the
economy made in part by those who graduated from Duke University. In
addition, she would use the models to describe the optimal internal
distribution of organizational funds. The following chart shows how external grants and
government funding affect a professor's ability to teach, which in turn
affects the number of successful students. Both the number of productive
professors and successful students have an impact on the regional economy.
This information can be conveyed through a mathematical model, such as the one below.
