Maths Intro | Toss a Coin | Flexible Hours | Multidimensional Statistician | SARS Equation

Flexible Hours for a Time Scale Mathematician
By Pat Photongkam

___I used to hate Mathematics! There were always too many formulas to remember, abstract signs to decipher, and I could never fake the answer. I did not understand why anyone would want to make Mathematics into a career. Then I started to understand it and actually began to enjoy the challenge! But I was worried that if I did like mathematics, then I would be labelled a 'nerd'. So you can understand my relief when I found out that I was assigned to interview Dr Chris Tisdell, a former DJ.

___My 'Day in Science' starts at 10.30am with Dr Tisdell in his School of Mathematics office at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Dr Tisdell walks to work each day and usually starts about 9.00am, but his hours are be flexible. He begins by answering emails and reviewing the scheduled work for the day. Email correspondence is an important part of his job, and he sometimes works via email. We gathered in the seminar room for morning tea with many other academic staff members, who were enjoying friendly conversations over their morning coffee. We talked about Dr Tisdell’s career as a mathematician.

___Dr Tisdell’s mathematical journey began when he was sixteen years old, the same time he discovered calculus and differential equations in senior high school. He attended the University of Queensland, completing a Bachelor of Science majoring in Mathematics (of course). He knew that this qualification would be applicable to a huge range of careers, such as Engineering, Economics, other Science areas, and especially Mathematics itself. He completed his honours year by doing a thesis on 'Fraction Calculus' specialising in 'Differential Calculus'. He was a part-time lecturer for first-year Mathematics at the University of Queensland for 6 months before completing a PhD in Mathematics there.

___Dr Tisdell is currently employed by the School of Mathematics at UNSW undertaking both teaching and research. He says Applied Mathematics at UNSW is the best in Australia (no bias). Dr Tisdell teaches 2 days a week, lecturing first year in Mathematics for Life Sciences and Postgraduates in 'Dynamic Equations on Time Scales' - which was first offered at UNSW and is Dr Tisdell’s current research interest. Time scale refers to two concepts of calculus and discrete calculus. Dr Tisdell’s research is attempting to combine these two concepts into one. Sounds complicated? I know!

___After a short tea break, we are back in his office and back to work. In preparation for an exam paper review meeting in the afternoon, he looks over the Session 1 final exam for Mathematics for Life Sciences. The examination paper must be prepared early and thoroughly checked to ensure that students can understand the questions and that the exam is set at an appropriate level for the course. Next, Dr Tisdell works on his research paper, 'On Second and Higher Order Vector Boundary Value Problems', which will be submitted for publishing soon.

___Lunch is at a Thai restaurant with some of Dr Tisdell’s friends. Over lunch, we talk about the 'Day in Science' project and my home country; Thailand. Dr Tisdell is a very sociable and entertaining man; he made me feel quite comfortable. Unfortunately, we had to return to work at 2.30pm because Dr Tisdell had a meeting regarding a final exam.

___Dr Tisdell also enjoys life outside his work. He likes cooking and often tries to create new recipes. He enjoys sports, mainly soccer, basketball, and cricket. He loves to travel and is fortunate that his work takes him around the world. In late June, he is going to Istanbul, Turkey for 'The First International Workshop On Dynamic Equations On Time Scales, in Memory of Bernd Aulbach'. He never misses a chance to exchange ideas with scientists from other countries. Surprisingly, he tells me that his love of music comes above all. As a university student, he spent his evenings, not studying, but working as a DJ. Pursuing his love of dance music, Chris has helped with the ARIA dance music chart for a number of years.

___Mathematics allows Dr Tisdell to work in a variety of areas, not only teaching and research. He can pick the tasks he desires to do and can work in areas that interest him, rather than being forced into boring, rigid, and repetitive work. Dr Tisdell loves what he is doing - researching in time scales and creating quality work. He is not content to be a Doctor only - he would like to be professor one day, write books, and travel around the world sharing his research. Clearly, Dr Tisdell’s academic journey has only just begun…

Maths Intro | Toss a Coin | Flexible Hours | Multidimensional Statistician | SARS Equation