Maths
The intersection of math with other subjects
For one to care about and study math and the environment, encountering ecological economics (EE) is only natural. I enjoy learning EE considers the environment in the economic cycle. A small, yet powerful change. As a side interest, I enjoy watching lectures on economic and environmental public policy.
After studying linear algebra for a while, I've captured an interest in electrical engineering through continued exposure. This has led me to study estimation theory, Z transforms, Laplace transforms, and Fourier series transforms.
I enjoy learning and talking about the philosophy of math, the link between math and languages, and the history of mathematics. I will be reading "Mathematics as Metaphor" by Yuri Manin, Triangle of Thought by Alain Connes, David Mumford's blog, and listening to Alain Connes' podcasts. I'm also interested in "Stabilité structurelle et morphogenèse René Thom".
Environmentalism
Humans have a moral responsibility to safeguard the environment and uphold its rights. There should be an emphasis on treating the environment with care and compassion, recognizing the worth of every living creature. This stewardship and kindness towards animals reflects a comprehensive approach to environmental ethics. My intention is to highlight factors contributing to environmental/social problems. I recommend reading Environmental Ethics by Gregory Bassham. Despite my disagreements with the book, it's a good introduction to environmentalism's perspectives. Naturally, everyone's motivations are different, but our overall goal should be the same.
Consumption
I'm a firm believer that the global population count doesn't matter, and that to achieve results, we need to consume less. Countries like Germany, Japan, the US, Saudi Arabia, and others overconsume food, electricity, and other resources, often to the disadvantage of poorer countries like Pakistan, Haiti, Bangladesh, etc. In my food consumption presentation, I explain why food consumption is a problem. I focused on food because of my experiences working in dining courts and seeing the huge amount of food waste.
Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation
Both climate change mitigation and adaptation are important, but they're more practical for some communities depending on their situations. In our climate change adaptation presentation my groupmates gave in our scientific issues course, we spoke about adapting to climate change in Tucson, Arizona and possible (small and large) strategies that the community and individual persons can adapt.
Languages
I believe one of the most effective means of understanding others is through learning their language. By mastering a language, you integrate into that community in a way that's unparalleled. However, this is merely a hobby of mine; I'm not engaged in any formal research in this area.
Language Endangerment & Extinction
Sprachen Karte
I created a interactive languages visualization tool called Sprachen Karte. It parses every language in Ethnologue and puts them on a map. The point here is to get an understanding of the number of endangered and extinct languages along with their characteristics. I also created different graphs which show the geographical differences between languages and their vitality along with several statistics.
Linguist K. David Harrison's great book When Languages Die, which discusses the crisis facing languages, notes that approximately half of the world's 7,000 languages are likely to disappear by the end of this century. There's also a great interview with him discussing the book. The TedxTalk by Mandana Seyfeddinipur, where she also mentions the endangered languages archive. Harrison emphasizes the importance and responsibility of documenting and preserving endangered languages, which contain valuable historical, mythological, and scientific knowledge. He also stresses the significance of supporting language revitalization efforts and acknowledging the vast indigenous knowledge embedded within these languages. The video below is a great introduction to the topic.