[Report] MINZ(Mathematics-in-Industry for New Zealand) Study Group
Jun. 29, 2015 - Jul. 3, 2015 
Pictured are the invited speakers (except Professor Shaun Hendy, University of Auckland who was absent at the time), from left: Dr Maria Bruna (University of Oxford, UK), Professor Emeritus Graeme Wake (Director of the event), Hon Ruth Richardson (Chair of KiwiNET) who opened MINZ-SG, and Dr Boris Baeumer (Chair of the NZ Branch of ANZIAM and University of Otago).
“Mathematics-in-Industry for NZ” event
More than 100 of New Zealand’s mathematical scientists met in Auckland in late June and early July to use mathematics and statistics to solve industry problems. A week-long workshop was held as a way for companies to pitch their problems to people from around the region who then worked collaboratively to generate practical solutions through modelling, statistical analysis or computation.
Companies to attend the event included white ware manufacturer Fisher and Paykel who wanted to optimize the operation of their clothes dryer, fresh produce packing company Compac Sorting wanting a solution to a calibration issue with their spectroscopic systems and start-up crime prevention company Eyedentify needing to improve their crime prevention algorithms. Others in attendance presenting problem challenges were dairy giant Fonterra, national grid operator Transpower and farm management group Livestock Improvement Corporation. For more see http://www.minz.org.nz
Event organiser Professor Emeritus Graeme Wake says the first workshop was a success with the teams reporting excellent progress at the end of the week. “More work will be required to complete the solutions but follow-on discussions are already being planned” Professor Wake says.
“The collaborative groups transform how industries see and approach problems. It’s a fast, effective and productive avenue for them to use. Further the large number of postgraduate students present had hands-on experience of handling industry and community based problems using mathematics and statistics.”
Other contributors to the workshops include the NZ Mathematical Society, Callaghan Innovation, the ANZ Industrial and Applied Mathematics Group, KiwiNet, Te Pūnaha Matatini – a Centre of Research Excellence in Complex Systems and Networks, ANZ Industrial and Applied Mathematics group and the Mathematical Sciences Group of AUT University.
Coverage from the week-long event is in various media. KiwiNet, who partnered running the event with Massey University, provided short videos on Youtube, see https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBdlFHZ1WA4kiy3WQABUGjA
Also providers like Callaghan Innovation have posted blogs, see https://callaghaninnovation.wordpress.com/2015/07/15/reaching-critical-maths/
Graeme Wake, Massey University
