CAREER: Mathematical Modeling from Data to Insights and Beyond

该项目将为数据驱动的应用程序开发分析和计算工具。特别是，分析工具将很有希望为如何比目前的做法更有效地获取数据提供理论指导。为了从数据中检索有用的信息，将研究数值方法，重点是保证收敛和算法加速。由于与数据科学和信息技术领域的合作者密切互动，调查员将确保拟议研究的实用性，从而产生真正的影响。调查员还将致力于数据科学领域的各种外联活动。例如，她将发起一个由学生、教职员工和领域专家组成的本地网络，以发展数学与行业之间的密切联系，并拓宽数学学生的就业机会。这一倡议将对整个数学科学界产生积极影响。此外，她将通过与德克萨斯大学达拉斯分校多元化奖学金计划合作，接触数学/科学教师，倡导将数学建模整合到K-16教育中。该项目解决了从数据中提取洞察力和培训“大数据”时代的下一代的重要问题。这项研究的重点是从有限数量的测量中恢复信号/图像，其中“有限的”是指可以获取或传输的数据量受到技术或经济限制的事实。当数据不足时，通常需要来自应用程序领域的附加信息来构建数学模型，然后是数值方法。这个项目要探讨的问题包括：(1)从数据中提取洞察力的过程有多难？(2)如何考虑合理的假设来建立数学模型？(3)应该如何设计有效的算法来找到模型解？更重要的是，将引入从洞察到数据的反馈循环，即：(4)如何改进数据获取，使信息变得更容易检索？由于这些问题模仿了数学建模的标准过程，本研究提供了大量的例证来丰富数学建模教育。事实上，这个职业奖的教育目标之一就是倡导将数学建模融入到K-16教育中，让学生从小就培养解决问题的技能。此外，拟议的研究需要与商业、行业和政府(BIG)领域的专家密切互动，而现实世界的问题就来自这些领域。这一要求有助于实现另一个教育目标，即通过为学生提供足够的培训，使他们能够成功地解决重大问题并掌握大量劳动力技能，从而促进大量就业。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project will develop both analytical and computational tools for data-driven applications. In particular, analytical tools will hold great promise to provide theoretical guidance on how to acquire data more efficiently than current practices. To retrieve useful information from data, numerical methods will be investigated with emphasis on guaranteed convergence and algorithmic acceleration. Thanks to close interactions with collaborators in data science and information technology, the investigator will ensure the practicability of the proposed research, leading to a real impact. The investigator will also devote herself to various outreach activities in the field of data science. For example, she will initiate a local network of students, faculty members, and domain experts to develop close ties between mathematics and industry as well as to broaden career opportunities for mathematics students. This initiative will have a positive impact on the entire mathematical sciences community. In addition, she will advocate for the integration of mathematical modeling into K-16 education by collaborating with The University of Texas at Dallas Diversity Scholarship Program to reach out to mathematics/sciences teachers.This project addresses important issues in extracting insights from data and training the next generation in the "big data" era. The research focuses on signal/image recovery from a limited number of measurements, in which "limited" refers to the fact that the amount of data that can be taken or transmitted is limited by technical or economic constraints. When data is insufficient, one often requires additional information from the application domain to build a mathematical model, followed by numerical methods. Questions to be explored in this project include: (1) how difficult is the process of extracting insights from data? (2) how should reasonable assumptions be taken into account to build a mathematical model? (3) how should an efficient algorithm be designed to find a model solution? More importantly, a feedback loop from insights to data will be introduced, i.e., (4) how to improve upon data acquisition so that information becomes easier to retrieve? As these questions mimic the standard procedure in mathematical modeling, the proposed research provides a plethora of illustrative examples to enrich the education of mathematical modeling. In fact, one of this CAREER award's educational objectives is to advocate the integration of mathematical modeling into K-16 education so that students will develop problem-solving skills in early ages. In addition, the proposed research requires close interactions with domain experts in business, industry, and government (BIG), where real-world problems come from. This requirement helps to fulfill another educational objective, that is, to promote BIG employment by providing adequate training for students in successful approaches to BIG problems together with BIG workforce skills.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.