User Case Study: Understanding the Spread of Disease with the Help of Maple at the University of Gondar - Maplesoft

User Case Study:
Understanding the Spread of Disease with the Help of Maple at the University of Gondar

Increasing our understanding of how infectious diseases spread is a vital tool in fighting current and future health threats. Negesse Alemu, an assistant professor of mathematics at the University of Gondar in Ethiopia, where Maple is used in extensively for education and research in mathematics, statistics, engineering, physics, and other fields. He finds Maple to be an invaluable tool for his research in infectious disease modeling, as well as for engaging students studying this important subject.

Research in Infectious Disease Modeling

Maple is an essential tool in Alemu’s research on infectious disease modeling, where he makes use of Maple’s symbolic, numeric, and visualization capabilities. The dynamics of disease transmission is modeled using a system of differential equations, including symbolic parameters representing the variables under investigation. The system is then solved and simulated numerically. The simulations are graphed to visually demonstrate the effects of the chosen parameters on disease transmission in a way that is easy to understand. Alemu also uses Maple’s plot export tools to create publication quality 2-D and 3-D graphs of his results for inclusion in his scientific papers.

Figure 1. Modeling disease spread and control strategies for measles

In addition to the ease of combining symbolic, numeric, and visual explorations in a single environment, Alemu also uses Maple because of its programming language. “I find Maple’s programming language to be very comfortable to work with. The commands and structures are easy to remember, so I can spend my research hours more productively.”

When I teach with Maple, my students respond as if they are playing a game. They love it, and they never get bored.”

Engaging Students

Alemu also uses Maple during laboratory demonstrations to engage his students with visualizations, which he finds is much more successful for conveying important ideas, but also for grabbing and holding his students’ attention in the first place. “When I teach with Maple, my students respond as if they are playing a game,” says Alemu. “They love it, and they never get bored.”

He also finds that students enjoy exploring on their own in Maple. His students create their own explorations and applications, and share with him what they’ve done. He really appreciates the intuitive Maple environment that enables him and his students to learn from each other.

Alemu credits the research results Maple empowered him to achieve as one of the reasons he obtained his current role at the university. And with the on-going help of Maple, Alemu will continue his work of increasing our understanding of how diseases spread and how they can be controlled.


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