Earlham College | A national liberal arts college in the Midwest
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Anand Pardhanani
Associate Professor of Mathematics

Anand Pardhanani's area of scholarly interest is applied mathematics, broadly construed, with emphasis on math modeling, simulation, analysis and applications to real-life problems in the arts, sciences and society.  Some recent areas of work include: modeling flood-related phenomena such as dam breaks and tsunami run-ups; composing musical variations via differential equations; investigating the formation of patterns in animal coats.

Contact Info

Campus Mail
Drawer 186

Phone
765-983-1683

E-mail

Office
210 Center for Science and Technology

Office Hours
Monday & Wednesday: 2:30-3:30pm. Tuesday & Friday: 1-3pm. Thursday: By appointment.

Programs/Departments

  • Mathematics
  • Data Science
  • Pre-Engineering

Degrees

  • Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin
  • M.S., University of Texas, Austin
  • B.S., Indian Institute of Technology

Selected Courses:

I love teaching Calculus and Differential Equations. These subjects are so connected to nearly everything in the world, and to life itself! They are the very foundation of applied mathematics. I also very much enjoy teaching our introduction to proofs course (Sophomore Seminar), and our Analysis A and B courses. They not only build a rigorous theoretical foundation for a variety of applied courses, but they also offer a number of neat, surprising, new insights on some familiar calculus topics, and on the nature of mathematics itself.

My area of scholarly interest is applied mathematics, broadly construed, with emphasis on math modeling, simulation, analysis and applications to real-life problems in the arts, sciences and society.  Some recent areas of work include: modeling flood-related phenomena such as dam breaks and tsunami run-ups; composing musical variations via differential equations; investigating the formation of patterns in animal coats.

Mathematical Association of America (MAA)

Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM)

Tau Beta Pi, Engineering Honor Society

I am deeply interested in social justice, and believe it is the role of the academy to not only instill awareness in students, but also inspire their desire to act to create a sustainable, just, non-coercive and non-militratistic society.  Earlham’s principles and practices, based on Quaker values, are strongly synergistic with these interests, and are the single most important reason why I chose to come to Earlham.

Earlham students are refreshingly idealistic; willing to question everything, including their own beliefs, values and privileges; and have a hunger for learning. Earlham students are also, sometimes, foolishly optimistic; commit to ten million activities per week; and can function without sleep for several consecutive weeks!

I have organized two separate semester-long research projects with Earlham students on the following topics: (1) "Mathematical projects in service of social justice and public policy" (Spring 2011); and (2) "Spots, stripes, spirals, and more: Exploration of pattern formation in nature" (Spring 2010).  Each project involved four students. Their majors ranged from Mathematics to Economics to Chemistry. For the project on social justice, students investigated the gender gap between the physical sciences and the life sciences at Earlham. They also worked on mathematically modeling the spread of grassroots political movements, using differential equations concepts. Students presented their work in the form of research posters and papers at the Butler University Undergraduate Research Conference in April 2011.

In the Spring 2010 pattern formation research study, students investigated differential equations models for simulating common patterns seen in animal coats. They also explored patterns in music, and used differential equations to create simple musical pieces. The results from their work was presented at the Butler University Undergraduate Research Conference in April 2010.

I love to travel, particularly to new countries. For the last five years my favorite travel region has been Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. I also have a long history of activism and interest in gender equity issues, and in anti-war work. I am also fond of meditation, and have explored a wide range of meditation styles and practices from around the world for the past 15 years.

Earlham College, an independent, residential college, aspires to provide the highest-quality undergraduate education in the liberal arts and sciences, shaped by the distinctive perspectives of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

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Earlham College
801 National Road West
Richmond, Indiana
47374-4095
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NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS

Earlham admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin, age, gender and sexual orientation to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin, age, gender and sexual orientation in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.