Nova Southeastern University to Host Mathematics Colloquium Series

Miami Dolphins’ Executive to Provide Insight On How Math Plays a Role in Pro Sports

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. – The Mathematics Colloquium Series, hosted by the Department of Mathematics in Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography is back for the 2015 fall semester. Just in time for the start of the 2015/16 National Football League season, the next presentation will be from Dennis Lock, director of analytics for the Miami Dolphins football team.

The presentation is scheduled from noon – 1 p.m. Thursday, September 24 in the Mailman-Hollywood Building Auditorium, 3301 College Ave., Fort Lauderdale (main campus.) The event is free and open to the public.

Over the last few years, the fields of statistics and mathematics have become more prevalent and popular in professional sports (with the help of mainstream books and movies like Moneyball).  The use of advanced (and non-advanced) statistical methods is growing across the sporting landscape from the front office to the media, and even into business and ticket sales. This talk will discuss Lock’s experiences building an analytics department with the Miami Dolphins as well as the general role of statistics in sports today. It will also including the recent analytics boom in the front office framework, the coinciding need for statistically and computationally strong individuals, and the next frontiers in sports statistics.

Lock joined the Miami Dolphins as head analyst, now director of analytics, in July 2014 to implement and head an analytics department under general manager Dennis Hickey.  In his role, Lock supports football operations through research and statistical analyses. He is currently finishing his Ph.D. in statistics from Iowa State University with a dissertation on utilizing statistics in sports. While at Iowa State, Lock worked as a consultant for many academic departments as well as the Iowa State University men’s basketball team. During this time, he also served as a co-author on a prominent statistics textbook.  Originally from Canton, N.Y., Lock received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from St. Lawrence University in 2008.

About the Series

Hosted by NSU’s Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Department of Mathematics, the Mathematics Colloquium Series aims to increase awareness of mathematics’ importance and applications in daily life. The series also gives mathematics faculty members and students the opportunity to discuss independent research and share their passion for the subject.

For more information, interested parties can contact Jeffrey W. Lyons Ph.D., assistant professor, via e-mail (jlyons@nova.edu) or at 954-262-7931, or Iuliana Stanculescu, Ph.D., associate professor, via e-mail (iu162@nova.edu) or at 954-262-7994.

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About Nova Southeastern University (NSU):Located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional

degree levels. A private, not-for-profit institution with more than 24,000 students, NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, while maintaining a presence online globally. For more than 50 years, NSU has been awarding degrees in a wide range of fields, while fostering groundbreaking research and an impactful commitment to community. Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is 1 of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private, not-for-profit institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. Please visit www.nova.edufor more information.

About NSU’s Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography: The college provides high-quality undergraduate and graduate (master’s and doctoral degrees and certificates) education programs in a broad range of disciplines, including marine sciences, mathematics, biophysics, and chemistry. Researchers carry out innovative basic and applied marine research programs in coral reef biology, ecology, and geology; fish biology, ecology, and conservation; shark and billfish ecology; fisheries science; deep-sea organismal biology and ecology; invertebrate and vertebrate genomics, genetics, molecular ecology, and evolution; microbiology; biodiversity; observation and modeling of large-scale ocean circulation, coastal dynamics, and ocean atmosphere coupling; benthic habitat mapping; biodiversity; histology; and calcification. The college’s newest building is the state-of-the-art Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center, an 86,000-square-foot structure filled with laboratories; offices; seminar rooms; an auditorium; and indoor and outdoor running sea water facilities. Please visit www.cnso.nova.edu for more information.

September 9, 2015

Joe Donzelli | Office of Public Affairs
954-262-2159 (office)|954-661-4571 (cell)
jdonzelli@nova.edu | www.nova.edu