Professor McCarthy’s primary interests are operator theory, one and several complex variables, and their interaction. He believes that pure mathematicians can bring a useful perspective to many areas of science. During the pandemic, he created a risk-analysis formula that was used by Major League Baseball, NHL and NBA teams, among others, about fans in attendance and COVID-19 safety.
hould businesses and universities require vaccinations for employees and students to return? As a mathematician who has studied coronavirus risk at large-scale sporting events and in other places, I believe the answer is a resounding yes, writes mathematics department chair John McCarthy.
“If vaccines or negative COVID-19 tests are required for attendees, 100% attendance is safe,” says the Washington University in St. Louis mathematician who helped derive the model used for fan-attendance risk analysis across many of America’s sports venues. “Without requiring vaccinations or testing, it’s not.”
John E. McCarthy, the Spencer T. Olin Professor of Mathematics and chair of mathematics and statistics in Arts & Sciences, received a five-year $450,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop new tools to deal with complexity in the design of systems such as those used in automatic pilots and self-driving cars.
People now have access to better real-time information about COVID-19 infection and transmission rates, but they still have to decide what is safe to do. A new model co-authored by mathematician John McCarthy in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis helps to contend with the uncertainty.
A new tool using math has been designed to help sports franchises keep the fan experience at stadiums and arenas the safest it can be in this era of COVID-19. The formula was developed in part by John E. McCarthy, the Spencer T. Olin Professor of Mathematics in Arts & Sciences and chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Washington University in St. Louis.
