Applying mathematics to health care
Student’s award-winning research helps increase understanding of eye disease in astronauts
Space travel may become safer for astronauts, thanks to research being conducted by Aleksandar Popovic, an undergraduate student in mathematics and its applications.
Guided by professors You Liang and Na Yu, Popovic is studying hyperspectral images—which capture a wide spectrum of light beyond just primary colours—of eye tissue in rats to understand vision damage in astronauts returning from outer space. The project, which is a collaboration with researchers at St. Michael’s Hospital, will result in robust open-source algorithms for detecting eye-related diseases associated with spaceflight.
“I’m really thankful to work with my supervisors and grow as both a student, a programmer and a mathematician by working on the things that I find interesting,” Popovic says.
In his program, Popovic is learning to apply mathematics to real-world problems in a broad range of fields, such as biology, networks and finance. Graduates go on to become applied mathematicians, research mathematicians, statistical analysts and cryptoanalysts.
When he’s not in the classroom or lab, Popovic is planning events to help build ties among students as president of the Mathematics Course Union. This year, the group hosted TMU’s annual celebration of the mathematical constant Pi, featuring a pi-digit guessing game, prizes and lots of apple, cherry and blueberry pie.
“We were all affected by COVID-19 and missed out on our first few years of schooling. This is why I want to give people the opportunity to build a community around them,” Popovic says.
The winner of the 2022 Geoff Boyes Excellence in Student Research Award, and a recipient of the Howard H. Kerr Memorial Scholarship for high academic standing, Popovic plans to further his education with a master’s degree in mathematics.
“I don’t necessarily think of it as work,” says Popovic about his academic journey. “I think of it as self-fulfilment and enrichment.”
“I’m really thankful to work with my supervisors and grow as both a student, a programmer and a mathematician by working on the things that I find interesting.”