Kenneth M. Golden facts for kids

Kenneth Morgan Golden, born on September 30, 1958, is an American mathematician. He is a special professor of mathematics at the University of Utah. He also teaches biomedical engineering there. Professor Golden studies how to create mathematical models for complex materials. He focuses a lot on sea ice. He has traveled on nineteen expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic. On these trips, he studies the physics and biology of sea ice.

Early Life and Education

Kenneth Golden's interest in sea ice started when he was in high school. He studied satellite images of Antarctic sea ice. He worked with Jay Zwally at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

College and Early Research

While at Dartmouth College, he studied math and physics. From 1977 to 1980, he worked at the US Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory. There, he helped Steve Ackley measure sea ice thickness using radar. They thought of sea ice as a mix of pure ice and salty water (brine). This work led to his Ph.D. in Mathematics in 1984. He earned it from NYU with George C. Papanicolaou. His research was about how different materials mix together.

Postdoctoral Work and Professorship

After his Ph.D., Golden studied how things spread and how materials with repeating patterns behave. He was a National Science Foundation (NSF) fellow at Rutgers University. From 1987 to 1991, he was an assistant professor at Princeton University. He continued his work in mathematical physics. In 1991, he moved to the University of Utah as an associate professor.

Research on Sea Ice

Sea ice is a very complex material. It has many different structures, from tiny brine pockets to huge ice sheets. Professor Golden studies everything from the small brine structures to the large ice packs in the Arctic Ocean. He also looks at how sea ice affects tiny algae and even polar bears.

How Sea Ice Works

For example, how easily fluid flows through sea ice (its fluid permeability) is important. This flow depends on the tiny holes and channels inside the ice. It controls how melt ponds form on the surface of Arctic sea ice. It also affects how nutrients move, which helps algae grow. Golden and his team found that sea ice has a percolation threshold. This is a critical point where enough holes connect for fluid to flow through. They used percolation theory to predict this flow accurately.

Melt Ponds and Climate

Melt ponds affect how much sunlight the ice reflects. This is called albedo, and it's key for climate models. As these ponds grow, their shapes become more complex. They change in a way that can be described by fractal geometry. The 100-year-old Ising model, first used for magnets, was adapted to predict melt pond shapes. This research helps us better understand Earth’s sea ice and the life it supports. It shows how math and physics help predict changes in our planet.

Life in the Ice

Professor Golden also studies how living things affect sea ice. For example, sea ice algae make sticky substances. These help them survive in the harsh ice. But these substances also change the tiny structure of the brine. This then changes how easily fluid flows through the ice. Because sea ice is so varied, models of algae growth must consider random factors. These models are solved using methods that deal with uncertainty.

Beyond Sea Ice

Studying sea ice often helps other areas of science. This is like cross-pollination. For example, his work has helped in creating new materials with unusual properties. It has also led to new ways to check for osteoporosis, a bone disease. At the University of Utah, Golden has led many large research projects. He has also helped hire new professors. He has guided over 100 young researchers. Many of them helped with field experiments in Antarctica and the Arctic. He has given over 500 talks around the world. He has also spoken to the U.S. Congress four times. He has won awards for teaching, mentoring, and sharing science.

Media and Public Appearances

Professor Golden's research has been featured by many news outlets. These include Science, Scientific American, Physics Today, Popular Mechanics, and the BBC. He has been interviewed on radio, TV, and online. He has also appeared in short films by the NSF and NBC News.

In a San Diego Tribune article, he was called “mathematical Indiana Jones.” This nickname has appeared in other articles about his career.

Awards and Honors

• 1989: Excellence in Teaching Award, Princeton University
• 1996: Fellow of the Electromagnetics Academy for "extraordinary accomplishments"
• 2007: University of Utah Distinguished Teaching Award
• 2011: Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) for his "extraordinary interdisciplinary work on the mathematics of sea ice"
• 2012: Myriad Faculty Award for Research Excellence, University of Utah
• 2012: University of Utah Distinguished Scholarly & Creative Research Award
• 2013: Inaugural Fellow of the American Mathematical Society
• 2014: United States Coast Guard Arctic Service Medal
• 2014: Fellow of the Explorers Club
• 2022–24: Inaugural Recipient of the University of Utah Presidential Societal Impact Scholar Award
• 2023: Calvin S. and JeNeal N. Hatch Prize in Teaching, University of Utah