Maiden is a graduate student in the Applied Mathematics Department working in the Dispersive Hydrodynamics Lab with Applied Mathematics Assistant Professor Mark Hoefer. Her research combines asymptotic analysis, numerical simulation, modeling, and physical experiments in fluid dynamics. The system under study is a model of magma migration through the Earth's mantle and, counterintuitively, yields superfluid-like behavior. A diverse range of nonlinear dispersive phenomena are observable in this system, including solitary waves, dispersive shock waves, periodic waves, and modulational instability. Maiden aims to generate and describe the emergent, large-scale properties of a ‘soliton gas’ in this system: a random collection of solitary waves whose dynamics depend on pairwise interactions between the individual waves.
The National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. This prestigious and highly competitive fellowship provides $32,000/yr for three years. Maiden's proposal titled "Soliton Gases in Viscous Conduit Flows" has been awarded to begin in the 2015-2016 academic year. This award builds upon Maiden's already received CU Boulder Chancellor's Graduate Fellowship.