Speaking & media
Mathematics connects a horse’s stride, a swimming jellyfish, and a pumping heart. These talks and stories show how our group studies those connections and brings them into the classroom.
Short biography
Laura A. Miller is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Arizona and the founder of EquiPhysics. Her research combines mathematical modeling, computation, and experimental measurement to study animal movement and biological fluid dynamics. Her equine work examines how gait, breathing, and heart activity interact, including persistent gait asymmetries in off-the-track Thoroughbreds. The program began at the university’s Al-Marah Equine Center in 2023 and moved with the horses to Rancho del Nido in Sonoita, Arizona, in 2026. Through EquiPhysics, she shares free classroom lessons, apps, and datasets built around real horse movement and physiology. She also develops open-source scientific software, including Fluidlets and pyIBM.
Selected talks and teaching
Systems Biomechanics of the Horse
A workshop at the Global Symposium on Racing with Bernadette Genua, connecting measurements of movement and physiology with equine research.
Speaker biographyEquations in Motion: Modeling horses and riders
An Everything is Math lecture at the Leo Kent Hotel in Tucson, part of the University of Arizona’s public mathematics series.
Department announcementHorses in Motion
A history of the biomechanics of movement, connecting the horse–human partnership with gait, measurement, and modern motion analysis.
Published course syllabus (PDF)In the news and in conversation
Equine science, mathematics, and biomechanics
A feature on the interdisciplinary teaching and research program, its Provost Investment Fund support, and opportunities for students.
Read the College of Science featureSupport for equine biomechanics education
The department’s story about the equine biomechanics team and the Provost Investment Fund award.
Read the department storySwimming, flying, and pumping
A conversation about biological fluid dynamics, tiny insect flight, jellyfish, and the connection between experiments and mathematical models.
Listen to the interviewThese are records of past talks, course materials, and reporting. For the current horse program, see From Al-Marah to Rancho del Nido and EquiPhysics.