Mathematical Sciences: Special Year in Mathematical Biology

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Othmer The investigator and his colleagues conduct a special year in mathematical biology in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Utah. Cooperating departments include the Departments of Biology, Bioengineering and Human Genetics and the Nora Eccles Harrison Cardiovascular Research and Training Institute. The primary objective of the special year is to train graduate students and post-docs in the art and science of modeling applied to biological problems. Each quarter focuses on a specific area of biology in which mathematics has had a significant impact and in which there are significant new opportunities: Ecology and Evolution (Fall 1995), Physiology and Cell Biology (Winter 1996), and Cardiovascular Physiology and Biological Fluid Dynamics (Spring 1996). The educational program includes (i) a full year course entitled `Mathematical Modeling in Biology' given by visiting principal lecturers, who present a case study of applying mathematical modeling to a biological problem in their area of expertise, (ii) a weekly seminar series given by principal lecturers, other visitors, and scientists from the University of Utah, (iii) a quarterly minisymposium in an active research area within the purview of that quarter, and (iv) a student/post-doc seminar aimed at informal presentation of ideas, new results, and open problems. The notes from the course will be published. The goal of the Special Year in Mathematical Biology at the University of Utah is to train young scientists in mathematical modeling of biological problems. Graduate students and post-docs are immersed in an interdisciplinary educational and collaborative environment that brings them together with leading mathematicians and scientists. Although mathematics has long provided important insights into biological processes, developments in biology and mathematics have made the link more important. Basic biological research has increasing relevance to national priorities such as health care and environmental protection, and powerful new experimental techniques have made it possible to observe previously inaccessible mechanisms in physiology, genetics, and ecology. Expanded access to powerful computers has enabled researchers to simulate complex and realistic models of ecological and physiological systems, establishing modeling and computation as a new mode of experimentation in the life sciences. Unfortunately, the training of most biologists and mathematicians fails to prepare them for this type of research. The Special Year in Mathematical Biology prepares young researchers at the pre- and junior post-doctoral level for these new demands. The speakers and researchers invited to this Special Year have established records of successfully collaborating with both mathematicians and life scientists. The program focuses on three active areas of research in the life sciences: ecology and evolution, physiology and cell biology, and cardiovascular physiology and biological fluid dynamics. These areas have been fertile ground for successful collaboration and modeling in the past. The Special Year introduces young researchers to these successes, involves them in current research, and illustrates the conceptual connections between the different fields. These students, and those benefiting from the book developed from the Special Year, will be the catalysts for further development of this vital connection.