Interdisciplinary Grants in the Mathematical Sciences: Modeling Microbial Populations, Biofilms and Competition Dynamics in a General Gradostat

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This grant supports an interdisciplinary research project in applied mathematics and aquatic ecology. Specifically, the principal investigator will spend an academic year visiting the Department of Biology atthe University of Texas-Arlington to substantially broaden his background in aquatic ecology and expand his skills and knowledge in mathematical modeling of population dynamics, microbial competition, and transportprocesses in heterogeneous media. The main research effort in this project is to compare experimental gradostat results to those predicted by existing theoretical models of resource competition, and to develop and implement new, important mathematical and computational methods for accurate modeling of the bacteria-algae-nutrients interactions in a general gradostat.The goals of the principal investigator in the proposed research projectare:(1) to participate in and assist with the modeling of ongoing experiments on microbial competition along spatial gradients of resource supply;(2) to develop a better understanding of aquatic microbial ecology and the skills necessary for continued research in this area; and (3) to create curriculum guides and supplemental materials for new graduate and undergraduate courses in the principal investigator's home department as well as in the Department of Biology at the University ofTexas-Arlington.This interdisciplinary project will be the foundation for a continuing collaboration between the two departments aimed at developing a combined experimental and theoretical research program addressing microbial interactions in heterogeneous systems for application to problems in aquatic ecology and environmental engineering. This IGMS project is jointly supported by the MPS Office of Multidisciplinary Activities (OMA) and the Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS).