Pacific Northwest Conference on Comprehensive Mathematical Modeling in the Natural and Engineering Sciences Organized in the Spirit of L.A. Segel, Pullman, WA, July 26-29, 2008

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Support is requested to conduct a four-day Conference on Comprehensive Mathematical Modeling in the Natural and Engineering Sciences Organized in the Spirit of L. A. Segel. The conference will be interdisciplinary in nature and is expected to be a focal point for the meeting of theoretical and experimental scientists of various backgrounds especially from the Pacific Northwest region of North America. An important emphasis will be on attracting young scientists (recent Ph.D.'s and graduate students) to attend the conference and in providing them fertile ground for open communication with senior scientists at the cutting edge of comprehensive mathematical modeling in the natural and engineering sciences. Given their geographical location, young scientists from eastern Washington, Idaho, and Montana very rarely get such opportunities for open discussions with experienced researchers. A Banff International Research Station workshop very similar to the conference being proposed was held during the summer of 2003 in honor of Lee A. Segel's seventieth birthday. Although that workshop concentrated primarily on Mathematical Biology this conference will also include topics from Professor Segel's additional research areas in the natural and engineering sciences. In the past informal contacts made at such gatherings have proved valuable in forming new research collaborations.A four-day conference on experimentally-driven theoretical modeling in the natural and engineering sciences is proposed for the summer of 2008 at Washington State University. Funding is being sought from NSF to cover the travel and board expenses of the invited speakers as well as stipends to help defray those costs for the graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and junior faculty members who might otherwise be unable to attend. In addition, institutional matching funds are being requested to cover the rest of their expenses for this class of young researchers . There will be an emphasis on participation by scientists from the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Also, given the under-representation of women and disadvantaged minorities in the comprehensive applied mathematical modeling community, every effort will be made to ensure the accessibility of this conference to members of these two groups during the selection process for both its invitees and attendees.