African Biomathematics Initiative

非洲大陆面临许多社会经济和公共卫生挑战，包括新出现或迅速变化的疾病;气候变化导致生态系统迅速变化;自然资源开发;需要或希望保护正在消失的生态系统和野生生物;在资源有限的情况下管理资源的挑战;不断变化的农业做法及其对人类健康的影响;以及健康事件、气候和生态变化对社会结构、经济体系和政治稳定的影响。 生物数学的研究和培训可以在应对这些挑战方面取得实质性进展。解决这些问题不仅对非洲很重要，对包括美国在内的世界其他地区也很重要。非洲的问题提出了特别令人兴奋的和复杂的挑战，数学科学家，从数学建模的问题，数据分析和解释的问题。为了让美国科学家能够最好地帮助解决这些挑战，从数学建模问题到数据分析和解释问题，美国和非洲数学科学家之间需要建立伙伴关系，以便美国科学家能够直接了解非洲的问题以及他们需要的数据。这些挑战中的许多都属于数学和生物科学之间的界面。应对这些挑战需要大量的研究人员从事生物数学方面的工作和培训，并准备应对非洲问题带来的具体生物数学挑战。因此，加强生物数学的发展和培养美国数学科学家在生物数学和国际合作的国际场所工作是很重要的。 该项目在非洲举办了三个美非研究讲习班，重点关注非洲面临的挑战，这些挑战的解决需要认真的数学组成部分：（1）保护生物学和建立生态保护区以及灭绝风险和入侵物种风险的相关问题;（2）流行病学的经济方面;（3）利用遗传学控制人类和作物疾病。在前两个讲习班之前，将设立一个高级研究所，目的是培养研究生参加讲习班、后续研究项目和长期国际合作。美国和非洲的参与者将参与由非洲工业协会和讲习班推动的小型研究项目。 因为成功的模型开发永远不应该脱离数据，但有时是，一个生物数学建模诊所与数据分析的重点是计划。由于重要的是要更深入地培训一些非洲学生比可能在计划的ASI，该项目将主办非洲研究生为期一年的访问，在这个过程中，美国研究生和博士后生物数学家暴露于非洲的问题在一个更长的时间，更广泛的模式比可能有两个星期的活动。 非洲教师也将作为访问者前来参加联合研究项目。将通过书籍、文章、网站、光盘和报告广泛传播来自这些活动和讲习班的材料，以便其他人可以复制这些活动。项目成果将用于一个单独资助的项目，该项目将当前的研究带入本科课堂。与非洲数学科学研究所（AIMS）、南非流行病学建模和分析高级研究中心（SACEMA）、非洲数学研究所网络（AMI-Net）、非洲数学千年科学倡议（AMMSI）、和加拿大信息技术和复杂系统数学网络（MITACS）将加强该计划。该项目是共同的，由NSF国际科学与工程办公室和多学科活动办公室资助。

The continent of Africa faces numerous socio-economic and public health challenges, including newly emerging or rapidly changing diseases; quickly changing ecological systems resulting from climate change; exploitation of natural resources; the need or desire to conserve disappearing ecosystems and wildlife; the challenge of resource management in the context of limited resources; changing agricultural practices and their impact on human health; and the effect of health events and changing climate and ecology on social structures, economic systems, and political stability. Research and training in biomathematics can lead to substantial inroads in addressing these challenges. Addressing them is of importance not only to Africa but also to the rest of the world, including the US. The problems of Africa present particularly exciting and complex challenges for mathematical scientists, ranging from issues of mathematical modeling to issues of data analysis and interpretation. To allow US scientists to best help tackle these challenges, which range from issues of mathematical modeling to issues of data analysis and interpretation, partnerships are needed between US and African mathematical scientists so that US scientists can get first-hand understanding of the problems of Africa and the data they need for their models. Many of these challenges fall at the interface between the mathematical and biological sciences. Dealing with these challenges requires a large number of researchers working on and trained in biomathematics and prepared to deal with specific biomath challenges arising from problems of Africa. Thus, it is important to enhance development of biomathematics and to train US mathematical scientists to work in biomathematics and in international venues with international collaborations. The project features three US-Africa research workshops in Africa, focusing on challenges arising from Africa whose solution requires serious mathematical components: (1) conservation biology and creation of ecological reserves and related issues of risk of extinction and risk of invasive species; (2) economic aspects of epidemiology; and (3) the use of genetics to control diseases of humans and crops. The first two workshops will be preceded by an Advanced Study Institute (ASI), aimed at preparing graduate students to participate in the workshop, in follow-up research projects, and in long-term international collaborations. Small research projects catalyzed by the ASIs and workshops will involve US and African participants. Because successful model development should never be divorced from data but sometimes is, a biomath modeling clinic with a data analysis emphasis is planned. Because it is important to train some African students in more depth than is possible in the planned ASIs, the project will host African graduate students for year-long visits, in the process exposing US graduate student and postdoctoral biomathematicians to the problems of Africa in a longer, more extended mode than is possible with a two-week activity. African faculty will also come as visitors to engage in joint research projects. Materials arising from the ASIs and workshops will be widely disseminated through books, articles, websites, CDs, and reports, so others can copy these activities. Project results will be used in a separately-funded program that brings current research into the undergraduate classroom. International partnerships with the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), the South African Centre of Excellence for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis (SACEMA), the African Mathematical Institutes Network (AMI-Net), the African Mathematics Millennium Science Initiative (AMMSI), and the Canadian Network of Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems (MITACS) will enhance the program.This project is co-funded by the NSF Office of International Science and Engineering, and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities.