2018 NSF-CBMS Conference on Mathematical Biology: Modeling and Analysis at Howard University

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This National Science Foundation award supports the 2018 NSF - CBMS conference, on "Mathematical Biology: Modeling and Analysis," hosted by Howard University in Washington D.C. during May 21-25, 2018. The conference will feature Distinguished University Professor Avner Friedman of The Ohio State University as the Principal Lecturer. Through a series of ten lectures, Professor Friedman will introduce participants to the fast-growing field of mathematical biology beginning with preliminary material in modeling of simple biological processes, and including topics such as infectious diseases, chemostat, predator-prey, and chemotaxis. This will be followed by presentations of more advanced and current research topics modeled by partial differential equations, including cancer, vascular diseases, and autoimmune diseases. Professor Friedman's lectures will be supported by eight invited speakers who will discuss mathematical biology models and their analysis. There will be three panel discussions on (1) how to attract undergraduate students to mathematical biology, (2) how to train PhD students in mathematical biology, and (3) future directions in mathematical biology. In addition, there will be a conference banquet lecture on views from the biology and medical communities by Professor Michael Reed of Duke University. Mathematical models and analysis provide unique approaches to representing and studying the integrated behaviors of complex biological systems that enable us to compare and contrast existing theories of the dynamic interactions in a complex system. To get the maximum benefit out of mathematical models and analysis, one needs to specialize them, test assumptions in specific contexts and populations, gather local data to help define key parameters, and validate models. The NSF-CBMS Regional Conference at Howard University, with Professor Friedman of The Ohio State University, will introduce the participants to basic concepts and knowledge of biology, and demonstrate by examples how to formulate interesting biological research questions, and how to address these questions using mathematics. The models will be formulated in terms of dynamical systems. The conference website is at http://humathbio.weebly.com/nsf-cbms-conference.html.