US-South Africa Workshop: Mathematical Methods in Systems Biology and Population Dynamics, AIMS, Cape Town, South Africa

“系统生物学和人口动力学中的数学方法”是2012年在南非开普敦非洲数学科学研究所(AIMS)举办的一个讲习班，目的是促进美国和非洲研究人员之间的新合作。该研讨会将应用数学家与在不同生物和医学领域工作的研究人员聚集在一起，通过发起和促进以挑战性问题为动力的合作，在全球范围内交流思想和推进研究知识。其中包括传染病的传播(流行病学)或日益需要强大和可靠的生态学模型，这两个问题在东道国南非都具有特别重要的意义，因为南非的研究自然侧重于防治疾病和流行病。另一方面，在美国，非常重视系统生物学，特别是与包括癌症在内的其他疾病有关的方面。因此，研讨会的第二个重点领域包括各种癌症的动态进展和治疗的改进和更现实的模型，这是一个真正具有全球性的挑战性问题。存在适用于这两个主要领域的各种数学方法和技术(例如，动态系统、最优控制)，而在特定领域的研究人员通常只使用其中的一种。在这次研讨会上，这些小组聚集在一起，发起新的合作并培育现有的合作，同时将新的数学家和科学家带入这一令人兴奋的跨学科领域。组委会认为，数学对医学和生物界有很大的贡献，数学的方法和技术可以加深对系统生物学、流行病学和种群动力学中许多问题的理解。由于AIMS的独特性质，该讲习班预计将产生特殊的教育影响，AIMS是非洲数学科学研究生学习中心，重点是数学生物学。因此，来自非洲各国的研究人员和学生的参与是有保证的。特别努力招募美国研究生和博士后研究人员作为参与者，并促进互动，促进这些群体之间的合作。来自美国和非洲的资深和初级研究人员以及学生的出席将为研讨会内的指导活动提供一个很好的机会。讲习班的成果将通过出版的会议记录和进一步的研究联系予以传播。

"Mathematical Methods in Systems Biology and Population Dynamics" is a workshop organized at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2012, to facilitate new collaborations between researcher in the United States and Africa. This workshop brings together applied mathematicians with researchers working in various biological and medical fields in order to exchange ideas and advances the knowledge of research globally by initiating and promoting collaborations motivated by challenging problems. These include the spread of infectious diseases (epidemiology) or the growing need for robust and reliable models in ecology, both of special importance in the host country of South Africa where research naturally has focused on fighting disease and epidemics. In the United States, on the other hand, a strong emphasis exists on Systems Biology and especially on its aspects related to other diseases, including cancer. Therefore a second focus area of the workshop includes improved and more realistic models for the dynamic progression and treatment for various types of cancer, a truly global challenging problem. There exist various mathematical methods and techniques (e.g., dynamical systems, optimal control) that apply to both major areas, while often only one or the other is being used by researchers in a specific field. In this workshop these groups are brought together together to initiate new and nurture existing collaborations while at the same time bringing new mathematicians and scientists into this exciting interdisciplinary field. The organizing committee believes that mathematics has much to offer to the medical and biological communities and that methods and techniques from mathematics can deepen the understanding of many problems in systems biology, epidemiology and population dynamics. The workshop is expected to have an exceptional educational impact because of the unique character of AIMS, which is a center for graduate studies in the mathematical sciences in Africa with emphasis on mathematical biology. Thus the participation of researchers and students from various African countries is guaranteed. Special efforts are made to recruit as participants U.S. graduate students and postdoctoral researchers and enable interactions that will catalyze collaborations between these groups. The presence of both senior and junior researchers and students from both U.S. and Africa will provide a great opportunity for mentoring activities within the workshop. The results of the workshop will be disseminated through published proceedings and further research contacts.