Support for US participation in Mathematics for Planet Earth 2013 events in Canada

这项提案将支持美国参与加拿大2013年地球数学主题计划的活动，该计划的重点是生态学、流行病学和公共卫生方面的模型和方法。美国研究人员和学生将参加10个研讨会和3个暑期学校。第一期讲习班将于2013年2月在蒙特雷亚尔的数学研究中心举行，题为“生态学和流行病学的模型和方法”。数学模型在探索不同时间和空间尺度上的生态学和流行病学的动态方面有着悠久的传统。虽然由于历史原因，生态学和流行病学的应用往往被分开研究，但这两个领域都面临着类似的挑战，即模型复杂性、模型数据拟合和准确预测。最近，在数据收集(如地理信息系统)、大规模模拟工具的可用性(如基于代理人的建模)、统计工具的开发以适应机械模型以及新的数学技术(如多尺度方法)方面的进展突出了生态模型和流行病学模型之间的许多共性。成功地将这些模型应用于人口和生态系统健康方面的紧迫问题，结合了所有领域的技术和见解。泛加拿大生态、流行病学和公共卫生模型和方法专题年的主要目标是应对人口和生态系统健康方面的紧迫和新出现的挑战，促进所有相关学科之间的跨学科研究，促进研究界、政府机构和决策者之间的更紧密联系，并在这一优先研究领域培训新一代研究人员。广泛的主题包括以下问题：全球变化将如何影响病媒传播的疾病和生物多样性，如何可持续地管理水生生态系统，或者如何将建模和监测结合起来进行公共卫生决策。所有这些问题都是世界上非常活跃的研究领域；加拿大数学界发挥着领导作用。这一泛加拿大计划的目的是将致力于这些主题的国际研究人员聚集在一系列研讨会上，并促进相关不同学科之间的交流，讨论该领域未来进展的观点和方向，包括新的模式和方法。此外，几个暑期学校的目的是培训下一代研究人员掌握最新的工具和技术，使他们能够在未来在这些研究领域建立新的工具。这笔赠款的资金将允许来自美国的来自不同背景的有前途的初级研究人员，包括早期职业教授、博士后研究员和研究生，参加该项目的研讨会和暑期学校。理解生态系统功能、生态系统服务、疾病传播和疾病传播的机制和影响取决于不同时空尺度上的数学模型。有效和高效的管理和政策决策是基于这些见解。推进对所需工具、技术和应用的研究将使我们对政策制定者和管理层有更好的理解和指导。

This proposal will support U.S. participation in the activities of the Mathematics for Planet Earth 2013 thematic program in Canada focusing on Models and Methods in Ecology, Epidemiology and Public Health. U.S. researchers and students will participate in ten workshops and three summer schools. The first workshop will be held at the Centre de recherches mathématiques in Montréal in February 2013 and is entitled "Models and Methods in Ecology and Epidemiology." Mathematical models have a long tradition in exploring dynamical aspects of ecology and epidemiology on a number of different temporal and spatial scales. While ecological and epidemiological applications are often studied separately for historical reasons, both fields are faced with similar challenges of model complexity, model-data fitting and accurate predictions. Recently, advances in data collection (e.g. GIS), availability of large-scale simulation tools (e.g. agent-based modeling), development of statistical tools to fit mechanistic models, and new mathematical techniques (e.g. multiscale methods) have highlighted the many commonalities between ecological and epidemiological models. Successful applications of these models to pressing issues in population and ecosystem health combine techniques and insights from all fields. The main goal of the pan-Canadian thematic year on Models and Methods in Ecology, Epidemiology and Public Health is to tackle pressing and emerging challenges in population and ecosystem health, to stimulate cross-disciplinary research between all the disciplines involved and to foster tighter links between the research community, government agencies and policy makers, and to train a new generation of researchers in this priority research area. The wide range of topics includes questions of how global change will impact vector-borne diseases and biodiversity, how aquatic ecosystems can be managed sustainably, or how modeling and surveillance can be integrated for public health decision-making. All of these questions are very active areas of research around the world; and the Canadian mathematics community plays a leadership role. The purpose of this pan-Canadian program is to bring together the international community of researchers who work on these topics in a series of workshops and to foster exchange between the different disciplines involved, to discuss perspectives and directions for future advances in the field, including new models and methods. In addition, several summer schools are aimed to train the next generation of researchers in the most recent tools and techniques and enable them to build novel tools in the future in these research areas. The funds from this grant will allow promising junior researchers from a diverse set of backgrounds, including early career professors, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, from the United States to participate in the workshops and summer schools of this program. Understanding the mechanisms and effects of ecosystem function, ecosystem service, disease transmission and disease spread rests on mathematical models on different spatio-temporal scales. Effective and efficient management and policy decisions are based on these insights. Advancing research into the required tools, techniques and applications will provide us with better understanding and guidance for policy makers and management.