IGTC Graduate Summer School in Mathematical Biology

A PIMS/Accelerate BC sponsored Summer School in Mathematical Biology

University of British Columbia, Vancouver, May 11-June 11, 2008

Events

For a detailed daily schedule click HERE.

For an overview of the month-long schedule click HERE.

For details of the main Course Content click HERE.

For abstracts of talks click HERE.

Unless otherwise indicated, events will take place at the UBC campus of PIMS. Directions for PIMS can be found HERE.

Sunday May 11, 2008: Opening Festivities

• Opening Reception: 6:30 PM

  Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences
  1933 West Mall, Vancouver BC
  (on the campus of University of British Columbia)

• Opening Lecture: 7:30 PM

  Prof Michael Doebeli(Depts of Mathematics and Biology, UBC)
  Title: Adaptive diversification: theory and experiments

Lectures by Prof Karl Hadeler (May 12-23, 2008)

Time: M-F 9:00-10:00, 10:30-11:30 (Coffee break at 10:00-10:30)

More details about these lectures can be found on the Course Material page.

• (1) Modeling spread in space (May 12)

• (2) Reaction and diffusion (May 13)

• (3) Traveling fronts (May 14)

• (4) Ecological models (May 15)

• (5) Infectious disease modeling (May 16)

• (6) Coupled systems and quiescence (May 20)

• (7) Demography and structured populations (May 21)

• (8) Birth-death processes and diffusion models (May 22)

• (9) Summary and Outlook (May 23)

Special Mathematical-Biology Lunchtime Guest Lectures

Time: Pizza lunch delivered at 12:30, seminars at 1:00pm. For abstracts of talks click HERE.

• Friday May 16, 1:00PM:

  Prof Eirikur Palsson (Dept. of Biology, SFU) Excitability of Dictyostelium discoideum is regulated by the ratio of membrane bound to secreted phosphodiesterase

• Friday May 23, 1:00PM:

  Prof Daniel Coombs (Dept. of Mathematics, UBC) Models of T cell activation

• Tuesday May 27, 1:00PM:

  Prof Yue Xian Li (Dept. of Mathematics, UBC) Tango Waves in Inhomogeneous Calcium Excitable Media

• Monday June 2, 1:00PM:

  Prof Eric Cytrynbaum (Dept. of Mathematics, UBC)Finding the center - how to solve simple geometry problems at the cellular scale

Student Research Seminars on Thursday May 15, 2:00PM

• 2:00 William Holmes (Department of Mathematics, Indiana University): A 3-D model of the passive cochlea

• 2:15 Annabelle Ballesta (INRIA de Rocquencourt, BANG Project, France): Modeling The Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of the anticancer drug Irinotecan at the intracellular level

• 2:30 Heather Hardway (Mathematics, Rice University): Models for Robust Protein Gradients in the Drosophila Embryo

• 2:45 Yanyu Xiao (Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Western Ontario): Model for the dynamics of Malaria

• 3:00-3:30 Coffee break

• 3:30 Omer Dushek (Dept of Mathematics and Institute of Applied Mathematics, UBC): Receptor clustering is required for accurate detection of ligands

• 3:55 Shaun Strohm (Dept of Mathematics, UBC Okanagan): The effects of fragmentation of habitat on cyclic population dynamics

Student Research Seminars on Thursday May 22, 2:00PM

• 2:00 Raluca Apostu (Centre for Nonlinear Dynamics in Physiology and Medicine, McGill University): Galactosemia: a mathematical approach based on the impairment of galactose metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

• 2:15 Vivi Andasari (Division of Mathematics, University of Dundee): Mathematical Modelling of Cancer Cell Invasion of Tissue

• 2:30 Jun Allard (Institute of Applied Math, UBC): Models of the actin-like MreB helix in prokaryotes.

• 2:45 Ehsan Ellahi Ashraf (Department of Mathematics University of Glasgow): Resistive Force Theory and the swimming of Biflagellated Green Algae

• 3:00-3:30 Coffee Break

• 3:30Anne Yust (Department of Mathematical Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University): Probabilistic Modeling of the Immune System

• 3:45 Sarah Lukens (Department of Mathematics, Tulane University): Introduction to Projection Methods

Student Research Seminars on Tuesday May 27, 2:30 PM

• 2:30 Jiafen Gong (University of Alberta): Optimal Cancer Radiotherapy Treatment Schedule under Cumulative Radiation Effect constraint

• 2:45 Ignacio Rozada (Institute of Applied Mathematics, UBC): Pattern formation on growing domains

• 3:00-3:30 Coffee Break

• 3:30 Vishaal Rajani (Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, University of Alberta): Applying a Correlated Random Walk Model to LFA-1 Protein Receptors

• 3:45 Majid Hosseini (Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering, UBC): Smoothed particle hydrodynamics

• 4:00 Tanny Lai (National University of Singapore): Periodic contractions of the lamellipodium

• 4:15 Jennifer Hubbarde (Dept of Mathematics and Institute of Applied Mathematics, UBC): Modelling Drug Resistance in HIV

Student Research Seminars on Wednesday June 4, 2:00PM

• 2:00 Jennifer (Jen) Lindquist (University of Victoria): Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo Parameter Estimation: Application to Stochastic Epidemic Models

• 2:20 Atsushi Yokoyama (Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan): Biological Receptor Scheme for the External Synchronization of Mutually Coupled Oscillator Systems.

• 2:40-3:00 Coffee break

• 3:00 Vasthi Alonso Chavez (School of Mathematics, University of Southampton) Mathematical Studies of conservation and extinction in inhomogeneous environments.

• 3:20 Gabriel Mitchell (Department of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology): Networks in Biology

• 3:40 Sara Sadeghi (Simon Fraser University): Swarm intelligence

Lectures by Prof G. Bard Ermentrout (May 26-29, 2008)

Time: M-F 9:00-10:30, (Coffee break at 10:30-11:00)

More details about these lectures can be found on the Course Material page.

• (1) The onset of rhythmicity (May 26)
  

• (2) What is phase? (May 27)
  

• (3) Weak coupling theory (May 28)
  

• (4) Large networks of oscillators (May 29)
  

Lectures by Dr. R Dodo Das (May 29-30, 2008)

• (1) Least squares and linear regression

• (2) Nonlinear least-squares regression

• (3) Goodness of fit, confidence intervals and model comparison

Lectures by Prof Alex Mogilner (June 4-10, 2008)

• (1) Introduction to mitosis (June 4)

• (2) Mitotic checkpoint (reaction-diffusion model) (June 5)

• (3) Chromosomal oscillations in mitosis (ODEs - numerical solutions, bifurcation analysis) (June 6)

• (4) Spindle assembly (PDEs, probability estimate, Monte Carlo simulations) (June 9)

• (5) Cutting edge modeling of mitotic spindle (agent-based simulations) (June 10).

Lectures by Leah Keshet (May 11-June 11, 2008)

• Introduction to biochemical modeling (May 13)

• Biochemical models, bistability, bifurcations

• (Optional afternoon tutorial): dimensional analysis, qualitative dynamics (May 14)

• Applications to cell division, cell signaling kinetics (May 15)

• Polymerization kinetics and length distributions (May 16)

• Actin polymerization in a lamelipod (May 20)

• Microtubule kinetics and growth (May 21)

• Tutorial: Reverse-engineering microtubule kinetics (May 21)

• Stochastic approaches to molecular motion I (May 22)

• Stochastic approaches II: Growing polymers (May 23)

• Stochastic approaches III: Gillespie Algorithm, Lanvegin and Smoluchowski equations, thermal ratchets (May 26)

• Models for cell shape and motility I (May 27)

• Models for cell shape and motility II (May 28)

• Mechanisms for pattern formation and orientational order (June 2)

• Cell polarization models (June 3)

• Wave phenomena and application to polarization (June 4)

• Eulerian swarming models (June 5)

• Individual-based models for swarming (June 6)

• Models of diabetes (June 9)

Social events

• Sunday May 11: Opening Reception at PIMS

• Friday May 16: Country/Folk Music concert featuring LAUSTIN, Thea's Loung, Grad Center (hosted by Leah)

• Saturday May 17: AM - Capilano bridge (organized by Sara Sadeghi); 12 PM - Bike rental and group ride through Vancouver, Lunch (organized by Omer Dushek)

• Friday May 23: Pot Luck dinner at the VST quads (Hosted by Fazal Abbas)

• Saturday May 24: Hike the Baden-Powel trail (Lynn Valley to Deep Cove). Organized by Sara Sadeghi

• Sunday May 25: Vancouver Aquarium, organized by Vishaal Rajani

• Sunday May 25: Chai Gallery, Dinner with Persian/Indian music

• Saturday May 31: Hike organized by Nick (Charles Maggio) to Lynn Headwaters Regional Park

• Sunday June 1: Dim Sum at the Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurant; Hike to Grouse Grind, organized by Nick (Charles Maggio)

• Friday June 6: Vancouver Police Museum tour. Sushi Dinner at Shabusen Gardens (organized by Ignazio Rozada and Omer Dushek)

• Tuesday June 10: Closing banquet at PIMS, Awarding the certificates, Finale slideshow