The Mathematics of Invasions in Ecology and Epidemiology (09ss128)

The Banff International Research Station will host "The Mathematics of Invasions in Ecology and Epidemiology" summer school next week, May 10 - May 17, 2009.

The summer school program is aimed at graduate students in applied mathematics, biology, and epidemiology, who wish to learn important mathematical techniques for modeling biological invasions. The emphasis will be on practical, hands-on experience for building and analyzing models, coupled with lectures on key techniques. Examples will be drawn from a variety of areas including ecological invasions of so-called pest species, and the emergence of novel pathogens like SARS and avian influenza. A major focus will be on techniques for incorporating evolutionary change in the mathematical models.

Each student will be expected to develop and analyze a model of their choosing during the period of the summer school, in collaboration with a small group of other students. These modeling projects will then be presented to the entire group at the end of the period. In this way, we aim to provide students with a solid and practical set of tools for developing their own mathematical models in these are related areas in the future.

The Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) is a collaborative Canada-US-Mexico venture that provides an environment for creative interaction as well as the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and methods within the Mathematical Sciences, with related disciplines and with industry. The research station is located at The Banff Centre in Alberta and is supported by Canada's Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the US National Science Foundation (NSF), Alberta's Advanced Education and Technology, and Mexico's Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologí­a (CONACYT).