CBMS Conference: Mathematical Phylogeny Conference

Winthrop University, Rock Hill SC

Investigators

Abstract

This award supports an NSF/CBMS regional conference to be held at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, June 28 - July 2, 2014. The conference focuses on understanding genetic relationships via the study of binary trees known as phylogenies. These trees are constructed by comparing nucleotide or protein sequence data which is then mathematically analyzed to find the tree which best reflects the differences among the genetic material. At the heart of these mathematical models are problems of interest to pure and applied mathematicians, statisticians, and operations researchers. The principal lecturer will be Dr. Mike Steel, Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, and cofounder and director of the university's Biomathematics Research Centre. In additional to 10 primary lectures by Dr. Steel, four guest lecturers will present research and problems from related mathematical perspectives. Hallmarks of the NSF/CBMS regional conference series are focus on a single important and timely area of research by a leading practitioner, a published monograph for a wider audience, and continued effect and local stimulation through regional recruitment emphasis. Funding is available for faculty from undergraduate institutions, graduate students, post-doctorates, and beginning researchers. During this conference working groups will encourage collaboration, the development of resources, and the acquisition of new tangible research skills.