2014 International Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology: Education and Research

Pomona College, Claremont CA

Investigators

Abstract

This proposal is for partial funding for the Seventh International Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology: Education and Research to be held at Harvey Mudd and Pomona colleges on October 10-12, 2014. The symposium will highlight significant recent developments in both research and education of mathematics, biology, ecology, and biostatistics. This conference provides a forum for the participants to meet and communicate their recent work, as well as share their experiences and work on the educational aspects of these disciplines. An important component of the meeting is to broaden the education and stimulate the interdisciplinary research of young researchers, particularly those from groups under-represented in the field. To this effect, the funds principally support young under-supported researchers, such as graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty. These participants will greatly benefit from this conference. The International Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology: Education and Research, to be held in Claremont, California at Harvey Mudd and Pomona colleges on October 10-12, 2014 is the seventh annual meeting in the series. The conference started with a goal of bringing together researchers and educators from both biological and mathematical sciences. Participants came from a wide variety of fields, including applied mathematics, statistics, biology, computer science, ecology, epidemiology and medicine. Through formal and informal presentations and discussions, the attendees are able to disseminate their current work while networking with active researchers and educators. The conference will provide a unique opportunity for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to interact with leading researchers in these areas. The NSF support for this event will be used solely to support and encourage the participation of graduate students, minorities, women, and recent doctoral students in an effort to provide young researchers and under-represented groups an exposure to current research topics and techniques in the interdisciplinary area of biomathematics. Moreover, the work that will be presented at the conference will help us engage with challenging environmental and health problems, such as epidemics, pollution, pest management and the emergence or resurgence of diseases, in addition to establishing the relevant curriculum to prepare future researchers in these subject areas. Conference participants will be encouraged to submit work presented at the symposium for consideration in a special peer-reviewed issue of Letters in Biomathematics.