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Program: MITACS is currently funding a group of researchers working on mathematical models of infectious diseases (led by Dr, Jianhong Wu), as well as a group of researchers working on mathematical models of invasion biology (led by Dr. James Watmough). These two areas have much in common in that the spread of novel and re-emerging diseases is fundamentally an issue of the invasion, by a biological agent, into a novel habitat (i.e. the new host species). Recent years have seen many advances in the development of mathematical models of invasion processes, particularly as they relate to predictions about the spacial spread of invasive agents, and the effects that various control measures and human interventions have on curbing the extent and speed of invasion. Further still, this mathematical work is beginning to address the important evolutionary changes that take place when novel biological agents invade a new habitat as well. One salient example of this are new mathematical models that have been developed to predict the way in which we expect avian influenza virus to evolve as it adapts to a novel, human host. We believe that a summer school aimed at teaching the mathematical tools used in this area of research, in a setting like BIRS that encourages intensive student focus and hands-on practical experience, would be of great value. Because of the mathematical techniques used in the two above mentioned MITACS groups are often very similar, and because many students of mathematics and biology often do not have an opportunity to learn these valuable techniques, we felt we had the perfect opportunity to join forces to host a summer school on the Mathematics of Invasion in Ecology and Epidemiology. Our goal is to have a series of established researchers come in and deliver lectures to a group of 30 graduate students. Topics to be covered will include basic mathematical techniques for building both deterministic and stochastic models of biological invasions, in a variety of biological settings from ecology to epidemiology. We will also cover techniques for incorporating evolution into these kinds of models, as well as some statistical approaches for utilizing available data in these models. The students will be required to develop their own modelling projects throughout the course of the summer school so that they gain practical experience in the techniques covered in lectures. At the end of the summer school the student groups will present their findings to the entire class. |
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Queen`s University |