Many mathematical models of biological systems have addressed only an isolated aspect of the system -- such as its biochemistry or mechanics -- and these simplified (yet not simple) models have shed much light on fundamental processes. Recently, biological modeling has now advanced to the point where integrative models that couple multiple processes are often developed. Typically, such models i...

This workshop will focus on significant theorems, theories and algorithms in mathematics that have been or are being inspired by problems in biology. Topics will be chosen from dynamical systems, combinatorics, partial differential equations, probability, statistics, topology, algebraic geometry, and others. The primary goal is to bring new, deep, and interesting mathematical questions to the a...

1. Promote communication with related disciplines, including the symplectic geometry program in 2009-2010.
2. Lead to new breakthroughs in the subject and find new applications to low dimensional topology (knot theory, three-manifold topology, and smooth four manifold topology).
3. Educate a new generation of graduate...

The past decade has witnessed the transition of computational biology, population genetics, and evolutionary biology, from relatively data-sparse and theory-driven subjects, into highly empirical and data-driven disciplines. The continuing data-explosion has meant that descriptive studies have tended to outpace more in-depth theory development and statistical modelling. Nevertheless, in the pas...

Biofilms are important in many human infections, particularly those involving indwelling devices. However, many non-indwelling device bacterial biofilms foster both acute and chronic infections, such as those in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients, the gastrointestinal tract and hepatobiliary system, middle ear, and in the oral cavity. Such infections often persist despite aggressive antimicr...

Biological cells are complex non-equilibrium systems that cannot survive without efficient supplying of the necessary compounds and removing of wasteful or harmful molecules. A remarkable feature of biological transport is very high efficiency and selectivity, and robustness, i.e., its ability to adjust to fluctuations in cellular environment. Cell transport mechanisms fall into two categories:...

Neuroendocrinology is at the intersection of neuroscience and endocrinology. Of the many endocrine glands in the body, the one that is under the most direct neural control is the pituitary gland, which is located adjacent to the brain region called the hypothalamus. The anterior portion of the pituitary consists of several cell types, each of which is electrically excitable (like neurons) and w...