NIMBioS News
News from the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis
June 2009 - Vol 1, Issue 1
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Welcome!
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In our inaugural issue of the NIMBioS bi-monthly newsletter, look for news about upcoming events at NIMBioS and for numerous research and educational opportunities. At NIMBioS, we are committed to fostering new cross-disciplinary approaches in mathematical biology and to providing educational and research opportunities that support the investigation of mathematical biology.
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White Nose Syndrome in Bats
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 Leading experts in the fields of bat physiology, fungal ecology,
and environmental and disease modeling, among others, will
gather at a NIMBioS interdisciplinary workshop, June 29-July 1, to
explore the disease and develop ways to manage it.
Read More
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Function and Evolution
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The Function and Evolution Working Group met at NIMBioS, June 10-12, to begin developing a new unified framework for evolutionary biology. The group's goal is to integrate the dynamics of how biological systems function and how these functional dynamics evolve. Read More
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Threat of Disease, Human Behavior Focus of NIMBioS Working Group
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As swine flu spread from Mexico to Texas and then fanned out farther in
the
United States, Americans began to alter their behavior. Families
kept children
home from school, postponed trips to the mall, and stayed
home instead of
eating out. In so doing, the American population may
have inadvertently altered the behavior of the pathogen itself.
How human behavior changes the spread of emerging infectious
diseases, and how the spread of disease simultaneously changes human
behavior, were among the topics discussed by scientists at a meeting, June 7-9. Read More
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Ecologists Consider New Mathematical Model in Research
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For years, ecologists have struggled to answer some fundamental
questions in ecology using certain statistical tests. Trying to measure
the distribution of a species over time or geographical space, for
example, poses a challenge, as does studying food webs and pollinator
networks or investigating how ecological communities are comprised. A major goal of the NIMBioS Working Group on Biological Problems Using Binary Matrices is to develop improved statistical methods for inferring large-scale effects of ecological mechanisms. Read More
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Education Focus: Research Experience for Undergrads and Vet Students
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NIMBioS is sponsoring a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program and a Research Experience for Veterinary Students
(VEU) program. Four veterinary students (DVM, VMD or MPH) and 12 undergraduate majors
in math, biology, and related fields are currently living on the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, campus while working in
teams with UT professors on innovative research projects. For more information about educational opportunities at NIMBioS, click here. |
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The National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) brings together researchers from around the world to collaborate across disciplinary boundaries to investigate solutions to basic and applied problems in the life sciences. NIMBioS is funded by the National Science Foundation in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, with additional support from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.____________________________________________________
NIMBioS is located on the campus of the Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, 1534 White Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37919
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