Dynamics of structured populations (08w5031)

A number of prominent specialists in the study of dynamics of structured populations will converge on April 20-25, 2008 for the workshop hosted by the Banff International Research Station. In this workshop we study mathematical models that are relevant to biological or medical applications. In recent years it has been shown that mathematical modeling forms a powerful tool to understand, analyze and control biological or medical processes. For example in this workshop we will study the spread of West Nile Virus, the progression of infectious diseases such as AIDS, the invasion and spread of cancer inside human tissues and the spread of mountain pine beetle infestations in Canadian and US forests. A common theme of all these problems is the form of mathematical model that is used. The models are structured population dynamic models. Populations are structured according to one or more qualities including size, age, virus load, environment, satiation etc.

A mathematical theory for structured population models is beginning to emerge. For this workshop we will invite a diverse selection of experts in mathematics and modeling which will include senior and young faculty, post docs and graduate students. We aim to use synergetic effects to advance the theory of structured population models, but also, we exchanged new developments between the various applications. The class of structured population models becomes more and more important in biomedical modelling and we expect that for some of the applications significant progress can be made.

The Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) is a collaborative Canada-US-Mexico venture that provided an environment for creative interaction as well as the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and methods within the Mathematical Sciences, with related disciplines and with industry. The research station is located at The Banff Centre in Alberta and is supported by Canada's Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the US National Science Foundation (NSF), Alberta's Advanced Education and Technology, and Mexico's Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologí­a (CONACYT).