Workshops
Everything disperses to Miami
Organized by Stephen Cantrell (University of Miami), Suzanne Lenhart (University of Tennessee and NIMBioS), Yuan Lou (Ohio State University and MBI), Shigui Ruan (University of Miami)
http://www.math.miami.edu/edm/12/14/2012 - 12/16/2012
The University of Miami, The University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida
The movement and dispersal of organisms have long been recognized as key components of ecological interactions and have figured prominently in mathematical models in ecology. More recently, dispersal has been recognized as an equally important consideration in mathematical epidemiology. The University of Miami has become a world leader in employing mathematics to understand the role of movement and dispersal in ecology, epidemiology and environmental science, with major contributions to the study of such important issues as the evolution and ecological effects of dispersal in spatial ecology, the impact of human movement on vector-borne diseases, the effect of global movement in communicable diseases, the cost of movement in ecological applications, and accounting for spatial effects in environmental management. “Everything Disperses to Miami: The Role of Movement and Dispersal in Ecology, Epidemiology and Environmental Science” (EDM) offers a unique opportunity to promote further synthesis between mathematical ecology and mathematical epidemiology and to influence future research directions. EDM is a natural outgrowth of several previous events: the 2005 “Workshop on Spatial Ecology” at the University of Miami that kicked off the University of Miami Institute for Theoretical and Mathematical Ecology (ITME) and lead to the influential 2009 Chapman Hall/CRC volume of essays Spatial Ecology , the MBI 2005-2006 Emphasis year on Evolution and Ecology (specifically Workshop 4: Spatial Ecology March 13-17, 2006) and most especially the just completed July 2011 Banff International Research Station (BIRS) workshop on “Emerging Challenges at the Interface of Mathematics, Environmental Science and Spatial Ecology”.
The workshop will also give us a very opportune way to celebrate the 60th birthday of Chris Cosner. Chris will turn 60 on June 3, 2012. We will conclude the workshop with a panel discussion on new directions of research at the interface of mathematics and biology on the role of dispersal in ecology, epidemiology and environmental science, and Chris has agreed to lead this discussion. We will also hold a workshop banquet in honor of this milestone.