Announcing the course/workshop:
Modeling and Simulating Biocomplexity for
Mathematicians and Physicists
Santa Fe Institute (SFI), Santa Fe, New Mexico
August 4 - 9, 2002
Participants
Ph.D. students, post-doctoral students and (primarily) young faculty members -
in the mathematical sciences and physics - who are interested in applying their
knowledge in the biological sciences.
Prerequisites
This workshop is dedicated to assisting theoreticians who wish to switch their
interests into biology. Thus, no biological background will be assumed.
(General background reading is of course helpful. Try parts of "Molecular
Biology of the Cell" by Bruce Alberts et al. Garland Publishers). Preference
will be given to those for whom this experience is their first, or one of
their first, in theoretical biology. Mathematicians should have had some
experience in applying mathematics to some other area; please indicate this
experience in your application letter.
Background
SFI has been given a 5-year grant by the National Institute of General Medical
Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to promote the interaction
of experiment and theory in biology. The principal investigators on the grant
are Ellen Goldberg (President, SFI) and Lee Segel (Weizmann Institute, External
Faculty, SFI). The first course/workshop in this series was held at SFI in
August 2001, and was entitled "Mathematical models in molecular and cellular
biology." This event was aimed at showing biologists with a minimal theoretical
background how theory can add to their understanding of biology. This year
aims at the other side of the coin.
We expect about 30 carefully selected participants to attend, and about 10 outstanding lecturers to present. Typically, each lecturer will give two 75-minute lectures, starting with a careful description of the relevant biological background and continuing with the theoretical analysis and its significance.
Lecturers (Partial list)
Note that the following are authors or co-authors of major textbooks in
mathematical/theoretical biology: Edelstein, Keener and Sneyd, Murray, Segel.
Location
The Santa Fe Institute and St. John's College are located in lovely hills above Santa Fe, New Mexico, at an elevation of 7000 feet. There are wonderful camping and hiking areas; less than 20 minutes' drive brings one to the 10,000-foot base of the ski area. Below lies the high desert, and more great hikes.
The small town of Santa Fe is the third largest art center in the United States. During the summer, the remarkable Santa Fe opera is in full swing, as is a superb chamber music festival. You may visit the city of Santa Fe website.
A flexible meeting schedule will allow interested participants to take advantage of some of Santa Fe's attractions, including a morning hike or two and an evening trip to the opera.
Housing
Housing will be provided at St. John's College in Santa Fe, N.M. Housing will be in single dormitory rooms, some with shared bathrooms. Telephone and computer network connectors will be available. Travel funding for families is not available.
How to Apply
There is no tuition for this course/workshop. Enrollment is limited.
Send a current resume with publications list (if any), statement of current research interests and why this workshop would be beneficial to you, and two letters of recommendation from scientists who know your work. Include your email address and fax number. Send only complete application packages by postal mail to:
Mathematical Models in Biology
Santa Fe Institute
1399 Hyde Park Road
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
Applications must be postmarked by March 1, 2002
New - Online Application Form Available - We encourage you to apply online!!
Women, minorities, and students from developing countries are encouraged to apply.
Please address any specific administrative or substantive content questions to mathmodel@santafe.edu.