MATH 463 - Introduction to Mathematical Biology

Instructors: Forger, Nelson

3 credits

Prerequisites: Math 217 and Math 316, or equivalents.

Background and Goals: 
It is widely anticipated that Biology and Medicine will be the premier sciences of the 21st century. The complexities of the biological sciences make interdisciplinary involvement essential and the increasing use of mathematics in biology is inevitable as biology becomes more quantitative. Mathematical biology is a fast growing and exciting modern application of mathematics that has gained worldwide recognition. In this course, mathematical models that suggest possible mechanisms that may underlie specific biological processes are developed and analyzed. Another major emphasis of the course is illustrating how these models can be used to predict what may follow under currently untested conditions. The course moves from classical to contemporary models at the population, organ, cellular, and molecular levels. The goals of this course are: (I) Critical understanding of the use of differential equation methods in mathematical biology and (ii) Exposure to specialized mathematical and computations techniques which are required to study ordinary differential equations that arise in mathematical biology. By the end of this course students will be able to derive, interpret, solve, understand, discuss, and critique discrete and differential equation models of biological systems.

Course Content: 
This course provides an introduction to the use of continuous and discrete differential equations in the biological sciences. Biological topics may include single species and interacting population dynamics, modeling infectious and dynamic diseases, regulation of cell function, molecular interactions and receptor-ligand binding, biological oscillators, and an introduction to biological pattern formation. There will also be discussions of current topics of interest such as Tumor Growth and Angiogenesis, HIV and AIDS, and Control of the Mitotic Clock. Mathematical tools such as phase portraits, bifurcation diagrams, perturbation theory, and parameter estimation techniques that are necessary to analyze and interpret biological models will also be covered. Approximately one class period each week will be held in the mathematics computer laboratory where numerical techniques for finding and visualizing solutions of differential and discrete systems will be discussed.