Population biology phenomena such as the spread of alleles in populations, the coexistence of competing species in an ecological community, the branching patterns in phylogenetic trees, and the dynamics of infectious disease are situated in different biology subdisciplines, e.g. demography, ecology, epidemiology, or evolution. However, these disparate phenomena are modeled using shared mathematical approaches. These approaches draw from diverse areas of mathematics, including stochastic processes, mathematical statistics, combinatorics, and dynamical systems. Across biological disciplines, population biologists share interests in the identification and analysis of equilibria, investigation of mechanistic dynamics, network-based methods and spatial modeling, modeling of stage transitions, biological optimality arguments, and the precise mathematical formulation and exploration of the consequences of verbal models. Some mathematical approaches are unique to population biology phenomena, e.g. the exponential amplification of initially rare beneficial variants such that the law of large numbers never applies poses a profound challenge, one which continues to call for new math in the area of stochastic processes.

This workshop aims to crystallize central ideas common across mathematical modeling and theory in population biology; to disseminate mathematical innovations from one biological subdiscipline to another; to promote mathematical studies at intersections among biological subdisciplines, and to deepen interactions among scientists working on similar problems but separated by disciplinary structures within biology, or between biology and the mathematical sciences. The goals are to build a community of theoretical population biologists that spans biological subdisciplines, invite new entrants to the field, encourage early-career scientists, showcase outstanding research, demonstrate impact in societally relevant problems, and uncover promising new directions where modeling and theory can make a difference in studying new types of biological data obtained at the level of populations.

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Just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAI) are an intervention design aiming to provide the right type/amount of support, at the right time, by adapting to an individual's changing internal and contextual state. The availability of increasingly powerful mobile and sensing technologies underpins the use of JITAIs to support healthy behaviors such as adherence to medications, increasing physical activity, managing stress and so on. JITAI decision rules input an individual's current internal and contextual state, such as their location, recent adherence and current stress and output behavioral support, such as a tip for how to be active in their current location or recommendations to practice a stress management strategy. Personalizing JITAIs (pJITAIs) deploy an AI algorithm to update and improve the JITAI decision rules as individuals experience the intervention. In this talk we discuss how we are using AI algorithms to personalize JITAIs.

2024-2025 Commencement Ceremony

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McCormick School of Engineering PhD Hooding and Master's Degree Recognition Ceremony. The most up to date information can be found on our graduation webpage.

McCormick School of Engineering Undergraduate Convocation. The most up to date information can be found on our graduation webpage.

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Based on the successful Catalyst experience presented by The Garage on the Evanston campus, I.AIM Catalyst sessions will guide participants on how to use low-code/no-code (aka vibe coding) AI tools to solve research problems and launch novel projects. The two-part workshop series will walk participants through creation ofsoftware prototypes without the need for expertise in coding. Course facilitators will demonstrate and provide hands-on training with some of the most recent AI development tools like Lovable or Cursor. Snacks will be provided.

Students, faculty, and other researchers are encouraged to join. No technical experience is necessary. Please bring your laptop.

Register now for both sessions. Space is limited.

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In this workshop we will learn how to perform foundational machine learning tasks using scikit-learn. Scikit-learn is a popular Python library that allows you to streamline machine learning projects and offers a wide variety of models. During the four days, we will have hands-on experience on supervised and unsupervised methods, including classification, regression, clustering, and dimensionality reduction, as well as methods for validation and evaluation. We will also learn how to use other handy scikit-learning tools, like pipelines.

Prerequisites: Participants should be familiar with Python at the level of the Python Fundamentals workshop, another introductory Python workshop, or be a self-taught Python coder. No previous machine learning knowledge is assumed.

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In this session, we’ll discuss the difference between academic CVs and resumes and best practices for writing compelling non-academic application documents. We’ll also explore how to leverage AI tools to analyze job descriptions to write more effective and targeted application materials. Open to PhD students and postdocs from all disciplines.

For more information, please login to Handshake.

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Over billions of years, single-celled and simple multicellular organisms have evolved motility mechanisms particularly suited for locomotion in their fluid environment. In the past century, considerable progress has been made in understanding biological processes and fluid dynamics at various scales. In particular, locomotion strategies, from single cells to multicellular large animals in Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids have motivated the development of new modeling frameworks and numerical methods while also leading to new bio-inspired designs for different applications. Specifically, advances in mathematical models and methods relating to fluid-structure interactions, including the method of regularized Stokeslets (MRS) and the immersed boundary (IB) method, are being highly leveraged to answer biological questions about animal interactions with their surrounding fluid.

This workshop will delve into the development and analysis of mathematical models, numerical methods, computational simulations, theoretical fluid dynamics, and the integration of biological experimental data into modeling, simulations, and data analysis. It will focus on recent and ongoing advancements in fluid-structure interactions, the development of computational libraries, and the incorporation of experimental data to improve biological predictions. Presentations and discussions will also address education, training, and topics related to encouraging participation in the mathematical sciences. A unique feature of the workshop is the inclusion of research findings in mathematical modeling within K–16 education. A special highlight of the event will be a tribute to Dr. Ricardo Cortez of Tulane University, recognizing his groundbreaking contributions to research, including the development of the Method of Regularized Stokeslets, as well as his outstanding service to the mathematics community.

The workshop will emphasize interdisciplinary research, demonstrating the critical role of mathematics and fluid dynamics in understanding biological phenomena. This will be showcased through invited talks, panel discussions, and poster presentations. Tutorials on the MRS and IB methods will provide hands-on demonstrations of how these tools and their variations can be applied to contemporary scientific challenges. Additionally, the workshop will encourage collaboration in research and training, with a particular focus on ensuring that everyone can thrive in the mathematical sciences. The workshop is also designed to promote the training and mentorship of students and early-career researchers. It will uniquely integrate research in mathematical modeling with education and facilitate discussions on promoting participation within the field.

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Over billions of years, single-celled and simple multicellular organisms have evolved motility mechanisms particularly suited for locomotion in their fluid environment. In the past century, considerable progress has been made in understanding biological processes and fluid dynamics at various scales. In particular, locomotion strategies, from single cells to multicellular large animals in Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids have motivated the development of new modeling frameworks and numerical methods while also leading to new bio-inspired designs for different applications. Specifically, advances in mathematical models and methods relating to fluid-structure interactions, including the method of regularized Stokeslets (MRS) and the immersed boundary (IB) method, are being highly leveraged to answer biological questions about animal interactions with their surrounding fluid.

This workshop will delve into the development and analysis of mathematical models, numerical methods, computational simulations, theoretical fluid dynamics, and the integration of biological experimental data into modeling, simulations, and data analysis. It will focus on recent and ongoing advancements in fluid-structure interactions, the development of computational libraries, and the incorporation of experimental data to improve biological predictions. Presentations and discussions will also address education, training, and topics related to encouraging participation in the mathematical sciences. A unique feature of the workshop is the inclusion of research findings in mathematical modeling within K–16 education. A special highlight of the event will be a tribute to Dr. Ricardo Cortez of Tulane University, recognizing his groundbreaking contributions to research, including the development of the Method of Regularized Stokeslets, as well as his outstanding service to the mathematics community.

The workshop will emphasize interdisciplinary research, demonstrating the critical role of mathematics and fluid dynamics in understanding biological phenomena. This will be showcased through invited talks, panel discussions, and poster presentations. Tutorials on the MRS and IB methods will provide hands-on demonstrations of how these tools and their variations can be applied to contemporary scientific challenges. Additionally, the workshop will encourage collaboration in research and training, with a particular focus on ensuring that everyone can thrive in the mathematical sciences. The workshop is also designed to promote the training and mentorship of students and early-career researchers. It will uniquely integrate research in mathematical modeling with education and facilitate discussions on promoting participation within the field.

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