Making Sense of Biology with Math

“There are two major ways that we can use mathematical models to make sense of biology: as a tool to explain what we do see, and as a framework for predicting what we might see. 

“The first of these allows specific tests of hypotheses, and the second allows us to generate hypotheses. Using examples from viral infection within a human host and from organismal adaptation under environmental change, we consider how building dynamical mathematical models let us describe biological systems that change over time. 

“These models can help us understand why the number of viral particles within the host might decrease initially even without application of a drug therapy, or to predict whether organisms that can reproduce in multiple ways, such as many plants and marine invertebrates, will have an easier or harder time adapting to a sudden environmental change. 

“Using mathematical models allows us to address questions where it is really important to have clear answers or good hypotheses: in studies of disease, and in studies of environmental change and the invasion of new species.”

As she writes:  “My talk will focus on the hydrogeology of Wisconsin’s karst aquifers. I’ll go over what karst is, how it forms, and where in Wisconsin we have karst aquifers. Then we’ll look at how groundwater moves in those aquifers, existing water-quality data, and the characteristics that make those aquifers so vulnerable to contamination.”