4.00 Credits
The goals of the class are (i) to introduce the students to a range of modern mathematical tools; (ii) to teach the students the skill of building tractable mathematical models of biological processes; (iii) to show how to combine the mathematical knowledge, the numerical simulations (in Matlab) and biological intuition to derive new insights into the functioning of living systems. Mathematical topics include introduction to linear algebra, complex numbers, geometric dynamical systems, bifurcation theory, probability, Markov chain, partial differential equations. Biological topics may include modeling heart and circulation, kidneys, circadian clocks, brain rhythms, HIV, antibiotic resistance in bacteria, regulation of gene expression, biological pattern formation. Prerequisites: 'C' or better in MATH 2250 OR MATH 2280 OR MATH 2281