MA565 Mathematical Models in the Life Sciences

Course Webpage (Spring 2008)



Course Instructor: Mark Kramer (mak --AT-- bu.edu, 3-1493)
Course Hours: 10-11 AM / MWF / MCS 149
Office Hours: 11-12 AM MF & 12-1 PM W / 111 Cummington / Room 239
Textbook: Edelstein-Keshet, Mathematical Models in Biology.


Course goal:  To develop skills in the construction, analysis, and interpretation of mathematical models in biology. We will focus on dynamical systems approaches, including quantitative analytic results and qualitative graphical / computational results.


Syllabus


Homework:

Assignment 1
MATLAB example:  blackbox.m

Assignment 2
Optional MATLAB introduction:  Friday Feb 1, 2:10-3 PM, Room B25.  Cheat sheet

Assignment 3 Due Monday, Feb 11 at 10 AM.
Link to Nonlinear Web.
Optional Reading:  R. M. May, Simple mathematical models with very complicated dynamics, Nature, 1976.

Assignment 4
Links to cobweb code in MATLAB  Ex1  Ex2  (You may need MATLAB-savviness to use these.)
Links to cobweb code in Mathematica Ex1 (You may need Mathematica-savviness to use this.)

Exam 1 Details
Exam 1 Mean = 19

Assignment 5
Optional Reading:  R. Pearl and L. J. Reed, On the Rate of Growth of the Population of the United States Since 1790 and its Mathematical Representation, PNAS, 1920.
Optional Reading:  E. Izhikevich, Dynamical Systems in Neuroscience.  A few pages about the quadratic integrate and fire neuron.

Research Paper Guidelines  (Prospectus due March 26)

Assignment 6

Assignment 7  &  Phase plane handout
Link to 1-dimensional direction field software:  Go to this page and click on DFIELD 2005.10
Link to 2-dimensional phase plane software:  Go to this page and click on PPLANE 2005.10

Exam 2 Details
Exam 2 Mean = 19.86

Assignment 8

Assignment 9


Useful software:

XPPAUT (free!)

MATLAB (on ACS)
MATLAB Student Version (for purchase)
MATLAB Tutorials (from Paul Blanchard)

Mathematica (on ACS)
Mathematica Student Version (for purchase)