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SUMMARY:lunch&LEARN: Bridging the gap between the math taught in first-yea
 r courses and the math used in life sciences research
DTSTART:20260421T121500
DTEND:20260421T130000
DTSTAMP:20260430T101236Z
UID:accf0fb51789553e9c567d73535a32d0117cc90457ca6e3b4c592a4f
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Steve Bennoun\nFor more than two decades leading professional 
 organizations have called for a reform of the mathematics education of bio
 logy and life sciences students. Reflecting the growing importance of math
 ematics in life sciences research\, such reform should bridge the gap betw
 een the mathematics students learn and the mathematics used in research.\n
 \nIn this talk\, Steve Bennoun\, UCLA\, will present how the study of mode
 ling and dynamical systems can be used to create a first-year course that 
 introduces mathematical concepts used in life sciences research in a conte
 xtualized way.\n\nStudents first learn to write models for important biolo
 gical systems such as hormone levels\, epidemiological models\, and predat
 or-prey models.\n\nTaking a geometrical approach\, students learn how to d
 etermine the long-term behaviors of models by studying phase plane traject
 ories and the stability of equilibrium points.\n\nThis enables the study o
 f the concept of “biological switch” or how a cell can start or stop t
 he production of a protein. This is followed by the important notion of qu
 alitative change in a biological systems\, or bifurcation.\n\nStudents lea
 rn in particular about Hopf bifurcations or how a system can start or stop
  oscillating. The second part of the course moves somewhat away from the g
 eometrical approach and focuses on how to determine the stability of equil
 ibrium points using the linearization of a model\, motivating the study of
  the necessary notions from linear algebra by studying discrete-time model
 s.\n\nThis talk will end with a discussion focusing on research by Sanders
  et al. (2021) suggesting that such a course supports students success and
  can reduce equity gaps.\n\n- - - - - - - - - - - - - \n\nlunch&LEARN se
 ssions are intended for anyone who teaches at EPFL. \nThis session is hy
 brid and can be attended in person or followed via zoom.\nMost sessions a
 re recorded and can be found on the Center LEARN's YouTube channel.\nTo g
 et in touch with the team\, to suggest a session\, or to make inquiries\, 
 please send an email to lunchLEARN@groupes.epfl.ch
LOCATION:CM 1 517 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==CM%201%20517 https://epfl.zo
 om.us/meeting/register/M8aJRgrLR6SAGywAeyUtfA
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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