Editor: Abba Gumel (gumelab@cc.umanitoba.ca)
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CONTENT

Society News:

1. Cecil Graham Doctoral Dissertation Award: Call for Nominations

2. 2009 CAIMS*SCMAI Annual Meeting

Other news:

3. Third Annual Meeting of the Prairie Network for Research in
Mathematical Sciences, Univ. of Saskatchewan

4. 2009 Summer School on The Mathematics of Invasions in Ecology and
Epidemiology, Banff.

5. 3rd Computational Neuroscieence Summer School: Centre for Neural
Dynamics, University of Ottawa.

6. CAIMS*SCMAI E-News Information

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Item 1
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Cecil Graham Doctoral Dissertation Award: Call for Nominations:

The deadline for submission of nominations for the DDA has been
extended to February 25, 2009. Details about the award are as below.
Objective: The award has been established by the Canadian Applied
and Industrial Mathematics Society (CAIMS) to recognize
and to publicize an outstanding PhD thesis in Applied Mathematics
defended at a Canadian University during the calendar year prior to
the year of the award.

The Award: The award consists of a trophy, a monetary prize, and a
free one-year membership in the Society. The winner will be invited
to present a communication based on the thesis at the Annual Meeting
of the Society. Assistance with expenses to attend the meeting will be
provided.

Competition: Normally, the Award Coordinator must receive by January
31 of a given calendar year four (4) copies of the thesis together
with a covering
letter from the thesis supervisor indicating why the thesis is
suitable as an entry in the Competition (including a description of
the problem, techniques and results,
potential impact, …). A complete nomination must also include a
separate letter identifying the possible applications of the work, as
well as proof of the
official date the thesis was accepted.

Judging: The submitted theses will be evaluated by a panel of judges
appointed by the President of the Society. Their decision will be final.
Judging will be on the basis of the level of originality in the ideas
and techniques, the possible applications and their treatment, and the
potential impact
on science and engineering. The panel of judges may seek advice from
other experts. The panel may arrive at the conclusion that more than
one or none
of the submissions merits the award or an honourable mention.
Nominations are due by February 25, 2009, and they should be sent to:

Dr. Raymond J. Spiteri (DDA Award Coordinator),
Department of Computer Science,
176 Thorvaldson Building, 110 Science Place,
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan, S7N 5C9, CANADA.
Email: spiteri@cs.usask.ca

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Item 2
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2009 CAIMS*SCMAI Annual Meeting

The 2009 Annual Meeting of the Canadian Applied Mathematical and
Industrial Society will be hosted by the Department of Applied
Mathematics
at the University of Western Ontario, in London, Ontario on June
10-14, 2009. The themes of this meeting are

Computational Biomaterials
Complex Fluids
Dynamical Systems
Mathematical Biology
Mathematical Finance
Scientific/Symbolic Computing
Theoretical Physics

There will be seven plenary lectures and numerous invited talks (30
minutes) on the above themes.
In addition to these, we also call for minisymposia on any topics in
applied mathematics. If you are
interested in organizing such a symposium, please submit your proposal
to us by the address given
below. There will also be several contributed sessions, as well as a
poster session for graduate students
to present their research results.

In the meeting, the annual CAIMS Research Prize and CAIMS Doctoral
Dissertation Award will be
presented to the receipients. In addition, student poster prizes will
also be selected and awarded.
The year 2009 marks the 30th anniversary of CAIMS which makes this
meeting more special and more
worth attending. Some activities are being planned, and this gives one
a unique opportunity to know the
history of this society. You are cordially invited to join us in London to celebrate the society’s healthy
growth and great achievements in the past 30 years.

For more information about this meeting, please visit the website
www.apmaths.uwo.ca/caims2009.html
which will be updated in a timely fashion, or contact:

Rob Corless: rcorless@uwo;
Geoff Wild: gwild@uwo.ca;
Xingfu Zou: xzou@uwo.ca

We look forward to seeing you and welcoming you at the University of
Western Ontario.

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Item 3
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Third Annual Meeting of the Prairie Network for Research in the
Mathematical Sciences (PNRMS), University of Saskatchewan.

The Third Annual Meeting of the PRNMS is scheduled Aprl 29-May 1, 2009
at the University of Saskatchewan.
Deadline for Submission of Abstracts for Contributed talks: February 28, 2009.
Deadline for Registration: March 31, 2009.
Online Registration (courtesy of MITACS):
http://www.mitacs.ca/conferences/site/login/s_20001_form.php

Funding available for students.

The mandate of the Prairie Network for Research in the Mathematical
Sciences (PNRMS) is to promote research in the
mathematical sciences in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and in particular
to build research connections among the five
member institutions (Brandon U, U of Manitoba, U of Regina, U of
Saskatchewan, U of Winnipeg). The themes of the
third annual meeting include four broad areas: pure mathematics;
applied mathematics & mathematical physics; statistics;
industrial & computational mathematics.

The first two days of the meeting will feature invited plenary talks
in the four theme areas. We plan to have one plenary
talk in each of the theme areas together with four parallel streams of
contributed talks. Invited speakers will include
researchers representing both pure and applied mathematics as well as
industry experts. The meeting will promote
interdisciplinary research and collaboration with industry.

The third day will feature a student workshop, with the dual aims of
giving graduate and senior undergraduate students a
realistic sense of the nature of contemporary mathematical research,
as well as encouraging them to pursue a career in
the mathematical sciences. Students will be exposed to the wide array
of possibilities for applying their mathematical skills
to pure and applied research in both academia and industry. The topics
of the student workshop will be aligned with the
four theme areas of the meeting and will cover a diverse array of
research pursued by faculty at the five member
institutions of the Prairie Network.

The conference will highlight the following topics:

Pure Mathematics: Mathematics of Computer Algebra; Applications of
Algebra to Cryptography; Lie Algebras and
Representation Theory; Real Algebraic Geometry and Applications

Applied Mathematics and Mathematical Physics: Classical and Quantum
System Modeling; Signal Processing; Partial
Differential Equations and their Applications; Integrable Systems and
Solitons; Quantum and Classical Information; Inverse
Problems; Optimization

Statistics: Biostatistics, Bioinformatics and Biomedical Statistics;
Probabilistic Modeling of Communication Networks and
Complex Chemical, Physical and Biological Systems

Industrial and Computational Mathematics: Programming and Numerical
Algorithms for High-Performance Computing;
Rational Design of Catalytic Converters for Carbon Sequestration; Oil
Reservoir Simulation

This first announcement is also a call for contributed papers. We
expect to have 16 contributed talks of 20-25 minutes in
each of the four theme areas. If you are interested in giving a
contributed talk, please contact the appropriate member of
the local organizing committee.

Pure Mathematics: Murray Bremner, bremner@math.usask.ca

Applied Mathematics and Mathematical Physics: Artur Sowa, sowa@math.usask.ca

Statistics: Christine Soteros, soteros@math.usask.ca

Industrial and Computational Mathematics: Ray Spiteri, spiteri@cs.usask.ca

For further information about the Third Annual Meeting and the Prairie
Network, visit these websites:

http://math.usask.ca/~bremner/PN2009.html
http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~gumelab/PNRMS/index.html

The meeting is supported by:
The Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences
MITACS (Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems)
PIMS (pacific Institute for Mathematical Sciences)
The University of Saskatchewan

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Item 4
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2009 Summer School on The Mathematics of Invasions in Ecology and
Epidemiology, May 10-17, 2009, Banff.

The summer school is aimed at graduate students in applied
mathematics, biology and epidemiology, who wish to learn important
mathematical techniques
for modelling biological invasions. The emphasis will be on practical,
hands-on experience for building and analyzing models, coupled with
lectures on key
techniques. Examples will be drawn from a variety of areas including
ecological invasions of so-called `pest’ species, and the emergence of
novel pathogens like
SARS and avian influenza. A major focus will be on techniques for
incorporating evolutionary change in the mathematical models.
Each student will be expected to develop and analyze a model of their
choosing during the period of the summer school, in collaboration with
a small group of
other students. These modelling projects will then be presented to the
entire group at the end of the period. In this way, we aim to provide
students with a
solid and practical set of tools for developing their own mathematical
models in these related areas in the future.
Organizers: Dr Troy Day (Queen’s), Dr Fred Brauer (UBC), Dr James
Watmough (New Brunswick), Dr Jianhong Wu (York), Dr Rachel Bennett
(Queen’s)
The school is sponsored by MITACS.

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Item 5
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3rd Computational Neuroscieence Summer School: Centre for Neural
Dynamics, University of Ottawa.

We are pleased to announce the 3rd summer School in Computational
Neuroscience, which will be held from Sunday June 7, 2009 until
Saturday June 20, 2009
inclusively. It is organized by the Center for Neural Dynamics at
the University of Ottawa. The highly pedagogical course is directed at
graduate students
and postdoctoral fellows from the physical sciences (e.g. physics,
applied mathematics, engineering, computer science) and the life
sciences (e.g. neuroscience,
biology, physiology, human kinetics) who wish to develop their skills
in neural data analysis and in mathematical modeling of neural
activity. The topics will range from cellular to systems neuroscience,
with a focus on sensory and motor systems.

The course will consist of 3 hours of lectures in the mornings,
followed by 3-hour MATLAB-based computer laboratories in the
afternoons. Participants will pair up
for these laboratories, and an effort will be made to pair someone
from the life sciences with someone from the physical sciences. All
classes and laboratories will
be held on the main downtown campus of the University of Ottawa. The
School will be held in English, although many of the lecturers also
speak French.
The course can be taken for credit, since it is a University of Ottawa
three-credit graduate course (NSC8104). The mark will be based on work
done in the
computer laboratories and on the presentation of a research project by
the end of the course, with write-up to follow within a week. The
first day of the school
(Sunday June 7th) will be a mathematics refresher open to all
participants, which will include some introduction to differential
equations.
Enrollment in the course will be limited to 40 participants.
MATH PRE-REQUISITES: Calculus I and II, first-year university level
Linear Algebra and Probability and Statistics.
LIFE SCIENCES PRE-REQUISITES: first-year university level life science
courses for students in the physical sciences.
FACULTY
Prof. Ramesh Balasubramaniam, School of Human Kinetics, McMaster University
Prof. Maurice Chacron, Center for Nonlinear Dynamics, Dept. Physiology, McGill
Prof. Victor LeBlanc, Mathematics and Statistics, University of Ottawa
Prof. John Lewis, Biology, University of Ottawa
Prof. Tim Lewis, Mathematics, University of California at Davis
Prof. Andre Longtin, Physics, Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa
Prof. Len Maler, Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa
TUITION
see the application form at: http://www.neurodynamic.uottawa.ca/summer.html
ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation will be available at the Stanton Residence of the
University of Ottawa, a few minutes walk away from the Biosciences
Complex, cafeterias and downtown Ottawa with its restaurants, museums
etc… Accommodation consists of a single or double room (with
respectively one or two single beds, desks and internet access), with
communal kitchen and living area and shared bathroom. The cost is
approximately $40 CAN per night per person, taxes included.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Partial financial support is available for those demonstrating the need.
IMPORTANT DATES
February 1st , 2009: Application, including a letter of recommendation
sent to compneuro09@uottawa.ca
February 15, 2009: Notification of acceptance and level of financial support.
March 1st, 2009: Notification of acceptance by the participant.
Accommodation: as soon as possible after notification of acceptance,
participants can reserve their accommodation online at
reserve@uottawa.ca or by phoning 1-888-564-4545.
REGISTER AT: www.neurodynamic.uottawa.ca/summer.html
CONTACT US: compneuro09@uottawa.ca
SYLLABUS
1) Introduction to Linear and Nonlinear Dynamical Systems
-solutions of linear differential equations
-qualitative analysis of nonlinear differential equations
2) Single Neuron Models
-ionic models
-simplified deterministic models
-stochastic models
3) Neural Spike Train Analysis and Modeling
-basic statistics
-autocorrelation, spectrum
-information theory toolbox
4) Sensory Coding
-artificial and naturalistic stimuli
-modeling activity along the afferent pathways
-modeling feedback
-population coding and information theory
5) Computational and Dynamical Approaches to Motor Control
-posture control and equilibrium point approaches
-movement adaptation to force fields
-timing and rhythmic movements
-computational approaches to movement pathologies
6) Synaptic Plasticity
-short term depression and facilitation
-long term plasticity
-implications for information processing
7) Coupled Neurons
-gap junction
-excitatory and inhibitory synaptic coupling
-effect of coupling on neural population behavior
8) Waves of Activity in Neural Networks
-neural field models
-traveling waves
-spiral waves

For further information, contact:
Victor G. LeBlanc, Ph.D.
Directeur, Chair
Mathematiques et statistique, Mathematics and Statistics
matchair@uottawa.ca
Tel. | Tel.: 613-562-5788 Telec | Fax: 613-562-5776
University of Ottawa,
Ottawa, ON Canada K1N 6N5
www.uOttawa.ca

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Item 6
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CAIMS*SCMAI E-News Information

CAIMS*SCMAI E-News is distributed electronically several times a year
by the Canadian Applied and Industrial Mathematics
Society/Societe Canadienne de Mathematiques Appliquees et
Industrielles (https://www.caims.ca/).

Past issues are available on the web at
https://www.caims.ca//Society/pub.html Submissions are welcome and
should be sent
in plain text format to:

Abba Gumel, CAIMS-SCMAI Secretary,
Email: gumelab@cc.umanitoba.ca.

The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the
Board or Membership of CAIMS*SCMAI.

The editorial policy of this publication is to encourage the
discussion of issues and facilitate the dissemination of
information relevant to Canadian applied and industrial mathematics.

If you wish to have your name removed from the e-mailing list for the
CAIMS*SCMAI E-News, please send an email message
to Abba Gumel as above.