CAIMS*SCMAI E-News Volume 21, Number 3
March 17, 2021
Editor: Kathleen Wilkie (communications-officer@caims.ca)
CONTENT
CAIMS/SCMAI Annual Meeting 2021 (Virtual) June 21-24, 2021
Workshop on Particle Tracking in Biology using Machine Learning
Workshops on Effective Communication Skills for Applied Mathematicians
CAIMS Grad Student and Postdoc Connector
2021 CAMBAM/NSERC-CREATE in Complex Dynamics Summer School: Registration Open
Current Positions posted on the CAIMS/SCMAI website
New CAIMS/SCMAI Blog Post: Virtually Invigilated Examinations
1. CAIMS/SCMAI Annual Meeting 2021 (Virtual) June 21-24, 2021
The 2021 CAIMS/SCMAI Annual Meeting is proudly hosted by the University of Waterloo. The local organizing committee is: Brian Ingalls, Anita Layton, and Justin Wan.
Scientific Themes:
- Mathematical Biology
- Dynamical Systems / Control Theory
- Financial Mathematics
- Scientific Computing
- Fluid Dynamics / Climate
- Data Science / Machine Learning
Deadlines:
- Mini-symposia proposals are accepted until Wednesday March 31, 2021.
- Contributed talks and posters are accepted until Friday April 30, 2021.
- Early bird registration ends May 14, 2021.
2. Workshop on Particle Tracking in Biology using Machine Learning
The Probability Section of the Statistical Society of Canada is offering the following workshop on Sunday, June 13, 2021, beginning at 11 am ET
Title: Particle tracking in Biology using machine learning
Presenter: Jay Newby, University of Alberta
Cost: $40, or $15 for a student, with early-bird registration by Sunday April 25, 2021
To register for the workshop, go to Statistical Society of Canada , sign up for a free SSC account, login, click on Meetings, then on 2021 Annual Meeting, then on registration information, then on “register” and sign up for the workshop.
Abstract:
There are two basic ingredients for particle tracking: (1) microscopy videos of nanometer to micrometer sized “particles” suspended in a fluid and (2) a stochastic model of particle motion. Given these two ingredients, we can use machine learning methods to gain insight into micron-scale systems. Particle tracking has many applications in physics, chemistry, and biology. We will be focusing primarily on the latter. Some examples of “particles” are synthetic beads, genetically expressed fluorescent proteins, biopolymers, viruses, and bacteria. The motion of small particles in a fluid is a stochastic process. The classical example is Brownian motion, which was originally discovered through observation of pollen suspended in water. Once microscopy videos are obtained, the position of each particle is tracked through time. The result is a set of position-time series tracks. The tracks are typically used to infer properties of the fluid. The first example discovered was through observation of Brownian motion. The simplest stochastic model of Brownian motion involves a single parameter, the diffusivity. The Stokes-Einstein relation is a formula that relates the diffusivity and particle size to the fluid viscosity and temperature. In particle tracking microrheology, particle motion is used to estimate the viscosity and elastic properties of a non Newtonian visco-elastic fluid. In biology, many new applications for particle tracking are beginning to emerge, thanks to advances in microscopy, machine learning, and neural networks. A few examples are characterizing active bacterial motion of Salmonella in mucus and measuring macromolecular crowding in the cytoplasm of living cells.
Requirements:
This workshop assumes a basic understanding of probability and stochastic processes. Some amount of programming will be involved in all of the projects (students with complementary skills will be encouraged to form teams). We will primarily be using Python (but R, Julia, or C++ might be ok too). Students will need to bring a laptop or tablet equipped with a keyboard. The only required software is the Google Chrome internet browser with a Gmail or other Google account logged in.
3. Workshops on Effective Communication Skills for Applied Mathematicians
CAIMS and BIRS are proud to announce the Effective Communication Skills for Applied Mathematicians (ECSAM) workshop. ECSAM is a series of live online modules for applied mathematicians, statisticians, and data scientists looking to hone their ability to communicate with the general public via live interviews, op eds, blogs, or expert witness, etc. Shari Graydon of Informed Opinions is the keynote workshop leader.
ECSAM takes place virtually with 4 (possibly 5) two-day modules in May 2021. All modules run 9AM – 12PM (PST).
May 6 – 7 Why communicate with non-scientists, and why me?
May 13 – 14 Effective Communication Principles: Communicating Mathematics to the Lay Audience
May 20 – 21 Writing Compelling Commentary
May 27 – 28 Becoming more Effective in Media Interviews
June 3 – 4 TBA (Stay tuned!)
Applications for ECSAM are open from now until April 1st, 2021. Interested applicants can apply here. Registration is priced per module: $30 for students, $50 for faculty. Each module is limited to 30 participants.
If you have questions about the program please e-mail birs-facilitator@birs.ca
Best regards,
Jake Posacki
BIRS Station Facilitator
Program Website: https://ecsam.ca
Program Poster: https://ecsam.files.wordpress.
Application Page: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/
4. CAIMS/SCMAI Graduate Student and Postdoc (GAP) Connector
CAIMS/SCMAI has launched the GAP Connector – a listing of upper year PhD students and postdoctoral fellows studying at Canadian Universities.
For students and postdocs:
It is difficult to make new professional connections during the pandemic. The Canadian Applied and Industrial Mathematical Society (CAIMS/SCMAI) is proud to launch the GAP Connector. The GAP Connector enables young researchers to make new contacts to established groups in their area, get seminar talk invitations, conference invitations, and informal job interviews. Check it out and sign up today.
For faculty and seminar / conference / workshop organizers:
We invite you to reference the GAP Connector listings to seek out junior researchers in your field and learn about the exciting research they are doing by inviting them to participate in upcoming events.
5. 2021 CAMBAM/NSERC-CREATE in Complex Dynamics Summer School: Registration Open
Dear Colleagues,
The centre for Applied Mathematics in Bioscience and Medicine (CAMBAM) and NSERC-CREATE in Complex Dynamics are organizing an ONLINE summer school titled “Summer School in Nonlinear Dynamics for the Life Sciences with Applications to Neuroscience and Psychology” between May 31-June 11, 2021. This summer school is part of the long running semi-annual summer schools organized by CAMBAM as part of their training program. This year’s event is held in collaboration with NSERC-CREATE in Complex Dynamics and is sponsored by Association for Psychological Science/Estes fund, Centre de Recherche Mathematique, CAMBAM and NSERC-CREATE in Complex Dynamics.
The summer school will cover different topics on the applications of nonlinear dynamics and computations to life sciences (ranging from the sub-cellular world to population dynamics) with a special emphasis on neuroscience and psychology. The program will include theory-based and application-based lectures taught by internationally recognised researchers in the field, as well as tutorial and computer labs that will complement the material covered in these lectures. For more details about the program, please visit: http://www.crm.umontreal.ca/
Registration for trainees outside the CREATE network is now open here. Registration for trainees inside the CREATE network is now open here. Admission into the summer school will be based on first-come first-served basis, so please do so as early as possible as there are limited spots for this online event.
Kind regards,
Anmar Khadra, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Physiology
Co-director, Centre for Applied Mathematics in Bioscience and Medicine (CAMBAM)
McGill University
6. Current Positions posted on the CAIMS/SCMAI website
Please be advised of the following open positions advertised on the CAIMS/SCMAI website:
Simon Fraser University, Tier 2 Canada Research Chair – Mathematics of Quantum Computing
University of Manitoba, Department Head, Department of Mathematics
7. New CAIMS/SCMAI Blog Post: Virtually Invigilated Examinations
Read the latest blog post: Virtually Invigilated Examinations by Raymond Spiteri, University of Saskatchewan
CAIMS*SCMAI E–News Information
CAIMS*SCMAI E–News is distributed electronically several times a year by the Canadian Applied and Industrial Mathematics Society * Société Canadienne de Mathématiques Appliquées et Industrielles (http://www.caims.ca).
Past issues are available on the web at http://www.caims.ca/content/e–
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Jacques Bélair, CAIMS*SCMAI Secretary Email: secretary@caims.ca
or
Kathleen Wilkie, CAIMS*SCMAI Communications-Officer Email: communications-officer@caims.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.
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