SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES

Overview

The principal objective of the symposium is to facilitate collaborations between mathematicians, statisticians and bioscience researchers. This year the theme is on networks and is keynoted by two invited lectures, including the Gordon C. Ashton Memorial Biometrics Lecture. The symposium will have sessions for contributed talks and a poster session for graduate and undergraduate students, with a prize of $200 awarded for the best poster. This year’s symposium is intends to provide exposure to various mathematical and statistical techniques used to model and analyze networks. Participation by women and aboriginal groups will be encouraged in the advertising and via direct recruitment.

The maximum size for the posters will be 46 inches high and 56 inches across.

Executive Summary

Networks conceptualize the complex web of relations between agents, whether those agents be genes, organs, individuals, or groups. Research on network science originated with graph theory in the 18th century (in particular, Euler’s famous problem on the seven bridges of Koenigsberg) but is now growing at a phenomenal pace. This growth has been fuelled by greater availability of data on how real-world networks are structured. It is increasingly recognized that the network paradigm can contribute fundamentally to fields as diverse as genetics, ecology, sociology, and public health. Network science provides abundant oppor- tunities for research in the mathematical and statistical sciences. The quantitative analysis of network structure and dynamics is both nontrivial and rewarding, and the field continues to evolve. By characterizing network structure and dynamics using quantitative approaches, commonalities can also be established between apparently disparate fields. The focus of the proposed symposium will be the methodology and applications of network science, from both mathematical and statistical perspectives. Keynote speakers from the University of Chicago (Stefano Allesino) and Boston University (Eric Kolaczyk) will describe recent advances in food web theory and statistical analysis of biological networks, respectively. Regional speak- ers will address other topics at the intersection of network analysis, simulation, and applications.

Program

Directions to Guelph

The symposium will be held in Room 1800 of the OVC Pathobiology Animal Health Lab (PAHL), Gordon St at McGilvray.

This is building 89 on the **Campus Map**, Grid F6. (Note that there is an older pathobiology building on College, so please take care!).

Parking Directions and Costs

The best place to park is Visitor’s Parking Lot P44. The entrance to the parking lot is from College Avenue, on the other side of Gordon. See the **Campus Map**. It is a short walk to the Pathobiology Building – please cross at Gordon and College as there are lights. The most economical option is to pay by VISA or MasterCard for the whole day ($10.00). If paying by cash, the cost is $16.00 per day or $2.00 per hour.

Registered Participants as of May 30, 2012