Conference Schedule

All events are in 211 Chapman Hall

Saturday, October 26, 2024

9:00 - 9:45am: Coffee / Poster set-up time
9:45 - 10:00am: Opening remarks by Penny Gordon-Larsen, Vice Chancellor for Research
10:00 - 10:50am: Mike Shelley, NYU and Flatiron Institute: Flows, Self-Organization, and Transport in Living Cells
11:00 - 11:50am: Hangjie Ji, NC State: Modeling, analysis, and control of droplet dynamics
12:00 - 1:30pm: Lunch Break / Poster set-up time
1:30 - 2:30pm: Ravanasamudram Uma, NCCU: Democratizing Data Science: From Social Sciences to Space Exploration
2:30 - 3:00pm: Coffee Break
3:00 - 4:00pm: Opportunities Panel:
Amarjit Budhiraja – Professor of Statistics and Operations Research, Senior Associate Dean of School of Data Science and Society
Robert Calderbank – Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, Mathematics and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University; Director of the Rhodes Information Initiative at Duke
Boris Grinshpun, Certara, Inc.
Mansoor Haider – Professor of Mathematics and Director of the Foundations in Data Science MS Program at NC State
Jason Pearson – Simulations Plus, Inc.
4:00 - 5:30pm: Lightning Talks
5:45 - 7:00pm: Reception and Poster Session

Sunday, October 27, 2024

9:30 - 9:55am: Coffee
10:00 - 10:50am: Veronica Ciocanel, Duke: Mathematical modeling and inference of protein transport in cell and organism development
11:00 - 11:50am: Highlights of cool research at UNC:
Claudio Battaglini
Greg Characklis
Karin Leiderman
Ronit Freeman
Alex McAvoy
12:00pm: Lunch / Networking

Speaker Topics

Michael J. Shelley, NYU and the Flatiron Institute

Title: Flows, Self-Organization, and Transport in Living Cells
Abstract: Cells have their tasks and one is to move or position stuff within themselves. Genetic material needs to be properly positioned before a cell division, and development factors need to land in the right place in a growing egg or embryo. Much of this is accomplished through the cytoskeleton, with its array of biopolymers, cross-linkers, and molecular motors. I’ll discuss how large-scale simulation of fluid-structure interactions, and coarse-grained modeling and mathematical analysis, have been integrated with biophysical experiment, measurement, and perturbation, to “explain” how such tasks are accomplished. I’ll discuss how we are pushing this paradigm in the furtherance of quantifying fundamental processes in biology.

Hangjie Ji, NC State

Title: Modeling, analysis, and control of droplet dynamics
Abstract: Thin liquid films flowing down vertical fibers spontaneously exhibit complex interfacial dynamics, leading to irregular wavy patterns and traveling liquid droplets. Such droplet dynamics are fundamental components in many engineering applications, including mass and heat exchangers for thermal desalination, as well as water vapor and particle capture. Recent experiments demonstrate that critical flow regime transitions can be triggered by varying inlet geometries and external fields. Similar interacting droplet dynamics have also been observed on hydrophobic substrates, arising from interfacial instabilities in volatile liquid films. In this talk, I will describe lubrication and weighted residual models for falling droplets. The coarsening dynamics of condensing droplets will be discussed using a lubrication model. I will also present our recent results on developing optimal boundary control and mean-field control for droplet dynamics.

Ravanasamudram Uma, NCCU

Title: Democratizing Data Science: From Social Sciences to Space Exploration
Abstract: In this talk, I will outline our ongoing efforts at North Carolina Central University, over the past decade, to broaden access to data science through education and training. Our democratizing efforts target students across multiple dimensions: academic spectrum (high school to PhD), mathematical and computing skills, application domains, and historically marginalized groups. I will also share our experiences and lessons learned.

Veronica Ciocanel, Duke

Title: Mathematical modeling and inference of protein transport in cell and organism development
Abstract: The dynamics of intracellular proteins is key to many cellular functions, including cell development and regeneration. The interactions between proteins that are transported, those that use energy to fuel their transport, and the filaments that provide roadways for transport involve different time and spatial scales and require novel modeling, analysis and simulation tools. I will give some examples of our mechanistic modeling of messenger RNA dynamics that have led to new biological hypotheses. I will also discuss the power and limitations of parameter inference in these studies, given common biophysics experiments used to quantify protein dynamics.

Events