Next Meeting:

Thursday March 5th

Location: BH 330

Time: 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM

Title: Multiscale Modeling: From Individual Bacteria to Whole Communities 

Speaker: Dr Shawn Ryan 

Abstract: Microbes rarely live alone—they form communities where thousands or millions of cells interact, compete, and cooperate. Surprisingly, simple local rules at the level of individual cells can lead to complex, large-scale patterns such as clusters, waves of growth, or stable coexistence. In this talk, we use tools from calculus, differential equations, and basic modeling to explore how these collective behaviors emerge. We’ll build intuitive models that track how nutrients diffuse, cells grow and move, and populations change over time, and we’ll see how small changes at the microscopic scale can dramatically affect the whole community. The goal is to show how familiar math can help explain—and even predict—the behavior of living systems. 

Pizza and beverages will be provided.

All majors and backgrounds welcome!

Come learn & have lots of fun!

Check out our calendar for a complete list of upcoming events.