The National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) is now accepting applications for its Investigative Workshop, "Heart Rhythm Disorders," to be held December 3-5, 2014, at NIMBioS.
*Objectives: ***The heart is a complex nonlinear system, whose function involves the interaction between mechanical contractions of cardiac muscles and waves of electrical excitation propagating in the heart. Heartbeats are the result of the nonlinear coupling between these electrical and mechanical functions of the heart. Cardiovascular diseases, which are often associated with heart rhythm disorders, are the leading cause of death in the Western world. A complete understanding of heart rhythm disorders requires a complex system-level approach that incorporates the interaction between electrical, chemical and mechanical activities of the heart on a variety of biological scales: ion channels to single cells to multi-cellular tissue to organ. Given the difficulty of monitoring and controlling all these factors in the lab, mathematical modeling provides a useful tool for this purpose. The goal of this workshop is to unite researchers from different disciplines -- clinicians, mathematicians, physicists, biomedical engineers, and industrial practitioners -- in order to better understand the existing mathematical challenges and to explore new directions in modeling of cardiovascular dynamics. As a result of the workshop, we will identify challenges and frontiers in mathematical modeling, statistics and prediction, dynamics and control, stability analysis, as well as data acquisition and analysis for heart rhythm related diseases. We will also foster new interdisciplinary collaborations. *Location: *NIMBioS at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville *Co-Organizers: *Alena Talkachova, Biomedical Engineering, Univ. of Minnesota; John Wesley Cain, Mathematics and Computer Science, Univ. of Richmond; and Xiaopeng Zhao, Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville For more information about the workshop and a link to the online application form, go to http://www.nimbios.org/workshops/WS_cardiac Participation in the workshop is by application only. Individuals with a strong interest in the topic are encouraged to apply, and successful applicants will be notified within two weeks of the application deadline. If needed, financial support for travel, meals, and lodging is available for workshop attendees. *Application deadline:* August 1, 2014 The National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) (http://www.nimbios.org) brings together researchers from around the world to collaborate across disciplinary boundaries to investigate solutions to basic and applied problems in the life sciences. NIMBioS is sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture with additional support from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. ***************************** Catherine Crawley, Ph.D. Communications Manager National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) University of Tennessee 1122 Volunteer Blvd, Ste. 106 Knoxville, TN 37996 e ccraw...@nimbios.org <mailto:ccraw...@nimbios.org> t +1 865 974 9350 <tel:+1%20865%20974%209350> f +1 865 974 9461 <tel:+1%20865%20974%209461> http://www.nimbios.org http://www.facebook.com/nimbios http://twitter.com/nimbios To receive email notifications of blog updates, click here <http://www.nimbios.org/wordpress/subscribe2updates/> To subscribe to our bi-monthly newsletter, click here <http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=001RgvbKVLa7a4Psoj8H7c43A%3D%3D>
