Quantitative Approaches to Biological Problems: From Cartoon Models to System Behavior

Catalog description

This class is aimed at biologists who want to gain an appreciation of how mathematical approaches can supplement experimental approaches. We will teach you how to convert cartoon diagrams to differential equations, and re-familiarize you with some basic concepts from math and physics that help us develop a better intuition of how the world works. Then we will discuss how quantitative approaches can yield insights into how control systems behave. The class will use calculus at an elementary level and an occasional computer simulation, but we will focus more on concepts and applications.