Morsels from Numbers and Nature

Summer Pause for Morsels Series

As we enter the midst of the summer season and the academic calendar slows, Morsels from Numbers and Nature will be taking a brief pause. We look forward to returning in the fall with a new lineup of engaging talks, fresh perspectives, and the thoughtful discussions that have come to define this series.

This short break provides an opportunity to reflect, recharge, and prepare for the upcoming academic year. Whether you’re a previous participant or brand new to the series, we’re excited to welcome you back to our virtual community this fall!

In the meantime, we invite you to explore the archive of past talks on our YouTube playlist, a great source of inspiration and insight for the summer months! (Scroll down for link)

Interested in giving a talk this fall or later in the year? We’re actively scheduling future speakers and would love to hear from all of you. Let us know if you have any questions: contact@nimbios.org

Morsels from Numbers and Nature is a fun and relaxed way for mathbio researchers at any stage in their career to discuss their ongoing research and current thinking.

This community-focused sharing series hosts 5-10 minute informal, unpolished talks as an invitation for discussion and feedback. Times will be rotating to accommodate for different time zones. Talks occur on the third Thursday of each month.

Zoom Link: vss.nimbios.org

Apply to give a talk

We encourage you to share this opportunity with your departments, colleagues, students, and anyone else who might want to listen or apply to present their work in an engaging and informal setting. Alternatively, if you know someone who would deliver a compelling Morsel, nominate them by sending us an email, and we'll follow up to gauge their interest in applying.

Be sure to check out our YouTube playlist, where you can find all past Morsels talks. While we're seeing great views and online traction on these talks, we always strive for an enthusiastic "virtual crowd" to foster lively discussions!

Featured Talks

Dan Gorbonos

Dr. Dan Gorbonos, a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany, gives a talk on ""The Gravitational Theory of the Midges".

Abstract: The collective motion of animal groups emerges from the combined interactions between individual members. In many cases, such as with birds, fish, or ungulates, these interactions are mediated by sensory stimuli that predominantly originate from nearby neighbors. However, not all stimuli in animal groups are short-range. Here, we examine mating swarms of midges, which are thought to interact primarily through long-range acoustic stimuli. We leverage the similarity in form between the decay of acoustic and gravitational sources to develop a model for swarm behavior, finding structural similarities between swarms and star clusters.

PDF of Slides

Rich Norby

Dr. Rich Norby presented his research on the topic "Adjusting for Pre-treatment Bias in a Forest FACE Experiment." This study examines the responses of an old oak forest to elevated CO2 in the BIFoR FACE experiment in central England. Rich's team used tree ring chronologies to normalize the data, addressing pre-treatment biases and exploring how biomass estimates are influenced by allometric relationships.

Listen to the recording here

Stephanie Johnson

Stephanie Johnson presented her research on the topic "Modeling ICU’s MRSA Acquisitions with Different Staffing Levels and Direct Care Task Models," providing insights into the impact of staffing and task allocation on the transmission of MRSA in Intensive Care Units.

Listen to the recording here

Morsels from Numbers and Nature

Featured Talks

Dan Gorbonos

Rich Norby

Stephanie Johnson

Morsels from Numbers and Nature YouTube Playlist

Inaugural Morsel given by Morgan Mark, 10/19/2023

Mission

Contact

NIMBioS