Spectrum Lecture Series 2012-2013
Mathematics Saves Lives!
Wednesday, March 6th, 7:30 pm
Montgomery College
Globe Hall, HT Building,
Germantown Campus
John R. Jungck, PhD
Prof. Biological Sciences and Mathematics
Director, Interdisciplinary Science Learning
Laboratories
University of Delaware
Mathematics saves lives. Hundreds of thousands of lives! In the 20th century, at least five Nobel Prizes
in Physiology and Medicine involved direct contributions from mathematics. These mathematical
contributions included: (1) reworking complete trees of life with sequence alignment and phylogenetic
tree algorithms as well as the assembly of huge genomes that are the bases for new “personalized
medicine”, (2) three dimensional imaging that has transformed medical diagnosis, (3) epidemiological
modeling of the spread of infections, and (4) electrophysiology of neurons. In 2003, the NRC made
eight major recommendations for the improvement of undergraduate biology education. The first
two of these recommendations both emphasized the need for more attention to the inclusion of more
mathematics.
While recent publications identify numerous models, there is a need to identify a succinct list of
achievements that represent the power of mathematics in biology. Hence, “ten equations that
changed biology” and a brief description of their historical importance are presented here in order to
first, draw attention to a variety of mathematical models that have been intrinsic to significant
discoveries in biology and medicine, and, second, to illustrate that the computational tools are
currently available for engaging students in active investigation of biological phenomena and the
development of systematic strategies for biological problem solving.
John R. Jungck is a Professor of Biological Sciences and holds joint appointments in the Department of
Mathematics and the Bioinformatics Program at the University of Delaware. He is Director of the
Interdisciplinary Science Learning Laboratories and is the Editor of Biology International and on the
Editorial Boards of several journals including the Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, Evolutionary
Bioinformatics, CBE Life Science Education, and the American Journal of Undergraduate Research. He is
a leader in biology education reform, a mathematical molecular evolutionary biologist, and a computer
software developer of biological simulations, tools, and databases. He has published a wide variety of
papers and received numerous awards for his work.
As always, Spectrum Lectures are appropriate for a general audience and admission is free. No tickets are required. For
questions or to request accommodations for physical disability, please contact Susan Bontems at
susan.bontems@montgomerycollege.edu or 240-567-7740. More information about Spectrum Lectures can be found at:
http://cms.montgomerycollege.edu/edu/department.aspx?id=10883