Sally Otto will be visiting McGill December 4th-6th. She will be giving a workshop on mathematical modeling in ecology and evolution, as well as two talks at McGill. All details are below.

Dr. Otto is a professor at the University of British Columbia in the Department of Zoology (http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/~otto/). She works on questions in population genetics and evolutionary biology, using mathematical models to answer questions about how populations change over time. Particular research interests include the evolution of ploidy level, mating systems, and genomic architecture. She is a co-author, with Troy Day, of a comprehensive textbook in her field, A Biologist’s Guide to Mathematical Modeling in Ecology and Evolution, and has published more than 125 papers. She was a recipient of the MacArthur Foundation’s « genius grant » in 2011 (http://www.macfound.org/fellows/12/). She is also the Director of the Biodiversity Research Centre at UBC (http://www.biodiversity.ubc.ca), an institute with a mission « to understand and conserve the diversity of life on earth through research, education, and outreach », with more than fifty faculty members, plus postdocs and graduate students, pursuing a wide variety of research questions related to biodiversity.

  • CAMBAM seminar

A mathematically-oriented talk to CAMBAM, the Centre for Applied Mathematics in Bioscience and Medicine, on Tuesday December 4th, McIntyre 1345, 4:00 PM.

  • Workshop on Mathematical Modeling in Ecology & Evolution

When: WEDNESDAY December 5, 2012, 10 AM to 4-5 PM
Where: McGill Stewart-Biology building W4/4 (4th floor, West wing)
Why: Math, models, ecology, evolution, pizza!

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Registration is FIRST COME FIRST SERVED, and there has been a ton of interest in the workshop, so sign up early to guarantee yourself a spot. Early registration also helps us to get a headcount for the event.
Please note that registration is a commitment by you to attend, and will result in one of a limited number of seats being reserved for you. If you register and then realize that you need to cancel, please email me (ben.haller@mail.mcgill.ca) to do so.

And please note that FREE FOOD WILL BE PROVIDED, courtesy of QCBS, the Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science (www.qcbs.ca). Probably pizza.

  • Organismal Seminar

Dr. Otto will be giving a general-audience Organismal Seminar on Thursday December 6th, Redpath Auditorium, 3:00 PM, with a wine and cheese reception following.