Mr. Emmanuel Fleurantin, a graduate student in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, has been accepted into the Dynamics and data in the COVID-19 pandemic summer program, which will be taught by the American Institute of Mathematics. This online program deals with informing students on the mathematics of the current pandemic and it also provides a stipend of $6,000 for each accepted student.
Emmanuel will learn the basic mathematical epidemiology underlying the models used in studying COVID19. He and 36 other students will take a dynamical systems perspective and learn the necessary ideas and techniques from this area. They will look at models ranging from the basic SIR model through network models, metapopulation models to agent-based models. As well as looking at the interesting mathematical questions about these models and their dynamics, students will consider the context in which each may be useful and look at the use of model predictions for planning and decision-making.
The students and faculty will advance their understanding of the topic and the issues together through online videos and group brainstorming. A collaborative infrastructure will be set up including a virtual office, shared whiteboards, common video watching rooms as well as the now-standard video conferencing. The school will be led by faculty who have been using these platforms for a decade through the Mathematics and Climate Research Network. Emmanuel’s goal is to be a co-author on a paper by the end of the summer or fall, 2020.
