Diseases, invasive species, and other ecological systems: insights from mathematical models

Julie Blackwood, Associate Professor of Mathematics, will present the fourth of six talks in the 2020 Faculty Lecture Series. Blackwood received her B.S. in Applied Mathematics from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2006. She received her Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics in 2010 from the University of California, Davis. Her research interests lie at the intersection of mathematics and ecology. Blackwood develops and analyzes mathematical models that describe population-level ecological processes. Her research spans several topics in ecology including invasive insect management, disease ecology (both in humans and wildlife), and coral reef conservation. Generally, her work explores two underlying questions: (1) “What drives population (or disease) persistence?” and (2)  What are the outcomes of management strategies?”. Blackwood’s research is very interdisciplinary, working with individuals in various fields including physics, statistics, economics, and ecology. 

The aim of the Faculty Lecture Series is to present big ideas beyond disciplinary boundaries.  All lectures will be followed by a reception in the Thompson Biology Lounge. The lectures are free and open to the public. Upcoming talks:

• March 12 Matt Carter, Department of Biology, “The Food Network: How Your Brain Makes You Feel Full”
• March 19 Jessica Fisher, Department of English, “The Faraway Brought Close”: Poetry and the Work of Feeling”

The Faculty Lecture Series was founded in 1911 by Catherine Mariotti Pratt, the spouse of a faculty member who wanted to “relieve the tedium of long New England winters with an opportunity to hear Williams professors talk about issues that really mattered to them.” From these humble and lighthearted beginnings, the Faculty Lecture Series has grown to become an important forum for tenured professors to share their latest research with the larger intellectual community of the college.