An NSF/CBMS Regional Conference in the Mathematical Sciences will be held at Tulane University in May, 2010. The principal lecturer, Professor Wei-Ming Ni of the University of Minnesota, will deliver ten lectures on the mathematics of diffusions. Diffusion is a very important mechanism that triggers and enhances patterns in biological and physical systems. The research area has enjoyed a tremendous growth and nurtured many graduate students and young researchers since the fundamental and pioneering work of Professor Ni on these phenomena.
Professor Ni's lectures will give not only an overall view of the subject area, but also open problems and new directions for future research. The lectures will address various effects of diffusion in nonlinear partial differential equations. They are of fundamental and practical interest to analysts, applied mathematicians, experts in computation, as well as scientists from biology/ecology and physics. The conference will bring mathematics of highest quality to faculty and students from not only Tulane but also nearby universities in Louisiana and in the South. The conference is expected to attract and nurture young mathematicians to/in this important area which has a lot of potential to grow.
