| NIMBioS Investigative Workshop on Information and Entropy | |
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United States - TN - Knoxville |
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| Hosted by: | National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) |
| Venue: | NIMBioS at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville |
| Dates: | Apr 08, 2015 through Apr 10, 2015 |
| Early Registration Deadline: | 2014-11-12 |
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Description |
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| The National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) is now accepting applications for its Investigative Workshop, "Information and Entropy," to be held April 8-10, 2015, at NIMBioS. Objectives: Information theory and entropy methods are becoming powerful tools in biology, from the level of individual cells, to whole ecosystems, to experimental design, model-building, and the measurement of biodiversity. The aim of this investigative workshop is to synthesize different ways of applying these concepts to help systematize and unify work in biological systems. Early attempts at "grand syntheses" often misfired, but applications of information theory and entropy to specific highly focused topics in biology have been increasingly successful. In ecology, entropy maximization methods have proven successful in predicting the distribution and abundance of species. Entropy is also widely used as a measure of biodiversity. Work on the role of information in game theory has shed new light on evolution. As a population evolves, it can be seen as gaining information about its environment. The principle of maximum entropy production has emerged as a fascinating yet controversial approach to predicting the behavior of biological systems, from individual organisms to whole ecosystems. This investigative workshop will bring together top researchers from these diverse fields to share insights and methods and address some long-standing conceptual problems. Goals of the workshop: To study the validity of the principle of Maximum Entropy Production (MEP), which states that biological systems - and indeed all open, non-equilibrium systems - act to produce entropy at the maximum rate. To familiarize all the participants with applications to ecology of the MaxEnt method: choosing the probabilistic hypothesis with the highest entropy subject to the constraints of our data. We will compare MaxEnt with competing approaches and examine whether MaxEnt provides a sufficient justification for the principle of MEP. To clarify relations between known characterizations of entropy, the use of entropy as a measure of biodiversity, and the use of MaxEnt methods in ecology. To develop the concept of evolutionary games as "learning" processes in which information is gained over time. To study the interplay between information theory and the thermodynamics of individual cells and organelles. Location: NIMBioS at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Co-Organizers: John Baez, Mathematics, Univ. of California, Riverside; Marc Harper, Educational and Biotechnology Consultant; John Harte, Environmental Science, Policy and Management, Univ. of California, Berkeley For more information about the workshop and a link to the online application form, go to http://www.nimbios.org/workshops/WS_entropy Participation in the workshop is by application only. Individuals with a strong interest in the topic are encouraged to apply, and successful applicants will be notified within two weeks of the application deadline. If needed, financial support for travel, meals, and lodging is available for workshop attendees. Application deadline: November 12, 2014 The National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) (http://www.nimbios.org) brings together researchers from around the world to collaborate across disciplinary boundaries to investigate solutions to basic and applied problems in the life sciences. NIMBioS is sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture with additional support from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. |
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| Additional Information | |
| Event URL: | http://www.nimbios.org/workshops/WS_entropy |
| ISCB Member Discount: | None |
| Contact Person: | Catherine Crawley ([javascript protected email address]) |
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