Morehouse College
Title:
Modeling Biomagnetic Processes in Excitable Tissue
Director(s):
Brett A. Sims, Department of Mathematics
Email:
bsims@morehouse.edu
Dates of Program: June 6 - July 15, 2005
Summary:
This program
will give for undergraduate
students the opportunity to study and perform an interdisciplinary
research in
modeling biomagnetic processes in neural and heart tissue. Students
will also
participate in writing code (C++) for simulations. Student research
will be
supported by short lectures on special topics that under gird their
research.
The lectures will be given by the PI. The students will learn how
electrical
properties of neural and excitable tissue are quantified and will
participate
in developing deterministic models for action potential propagation and
biomagnetic fields at the tissue level. Existing models involving
various
bioelectric current distributions such as current dipoles and spiral
waves
responsible for bioelectric fields will be studied and discussed.
Hodgkin-Huxley and Fitzhugh-Nagumo type models will be studied and
compared.
Action potential models containing piecewise linear source terms for
membrane
dynamics will also be considered. Investigative studies will
include a theoretical analysis of
solutions, eigenvalues, and eigenvectors for various wave propagation
models of
the form .
Biological applications of wave propagation will be investigated
via numerical simulations. Two students will be selected to present
their
research at a mathematics conference.
Student Researchers:
- Stanley Drinks, II. Major: Mathematics
- Jabar Bonner. Major: Mathematics/Mechanical
Engineering Dual Degree
- Avery E. Watkins. Major: Computer Science
- Stacy Pinckney. Major: Biology
Program Contacts:
Bill Hawkins
MAA SUMMA
bhawkins@maa.org
202-319-8473
Michael Pearson
MAA Programs & Services
pearson@maa.org
202-319-8470