Independent Study - Mathematical Biology
Evolutionary Genetics; July 21-24, 2003

COURSE: MATH 5900

TIME: 4:30-6:00 MTWR (July 21-24)

PLACE: Room 313 or 314 of Gilbreath Hall

INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Robert Gardner, OFFICE: Room 308G of Gilbreath Hall

OFFICE HOURS: TR 9:30--10:30, MW by appointment

PHONE: 439-6977, Math Office 439-4349

E-MAIL: gardnerr@etsu.edu , or robert_gardner2@yahoo.com.

HOMEPAGE: www.etsu.edu/math/gardner/gardner.htm .

CLASS WEBPAGE: A webpage containing this syllabus, classnotes, and homework assignments is available at www.etsu.edu/math/gardner/popgen/syllabus.htm

CLASSNOTES: Lectures will be given by presenting overheads which will be supplemented by a few notes on the blackboard. All overheads are available online. Goto the class webpage for links. You should download copies of all of these notes! They are available in both postscript (PS) and PDF formats.

TEXTS: You will not need a text - classnotes are available on the internet. These classnotes are primarily based on the following references:

  1. Principles of Population Genetics, 2nd Edition, by D. Hartl and A. Clark, Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, 1989.
  2. Evolutionary Games and Population Dynamics, by J. Hofbauer and K. Sigmund, Cambridge University Press, 1998.
  3. "An Application of Differential Calculus to Population Genetics," by Robert Gardner, appearing in Mathematics and Computer Education 29(3) (1995), 305-311.

GRADING: You will be given three or four homework (HW) assignments from each of the lectures. Your homework grade for the evolutionary genetics component of this course will be determined from your performance on these problems.


Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

OUTLINE: We will meet for four days: July 21-24. Our first meeting will be only 45 minutes (Anant Godbole will take the first 45 minutes of that class). Our schedule is:

Day
Topics
HW
MON 7/21
Introduction to Biological Evolution
 Set 1
TUE 7/22
Evolution as Optimization
 Set 2
WED 7/23
Natural Selection and the Fundamental Theorem
 Set 3
THR 7/24
Adaptive Topographies
 Set 4

Copies of notes are available at:

  1. Introduction to Biological Evolution: www.etsu.edu/math/gardner/mathbio/evol.pdf and www.etsu.edu/math/gardner/mathbio/evol.ps
  2. Evolution as Optimization: www.etsu.edu/math/gardner/popgen/evol-opt.pdf and www.etsu.edu/math/gardner/popgen/evol-opt.ps
  3. Natural Selection and the Fundamental Theorem: www.etsu.edu/math/gardner/popgen/fundthm.pdf and www.etsu.edu/math/gardner/popgen/fundthm.ps
  4. Adaptive Topographies: www.etsu.edu/math/gardner/popgen/adapt-topo.pdf and www.etsu.edu/math/gardner/popgen/adapt-topo.ps

Homework assignments are available at:

  1. Set 1: www.etsu.edu/math/gardner/popgen/hw1.pdf and www.etsu.edu/math/gardner/popgen/hw1.ps
  2. Set 2: www.etsu.edu/math/gardner/popgen/hw2.pdf and www.etsu.edu/math/gardner/popgen/hw2.ps
  3. Set 3: www.etsu.edu/math/gardner/popgen/hw3.pdf and www.etsu.edu/math/gardner/popgen/hw3.ps
  4. Set 4: www.etsu.edu/math/gardner/popgen/hw4.pdf and www.etsu.edu/math/gardner/popgen/hw4.ps

All homework will be due by Friday July 25 by 5:00 p.m.!!!

Check out Edith Seier's notes for this "Independent Study" class at: http://www.etsu.edu/math/seier/bio-math.htm

Return to Bob Gardner's home page