Biomathematician to give Wasow Memorial Lecture

World-renowned biomathematician Nancy Kopell will give the Department of Mathematics 2003 Wolfgang Wasow Memorial Lecture on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 4 p.m. in B239 Van Vleck Hall. Kopell is William Goodwin Aurelio Professor of Mathematics and Science at Boston University and co-director of the Center for BioDynamics at Boston University. The multidisciplinary center trains undergraduates, graduates and postdoctoral fellows in leading techniques from dynamical systems theory, and its applications to biology and engineering.

In “Rhythms in the Nervous System: From Cells to Behavior via Dynamic,” Kopell will discuss the nervous system and its production of rhythmic electrical activity in many frequency ranges. The rhythms displayed during waking are tightly tied to cognitive state. She will address ongoing work that seeks to understand the uses of these rhythms in sensory processing, cognition and motor control.

A reception in Van Vleck’s ninth-floor lounge will follow Kopell’s presentation.