Introduction to computational cell biology

Spring 2007

Professor Greg Buzzard MATH 402, 4-1937 buzzard at math dot purdue dot edu

Schedule Software Home Resources

Report

As part of the requirements for class, each group will prepare and deliver an oral presentation, which will be accompanied by a written report. The topic will be based on a research paper relating to cardiac modeling and will be subject to approval by the instructor.

By Friday, March 30, each group must submit a proposal outlining the topic and content of the final report. This proposal should include the following sections:

· Background for and significance of topic – 1 to 2 pages.

· Specific aims - should include biological explanation, numerical/modeling component, and analysis component – no more than 1 page. You can see examples of the appropriate format at http://www.ccbm.jhu.edu/research/rProjects.php (Note that these examples are for high level research projects, so don’t be too intimidated).

· Methods - describe the tools and procedures you will use to achieve your aims and include references as appropriate – 1 to 2 pages

· References

The presentations will be scheduled for 30-40 minutes each and should involve each group member in a significant way, that is, it should demonstrate that each person in the group made a significant contribution. That does not necessarily mean that each person presents part of the material, but that would be one way to arrange the presentation.

The reports should be 10 to 20 pages in length and written for your peers. The report should include appropriate references, should be well written, and should be correct both mathematically and scientifically. While it should do a good job of describing the main article on which the report is based, it does not have to cover the topic completely (and probably cannot do so in most cases). The writing, the appropriateness of the references, and the mathematical and scientific correctness will all contribute to the final grade for the report. 

DUE DATE: The oral presentation will be given during the final week of classes, and the written report will be due during finals week.

Here are some possible topics and associated papers:

· Calcium handling – Varghese and Winslow

· SA node dynamics and coupling – Cai, et al

· Drug effect on cardiac function – Irvine, et al

· Excitation-contraction coupling - Stern

· Alternans - Jordan and Christini

You are welcome to suggest other topics or papers, although in that case you should check with me about the appropriateness of the paper.