University of Hawai'i University Relations Media & Publications Honolulu, HI 96822	(808) 956-8856 Telephone (808) 956-3441 Facsimile ur@hawaii.edu E-Mail
For Immediate Release:	April 24, 2001
CONTACT: Judith Fox-Goldstein, (808)- 974-7555

International Science Groups select Hilo for annual conference

Hilo has been chosen to host the July meeting of two international scientific organizations. The Society for Mathematical Biology and the Japan Association of Mathematical Biology will hold their annual conference at the Hawai`i Naniloa Hotel July16-19, 2001.

The site selection was due in part to the presence of the University of Hawai`i at Hilo and the favorable impressions Hilo made on a Southern California professor. Lisette de Pillis, an associate professor of mathematics at Harvey Mudd College is a member of the International Scientific Committee of the Society for Mathematical Biology. She is also the sister of Emmeline de Pillis, who teaches management at the University of Hawai`i at Hilo's School of Business. de Pillis was captivated by the lush, unspoiled beauty of East Hawai`i, and impressed by the people she met at the University during her visits.

She suggested Hilo as a conference site when the Society for Mathematical Biology was planning their annual joint meeting with the Japan Association of Mathematical Biology, and organizers enthusiastically agreed. Hawai`i is considered an ideal meeting point between Japan and the US Mainland, while Hilo offers the additional benefits of a beautiful tropical setting at a fraction of the cost associated with other resort areas. The presence of UH Hilo also provides conference participants with access to enthusiastic colleagues and a top-notch conference center for making local arrangements.

Mathematical and Theoretical Biology is an explosively growing field. The purpose of the annual meeting is to highlight exciting areas of growth in the field internationally, and to provide a perspective on future directions for the field along with its links to Experimental Biology, Biotechnology and Medicine.

The conference will consist of plenary talks, minisymposia, contributed talks and poster sessions. Topics will include sessions on genomics, ecology, immunology, neurophysiology, and mathematical modeling in medicine. de Pillis for example, will discuss her research focusing on mathematically modeling both the growth and treatment of cancers. Her findings indicate that predictive modeling can aid clinicians in creating more effective treatment protocols.

The Society for Mathematical Biology and the Japan Association of Mathematical Biology provide a forum for discussion of research in biology, mathematical biology, and mathematics applied to or motivated by biology. Interdisciplinary research such as biophysics, computational biology, and many other similar realms are a growing part of the SMB and JAMB mandate.

For registration information, contact Mae Narimatsu at (808) 974-7555 or email mnarimat@hawaii.edu. For general information or special accommodations, contact the UH Hilo Conference Center at (808) 974-7555 (V), (808) 974-7335 (TTY) or email foxgolds@hawaii.edu. Special accommodation requests should be made at least ten business days prior to the event.

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