Abstract:

Outside of laboratories, microbial communities (biofilms and other types) often exist in relatively stable environments where, on average, resource quality and quantity are predictable. Under such conditions, these communities are able to organize into tuned chemical factories, efficiently turning resources into biomass and waste byproducts. To do so, physical, chemical, and biological constraints must be accommodated, resulting in a system naturally amenable to mathematical description. In this seminar, examples of such systems will be discussed.

Bio:

Isaac Klapper is interested mathematical applications in the physical and biological sciences, particularly those with connections to fluid dynamics. While he has worked with mathematical problems arising in solar magnetohydrodynamics, especially some related to dynamo activity, his current focus is on study of mixed physical and ecological issues in microbial communities such as biofilms and microbial mats.