For our first podcast episode, we gathered 3 math experts that apply mathematical modeling to better understand biology.

Dr. Vegard Vinje - Simula research laboratory
How sleep and breathing affects your brain - Mathematical modeling and simulations
The cerebrospinal fluid is a water-like fluid that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord. Recent research suggest that this water helps the brain get rid of waste products. Some of these waste products are associated with diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. In our research, we have shown, through the combination of experiments and simulations that not only the heart but also breathing affects fluid of cerebrospinal fluid flow. We have also shown experimentally that clearance from the brain is faster during sleep than awake. He discusses the implications of these studies and talks about how we can use mathematics and computational modeling to help answer questions regarding fluid mechanics of the brain.

Mr. Jonas Verhellen - University of Oslo
His research focuses on applying computational techniques based on applied mathematics to a range of life sciences topics. These research topics include modelling of neuronal behavior in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, nature-inspired quality-diversity techniques in medicinal drug design, and deep learning for protein structures and interpretation of neuronal signals. Before his current position as PhD researcher at UiO, he worked in the pharmaceutical industry in London (applying deep learning to drug design) and as a research assistant at the University of Ghent on quantum field theory and quantum information theory

Ass. Prof. Leiv Øyehaug - Department of Computer Science, OsloMet
Getting the numbers right - from π to zebra stripes
Numerous civilizations were at an advanced mathematics level already many thousand years ago. For example, Archimedes estimated quite accurately the value of π, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, approximately 250 BC. Throughout its history, most mathematics has been developed when applied to problems from other disciplines. Today, most sciences employ mathematical methods and mathematical thinking. Mathematics is crucial when it comes to understanding the dynamics of the pandemic and global warming but also contributes to improving medical treatments, can explain how animals develop from embryos to adult organisms, and is the basis of artificial intelligence algorithms.

Project Owner: Lavinia de Ferri
Host: Matthew Davidson
Recording: Praveensankar Manimaran & Thibaud Freyd
Editing: Thibaud Freyd
Marketing: Agnieszka Cuprys