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Ecosystems embody a remarkable diversity of life, forming intricate networks that exhibit both stability and the potential for rapid change. These systems, governed by complex interactions among organisms and their environment, present a rich tapestry for scientific exploration. This Winter School on Quantitative Systems Biology (QSB) will dive into the heart of understanding how biodiversity underpins ecosystem stability, resilience, and the mechanisms that drive their dynamics. We will explore cutting-edge questions such as: How does biodiversity contribute to the robustness of ecosystems against perturbations? What are the underlying principles that predict the stability of ecosystems? What happens to ecosystem dynamics when they become unstable? And how can we model the interplay between species to understand potential critical or tipping points? Through a multidisciplinary approach that combines theory with data, participants will engage with the latest methodologies and tools in ...

Ecosystems embody a remarkable diversity of life, forming intricate networks that exhibit both stability and the potential for rapid change. These systems, governed by complex interactions among organisms and their environment, present a rich tapestry for scientific exploration. This Winter School on Quantitative Systems Biology (QSB) will dive into the heart of understanding how biodiversity underpins ecosystem stability, resilience, and the mechanisms that drive their dynamics. We will explore cutting-edge questions such as: How does biodiversity contribute to the robustness of ecosystems against perturbations? What are the underlying principles that predict the stability of ecosystems? What happens to ecosystem dynamics when they become unstable? And how can we model the interplay between species to understand potential critical or tipping points? Through a multidisciplinary approach that combines theory with data, participants will engage with the latest methodologies and tools in ...

The experimental detection of gravitational waves (GWs) due to the merger of astrophysical objects like black holes and neutron stars is one of the biggest discoveries in physics. The GWs can also be sourced from several other cosmological phenomena, and their amplitudes and frequencies vary in a wide range. The detection of these gravitational waves can potentially probe fundamental physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM) of particle physics and cosmology. For example, inflation is associated with several sources of tensor perturbations during inflation and the ones generated during reheating and preheating. Each of these propagates as detectable Stochastic GW background (SGWB) signals. Associated with inflation is also the collapse of density fluctuations to form Primordial Black Holes (PBH), leaving signatures in induced GWs and non-gaussianities. Cosmological first-order Phase Transitions (PT) during which the universe transitions from a false vacuum to a true vacuum leads to bubbl...

Event Description: Tales of pyramids and spheres: speaking volumes of CavalieriAbstract: We will explore the computation of volume of interesting solids using simple geometrical ideas and dimensional arguments. We will start with the unassuming pyramid and we will explore how dimensional arguments and extreme case reasoning allows us to approach the volume of a truncated pyramid. If you have ever wondered about the formula for the cone volume, we will see this in action by building a paper model and solving a puzzle. Following this, we will extend this idea to the volume of a sphere using the ideas of Cavalieri and discover how it has connections with another peculiar solid, which goes by many names, but one is called the Steinmetz solid! Depending on audience interest, we can draw connections to Mamikon’s sweeping tangent theorem and its connection to Cavalieri congruenceAbout the Speaker: Kaushik Basu is an instructor in Mathematics and Physics at the Graduate School of Education, Un...

Event Description: Tales of pyramids and spheres: speaking volumes of CavalieriAbstract: We will explore the computation of volume of interesting solids using simple geometrical ideas and dimensional arguments. We will start with the unassuming pyramid and we will explore how dimensional arguments and extreme case reasoning allows us to approach the volume of a truncated pyramid. If you have ever wondered about the formula for the cone volume, we will see this in action by building a paper model and solving a puzzle. Following this, we will extend this idea to the volume of a sphere using the ideas of Cavalieri and discover how it has connections with another peculiar solid, which goes by many names, but one is called the Steinmetz solid! Depending on audience interest, we can draw connections to Mamikon’s sweeping tangent theorem and its connection to Cavalieri congruenceAbout the Speaker: Kaushik Basu is an instructor in Mathematics and Physics at the Graduate School of Education, Un...