*************** ANNOUNCEMENT **********************
* University of Utah Mathematical Biology Seminar *
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Tuesday, April 20 at 4 pm in JTB 110


Speaker:  Inon Cohen (Tel-Aviv University)

Title:  Bacterial cooperation and colonial pattern formation


Abstract: 

Grown in favorable growth conditions bacteria might look like simple
unicellular organisms.  In more hostile environments, as in nature,
the bacteria utilize sophisticated cooperative behavior and intricate
means of communication.  During the development of bacterial colonies
and in response to adverse growth conditions, these cooperation
capabilities are expressed in complex spatio-temporal patterns.  Such
colonies are better described as communities rather then a collection
of entities.  We use various models to study these colonies and to
reveal novel survival strategies, strategies which account for the
salient features of the evolved patterns.  Reaction-diffusion models
with non-linear diffusion demonstrate the cooperation in some of the
patterns and help us predict new means of communication.  In other
models we replace the field description by self-propelled interacting
entities, to study more complex means of cooperation.  Using the
models, we demonstrate how communication leads to self-organization
via cooperative behavior of the cells.