DIMACS Computational and Mathematical Epidemiology Seminar Series


Title: Different Scales of BioDefense - Can societies be both safe and efficient?

Speaker: Nina Fefferman, DIMACS and Tufts University

Date: February 13, 2006 12:00 - 1:30 pm

Location: DIMACS Center, CoRE Bldg, Room 431, Rutgers University, Busch Campus, Piscataway, NJ


Abstract:

Societal structure and social organization shape the types of social interactions expected within a population. These interactions, in turn, are the means by which infectious diseases are spread. The question then arises: Are there ways to structure societies so as to maximize robustness to disease? Maybe by minimizing the numbers of infections, or deaths, or economic costs, or the breakdown of societal infrastructure, or even by minimizing the long-term effect to population growth? These problems (and their potential solutions) occur on a variety of scales: individual, neighborhood, company, local, national, international - each probably leads to a different robustness goal. We'll examine a few models that focus on different scales of disease spread and look at their society-level implications.

see: DIMACS Computational and Mathematical Epidemiology Seminar Series 2005 - 2006