V63.0256: Computers in Medicine and Biology
| Term: | Spring 2011 |
| Lectures: | TTh 2:00pm-3:15pmin WWH |
| Recitations: | Thu 8:00pm-9:15pm in WWH |
| Instructor: | Prof. Charles Peskin |
| Office: | WWH 917 |
| Office hours: | TBA |
| Phone: | 212-998-3126 |
| Email: | peskin@cims.nyu.edu |
Prerequisites
V63.0255 Mathematics in Medicine and Biology, or permission of the instructor. Familiarity with a programming language is recommended. The language used in the course will be MATLAB, but prior experience with MATLAB is not required.
Course description
This interdisciplinary course introduces students to the use of computer simulation as a tool for investigating biological phenomena. The course requirement is to construct three computer models during the semester, to report on results to the class, and to hand in a writeup describing each project. These projects can be done individually, or as part of a team. Topics discussed in class are the circulation of the blood, gas exchange in the lung, electrophysiology of neurons and neural networks, the renal countercurrent mechanism, cross-bridge dynamics in muscle, and the dynamics of epidemic and endemic diseases. Projects are normally chosen from this list, but may be chosen otherwise by students with other interests.
Course Details
Textbook and Materials
Modeling and Simulation in Medicine and the Life Sciences, Second Edition,
Frank C. Hoppensteadt and Charles Peskin, Springer-Verlag, 2002.
(This text
describes MATLAB programs which can be downloaded from the internet
and used as a starting point for student projects.)
It is also recommended but not required to purchase a book on MATLAB, for example, Hunt BR et al., A Guide to MATLAB: For Beginners and Experienced Users. Second Edition. Cambridge University Press, 2006.
Homework and Exams
The sole requirement of the course is to do the three computing projects mentioned in the course description. There will be no other homework, and no exam. Students may work on these projects individually or as part of a team.
Grading policy
Grades will be based on the oral presentations and written reports on the projects. When a project is done by a team, all members of the team receive the same grade for that project. The three projects have equal weight in determining the final grade.
Calendar
| Week | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction |
| 2 | Blood Circulation |
| 3 | Gas Exchange in the Lungs |
| 4 | Project 1 Presentations |
| 5 | Electrophysiology of Neurons and Neural Networks |
| 6 | Renal Countercurrent Mechanism |
| 7 | Cross-Bridge Dynamics in Muscle |
| 8 | Project 2 Presentations |
| 9 | Epidemic Disease Modeling |
| 10 | Endemic Disease Modeling |
| 11 | Malaria and the Evolution of the Sickle-Cell Gene |
| 12 | Project 3 Presentations |