Plenary talks
Invited speakers opened and closed the day, giving the whole community a shared frame for the work presented in parallel sessions.
See the keynote slotsSociety for Mathematical Biology
A global meeting, held entirely online.
In August 2020 the Society for Mathematical Biology gathered its community across time zones for four days of plenary talks, minisymposia, contributed sessions, posters, and mentoring. This archive keeps that program in one place.
DatesAugust 17 to 20, 2020
FormatFully online
ClockUS Eastern time
AccessFree preregistration
01
Why this meeting mattered
The 2020 meeting was planned as a joint gathering in Heidelberg. When that plan could not proceed, the society chose a different route: a complete virtual program in the same week, open to members around the world. The decision did more than rescue a calendar entry. It tested how a scientific community could meet, argue, and mentor when everyone was apart.
The week also arrived at a moment when mathematical biology was unusually visible. Models of infectious disease were part of public conversation, and the society had a chance to show how careful modelling works, where it helps, and where its limits begin.
The archive preserves the program, the poster record, and the reasoning behind the virtual format. It does not reproduce the original conference text or media.
02
How the week was built
Minisymposia
Short talks on a single theme, assembled by subgroup organizers around questions of current importance in mathematical biology.
Meet the subgroupsContributed talks
Independent presentations, grouped by subject, with time set aside for discussion after each talk.
Open the session listPosters
A dedicated block each afternoon for browsing posters and meeting presenters in the virtual rooms.
Browse every poster03
Nine scientific communities
The meeting was organized through the society's subgroups. Each community shaped its own sessions and poster block while sharing one plenary program.
04
The week, day by day
16 sessions
Opening plenary, subgroup minisymposia, contributed talks, the first poster block, and a population dynamics keynote.
Open Monday20 sessions
Epidemiology keynote, oncology and immunobiology sessions, a second poster block, and an oncology keynote.
Open Tuesday25 sessions
Education and methods keynotes, the broadest session day, the society business meeting, and a third poster block.
Open Wednesday15 sessions
Neuroscience, immunobiology, and cell biology keynotes, the final contributed sessions, and the closing plenary.
Open Thursday05
Mentoring was part of the design
The society has long treated mentoring as part of its scientific work. In 2020 that commitment moved into the virtual rooms: a workshop for trainees, a matching program for mentors and mentees, and a designated lunch where pairs could meet.
The workshop covered the practical side of a virtual conference, the transition from postdoc to faculty, the tenure process, and a panel on careers beyond the campus.
Sunday, August 16
The mentoring workshop ran from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm US Eastern time, the day before the main program.
06
The people who organized it
The program was assembled by an international committee drawn from the society's subgroups and partner institutions.
- Heiko EnderlingCo Chair, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, USA
- Amber SmithCo Chair, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, USA
- Sandy AndersonH. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, USA
- Ruth BakerUniversity of Oxford, UK
- Denise KirschnerUniversity of Michigan, USA
- Torbjörn LundhChalmers and University of Gothenburg, Sweden
- John NardiniNC State University, USA
- Marissa RenardyUniversity of Michigan, USA
- Santiago SchnellUniversity of Michigan, USA
- Elissa SchwartzWashington State University, USA
- Jeffrey WestH. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, USA
- Ping YeSouth Dakota State University, USA
07
Platforms that made it possible
Sococo
A spatial meeting environment for poster browsing, small group conversation, and informal networking during the week.
How the rooms workedZoom
The live room for plenary lectures, minisymposia, and contributed sessions, with support for remote presenters.
Read the session guideSlack
The shared channel for announcements, schedule changes, and help during the meeting.
See the support notesThe program is still open to read
Start with the schedule, follow a day, or browse the poster record by community.