The Department of Chemistry at the University of Kentucky organizes an annual Symposium on Chemistry and Molecular Biology.  This Symposium was established in honor of Anna S. Naff, a University of Kentucky graduate, through the generous support of Dr. Benton Naff of NIH. The Symposium has an interdisciplinary character and is attended by students and faculty from Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, Pharmacy, Engineering, Agriculture and Medicine. The Symposium features renowned experts from around the world, including Nobel prize-winning scientists and is attended by faculty and students from colleges and universities in Kentucky and the contiguous States.

The Symposium will be held in the William T. Young Library on the University of Kentucky campus. A poster session will be held in conjunction with the Symposium.

Abstract: As biology has become a data-rich science, more biological phenomena have become amenable to modeling and analysis using mathematical and statistical methods. At the same time, more mathematical areas have developed applications in the biosciences, in particular algebra, discrete mathematics, topology, and geometry. This talk will present some case studies from algebra and discrete mathematics applied to the construction and analysis of dynamic models of biological networks. Some emerging themes will be highlighted, outlining a broader research agenda at the interface of biology and algebra and discrete mathematics. No special knowledge in any of these fields is required to follow the presentation.