Mathematical biology is set to become a key focus of future scientific
research in Australia and worldwide, due to the enormous technological
advances in our ability to generate genetic data that have occurred over
the past 1-2 years. The Adelaide Conference on Mathematical Evolutionary
Biology aims to bridge the current gap between the fields of modern biological
research and applied mathematical research in Australia, particularly
in the study of phylogeny and molecular evolution. This 5 day conference
is the first of an annual series which is designed to develop research
collaborations within mathematical evolutionary biology, and is closely
related to the very successful New Zealand Phylogenetics Meeting series
(see http://www.math.canterbury.ac.nz/bio/whitianga08/).
The leading researchers from the NZ series will attend the Adelaide meeting
to facilitate communication between the mathematical and biological fields
- identifying key conceptual and terminology differences, and over-coming
the domain barriers which currently prevent interaction of these groups
within Australia.
The meeting will feature a mix of general/introductory talks with discussions
of work in progress and the presentation of current biological problems/analytical
methods. Attendance will be limited to 50 places to generate an informal
collaborative atmosphere. Talks will be short, with extended breaks to
encourage interaction and discussion, along with social BBQ's at the caves
and other events (local wine tours, cave trips). Key topic areas will
include phylogenetics, evolutionary rates and dates, coalescent models,
population genetics, phylogenetic networks, evolutionary theory/models,
search algorithms.
Attendance is very limited, and accommodation and flights will be heavily
booked after the Easter break, so please plan well in advance. There will
be a limit of 25 talks over the duration of the conference and students
are encouraged to attend and present talks in the Student Symposium on
Thursday evening.
Conference Coordinators
We kindly thank the following Sponsors
Alan Cooper School of Earth & Environmental Sciences (Ancient DNA)
Jack Da
Silva School of Molecular & Biomedical Science (Genetics)
Jim Denier School of Mathematical Sciences (Applied Mathematics)
Nigel Bean School of Mathematical Sciences (Applied Mathematics)
This event is sponsored by the Australian Mathematical
Sciences Institute (AMSI). AMSI allocates a travel allowance annually
to each of its member universities (for list of members, see www.amsi.org.au/membership.php).
Students or early career researchers from AMSI member universities without
access to a suitable research grant or other sources of funding may
apply to their Head of Department or Head of Discipline for subsidy
of travel, accommodation and registration fee for this event<quote
Adelaide Conference on Mathematical Evolutionary Biology> out of
the departmental travel allowance.
Daily Planner
25 -30 March, 2008, last update 21/3/08
Speakers in order of presentation during the
week
Barbara Holland,Exploratory
analyses of phylogenetic data using splits and networks Allen Rodrigo, Trees, trees, trees: big, super and
diverse Mike Hendy,Mathematical Introduction to Phylogenetics David Penny,Some applications of mathematics
for phylogenetics Nigel Bean, The Markovian Binary Tree: A (possible) Model
of the Macroevolutionary Process Charles Pearce, Coalescence - a primer William Wilson, A Sequence Space microarray for genome
sampling in any vertebrate species John Sved, Using linkage disequilibrium to estimate
effective separation times for human populations Aaron Darling, An introduction to genome arrangement
phylogeny: theory, practice, and nature Sandie Degnan, Riding the "Gene Express"…
but, to where? Lars Jermiin, New methods of detecting violated phylogenetic
assumptions
Shlomo Moran,Adaptive Fast Convergence - Towards Optimal
Reconstruction Guarantees for Phylogenetic Trees Matthew Phillips, Branch-length estimation bias misleads
molecular dating for a vertebrate mitochondrial phylogeny Michael Charleston, Quick-Mix Likelihood Jessica Metcalf, Incorporating Geographic Information
Systems and Ecological Niche Modeling into Phylogenetic Hypotheses Alan Cooper, The evolutionary rates curve: What causes
it and can we do anything about it? Leon Poladian, On the use of Single-and Multi-objective
Optimization in Phylogenetic Studies and the Evolution of Primates Allen Rodrigo, Computational Biology of HIV Minh Duc Cao, A biological compression algorithm and
its application to phylogenetic study (Student talk) Robin Holliday, The evolution of sex Remko Leijs, Regressive evolution of an eye pigment
gene in independently evolved eyeless subterranean diving beetles:
application of a pseudo-gene for estimation of environmental transition
times. Kyle Armstrong,Differences in the echolocation frequency
of isolated geographic groups of rhinolophoid bats: searching for
their causes, and role in speciation Zach Aandahl,Approximate Bayesian Computation (Student
talk) Cheong Xin Chan,Units of genetic transfer in Staphylococcus
(Student talk) Nic Rawlence, Temporal population demographics of heavy-footed
moa (Pachyornis elephantopus) in relation to climate and habitat
change in South Island, New Zealand (Student talk)
Mike Hendy,Genetic Gems from Genomic Junk - the Nested
T Alan Cooper, Does DNA evidence support a Polynesian origin
for South American chickens? Jack da Silva,Fitness Epistasis and Fitness Landscapes
in a Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Protein Region
Area of research:"All organisms carry their
history in their genes"
Allen Rodrigo, Professor of Computational
Biology and Bioinformatics and Director of New Zealand's Bioinformatics
Institute at the University of Auckland, NZ
Area of research:Bioinformatics and computational
biology, phylogenetics and evolutionary genetics, and the molecular
evolution of viruses.
Area of research: Phylogenetics, evolutionary
rates, combinatorics
Due to personal commitments, Peter Lockhart is
no longer able to attend the conference as originally advertised.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
Barbara Holland has kindly offered to
present as a Keynote Speaker
Venue
This 5 day conference will be held at Naracoorte,
South Australia, Blanche Cave. Naracoorte is located midway between
Adelaide and Melbourne and hosts the World Heritage Listed Naracoorte Caves.
Blanch Cave is one among 26 caves in the Naracoorte Park, although not all
are open to the public. The cave consists of three large chambers and has
been used for many cultural events and it is within one of these chambers
that our daily presentations will take place. Significant megafauna fossil
deposits are contained within the cave and ancient marine fossils can be
seen in the cave walls including colossal columns and stalagmites within
the chambers.
Registration
Standard Conference registration AUD $200.00 (includes bus transfers,
lunches and BBQs)
Student Conference registration AUD $ 100.00 (includes bus transfers,
lunches and BBQs)
No single day registration available.
Registration form download
here. We are still taking registrationsuntil the end
of February or until conference is full.
Abstract: If you are interested in presenting a general introductory
talk on a particular area, email your abstract to Maria (refer to contact
details below) by 25th February. There is a limit of 25 talks during
the conference (excluding Student Sessions on Thursday evening).
Complete, sign and return the registration form via fax (or copy by email)
or post, with payment to:
Maria Lekis
The University of Adelaide, School of Earth & Environmental Sciences
Darling Building, North Terrace Campus
South Australia 5005
AUSTRALIA
Delegates should look to make their own accommodation bookings. Please
refer to details below as we have negotiated a special discount rate for
delegates of this conference with a few companies. You have the option
of a hotel/motel style situated at Naracoorte city, a 20 minute drive
from Blanche Cave (conference site). A daily bus shuttle will be specifically
organised for this conference that will collect and transfer delegates
from Naracoorte Town Hall to the conference site and return. Please note
pick-up times under the heading 'Transport'. Outside these times, the
bus shuttle will not operate and therefore you should plan for a 1-2 hour
walk to or back from the conference site should you miss the shuttle.
Tip: look for accommodation within close walking distance to the
Naracoorte Town
Hall - 95 Smith Street, Naracoorte.
Country Roads Motor Inn, call toll free +61 180 008 8363: Web: http://countryroadsnaracoorte.com.au/.
Price for standard single $89. Call to make bookings and quote 'University
of Adelaide Conference'
Comfort Inn, William MacIntosh, Ph + 61 8 8762 1644
Naracoorte Holiday Park Cabins, Ph +61 8762 2128
Naracoorte Hotel Motel, Ph +61 8762 2400. Single room rates with
shared bathroom facilities $35.00 per night and $55.00 for twin share.
Web: http://www.naracoortehotel.com.au/
Visit the Naracoorte Visitor Information Centre for additional Hotel/Motels
here
Alternatively, for those wishing to camp there is a camping ground
situated by Blanche Cave. Delegates must bring own tents. Separate female
and male shower and toilet facilities with power sites are available.
Cost is $6 per tent per night. Contact 08 8762 2340 and quote the conference
name to place a booking at the special camp rate. Please note:
Naracoorte Park has a purpose built camp site therefore you will be
sharing the grounds with other travelers/visitors.
Transport
Transfers from Adelaide to Naracoorte and return is available to delegates
as part of their registration fee. Note this covers a transfer only at
the start and end dates of the conference - depart Adelaide to Naracoorte
Tuesday 25th March around 10am, pickup venue TBC and return Sunday 30th
March, depart Naracoorte around 9:30am and transfer to Adelaide City.
Rest break at Keith. Allow for a 5 hour drive.
Delegates who choose to arrive or depart outside the start and end dates
of the conference will have to make their own travel arrangement to Naracoort/return. Premier
Stateliner Coach operates a daily bus service (Mon-Sat) departing
Adelaide at 8:15am. Price is around $57.00 per person. Depart from Adelaide
Terminal, 85 Franklin Street, Adelaide City.
Return from Naracoorte to Adelaide City Bus service operates daily Mon-Sat,
departing Naracoorte at 9:30am from Battery Service Centre, 170 Smith
Street Naracoorte. Please make bookings in advance to avoid the hassle
of booking on the day. Check their online booking here
to confirm travel times as these may differ to what is quoted above. Premier Stateliner Coach contact phone +61 8 8415 5555 or Email:
reservations@premierstateliner.com.au
There will be a daily bus shuttle to transfer delegates from their hotel/motel
to Blanche Cave(conference site): Delegates should be ready outside
their hotel/motel ready for pickup by 8:30am during conference days for
a 9:30am start at Blanche Cave
Conference Coordinators
