[BBC] Workshop in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. "When modelers meet biologists: why modeling should become instrumental in plant biology."

[Roeland Merks]

[Apologies for cross posting]

Workshop:
When modelers meet biologists: a series of case studies illustrating why
modeling should become instrumental in plant biology. Not a "How to?"
but a "What for?"

The Belgian Plant Science Doctoral School organizes a workshop on plant
modeling, September 8 and 9, 2008, in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium,
http://www.eddsaib.org/plant_science.  This workshop is a partner event
to the summer school "Computational and Mathematical Modeling for Plant
Systems Biology", September 1-5, VIB Department of Plant Systems Biology
and Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. See
http://www.psb.ugent.be/plantmodels.

The Ghent summer school will give both a scientific and practical
introduction to modelling in plant sciences, going from the molecular
level up to the level of the whole plant. The follow-up workshop in
Louvain-la-Neuve shows participants what modelling has to offer to the
plant sciences, without giving a practical introduction. It focuses on
whole plant models and physiological and tissue-level models.

The programs of both events are included below.

------
When modelers meet biologists: a series of case studies illustrating why
modeling should become instrumental in plant biology. Not a "How to?"
but a "What for?".

Organizers:
Xavier Draye, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Claire Périlleux, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium
Roeland Merks, VIB Plant Systems Biology and Ghent University, Ghent,
Belgium

September 8-9, 2008, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve,
Belgium. Organized by the "Plant Science" Doctoral School of the belgian
scientific community (FRS-FNRS).

This workshop is organized for PhD students or researchers looking for
an introduction to what computational modeling is offering to plant
science. It is not a practical initiation to modeling.

Session 1 : Models of plant structure and growth dynamics

Loïc Pagès, INRA Avignon, 3D-models of plant structure
Jean-François Ledent, University of Louvain, Modelling growth and the
genesis of plant 3D geometry of maize.

Session 2 : Models that bring structure and function : from cells to crops

Roeland Merks, University of Ghent, Cell-based, biomechanical tissue
modeling in plant research
Gerhard Buck-Sorlin, Wageningen UR, Virtual Rose - A
Functional-Structural Plant Model to predict crop quality and quantity
of cut roses

Session 3 : Eco-physiological models

Kathy Steppe, University of Ghent, The added value of plant modelling
for ecophysiological research
Gaby Deckmyn, University of Antwerp, Complex physiological models as
tools for forestry: why choose the hard way?"

Session 4 : Modeling plant-environment interactions

Mathieu Javaux, University of Louvain, Forward and inverse 3-D root
water uptake modelling based on a deterministic water flux model in soil
and roots
Achim Walter, Juelich Research Centrum, Leaf and root growth dynamics:
How can plant organs reach their full growth potential in a dynamically
fluctuating environment?

For more information and registration, please visit :

http://www.eddsaib.org/plant_science

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Summer school: Computational and Mathematical Modeling for Plant Systems
Biology
September 1-5, 2008, VIB Department of Plant Systems Biology and Ghent
University, Ghent, Belgium

http://www.psb.ugent.be/plantmodels

Plant science is evolving from a reductionistic view on gene function to
an integrated systems biology approach, in which gene functions are
studied in the context of the dynamic behavior of physiological,
cellular, or developmental processes. Mathematical and computational
modeling play a central role in this multiscale systems biology approach.

This summer school will bring together a wide range of computational
systems biologists, working on problems at different organizational
levels, relevant to plant biologists. The course will start with
phenomena occurring at the subcellular and cellular scale, including
photosynthesis, cell cycle regulation and the organization of the
cytoskeleton. Then it will gradually "scale up" to the tissue, organ,
and whole plant levels. It will conclude with pattern formation in
tissues, the mechanics of growth, and whole plant development and
evolution.


Organizers:
Roeland Merks
Gerrit Beemster
Dirk Inzé
  VIB Plant Systems Biology and Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

Xavier Draye
  Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium


Roeland Merks (roeland.merks at psb.ugent.be)
Gerrit Beemster
Dirk Inzé
VIB Plant Systems Biology and Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

Xavier Draye
Université Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium


Monday, 1st September 2008

Genetic and metabolic networks

10:00-11:00 Xin-Guang Zhu (Urbana, IL, USA). Dynamic models of
photosynthetic metabolism

11:15-12:15 Joe Pomerening (Bloomington, IN, USA). Coupled positive and
negative feedback loops drive transitions in embryonic and somatic cell
cycles


Tuesday, 2nd September 2008

Single cell shape and mechanics

10:00-11:00 François Nédélec (Heidelberg, Germany). Models of
microtubule organization in fission yeast
11:15-12:15 Bela Mulder (Amsterdam/Wageningen, Netherlands). Modelling
cellulose biosynthesis and plant cell wall architecture



Wednesday, 3rd September 2008

Multicellular pattern formation

9:00-10:00 Hans Meinhardt (Tübingen, Germany). Models of biological
pattern formation applied to plant development
10:15-11:15 Verônica Grieneisen (Utrecht, Netherlands). Auxin fluxes in
the developing root.
11:30-12:30 Richard Smith (Bern, Switzerland). Simulation models of
auxin transport-based patterning in plants.


Thursday, 4th September 2008

Plant growth mechanics

10:00-11:00 Alain Goriely (University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA).
Continuum models of plant growth and remodeling
11:15-12:15 Roeland Merks (VIB Department of Plant Systems Biology,
Ghent, Belgium). Cell-centered modeling of plant tissues


Friday, 5th September 2008

Whole plant development and evolution.

10:00-11:00 Xavier Draye (Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium). Model integration:
building multidisciplinary, soil, plant and atmosphere models
11:15:12:00 Przemyslaw Prusinkiewicz (Calgary, Canada). Whole plant
modeling and evo-devo of plants

-- 
==================================================================
Roeland Merks
Group Leader "Plant Systems Modeling"
Tel:32 (0)9 3313823                            Fax:32 (0)9 3313809
VIB DEPARTMENT OF PLANT SYSTEMS BIOLOGY, UGent
Technologiepark 927, 9052 Gent, BELGIUM
roeland.merks at psb.ugent.be                 http://www.psb.ugent.be
==================================================================