The Society for Mathematical Biology (SMB) is an international association co-founded in 1972 in the United States by George Karreman, Herbert Daniel Landahl and (initially chaired) by Anthony Bartholomay for the furtherance of joint scientific activities between Mathematics and Biology research communities.[1][2] The society publishes the Bulletin of Mathematical Biology,[3][4] as well as the quarterly SMB newsletter.[5]
The Society for Mathematical Biology emerged and grew from the earlier school of mathematical biophysics, initiated and supported by the Founder of Mathematical Biology, Nicolas Rashevsky.[6][7] Thus, the roots of SMB go back to the publication in 1939 of the first international journal of mathematical biology, previously entitled "The Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics"—which was founded by Nicolas Rashevsky, and which is currently published by SMB under the name of "Bulletin of Mathematical Biology".[8] Professor Rashevsky also founded in 1969 the non-profit organization "Mathematical Biology, Incorporated"—the precursor of SMB. Another notable member of the University of Chicago school of mathematical biology was Anatol Rapoport whose major interests were in developing basic concepts in the related area of mathematical sociology, who cofounded the Society for General Systems Research and became a president of the latter society in 1965. Herbert D. Landahl was initially also a member of Rashevsky's school of mathematical biology, and became the second president of SMB in the 1980s; both Herbert Landahl and Robert Rosen from Rashevsky's research group were focused on dynamical systems approaches to complex systems biology, with the latter researcher becoming in 1980 the president of the Society for General Systems Research.
Leadership
The Society for Mathematical Biology is governed by its Officers and Board of Directors, elected by the membership. Current SMB President is Reinhard Laubenbacher (University of Florida), and Past-President serving as vice president is Jane Heffernan (York University). SMB secretary is Brandilyn Stigler (Southern Methodist University), and treasurer is Claus Kadelka (Iowa State University). The current Board of Directors is composed of Jessica Conway (Penn State University), Padmini Rangamani (University of California San Diego), Amina Eladdadi (The College of St Rose), Jennifer Flegg (University of Melbourne), Robyn Araujo (University of Melbourne), and Richard Bertram (Florida State University).
In addition to its research and news publications, the society supports education in: mathematical biology, mathematical biophysics, complex systems biology and theoretical biology through sponsorship of several topic-focused graduate and postdoctoral courses. To encourage and stimulate young researchers in this relatively new and rapidly developing field of mathematical biology, the society awards several prizes, as well as lists regularly new open international opportunities for researchers and students in this field.[9]
Bulletin of Mathematical Biology
The society publishes the Bulletin of Mathematical Biology. The Bulletin was founded by Dr. Nicolas Rashevsky, who is generally recognized as the founder of the first organized group in mathematical biology in the world. The journal was originally published as the Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics, and quickly became the classical journal in general mathematical biology and served as the principal natural publication outlet for the majority of mathematical biologists. Many classical papers have appeared in the Bulletin, and several of these are familiar to biologists. It has become an important avenue for the exchange and transmission of new ideas and approaches to biological problems and incorporates both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of mathematical models and characterizations of biological processes and systems.[10]
Dr. Rashevsky remained the editor of the Bulletin until his death on January 16, 1972.
Nicolas Rashevsky. 1965. The Representation of Organisms in Terms of Predicates, Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics27: 477–491.
Nicolas Rashevsky. 1969, Outline of a Unified Approach to Physics, Biology and Sociology., Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics31: 159–198.
Elsasser, M.W.: 1981, A Form of Logic Suited for Biology., In: Robert, Rosen, ed., Progress in Theoretical Biology, Volume 6, Academic Press, New York and London, pp.23–62.
Rosen, R. 1958a, A Relational Theory of Biological Systems., Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics20: 245–260.
Rosen, R. 1958b, The Representation of Biological Systems from the Standpoint of the Theory of Categories., Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics20: 317–341.
Warren McCulloch and Walter Pitts, "A Logical Calculus of Ideas Immanent in Nervous Activity", 1943, Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics 5:115-133.
Warren McCulloch and Walter Pitts, "On how we know universals: The perception of auditory and visual forms", 1947, Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics 9:127-147.
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