BEGIN:VCALENDAR
PRODID:-//planitpurple.northwestern.edu//iCalendar Event//EN
VERSION:2.0
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
CLASS:PUBLIC
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/Chicago
TZURL:http://tzurl.org/zoneinfo-outlook/America/Chicago
X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Chicago
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0600
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:CDT
DTSTART:19700308T020000
RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=2SU
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0600
TZNAME:CST
DTSTART:19701101T020000
RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=11;BYDAY=1SU
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
SEQUENCE:0
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260602T083000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260602T170000
DTSTAMP:20260514T040837Z
SUMMARY:Extreme Events in Biological Function
UID:631549@northwestern.edu
TZID:America/Chicago
DESCRIPTION: Biological systems often operate with surprising precision across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales\, despite influence from noisy or weak signals. From immune cells detecting rare pathogens to animals navigating vast landscapes with minimal cues\, these systems appear to leverage--rather than avoid--randomness. Traditional views treat noise as a disruptive force\, but emerging research suggests that rare and extreme events can instead be harnessed as constructive elements\, providing deterministic-like behavior in otherwise stochastic environments.     This workshop aims to bring together experts in applied stochastic processes and biological dynamics to explore the critical yet underdeveloped role of extreme and rare events in enabling reliable biological function. Key biological questions include how neurons transmit signals across crowded synapses\, how immune cells detect rare pathogens\, and how stochastic extinction events influence the dynamics of cancer or HIV. Beyond physical domains\, the workshop will also address rare events in abstract biological spaces such as evolutionary fitness landscapes and decision-making processes. Mathematical approaches central to this work include extreme value theory\, large deviation theory\, ergodic theory\, optimal transport\, mean-field theory\, and rare event sampling techniques. Through this interdisciplinary lens\, the workshop aims to advance both theory and application in understanding how biological systems capitalize on rare events for robust function. The program will include research talks and lightning talks\, and will have ample time for participants to foster collaborations.\n\nMore Info: https://www.nitmb.org/extreme-events-workshop\n\nRegister: https://www.nitmb.org/extreme-events-workshop
LOCATION:Suite 3500\, Chicago\, IL 60611
TRANSP:OPAQUE
URL:https://www.nitmb.org/extreme-events-workshop
CREATED:20250818T050000Z
STATUS:CONFIRMED
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T050000Z
PRIORITY:0
BEGIN:VALARM
TRIGGER:-PT10M
ACTION:DISPLAY
DESCRIPTION:Reminder
END:VALARM
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR