Mathematics Graduate Student Colloquium

MGSC Website: http://math.uci.edu/~mgsc/

A Free-Boundary Problem with Applications in Pharmaceuticals

Micah Webster
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
4:00 pm - 4:50 pm
MSTB 114

Talk Abstract:

In controlled release pharmaceuticals, it is important to understand how a drug will diffuse through its storage device, a polymer. In many cases, the interaction between the polymer and chemical exhibits a phenomenon termed "Case II" diffusion. After a brief introduction to free-boundary problems and Case II diffusion, we give motivation for a new two-dimensional model. Next, using the Case II diffusion model as an example, we focus on the questions (and hopefully the answers) graduate students encounter when dealing with mathematical models. Furthermore, we relate graduate course work to the specific research questions posed in the presentation.

About the Speaker:

Micah Webster is a fifth-year graduate student here at UCI. He earned his B.S. in mathematics at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) in 2002 and his M.S. in mathematics at UCI in 2004. His research interests include free boundary problems with onset of a new phase, stability analysis of special solutions, and numerics.

Refreshments:

Pizza will be served after the talk.