Colloquium, 10/19/2012

Traveling Waves in a Spatial SIRS Model

Dr. Shangbing Ai

Department of Mathematical Sciences
University of Alabama in Huntsville

19 October 2012
Shelby Center 218
3:00 PM (Refreshments at 2:30)

Abstract

Reaction-diffusion equations and integro-differential equations have been developed in modeling the spatial spread of infectious diseases. Roughly speaking, the former are derived based on local interaction and short range dispersal of individuals in a population, and the latter are derived from nonlocal interactions and long range dispersal of the individuals. Traveling wave solutions of these models have been used to describe the invading progress and speeds of diseases to uninfected regions. In this talk, we discuss a non-local distributed-contacts model (a spatial analog of a spatially uniform SIRS model) and its traveling waves.