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Equations of the End: Teaching Mathematical Modeling Using the Zombie Apocalypse

    Authors: Eric T. Lofgren1,*, Kristy M. Collins2, Tara C. Smith3, Reed A. Cartwright4
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    Affiliations: 1: Network Dynamics and Simulation Science Laboratory, Biocomplexity Institute of Virginia Tech, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061; 2: Biocomplexity Institute of Virginia Tech, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061; 3: College of Public Health, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242; 4: School of Life Sciences and the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287
    AUTHOR AND ARTICLE INFORMATION AUTHOR AND ARTICLE INFORMATION
    • Published 01 March 2016
    • ©2016 Author(s). Published by the American Society for Microbiology.

    • [open-access] This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode), which grants the public the nonexclusive right to copy, distribute, or display the published work.
    • Supplemental materials available at http://jmbe.asm.org
    • *Corresponding author. Mailing address: Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health, 240 SE Ott Road, Room 311, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164. Phone: 303-912-2595. Fax: 509-335-6328. E-mail: [email protected].
    Source: J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. March 2016 vol. 17 no. 1 137-142. doi:10.1128/jmbe.v17i1.1066
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    Abstract:

    Mathematical models of infectious diseases are a valuable tool in understanding the mechanisms and patterns of disease transmission. It is, however, a difficult subject to teach, requiring both mathematical expertise and extensive subject-matter knowledge of a variety of disease systems. In this article, we explore several uses of zombie epidemics to make mathematical modeling and infectious disease epidemiology more accessible to public health professionals, students, and the general public. We further introduce a web-based simulation, White Zed (http://cartwrig.ht/apps/whitezed/), that can be deployed in classrooms to allow students to explore models before implementing them. In our experience, zombie epidemics are familiar, approachable, flexible, and an ideal way to introduce basic concepts of infectious disease epidemiology.

Key Concept Ranking

Infectious Diseases
0.8057098
Animal Reservoir
0.5665815
Asymptomatic Carriers
0.53125
Incubation Period
0.45406482
Herd Immunity
0.41501346
0.8057098

References & Citations

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5. Cummings P 2012 The neuropathology of Zombies Sinister Press Harrisonville, MO
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14. Lloyd AL 2009 Sensitivity of model-based epidemiological parameter estimation to model assumptions 123 141 Chowell G, Hyman JM, Betterncourt LMA, Castillo-Chavez C Mathematical and statistical estimation approaches in epidemiology Springer Dordrecht, Germany 10.1007/978-90-481-2313-1_6 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2313-1_6
15. Lofgren ET, et al 2014 Opinion: mathematical models: a key tool for outbreak response PNAS 111 18095 18096 10.1073/pnas.1421551111 25502594 4280577 http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1421551111
16. McCallum H, Barlow N, Hone J 2001 How should pathogen transmission be modeled? Trends Ecol Evol 16 295 300 10.1016/S0169-5347(01)02144-9 11369107 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0169-5347(01)02144-9
17. Medlock J, Galvani A 2009 Optimizing influenza vaccine distribution Science 325 1705 1708 10.1126/science.1175570 19696313 http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1175570
18. Pauls C, Solomon M 2012 Deck Z Chronicle Books San Francisco, CA
19. Press WH, Flannery BP, Teukolsky SA, Vetterling WT 2007 Numerical recipes: the art of scientific computing 3rd ed Cambridge University Press Cambridge
20. Rivers CM, Lofgren ET, Marathe M, Eubank S, Lewis BL 2014 Modeling the impact of interventions on an epidemic of Ebola in Sierra Leone and Liberia PLoS Curr 6 25914859 4399521
21. Romero G 1968 Night of the Living Dead The Walter Reade Organization
22. Smith TC 2015 Zombie infections: epidemiology, treatment and prevention BMJ 351 h6423 10.1136/bmj.h6423 http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h6423
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25. Yuen W 2012 The Walking Dead and Philosophy: Zombie Apocalypse Now Open Court Publishing Chicago
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2016-03-01
2019-10-23

Abstract:

Mathematical models of infectious diseases are a valuable tool in understanding the mechanisms and patterns of disease transmission. It is, however, a difficult subject to teach, requiring both mathematical expertise and extensive subject-matter knowledge of a variety of disease systems. In this article, we explore several uses of zombie epidemics to make mathematical modeling and infectious disease epidemiology more accessible to public health professionals, students, and the general public. We further introduce a web-based simulation, White Zed (http://cartwrig.ht/apps/whitezed/), that can be deployed in classrooms to allow students to explore models before implementing them. In our experience, zombie epidemics are familiar, approachable, flexible, and an ideal way to introduce basic concepts of infectious disease epidemiology.

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Author and Article Information

  • Published 01 March 2016
  • ©2016 Author(s). Published by the American Society for Microbiology.

  • [open-access] This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode), which grants the public the nonexclusive right to copy, distribute, or display the published work.
  • Supplemental materials available at http://jmbe.asm.org
  • *Corresponding author. Mailing address: Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health, 240 SE Ott Road, Room 311, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164. Phone: 303-912-2595. Fax: 509-335-6328. E-mail: [email protected].

Figures

Equations of the End: Teaching Mathematical Modeling Using the Zombie Apocalypse
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Citation: Lofgren E, Collins K, Smith T, Cartwright R. 2016. Equations of the end: teaching mathematical modeling using the zombie apocalypse . J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. 17(1):137-142 doi:10.1128/jmbe.v17i1.1066
/content/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v17i1.1066.f1-jmbe-17-137
FIGURE 1

Schematic representation of two models used during one-day modeling workshop. Panel A depicts a simple “SZR” model, wherein the population is divided into three compartments: Susceptible (S), Zombies (Z), and Removed (R). Panel B depicts a more complex model, adding compartments for individuals who have been infected but not yet turned into zombies (E), susceptible individuals who have found shelter (H), and zombies who were killed during interactions with susceptible individuals (K).

jmbe/17/1/jmbe-17-137f1_thmb.gif
jmbe/17/1/jmbe-17-137f1.gif
Image of FIGURE 1

Click to view

FIGURE 1

Schematic representation of two models used during one-day modeling workshop. Panel A depicts a simple “SZR” model, wherein the population is divided into three compartments: Susceptible (S), Zombies (Z), and Removed (R). Panel B depicts a more complex model, adding compartments for individuals who have been infected but not yet turned into zombies (E), susceptible individuals who have found shelter (H), and zombies who were killed during interactions with susceptible individuals (K).

Source: J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. March 2016 vol. 17 no. 1 137-142. doi:10.1128/jmbe.v17i1.1066
Download as Powerpoint
/content/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v17i1.1066.f2-jmbe-17-137
FIGURE 2

Screenshot of the White Zed simulation website. The graph displays population dynamics of a zombie apocalypse. The left control panel allows users to specify the population makeup at the beginning of the simulation, while the right control panel allows users to specify the infection parameters of the disease.

jmbe/17/1/jmbe-17-137f2_thmb.gif
jmbe/17/1/jmbe-17-137f2.gif
Image of FIGURE 2

Click to view

FIGURE 2

Screenshot of the White Zed simulation website. The graph displays population dynamics of a zombie apocalypse. The left control panel allows users to specify the population makeup at the beginning of the simulation, while the right control panel allows users to specify the infection parameters of the disease.

Source: J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. March 2016 vol. 17 no. 1 137-142. doi:10.1128/jmbe.v17i1.1066
Download as Powerpoint

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