The Frederic and Julia Wan Distinguished Lecture Series honors Frederic and Julia Wan in recognition of their generous contributions and services to the Applied Mathematics community and science education.
“Fred Wan’s career has been defined by “mathematics in the service of humanity,” from neurobiology and developmental biology to solid mechanics and economics, from the classroom and the University to the National Science Foundation. So it is in the spirit of Fred as model for us all that this lecture is on one of the most significant contributions of mathematics to the public good, the theory and practice of the management of infectious diseases. The current COVID-19 epidemic has motivated large numbers of mathematicians, physicists and engineers to follow Fred’s model, and turn their efforts to helping address an overwhelming current public health problem. Perhaps we have reached a tipping point in the involvement of mathematicians and others in global problems.” — Simon Levin, Inaugural Lecturer.