James Powell

Professor, Mathematics & Biology

Collecting data on Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae ) with my daughter, Chelsea, in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, July, 2001.

Projects

• Evolution of phenology; predicting how climate change will influence the timing of poikilotherm life cycles (with Brian Yurk, PhD Student, B.J. Bentz, USDAFS MPB Project, Logan Forestry Sciences Lab, Christina Cobbold, Math, University of Glasgow, Diana Six, Department of Biology, University of Montana).
• Studying the seasonality of poikilothermic organisms and influence of temperature on ovipositional cycles using dynamical systems theory (with B.J. Bentz, USDAFS MPB Project, Logan Forestry Sciences Lab).
• Study of spatio-temporal dynamics of beetle invasions in pine forests (with J. Logan, Pine Beetle Project Leader and B. Bentz, Project Scientist, Intermountain Research Station, USDA/FS).
• Homogenization of large-scale movement models in ecology with application to chronic wasting disease (with Marti Garlick, PhD student and Mevin Hooten, Statistics).
• Developing interdisciplinary math/science education at the graduate and undergraduate levels.

Education

• Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics, 1990, University of Arizona.
• B.S. in Mathematics, 1985, Colorado State University.

Research Specialties

• Main Field: Applied Mathematics/Nonlinear Evolution PDE.
• Other Fields: Dynamical systems and pattern formation in nonlinear systems; asymptotic analysis; modelling.
• Areas of Application: Mathematical Biology/Ecology, Fluid Mechanics, Nonlinear Optics.

Selected Recent Publications

• Powell, J.A. and B.J. Bentz. 2009. Connecting Phenological Predictions with Population Growth Rates for an Outbreak Insect. Landscape Ecology, to appear.
• Yurk, B.P. and J.A. Powell. “Modeling the Evolution of Insect Phenology.” Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, to appear 2009.
• Heavilin, J., J.A. Powell and J.A. Logan. 2007. Development and parametrization of a model for bark beetle disturbance in lodgepole forest. pages 527-553 IN: K. Miyanishi and E. Johnson (eds), Plant Disturbance Ecology, Academic Press, NY
• J.A. Powell and J.A. Logan. 2005. Insect Seasonality – Circle Map Analysis of Temperature-Driven Life Cycles Theoretical Population Biology, 67: 161-179.
• J. Powell and N. Zimmermann 2002. Multi-Scale Analysis of Active Seed Dispersal Contributes to Resolving Reid's Paradox . (J.A. Powell and N.E. Zimmermann. 2004. “Multi-Scale Analysis of Seed Dispersal Contributes to the Resolution of Reid’s Paradox,” Ecology: 85(2) 490-506.)
• J. Powell, I. Slapnicar and W. van der Werf 2002. Predicting the Spread of Plant Disease: Analysis of an Infinite-Dimensional Leslie Matrix Model for Phytophthora infestans. Submitted to SIAM Journal of Applied Math.
• J. Logan and J. Powell 2001. Ghost Forests, Global Warming and the Mountain Pine Beetle. American Entomologist, Fall 2001.
• J. Powell, J. Jenkins, J. Logan and B. Bentz 2001. Seasonal Temperature Alone Can Synchronize Life Cycles, Bulletin of Math Biology.
• J. Powell, B. Kennedy, P. White, B. Bentz, J. Logan and D. Roberts. Mathematical elements of attack risk analysis for mountain pine beetles, J. Theoretical Biology.
• J. Powell, J. Cangelosi, AM. Harris. Games to Teach Mathematical Modelling, SIAM Review , 40, no. 1 March 1998, pp. 87-95.

Honors Mathematics

• Math Department Honors Director: J. Powell
• Phone: (435) 797-1953
• Email: powell@math.usu.edu

BioMathLabs

Over the past three years we have paricipated in a project to address this lack of cross-curricular integration, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Fund to Improve Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE). The project, titled BioMathLab, was aimed at creating a vertical ladder of quantitative laboratory experiences in the biology curriculum. These experiences begin in the freshman biology lab and continue through senior laboratory classes in microbiology and ornithology. The BioMathLab team at Utah State was comprised equally of mathematicians and biologists, so many of these laboratory experiences saw double duty as projects in mathematics classes. Below appear some of the labs which I helped design.

• Ornithology Lab Materials
  • Web-ized version of the Power Point lecture on The Mathematics of Flight
  • On-line power curve calculations:     http://www.math.usu.edu/~ivan/pcurve
  • Off-line power curve calculations:     Excel Spread sheet illustrating power curves
• The Disease Game
• The Leaky Bucket
• Yeast Population Dynamics Lab

http://biomath.biology.usu.edu/Fipse/FipseLab.html

Pedagogical Accomplishments

• Helped create The BioMath Minor, an interdisciplinary minor program. The guiding force of this effort was Joe Koebbe, .
• Helped create The Interdisciplinary Ph.D in Math, a doctoral program integrating graduate course work outside of mathematics, aimed at encouraging and supporting cross-disciplinary research in mathematics.
• Created The Honors Calculus Sequence, an experience for Honors students beginning with second quarter calculus and proceeding through vector calculus.
• Developed (with Peter White) Computational Labs in Mathematica for Vector Calculus .
• Developed Applied Mathematics in Biology, with Jim Haefner (Biology, USU). This is a team-taught capstone course for the BioMath Minor, giving students a combat experience in mathematical science. The ongoing Web page for the class is located HERE.
• Currently assisting in development of an Industrial Master's Program. This includes the development of two new graduate classes: Mathematical Modelling/Problem Solving.
• Conan's Applied Math (Advanced Asymptotic Methods).

Employment History

• Professor, Department of Biology, Utah State University, 2008.
• Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Utah State University, 2006-09
• Professor, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Utah State University, 2003-present.
• Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Utah State University, 1997-present.
• Visiting Researcher, Theoretical Production Ecology Lab, Wageningen University, the Netherlands.
• Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Utah State University, 1991-1997.
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Arizona Center for Mathematical Sciences, University of Arizona, 1990-1991. Supervisor: Jerome V. Moloney.
• Graduate Research Assistant/Teaching Assistant, University of Arizona, 1985-1990. Advisor: Alan C. Newell.
• Student Researcher, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Colorado State University, 1983-1985. Supervisor: William R. Cotton.

Contact Information

Author address:
    James Powell
    Department of Mathematics and Statistics
    Utah State University
    Logan, UT  84322-3900
    Office Phone: (435) 797-1953
    Department Phone: (435) 797-2809
    Fax: (435) 797-1822
    E-Mail:  jim.powell@usu.edu