Message from the Editor-in-chief of SIAM News (Part II)

By Hans Kaper

As I write this message, the world is still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The disease has significantly affected our daily lives—both personal and professional—in multiple ways, and the prospect of a speedy return to “normal” is bleak for most countries. If one observation should encourage and cheer us up, however, it is that the word “modeling” has entered mainstream vocabulary. Though it may not always refer to mathematical or computational modeling, the concept has become an integral part of the discussion surrounding SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19. Mathematical modeling is thus perhaps more important now than ever, as mathematicians and computational scientists have been presented with a unique opportunity to contribute to and shape global dialogue.

The June issue of SIAM News is the second of two consecutive special issues that present various methods and tools of applied and computational mathematics that facilitate our understanding of infectious disease dynamics in numerous contexts. We do not claim that the collection of articles in these two issues provides a comprehensive view of all pertinent topics. Our purpose is to expose a selection of disease-related modeling problems and illustrate the wide range of methods that researchers use to address them. Our main concern in assembling this compilation was timeliness; the articles were solicited (not peer-reviewed) and reflect the authors’ opinions. Readers who seek more detailed information should refer to the SIAM Epidemiology Collection, which is freely available for one year and accessible online.

We once again thank the authors for their enthusiastic and prompt response to our invitation to contribute articles to this second special issue. The suggestion to publish a series of articles on the spread of infectious diseases originated within the SIAM Activity Group on Mathematics of Planet Earth (SIAG/MPE), and we appreciate the SIAG’s prompt attention to this timely matter.

As your professional society, SIAM is working hard to help facilitate a better understanding of COVID-19 and the research surrounding it. Please visit sinews.siam.org for additional posts and relevant mathematical resources.

Hans Kaper, founding chair of the SIAM Activity Group on Mathematics of Planet Earth and editor-in-chief of SIAM News, is affiliate faculty in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Georgetown University.