Connected Mathematics

In 2003 we published a collection of articles Connected at Infinity. The editors' aims, and their travails, were explained in the two paragraphs that we reproduce from the Preface to that volume: The Editors invited a few persons to write an article that should explain to the nonspecialist an important piece of work done by an Indian mathematician in the mid-twentieth century. The contributions of these mathematicians have been major landmarks in the subject and have inspired and influenced a lot of later work.

In an increasingly globally-connected world, the ability to predict, monitor, and contain pandemics is essential to ensure the health and well-being of all. This contributed volume investigates several mathematical techniques for the modeling and simulation of viral pandemics, with a special focus on COVID-19. Modeling a pandemic requires an interdisciplinary approach with other fields such as epidemiology, virology, immunology, and biology in general. Spatial dynamics and interactions are also important features to be considered, and a multiscale framework is needed at the societal level, the level of individuals, and the level of virus particles and the immune system. Chapters in this volume explore the latest research related to these items to demonstrate the utility of a variety of mathematical methods. Perspectives for the future are also offered.