Reflections on Modeling & Theory in Population Biology: Peter Taylor

Join Sally Otto and James O’Dwyer as they interview Dr. Peter Taylor from Queen's University in this latest episode of Reflections on the history of modelling and theory.

YouTube link here!

Originally a pure mathematician, Peter was drawn into biology by game theory and puzzles about how games would play out in real populations, across time and space. Over his career, Peter has analysed mathematical models that have greatly improved the realism of games in economics, psychology, and evolution. 

In his career, Peter credits the influence of many people who came before him – John Maynard Smith, Bill Hamilton, George Williams, among others – but also he calls out the influence of younger scientists, particularly Stu West and Troy Day, as major influences to his thinking.

We also chat with Peter about his contributions to teaching math differently, emphasizing creativity, intuition, and the importance of “playing” with interesting problems. Check out his website with many great examples: rabbitmath.ca!

Some take home gems:

• “If you have spent some time on the problem and get stuck, then you put it aside and say, OK, I'll move on to something else….The problem is passed over to the right brain ,and it works on it without needing you at all. And it finds something! It doesn't do logic. It may be right and it may be wrong, but because of this amazing connection between truth and beauty, wonderful things here, it's often right.”
• In teaching students math, “I have to spend more time PLAYING with mathematics and trying to see if they can learn to play. And of course that means I do less material and I have to do things that build their intuition.”

• What motivates students to learn math? “It's building beautiful things.  Beauty is actually a huge thing for a lot of students.”
• Suggested reading: “Mathematics: A Secret World of Intuition and Curiosity” by David Bessis, which highlights intuition as the real powerhouse of mathematical discovery.