Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics, 1995
Department of Mathematics and
Institute of Applied Mathematics,
University of British Columbia,
Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Research in the area of Mathematical Biology.
Thesis title: Analysis of models of bursting electrical activity
in pancreatic beta cells.
Abstract or
manuscript.
Thesis supervisor: Robert M. Miura.
Bachelor of Mathematics, Honours Co-op, 1989
University of Waterloo,
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Joint Applied Mathematics with Computer Science,
Dean's Honours List.
Visiting Postdoctoral Research Fellow
(October 1995 - present)
Mathematical Research Branch,
National Institutes of Health,
Bethesda, MD, U.S.A.
Research is centered on modelling electrical activity, calcium
handling, and stimulus-secretion coupling in insulin-secreting
pancreatic beta cells. Close contact is maintained with a
number of the main experimental groups in this field around
the world.
Ph.D. Student (1989 - 1995)
Department of Mathematics and Institute of Applied Mathematics,
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Analysis of a class of mathematical models describing oscillatory
electrical activity observed in pancreatic beta cells was performed.
This work unified many of the existing models. In addition, new
insights into the mathematical relationships between a wide variety
of oscillatory behaviour observed in electrically excitable cells
were obtained
through a detailed bifurcation analysis of a simplified model
of oscillatory electrical activity.
Instructor (1990 - 1995)
Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia
Taught first-year calculus for science students.
Completed a 21-hour Instructional Skills Workshop through the
Faculty Development Program.
Teaching Assistant (1989 - 1991)
Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia
Conducted tutorials, held office hours, marked tests.
Teaching Assistant (1984 - 1989)
Faculty of Mathematics,
University of Waterloo
Tutor in a drop-in tutorial centre, marker.
Gerda de Vries, Hsiu-Rong Zhu, and Arthur Sherman, Diffusively coupled bursters: Effects of cell heterogeneity, Bull. Math. Biol., in press. Abstract.
Gerda de Vries, Multiple bifurcations in a polynomial model of bursting oscillations, J. Nonlinear Science, 8(1998), pp. 281-316. Abstract.
Gerda de Vries and Robert M. Miura, Analysis of a class of models of bursting electrical activity in pancreatic beta cells, SIAM J. Appl. Math., 58(1998), pp. 607-635. Abstract.
Refereed Conference Proceedings
Gerda de Vries, Robert M. Miura, and Mark Pernarowski, Analysis of models of pancreatic beta cells exhibiting temporal pattern formation, in Pattern Formation: Symmetry Methods and Applications, J. Chadam, M. Golubitsky, W. Langford, and B. Wetton, eds., The Fields Institute Communications, Vol. 5, American Mathematical Society, Providence, RI, 1996, pp. 143-164. Abstract.
Gerda de Vries, Robert M. Miura, and Mark Pernarowski, Parameter studies for an analog model of bursting electrical activity, in Differential Equations and Applications to Biology and to Industry, M. Martelli, K. Cooke, E. Cumberbatch, B. Tang, and H. Thieme, eds., World Scientific, Singapore, 1996, pp. 385-392. Abstract.
Published Abstracts
T.A. Kinard, G. de Vries, A. Sherman, and L.S. Satin,
Single B-cells from mouse pancreatic islets exhibit a fast
form of bursting which does not require free [Ca++] accumulation,
Biophys. J., 74(1998), pp. A101.
T.A. Kinard, L.S. Satin, G. de Vries, and A. Sherman,
Titrating KATP conductances into single insulin-secreting
cells via dynamic clamping,
Biophys. J., 72(1997), pp. A250.
Bursting electrical activity in pancreatic beta cells: an overview (invited speaker), Society for Mathematical Biology Annual Meeting, Raleigh, NC, August 3-6, 1997.
Effect of weak coupling on oscillations in bursting systems (talk), Fourth SIAM Conference on Applications of Dynamical Systems, Snowbird, UT, May 18-22, 1997.
Anti-phase, asymmetric and aperiodic oscillations in cells exhibiting bursting activity (poster), Gordon Research Conference on Theoretical Biology and Biomathematics, Tilton, NH, June 9-14, 1996.
Multiple bifurcations in a polynomial analog model of bursting electrical activity (talk), Pacific Northwest Workshop on Mathematical Biology, Vancouver, BC, May 5-7, 1995.
New discoveries about bursting in models of pancreatic beta cells (poster), Gordon Research Conference on Theoretical Biology and Biomathematics, Tilton, NH, June 12-17, 1994.
New discoveries about bursting in models of pancreatic beta cells (talk), Pacific Northwest Workshop on Mathematical Biology, Pullman, WA, March 18-20, 1994.
CRM-UBC Summer School on Mathematical Biology, Vancouver, BC, July 19 - August 13, 1993.
An analysis of models for pancreatic beta cells (poster), Gordon Research Conference on Theoretical Biology and Biomathematics, Tilton, NH, June 8-12, 1992.
A general analysis of pancreatic beta cell models (talk) Pacific Northwest Workshop on Mathematical Biology, Seattle, WA, April 3-5, 1992.
A general analysis of pancreatic beta cell models (talk), Society for Mathematical Biology Annual Meeting, Santa Fe, NM, August 18-21, 1991.
In search of a general analysis of pancreatic beta cell models (talk), Pacific Northwest Workshop on Mathematical Biology, Vancouver, BC, May 10-12, 1991.
NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship, currently held at the
Mathematical Research Branch,
National Institutes of Health,
Bethesda, Maryland (October 1995 - present).
Awards for Excellence in Teaching,
Department of Mathematics,
University of British Columbia (1993, 1994).
NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship, held at the
University of British Columbia (1989 - 1993).
NSERC Industrial Undergraduate Student Research Award, held at
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Chalk River (1988).
NSERC Industrial Undergraduate Student Research Award, held at
Watcom Systems Inc., Waterloo (1986).
Rene Descartes Fellowship, held at the
University of Waterloo (1984 - 1989).
Rene Descartes Prizes,
Faculty of Mathematics,
University of Waterloo (1985, 1986, 1988).
Developed Origami: Art, Science, or Architecture?, a workshop
exploring 3-dimensional aspects of mathematics through origami.
Presented at Science World, Vancouver, the Discover the
Possibilities conference at Simon Fraser University, Burnaby,
and the U.B.C. Shad Valley summer program (1995).
Conducted Euclid workshops, developed by the Department of Mathematics,
University of British Columbia, for senior high school students
(1992 - 1995).
Speaker at the U.B.C. Shad Valley summer program. Presented a lecture
on topology and soap bubbles (1993, 1994).
Volunteer and contract staff at Science World, Vancouver
(1991 - 1995).
Developed MathemArtistics, a workshop on art and mathematics.
Presented at Science World, Vancouver, and Big Sisters,
Vancouver (1993).
Judge, Canada-Wide Science Fair, University of British Columbia
(1991).