[Enviro-lunch] Enviro-Lunch TODAY 12pm: Uttam Bhat

[Nate Bogie]

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Hello Everyone,
Please join us for a talk by Uttam Bhat, today at 12-1pm in Room SE2-302.

*Uttam Bhat, *Postdoctoral Scholar, Yeakel Lab, UC Merced

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*Does greed help a forager survive?*

*Abstract:* Foraging is an important ecological process which shapes the
interactions between the species in different trophic levels. The
strategies employed to forage on a landscape can affect both, the geometry
of resources on the landscape, and in turn the lifetimes and fitnesses of
the foragers themselves. We use very simple models which incorporate the
stochastic nature of foraging, and illuminate some consequences of
different foraging strategies. We find some surprising results on lifetimes
and fitnesses as a function of greed. We also have some recent results that
indicate the basic mechanisms that can lead to varied risk-hedging
strategies by predators (which, the career-risk-hedgers among the audience
maybe interested to know, it also suggests how investment strategies vary
between small and large firms in the corporate world). In a broader
context, we study random search processes. We use first-passage ideas from
physics and develop exact analytic, and heuristic tools to study how
stochasticity and heterogeneity of resources effect consumer behavior.

*Bio:* Uttam studied physics as an undergrad at Indian Institute of
Technology, Bombay, India and statistical physics as a grad student at
Boston University. During the last couple years of my PhD, he developed
interest in stochastic search problems and was introduced to the world of
foraging theory, which seemed like an excellent system to apply the tools
he learned and developed. At UCM, he works with Justin Yeakel to study a
broad swath of foraging problems.

When: Jan. 18th, Thursday, 12pm – 1pm

Where: SE2-302



Coffee will be provided, please bring your own mugs.

We look forward to seeing you,

Nate & Jing

Organizers for Spring 2018: Nate Bogie and Jing Yan
Faculty coordinator: Asmeret Asefaw Berhe
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