Howie Weiss
Professor of Biology
-
219 Mueller
University Park, PA - hnw1@psu.edu
- 814 865-6750
Research Summary
I am a Biomathematican and very recently moved to Penn State from Georgia Tech (I also had appointments at Emory in Public Health and PBEE). Bacteria and their viruses (phages) provide a way to study ecological and evolutionary processes in real time under the well-controlled laboratory conditions. Many of the questions that our group studies lie at the intersection of fundamental science and improving human and animal health. We develop new approaches to mathematical modeling to better understand the role of the physical structure in how bacteria grow and evolve. To complement this computational work, we work closely with microbiologists, biochemists, virologists, physicians, veterinarians, etc. and combine mathematical models with experiments. In recent years I have taught courses in virus dynamics, population genetics, dynamics and bifurcations, advanced linear algebra, and stochastic processes.
Huck Affiliations
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics
- Ecology
- Center for Mathematical Biology
- Microbiome Center
- Center for Biorenewables
Links
Publication Tags
Infection Escherichia Coli Bacteriophages Anti Bacterial Agents Bacteria Infections Infectious Disease Transmission Flight Growth Genes Aircraft Disease Outbreaks Resistance Public Health Viruses Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Antimicrobial Agent Staphylococcus Aureus Pandemics Microorganisms Emerging Diseases Epidemics Communicable Diseases Morbidity Plate Like CrystalMost Recent Publications
The Airplane Cabin Microbiome
Howard Weiss, Vicki Stover Hertzberg, Chris Dupont, Josh L. Espinoza, Shawn Levy, Karen Nelson, Sharon Norris, 2019, Microbial Ecology on p. 87-95
Leaky resistance and the conditions for the existence of lytic bacteriophage
Waqas N. Chaudhry, Maroš Pleška, Nilang N. Shah, Howard Weiss, Ingrid C. McCall, Justin R. Meyer, Animesh Gupta, Călin C. Guet, Bruce R. Levin, 2018, PLoS Biology
Behaviors, movements, and transmission of droplet-mediated respiratory diseases during transcontinental airline flights
Vicki Stover Hertzberg, Howard Weiss, Lisa Elon, Wenpei Si, Sharon L. Norris, 2018, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on p. 3623-3627
Pharmacodynamic considerations of collateral sensitivity in design of antibiotic treatment regimen
Klas I. Udekwu, Howard Weiss, 2018, Drug Design, Development and Therapy on p. 2249-2257
Controlling viral outbreaks: Quantitative strategies
Anna Mummert, Howard Weiss, 2017, PLoS One
A numbers game: Ribosome densities, bacterial growth, and antibiotic-mediated stasis and death
Bruce R. Levin, Ingrid C. McCall, Véronique Perrot, Howard Weiss, Armen Ovesepian, Fernando Baquero, 2017, mBio
On the 2-Row Rule for Infectious Disease Transmission on Aircraft
Vicki Stover Hertzberg, Howard Weiss, 2016, Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine on p. 819-823
Malthusian parameters as estimators of the fitness of microbes: A cautionary tale about the low side of high throughput
Jeniffer Concepción-Acevedo, Howard N. Weiss, Waqas Nasir Chaudhry, Bruce R. Levin, 2015, PLoS One
Dynamics of shigellosis epidemics: Estimating individual-level transmission and reporting rates from national epidemiologic data sets
Richard I. Joh, Robert M. Hoekstra, Ezra J. Barzilay, Anna Bowen, Eric D. Mintz, Howard Weiss, Joshua S. Weitz, 2013, American Journal of Epidemiology on p. 1319-1326
Get the News Out Loudly and Quickly: The Influence of the Media on Limiting Emerging Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Anna Mummert, Howard Weiss, 2013, PLoS One
Most-Cited Papers
Behaviors, movements, and transmission of droplet-mediated respiratory diseases during transcontinental airline flights
Vicki Stover Hertzberg, Howard Weiss, Lisa Elon, Wenpei Si, Sharon L. Norris, 2018, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on p. 3623-3627
Extracting the time-dependent transmission rate from infection data via solution of an inverse ODE problem
Mark Pollicott, Hao Wang, Howard Weiss, 2012, Journal of Biological Dynamics on p. 509-523
A Perspective on Multiple Waves of Influenza Pandemics
Anna Mummert, Howard Weiss, Li Ping Long, José M. Amigó, Xiu Feng Wan, 2013, PLoS One
On the 2-Row Rule for Infectious Disease Transmission on Aircraft
Vicki Stover Hertzberg, Howard Weiss, 2016, Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine on p. 819-823
A numbers game: Ribosome densities, bacterial growth, and antibiotic-mediated stasis and death
Bruce R. Levin, Ingrid C. McCall, Véronique Perrot, Howard Weiss, Armen Ovesepian, Fernando Baquero, 2017, mBio
Leaky resistance and the conditions for the existence of lytic bacteriophage
Waqas N. Chaudhry, Maroš Pleška, Nilang N. Shah, Howard Weiss, Ingrid C. McCall, Justin R. Meyer, Animesh Gupta, Călin C. Guet, Bruce R. Levin, 2018, PLoS Biology
Malthusian parameters as estimators of the fitness of microbes: A cautionary tale about the low side of high throughput
Jeniffer Concepción-Acevedo, Howard N. Weiss, Waqas Nasir Chaudhry, Bruce R. Levin, 2015, PLoS One
Get the News Out Loudly and Quickly: The Influence of the Media on Limiting Emerging Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Anna Mummert, Howard Weiss, 2013, PLoS One
The Airplane Cabin Microbiome
Howard Weiss, Vicki Stover Hertzberg, Chris Dupont, Josh L. Espinoza, Shawn Levy, Karen Nelson, Sharon Norris, 2019, Microbial Ecology on p. 87-95
Dynamics of shigellosis epidemics: Estimating individual-level transmission and reporting rates from national epidemiologic data sets
Richard I. Joh, Robert M. Hoekstra, Ezra J. Barzilay, Anna Bowen, Eric D. Mintz, Howard Weiss, Joshua S. Weitz, 2013, American Journal of Epidemiology on p. 1319-1326
News Articles Featuring Howie Weiss
Jul 15, 2020
Here are some top coronavirus risks when flying
It’s one of the key questions for our economy, our family relations and our basic ability to break from the routine: Is it safe to fly on an airplane? The answer: not as safe as the airline industry would have you believe, but a lot safer than you might think.
Full Article
Jul 15, 2020
The Greatest Coronavirus Risks When You Fly
It’s one of the key questions for our economy, our family relations and our basic ability to break from the routine: Is it safe to fly on an airplane? The answer: not as safe as the airline industry would have you believe, but a lot safer than you might think.
Full Article
Mar 05, 2020
Coronavirus: How to avoid catching it - and whether you can touch handrails
The risk to the UK public posed by the new coronavirus has been raised from low to moderate by chief medical officers, although they stress the risk to individuals remains low.
Full Article
Jan 29, 2020
Coronavirus outbreak: Window seat safest place to avoid potential transmission on flight: study
The safest place to sit on an airplane while the coronavirus outbreak continues to expand may be the window seat.
Full Article
Jan 28, 2020
Traveling by Airplane? Sit Here to Avoid Catching Coronavirus
Global travel opens new roads for outbreaks, like coronavirus and the flu—but which is more dangerous, and how can you stay safe?
Full Article