This volume brings together articles on the mathematical aspects of life sciences, astrophysics, and nonlinear wave problems. It covers theoretical problems associated with the nervous system, drosophila embryos, protein folding, biopolymers, protoplanetary disks and extrasolar planets, gaseous disks, spiral galaxies, dark matter dynamics, star formation, solitary waves, photonics, and nonlinear light propagation in periodic media. The contributions are written for a general audience, and the authors have included references for further reading.