One of the hardest challenges in modeling natural systems is producing an efficient, reliable and, above all, a correct implementation on a computer system. This project is exploring whether newer programming language paradigms are better than the current state-of-the-art in common use in the sciences. The project is modeling disease propagation in several different programming languages in order to assess the pros and cons of each language. This work is done in collaboration with Chris Gilligan in the Department of Plant Sciences.