UBM-Undergraduate collaborative group in mathematical biology

这两位研究者训练了一个由4名本科生组成的长期（2年）合作小组，研究一系列数学生物学问题。其中一名研究人员是生物学家，另一名是应用数学家，但他们都与其他学科的研究人员合作过。研究人员与4名本科生合作，从生物学和数学的角度解决了至少三个问题：(1)为什么周期蝉有很长的素数周期？(2)为什么菠萝、松果（以及许多其他植物）会显示斐波那契序列？(3)当生态系统因物种灭绝而崩溃时，其功能是如何变化的？这三个问题是合作小组的一个令人兴奋的起点，它们的选择既能保持学生的兴趣，又能在合作过程中发挥作用。尽管生物学的某些领域（尤其是生态学）与数学有着悠久的合作历史，但目前这两个领域的理论和技术进步的爆炸式增长提高了跨学科工作的门槛。为了在生物学和数学的界面上工作，更多的科学家需要在这两个领域接受培训，并在如何连接这两个领域方面接受培训。认识到一个人不能有效地跨越不同领域之间的鸿沟，未来的科学家还必须接受合作工作的培训。利用大学生合作学习小组培养参与的大学生和研究者的跨学科思维。它还可以作为培养本科生在学科之间进行研究的模式。

Ives, Milewski The two investigators train a long-term (2-year)collaborative group of 4 undergraduates working on a suite ofproblems in mathematical biology. One of the investigators is abiologist, and the other is an applied mathematician, yet bothhave collaborated with researchers from the other discipline.The investigators work collaboratively with 4 undergraduates andaddress aspects of at least three problems at the interface ofbiology and mathematics: (1) Why do periodical cicadas have long,prime-numbered periods? (2) Why do pineapples, pinecones (andmany other plants) display patterns with Fibonnaci sequences?and (3) How does the functioning of ecosystems change as theycollapse via species extinctions? These three questions are anexciting starting point for the collaborative group, and they areselected to both keep the interest of the students and take lifethrough the collaborative process. Although some areas of biology (ecology in particular) haveluminous histories of partnership with mathematics, the currentexplosion of theoretical and technological advances in bothfields has upped the ante for interdisciplinary work. To work atthe interface between biology and mathematics, more scientistsneed to be trained in both fields, and trained in how to connectthe fields. Recognizing that a single person cannot span the gapbetween fields effectively, future scientists must also betrained to work collaboratively. Using collaborative learninggroups for undergraduates fosters interdisciplinary thinking forthe participating undergraduates and the investigators. It alsoserves as a model for training undergraduates to do research atthe interface between disciplines.