Developing a Mathematics Curriculum to Serve the Biosciences: The First Step

（21）数学科学长岛的经济正迅速转变为由大量高科技公司主导的经济，特别是在生物科学领域。这些公司需要具有高度定量分析能力的员工，尽管不是传统的代数技能。对于生物科学来说，培养只懂数学而不懂生物学的学生，或者只懂生物学而不懂数学的学生已经不够了。这同时提出了两个挑战：提供满足生物科学特定需求的数学课程，以及增加生物学课程中使用的数学。这个项目是与萨福克社区学院合作进行的。两所学校的生物系学生上的第一门数学课程通常是微积分预科课程；这也是大多数尚未决定专业的学生选修的课程。为了满足生物科学的数学需求，该项目正在开发微积分预备课程的替代版本，该版本侧重于对生物学至关重要的数学主题，并强调生物学中的数学模型。与此同时，还开设了一个由生物系教授的一小时实验课程，以配合微积分预科课程。在这个课程中，学生们可以进行与主课中教授的数学主题直接相关的实验。这种结合(1)在学生的头脑中提供了数学与其在生物学中的应用之间的牢固联系；(2)为学生在生物学课程的后续定量发展方面提供了坚实的数学基础；(3)使学生为当今工作的定量需求做好准备；(4)为生物系提供了扩大课程中定量强调水平的能力。此外，数学和生物学教师的专业发展活动也得到了大力支持。更广泛的影响：目前在全国范围内有许多呼吁显著增加生物学和数学教育之间的接口，这个项目为许多其他机构应对这一挑战提供了一个创新和有价值的模式。这也是两所大学创建支持生物科学的新数学课程的更广泛努力的一部分。同时，该项目为生物系提供了提高其课程中使用的数学水平的能力。本项目计划将本项目扩展至微积分预科以下（统计学入门和大学代数）和微积分预科以上（生物专业学生的微积分课程，生物模型微分方程课程，应用数学专业高年级专题课程中的生物和物理项目）课程。

Mathematical Sciences (21)The Long Island economy is rapidly being transformed into one that is dominated by a large number of high-tech corporations, particularly in the biosciences. These companies need employees with a high degree of quantitative skills, though not traditional algebra skills. For the biosciences, it is no longer enough to produce students who know mathematics, but little biology, or who know biology, but little mathematics. This presents two simultaneous challenges: providing mathematics courses that serve the specific needs of the biological sciences and increasing the mathematics used in biology courses. This project is being conducted in collaboration with Suffolk Community College. Intellectual Merit The first math course taken by biology students at both schools is typically a precalculus course; it is also the course taken by most students who have not yet decided on a major. To meet the mathematical needs of the biosciences, this project is developing an alternative version of precalculus that focuses on the mathematical topics that are essential for biology with a strong emphasis on mathematical models in biology. Simultaneously, a one-hour lab taught by biology faculty to accompany the precalculus course is being created where students conduct experiments that are directly related to the mathematical topics taught in the main course. This combination (1) provides a solid connection between the mathematics and its use in biology in the students' minds; (2) provides a strong mathematical foundation for the students in terms of subsequent quantitative developments in biology courses; (3) prepares students for the quantitative demands of today's jobs; and (4) provides the biology departments with the ability to expand the level of quantitative emphasis in courses. In addition, a significant level of professional development activities for both the math and biology faculty is being supported. Broader Impact: There are currently many calls nationally to increase significantly the interface between biology and mathematics education, and this project serves as an innovative and valuable model for many other institutions to answer this challenge. It is also part of a broader effort at the two institutions to create a new mathematics curriculum that supports the biological sciences. Simultaneously, the project provides the biology department the ability to increase the level of mathematics used in its courses. The project plans to expand this project to encompass courses below precalculus (introductory statistics and college algebra) and above precalculus (the calculus course taken by biology students, differential equations courses with biological models, and biological and physical projects in the senior projects course for applied mathematics majors).