Collaborative Proposal: Mathematical Methods for Biology and Medicine

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Mathematical Sciences (21). The principal investigators of this collaborative project are creating, implementing, and disseminating curriculum materials for a new course in mathematics for biologists. The course assumes any Calculus I course as a prerequisite and is being developed out of material from courses above Calculus I. The materials are chosen because of their utility to biologists and the topics include: models and date; probability; dynamic models for single populations; discrete dynamical systems (with focus on structured population dynamics); stochastic processes (with focus on epidemiology); continuous dynamical systems (with focus on biochemical kinetics and pharmacokinetics); and systems biology (with focus on genetic through organism levels). Students are using computer algebra software, and online modules are being developed for the different topics. Intellectual Merit. The material design, course design, pedagogy, and evaluation plan are informed by recent literature related to best educational practices. The course and curriculum materials are being evaluated by experts in mathematical biology. Broader Impacts. Several institutions, including a research university, a community college, and a four-year college, is committed to the project, and workshops and conference presentations are planned for dissemination of materials and assessment results.