REU: Multidisciplinary Summer Undergraduate Research Program in Computation and Control of Biological and Biologically Inspired Systems

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This REU award for a two year Site on a multidisciplinary undergraduate research program in computation and control of biological and biologically inspired systems supports eight senior level undergraduate students and a K-12 teacher each year. This 8-week summer research experience will provide the participants with a unique experience of how mathematics can be applied to understand the qualitative and quantitative behavior of a biological or bio-like system. The four essential ingredients in this proposed project that are key in understanding this behavior are computational modeling, systems & control, geometric modeling, and applications of complex analytic methods. The proposed REU program will consist of nine interesting and challenging projects arising from these areas each year. Through these research problems, we hope to encourage students and teachers to learn by discovery as opposed to passive listening. This will be accomplished by employing non-traditional forms of active learning such as cooperative learning, simulation-based research and experimentation. This eight-week summer program will also include the following activities: lecture series on topics; mentoring club; guest colloquium; student seminars; computational laboratory and; scientific & social tours. The REU site will involve ten qualified faculty who have excelled in their research accomplishments, have guided graduate and undergraduate research, and have been involved in K-12 outreach activities. The site will also involve two graduate students each year who will serve as mentors for the participants.The research program is highly multi-disciplinary and Texas Tech University is committed to excellence in this direction. It will provide opportunities for targeted students to prepare for success in the mathematical and engineering fields and assist them from college to graduate school, and will provide a valuable experience to two K-12 teachers in problem-solving and open-ended exploration in high-school mathematics classrooms. The program will greatly enhance the awareness of the ever-increasing utility of mathematical and engineering approaches in understanding biological systems, contribute to the scientific development of undergraduate students and K-12 teachers, and will nurture the intellectual growth and development of graduate students and provide them with a valuable experience of mentoring. The REU program will also greatly encourage women and underrepresented minorities to pursue careers in science, especially in interdisciplinary areas that bridge mathematics, engineering and the biological sciences. This project is supported by the Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS), the Directorate for Engineering (ENG) and the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program.