Collab Res: Six Short Weeks: A Classroom Strategy for Supporting Undergraduate Research in Mathematical Biology

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Mathematical Sciences (21)A team of researchers from Seattle Central Community College, California State University Monterey Bay, and Dartmouth College are developing a mathematical biology course, text, and supporting interactive software that are designed to succeed across these diverse institutions. The course and the materials are aimed at students with only one term of calculus preparation and a strong interest in premedical studies. All course materials lead to modeling problems of current medical or ecological interest in Sub-Saharan Africa. The goal for the complete course is that students should be able to read the research literature after six weeks of instruction and conduct their own research. In addition the materials are being designed so that they may also be integrated into existing calculus courses. A formative evaluation of student responses at all three institutions ensures that the materials are revised to meet the needs of a diverse student body.Intellectual Merit: The project is addressing the need to provide a mathematical biology experience to students who are not mathematics majors. Students who are preparing for a career in medicine are not always exposed to the tools required to read the professional literature in a critical way. These new materials seek to engage students with interesting and relevant modeling problems that allow them to integrate undergraduate research into their coursework. The combination of a compelling subject, an undergraduate research experience, and a dynamic interactive classroom experience serves as a useful prototype for the mathematical education of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors.Broader Impacts: The course and materials being developed in the project draw the attention of students to topics of current concern. Global heath issues, environmental issues, and the context in which these occur help students to understand that biology is about more than being in the laboratory, and that mathematics is about more than routine calculation. The collaborations between two and four-year institutions, between public and private institutions, and between biologists and mathematicians, allow these materials to serve a broad diversity of student populations.