UBM-Group: RUI: Undergraduate Mathematical Biology Research at Marshall University

马歇尔大学的UBM项目是一项协调的教育和研究计划，旨在为数学和生物科学本科生在学科界面上攻读研究生和职业做好准备。该项目的研究部分开始于2-4名学生组成的团队参与密集的夏季研究经历，并参加数据俱乐部。前一学期的数学生物学导论课程为学生准备了暑假。这些团队在下一学年继续他们的研究，并参加了一个数学生物学研讨会，在此期间他们展示了他们的工作，并准备在当地和国家的专题讨论会和会议上发表演讲。学生也可以申请第二年的支持来继续他们的研究项目。额外的课程作业是针对个别学生需要加强生物或数学训练。总的来说，研究和协调的课堂活动促进了解决问题、实验和沟通技能的发展。学生还可以从教师（来自两个学科）那里获得广泛的研究指导和学术建议，因为这可能是引导学生进入研究生课程的成功机制。研究部分的智力重点是生物现象变化的非线性表征和预测，这一重点旨在增加学生对长期观察模式的理解，并通过高等数学提高预测精度。生理项目包括淡水贻贝耗氧速率的质量依赖异速和温度效应，淡水贻贝的最佳摄食速率，以及植物茎在水平放置下的向地性取向的曲率分析。遗传学项目侧重于果蝇上皮细胞形状和极性之间的关系，而环境研究则需要模拟路边树木对城市气候的影响。招聘工作的重点是大一和大二的学生，吸引有才华的女性、少数民族和阿巴拉契亚地区的第一代大学生。该项目利用了参与的教师在赞助学生研究方面的经验，通过参与几个旨在扩大代表性不足的少数民族和残疾学生参与的项目，包括WV太空资助联盟的NASA研究奖学金项目的马歇尔分会，NSF肯塔基-WV路易斯斯托克斯少数民族参与联盟，以及国家资助的马歇尔暑期本科生研究经验。除了赞助学生参与数学生物学的指导研究外，马歇尔大学生物医学计划还通过将数学生物学概念整合到新的和现有的课程、实验练习和项目中来加强课程开发，这一努力有望最终使理学院的所有学生受益。

Marshall University's UBM program is a coordinated education and research initiative to prepare Mathematics and Biological Sciences undergraduates to pursue graduate study and careers at the interface of the disciplines. The program's research component begins with engagement of teams of 2-4 students in intensive summer research experiences and participation in a data club. An Introduction to Mathematical Biology course during the prior semester prepares students for the summer. The teams continue their research during the next academic year, and participate in a Mathematical Biology Seminar during which they present their work and prepare for presentations at local and national symposia and conferences. Students can also apply for a second year of support to continue with their research projects. Additional coursework is targeted to individual students' need for strengthening of biological or mathematical training. Collectively the research and coordinated classroom activities foster development of skills at problem-solving, experimentation, and communication. Students also receive extensive research mentoring and academic advisement by faculty (from both disciplines), as this can be a successful mechanism for guiding students to graduate programs. The research component has as its intellectual focus the non-linear characterization of and prediction of change in biological phenomena, a focus designed to increase students' understanding of observed patterns over time, and increase predictive precision through higher mathematics. Physiological projects include mass-dependent allometric and temperature effects of oxygen consumption rates of freshwater mussels, the optimal feeding rates of freshwater mussels, and a curvature analysis of plant stems' gravitropic reorientation in response to horizontal placement. A genetics project focuses on the relationship between epithelial cell shape and polarity in Drosophila, while an environmental study entails modeling of the influence of road-side trees on urban climate.Recruitment efforts focus on freshmen and sophomore students, with an interest in attracting talented female, minority, and Appalachian first generation college students. The program capitalizes on the participating faculty's experience with sponsoring student research through participation in several programs aimed at broadening participation of underrepresented minorities and students with disabilities, including the Marshall Chapter of the WV Space Grant Consortium's NASA Research Scholarships Program, the NSF Kentucky-WV Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, and the state-funded Marshall Summer Undergraduate Research Experience. In addition to sponsoring student engagement in mentored research in mathematical biology, the Marshall UBM program is enhancing curriculum development by integrating mathematical biology concepts into new and existing courses, lab exercises, and projects, an effort that is expected to ultimately benefit all students in the College of Science.