REU Site: University of Wisconsin - La Crosse REU in Mathematical Ecology

随着对自然世界的理解和认识的增长，研究人员发现他们遇到的新生态问题越来越复杂。 由于这种复杂性，数学和统计方法在生物和生态系统的研究中变得越来越重要。该奖项支持威斯康星大学拉克罗斯分校（UWL）为期三年的本科生研究经验（REU）网站，旨在1）在数学生态学的各个子学科培训本科生，2）激励本科生，特别是代表性不足和/或第一代大学生在他们的家乡机构获得有限的研究，参加STEM领域的研究生院，以及3）使参与者在跨学科的合作环境中取得成功。 UWL网站将在2016年，2017年和2018年的夏天每年举办8名学生，为期10周。 该奖项由数学和物理科学理事会（MPS）的数学科学部（DMS）和生物科学理事会（BIO）的生物基础设施部（DBI）支持。。这个研究中心的研究将通过解决数学领域的研究问题，如普通和随机微分，为数学和理论生态学的整体知识体系做出贡献。方程，决策论，博弈论，逆问题理论，图论，概率论和分支过程，以及从研究主题中产生的生态问题，如寄生虫在密西西比河上游的蜗牛和水禽宿主中的传播，以及风能对鸟类和蝙蝠种群生存能力的影响。

As understanding and awareness of the natural world grows, researchers are seeing increased complexity in the new ecological problems they encounter. Because of this complexity, mathematical and statistical methods are becoming increasingly important in the study of biological and ecological systems. This award supports a three-year Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UWL) aimed at 1) training undergraduate students in various sub-disciplines of mathematical ecology, 2) motivating undergraduate students, especially underrepresented and/or first-generation college students with limited access to research at their home institution, to attend graduate school in a STEM area, and 3) preparing participants to be successful in an interdisciplinary, collaborative setting. The UWL site will host eight students per year for 10 weeks during the summers of 2016, 2017, and 2018. The award is supported by the Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) and the Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI) in the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO).The research at this REU Site will contribute to the overall body of knowledge in mathematical and theoretical ecology by tackling research questions in mathematical areas such as ordinary and stochastic differential equations, decision theory, game theory, the theory of inverse problems, graph theory, probability theory and branching processes, as well as ecological questions that arise from the study of topics such as the parasite propagation in snail and waterfowl hosts in the Upper Mississippi River and the effects of wind energy on the population viability of bird and bat populations.