Targeted Infusion Project: Strengthening the Undergraduate STEM Curriculum at Fisk University through the Infusion of Computational-Biological content in Pre-Calculus

历史上的黑人学院和大学本科项目（HBCU- up）通过有针对性的输液项目支持基于证据的创新模式和方法的开发、实施和研究，以提高HBCU本科生的准备和成功，使他们可以攻读STEM研究生课程和/或职业。菲斯克大学的该项目旨在改善本科STEM课程，并帮助该大学实现发展生物信息学/生物数学或定量和计算生物学（QCB）专业的愿望。该项目提出的课程创新活动将作为一个试验场，探索教学对学生学习、定量生物学/数学/计算机科学专业的保留以及职业道路选择的影响。该项目将有助于加强大学的研究和学习文化和基础设施，因为它正在向授予学位的生物数学和生物信息学项目扩展。该项目的活动预计将增加对STEM领域的兴趣，增加STEM学科的保留和进步，并将为其他具有类似使命的机构提供可能的可复制模式。该计划的总体目标是通过引入数学、生物学和计算机科学领域的计算和数据驱动的主动学习，结合教师指导的暑期研究项目，加强和加强STEM专业现有的本科课程。为了达到这个目标，我们提出了以下活动：开发和实施生物微积分预备课程，以便让生物学学生更好地理解代数和三角基础在生物问题中的应用；提供短期（一学分）课程，教授编程语言——Python、R、Linux和Galaxy——这些语言通常用于生物数据处理和数据分析；为6名生物、数学或计算机科学专业的大二、大三或大四学生提供暑期研究项目，培养他们的研究能力；并提供计算和生物数学研究研讨会和座谈会，邀请来自校园各部门和项目的演讲者，以及来自工业界和其他大学的邀请嘉宾，强调使用计算来解决复杂的生物学问题并开发新的见解。这些活动的结合将在数学、计算机科学和生物学之间提供坚实的跨学科联系；培养基于生命科学主题的定量和发现的学习；提高学生的编程能力，激发学生的研究兴趣；通过以数据和案例研究为导向的主动学习，提高学生在课堂上的参与度。

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) through Targeted Infusion Projects supports the development, implementation, and study of evidence-based innovative models and approaches for improving the preparation and success of HBCU undergraduate students so that they may pursue STEM graduate programs and/or careers. The project at Fisk University seeks to improve the undergraduate STEM curriculum and help the University achieve its aspiration of developing a Bioinformatics/Biomathematics or Quantitative and Computational Biology (QCB) major. The project's proposed curriculum innovation activities will serve as a testing ground for exploring the impact of teaching on student learning, retention in quantitative biology/mathematics/or computer science as majors, and selection of career pathways. This project will help to strengthen the research and learning culture and infrastructure at the University as it moves towards expanding into degree-granting biomathematics and bioinformatics programs. The project's activities are expected to increase interest in STEM fields, increase retention and progression in STEM disciplines, and will serve as a possible replicable model for other institutions that share a similar mission.The overall goal of the program is to enhance and strengthen the existing undergraduate curriculum for STEM majors by introducing computational and data-enabled active learning in mathematics, biology and computer science, integrated with a faculty-mentored summer research program. To achieve this goal, the following activities are proposed: develop and implement a bio-pre-calculus course in order to provide biology students a better understanding of the applications of algebraic and trigonometric fundamentals in biological problems; offer short (one credit) courses to teach programming languages--Python, R, Linux, and Galaxy--often used for biological data processing and data analysis; offer a summer research program to a selected pool of 6 rising sophomores, juniors or seniors with biology, mathematics or computer science major, to develop competence in research; and offer computational and bio-mathematical research seminars and colloquia featuring speakers from departments and programs across campus, plus invited guests from industry and other universities to emphasize the use of computing to solve complex biological problems and develop new insight. This combination of activities will provide a solid interdisciplinary link between mathematics, computer science and biology; foster quantitative and discovery based learning on the topics of life sciences; stimulate students' research interests by enhancing their programming skill; and increase student participation in classrooms through data-enabled- and case-study-oriented active learning.