TRIPODS+X:EDU: An MBI TGDA+Neuro Program for Undergraduates

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This project develops an educational program for undergraduate students, introducing them to methods at the forefront of modern mathematical and statistical data analysis through application to problems in neuroscience. The program consists of a one-semester interactive online course followed by an in-person research experience held at the Mathematical Bioscience Institute in Columbus, OH. Faculty from Ohio State University (OSU) and Pennsylvania State University (PSU) will lecture in the online course; participating student cohorts will reside at OSU, PSU, and a diverse collection of six additional US institutions - including two liberal arts colleges, two universities in Puerto Rico, an historically black university (HBCU), and a regional university with a primarily commuter student body. The project will introduce a modern area of research -- topological and geometric data analysis, to undergraduate students with different backgrounds and educational experiences, better preparing these students for graduate education and/or entry into the workforce. A flexible and accessible undergraduate curriculum in topological and geometric methods for the analysis of neuroscience data will be developed and made broadly available. A diverse community of educators will be trained to facilitate the delivery of the curriculum at their home institution, and their own research opportunities will be enhanced; an important outcome of the project is the engagement of experimental and mathematical neuroscientists in the emerging field of topological and geometric data analysis.In this project, researchers in topological and geometric data analysis at Ohio State University (OSU) will collaborate with an experimental neuroscientist, director of the Speech, Language, and Music Lab (SLAM Lab) at OSU to develop scientific methods, curricular materials and educational projects. Research in the SLAM lab involves the use of structural and functional MRI data to identify anatomical structures and networks underlying varied abilities in speech processing, as well as the nature of brain plasticity. A flexible and accessible undergraduate curriculum in topological and geometric methods for the analysis of neuroscience data will be developed and made broadly available. An interactive online course, using the broadband facilities of the Mathematical Biosciences Institute (MBI) will be given to undergraduates at eight institutions with participation by local faculty. A following workshop at the MBI will bring together the OSU researchers, the remote faculty and the undergraduates to work on research projects. This project provides the opportunity for two cohorts of undergraduates from eight colleges and universities to participate in a unique education/research experience and for the development of a novel curriculum in topological and geometric methods for neuroscience applications. In addition, it will allow faculty from participating institutions to learn the principles of topological and geometric data analysis, providing the opportunity to broaden their research programs to include this modern area of data science.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.