Developing a Mathematics Curriculum to Serve the Biosciences: The First Step

长岛经济正在迅速转变为一个由大量高科技公司主导的经济，特别是在生物科学领域。 这些公司需要具有高度量化技能的员工，尽管不是传统的代数技能。 对于生物科学来说，培养出只懂数学而不懂生物学，或者只懂生物学而不懂数学的学生已经不够了。这同时提出了两个挑战：提供满足生物科学特定需求的数学课程，并增加生物学课程中使用的数学。该项目正在与萨福克社区学院合作进行。 两所学校的生物学学生所上的第一门数学课程通常是微积分预科课程;这也是大多数尚未决定专业的学生所上的课程。 为了满足生物科学的数学需求，该项目正在开发一个替代版本的precalculus，侧重于生物学所必需的数学主题，重点是生物学中的数学模型。 与此同时，一个由生物系教授的一个小时的实验室，伴随着微积分课程正在创建，学生进行实验，直接相关的数学主题讲授的主要课程。这种结合（1）在学生的头脑中提供了数学与其在生物学中的应用之间的牢固联系;（2）为学生在随后的生物学课程中的定量发展提供了坚实的数学基础;（3）为学生准备了当今工作的定量要求;（4）为生物系提供了扩大课程定量强调水平的能力。此外，数学和生物系的专业发展活动的显着水平正在得到支持。 更广泛的影响：目前，全国有许多呼吁显着增加生物学和数学教育之间的接口，这个项目作为一个创新的和有价值的模式，许多其他机构来应对这一挑战。这也是这两个机构创建支持生物科学的新数学课程的更广泛努力的一部分。同时，该项目为生物系提供了提高其课程中使用的数学水平的能力。该项目计划扩大这一项目，以包括微积分基础以下的课程（统计学和大学代数入门）和微积分基础以上的课程（生物学学生学习的微积分课程，生物模型微分方程课程，以及应用数学专业高级项目课程中的生物和物理项目）。

Mathematical Sciences (21)The Long Island economy is rapidly being transformed into one that is dominated by a large number of high-tech corporations, particularly in the biosciences. These companies need employees with a high degree of quantitative skills, though not traditional algebra skills. For the biosciences, it is no longer enough to produce students who know mathematics, but little biology, or who know biology, but little mathematics. This presents two simultaneous challenges: providing mathematics courses that serve the specific needs of the biological sciences and increasing the mathematics used in biology courses. This project is being conducted in collaboration with Suffolk Community College. Intellectual Merit The first math course taken by biology students at both schools is typically a precalculus course; it is also the course taken by most students who have not yet decided on a major. To meet the mathematical needs of the biosciences, this project is developing an alternative version of precalculus that focuses on the mathematical topics that are essential for biology with a strong emphasis on mathematical models in biology. Simultaneously, a one-hour lab taught by biology faculty to accompany the precalculus course is being created where students conduct experiments that are directly related to the mathematical topics taught in the main course. This combination (1) provides a solid connection between the mathematics and its use in biology in the students' minds; (2) provides a strong mathematical foundation for the students in terms of subsequent quantitative developments in biology courses; (3) prepares students for the quantitative demands of today's jobs; and (4) provides the biology departments with the ability to expand the level of quantitative emphasis in courses. In addition, a significant level of professional development activities for both the math and biology faculty is being supported. Broader Impact: There are currently many calls nationally to increase significantly the interface between biology and mathematics education, and this project serves as an innovative and valuable model for many other institutions to answer this challenge. It is also part of a broader effort at the two institutions to create a new mathematics curriculum that supports the biological sciences. Simultaneously, the project provides the biology department the ability to increase the level of mathematics used in its courses. The project plans to expand this project to encompass courses below precalculus (introductory statistics and college algebra) and above precalculus (the calculus course taken by biology students, differential equations courses with biological models, and biological and physical projects in the senior projects course for applied mathematics majors).