UBM-Institutional: Research Training in Mathematical Biology

生物学的定量和数学方法在工业和学术研究中变得越来越普遍。然而，数学和生命科学之间仍然存在着明显的障碍，而这些项目的大学生通常在大一之后就不会接触到其他学科，这一现实进一步强化了这一障碍。本计划将透过课程作业与研究经验相结合的方式，建立一套训练数学与生物学结合的本科生计划。该项目注重以团队为基础的学习，生物学和数学专业的学生在应用数学与统计学系和各个生命科学系的教师共同领导的项目中合作。该项目每年都会招收一批本科生，其中一半来自数学科学专业，一半来自生命科学专业。这些学生将被分成研究小组（包括数学和生物专业的学生），进行一个暑假的全职研究；该研究项目将持续到下一年，学生将获得学分。这些研究项目都将涉及数学和实验生物学的组成部分，并将由两个学科的教师共同监督。作为生物学数学方法的入门课程，将开设两门新课程：一门侧重于实验数据的分析，另一门侧重于生物系统的模拟。这些课程将提供数学生物学理论和应用的基础，重点是如何将数学模型与实验技术相结合。这种以团队为基础的学习、多学科研究和指导以及新颖的课程作业的结合，将为学生应用数学方法解决生物学问题提供坚实的基础。这一举措将广泛影响这所大学的本科教育，成为其他学院和大学变革的典范，并通过具有多学科背景的毕业生影响更广泛的科学界，这些学生将在未来的职业生涯中采用这一观点。

Quantitative and mathematical approaches to biology are becoming more prevalent in both industrial and academic research. However, there remain significant barriers between the mathematical and life sciences, reinforced by the reality that college students in these programs are not typically exposed to the other discipline beyond the freshman year. This project will establish a program to train undergraduates at the interface of mathematics and biology, through a combination of course work and research experience. The program has a focus on team-based learning, with biology and math majors working together on projects jointly led by faculty from the departments of Applied Mathematics & Statistics and various Life Sciences departments. Each year, a cohort of undergraduate students will be recruited to the program, half drawn from majors in the mathematical sciences, and half from majors in the life sciences. These students will be grouped into research teams (including both math and biology majors) that will engage in a summer of full-time research; the research projects will continue through the following year, with the students receiving academic credit. The research projects will all involve components both of mathematics and of experimental biology, and will be jointly supervised by faculty from both disciplines. As an introduction to mathematical approaches in biology, a pair of new courses will be offered: one with a focus on the analysis of experimental data, and the other with a focus on the simulation of biological systems. These courses will provide a foundation in both the theory and application of mathematical biology, with an emphasis on how mathematical models can be integrated with experimental techniques.This combination of team-based learning, multidisciplinary research and mentoring, and novel course work, will provide a solid foundation for students to apply mathematical approaches to biological questions. This initiative will broadly impact undergraduate education at this university, serve as a model for change at other colleges and universities, and influence the broader scientific community by graduating students with a multi-disciplinary background who will take this perspective with them in their future careers.