RUI: UBM-Institutional: Quantitative Skills in Biology through Scientific Inquiry at James Madison University

目前生物学研究的趋势需要具有很强的定量技能的生物学家和受过生物学训练的数学家。该项目将涉及本科生的长期研究经验以及数学和生物方面的课程改进活动。由四名生物或生物技术专业的学生与四名数学或统计学专业的学生组成的年度队列的研究经验将由生物学和数学专业的教师共同指导。参与者将报名参加由两个学科的教员团队授课的跨学科课程。教师将为现有课程贡献课程模块，向其他生物和数学课程的学生广泛展示生物和数学之间的跨学科互动。该计划所有方面的中心主题是数学方法和工具在科学方法的所有方面可以发挥的作用。研究项目将基于生物学教师与合作的数学教师的积极研究。生物和数学学生都将参与科学探究的方方面面，学习所需的生物和数学知识。初步的课程和研讨会将为学生的暑期研究项目做好准备。在这项研究之后，学生们将通过地区和国家会议传播他们的成果。教师和学生将共同努力，在同行评议的期刊上发表适当的结果。由教员开发的课程单元将提交给基于网络的课程储存库，以供广泛传播。

Current trends in biological research demand biologists with strong quantitative skills and mathematicians with training in biology. This project will involve long-term research experiences for undergraduates as well as curricular improvement activities in both mathematics and biology. Research experiences for annual cohorts of four biology or biotechnology students paired with four mathematics or statistics students will be co-mentored by faculty from biology and from mathematics. Participants will enroll in interdisciplinary courses team-taught by faculty from both disciplines. Faculty will contribute curricular modules for existing courses to provide broad exposure of the interdisciplinary interactions between biology and mathematics to students in other biology and mathematics courses. The central theme for all aspects of the program is the role that mathematical methodologies and tools can play in all aspects of the scientific method. Research projects will be based on active research of biology faculty with collaborating mathematics faculty. Both biological and mathematical students will participate in all aspects of scientific inquiry, learning the biology and the mathematics needed. Preliminary coursework and seminars will prepare students for a summer research project. Following this research, students will disseminate their results through regional and national meetings. Faculty and students will work together to publish appropriate results in peer-reviewed journals. Curricular modules developed by faculty will be submitted to web-based curricular repositories for broad dissemination.