NSF Award
1029239
Marshall University's UBM program is a coordinated education and research initiative to prepare Mathematics and Biological Sciences undergraduates to pursue graduate study and careers at the interface of the disciplines. The program's research component begins with engagement of teams of 2-4 students in intensive summer research experiences and participation in a data club. An Introduction to Mathematical Biology course during the prior semester prepares students for the summer. The teams continue their research during the next academic year, and participate in a Mathematical Biology Seminar during which they present their work and prepare for presentations at local and national symposia and conferences. Students can also apply for a second year of support to continue with their research projects. Additional coursework is targeted to individual students' need for strengthening of biological or mathematical training. Collectively the research and coordinated classroom activities foster development of skills at problem-solving, experimentation, and communication. Students also receive extensive research mentoring and academic advisement by faculty (from both disciplines), as this can be a successful mechanism for guiding students to graduate programs. <br/><br/>The research component has as its intellectual focus the non-linear characterization of and prediction of change in biological phenomena, a focus designed to increase students' understanding of observed patterns over time, and increase predictive precision through higher mathematics. Physiological projects include mass-dependent allometric and temperature effects of oxygen consumption rates of freshwater mussels, the optimal feeding rates of freshwater mussels, and a curvature analysis of plant stems' gravitropic reorientation in response to horizontal placement. A genetics project focuses on the relationship between epithelial cell shape and polarity in Drosophila, while an environmental study entails modeling of the influence of road-side trees on urban climate.<br/><br/>Recruitment efforts focus on freshmen and sophomore students, with an interest in attracting talented female, minority, and Appalachian first generation college students. The program capitalizes on the participating faculty's experience with sponsoring student research through participation in several programs aimed at broadening participation of underrepresented minorities and students with disabilities, including the Marshall Chapter of the WV Space Grant Consortium's NASA Research Scholarships Program, the NSF Kentucky-WV Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, and the state-funded Marshall Summer Undergraduate Research Experience. In addition to sponsoring student engagement in mentored research in mathematical biology, the Marshall UBM program is enhancing curriculum development by integrating mathematical biology concepts into new and existing courses, lab exercises, and projects, an effort that is expected to ultimately benefit all students in the College of Science.
