Mathematical Biology at Truman

Jason Miller, Ph.D.Division of Mathematics & Computer Science

Truman State University26 July 2004

millerj@truman.eduhttp://mathbio.truman.edu

Society for Mathematical Biology, 2004

Outline

•State two goals of Truman’s Mathematical Biology Initiative

•Describe Truman’s Mathematical Biology Initiative

•Detail our grant supported activities

•Speculate on our future

Goal1. Create at Truman a self-sustaining community of faculty and students who are interested in “mathematical biology”

MathematicsStatistics

Computer ScienceBiology

2. Better prepare our undergraduates to seek careers and advanced degrees in this interdisciplinary area.

Truman’s Mathematical

Biology Initiative

Professional Societies

•biweekly

•presentations by Truman faculty & some visiting speakers

•opened lines of communication

•revealed Capstone projects and opportunities for research collaboration

•began building a community

MathBio Seminar

Professional Societies

•mini-grant competition for summer interdisciplinary team research experiences

•course devel

•field trips (one per year)

•symposium in Summer ‘05

NSF UBM Supplement

Generates excitement!

+ Mathbio Seminar

•grant competition

•for interdisciplinary projects

•cross-disciplinary pair of mentors, cross-disciplinary pair of students

•project has potential for long-term cross-disciplinary collaboration

•submit substantial written proposal

•anonymous reviewers (local and external)

•summer funding (stipends, travel, supplies)

Mini-grant Competition

•Development of habitat suitability models to test how spatial scale influences predictions of occurrence patterns of the federally threatened, rare plant species, Missouri bladder-pod Lesquerella filiformis (mini-grant)

•Applications of Image Analysis to Cell Cycle Data Acquisition (mini-grant)

•Quantitative Identification of Bat Species via Acoustic Surveys

•Aerodynamic features of saccate pollen: Evolutionary implications for wind–pollinated plants

Current Research Projects

•Introduction to Modeling in Biology (Spring 2005)

•Bioinformatics (TBA)

•Research Practicum (Spring 2005)

•Programming for Scientists (TBA)

Courses

That following courses are under development:

•9 undergrads + 4 faculty•Kirksville to St. Louis, overnight•Monsanto•Donald Danforth Plant Science

Center•group discussions before and after

Field Trip

Next trip: Kansas City metro area

•to share best practice in undergraduate mathematical biology (interdisciplinary) education

•to share and assess Truman’s efforts

•to sketch strategic plan for future

Symposium (Summer ‘05)

You’re invited!

•MathBio Seminar: 100+ undergrads, 20+ faculty

•9 faculty, 12 students engaged in mathbio research

•8 faculty developing courses together

•stronger relationships with industry

•lots of faculty & student enthusiasm and “buy in”

Successes

•geographic isolation

•faculty are retooling

•“gentle” course reform & research based math courses (cf. Bio 2010; modules)

•sustainability

Challenges

•use Truman’s new interdisciplinary major

•new biology faculty member (bioinformatics)

•support faculty to seek external funding for their own projects

•create a summer research community & program in the sciences

Future

•extended research experiences

•research projects generate course modules

•coordinated research community program (seminars & workshops)

•trips

NSF UBM 2004(Submitted last Spring.)

•attract students to STEM fields through mathbio

•deeper curriculum reform (interdisciplinary)

•more serious assessment of undergraduate research program

•community colleges

•mathbio as a route to increase retention rate of women in CS

NSF STEP 2004

Summary

•Truman is very actively pursuing the goal of preparing its students to work at the intersection of mathematics and biology

•using undergraduate research as a vehicle to get faculty to cross disciplinary boundaries works!

•the UBM program has provided resources and generated excitement

You Can Do This!

Thank you