Active Grants:
1 . NSF-STEP " Talent Expansion in Quantitative Biology "
Leadership: Anant P.Godbole, Hugh A. Miller, Jack Rhoton, Jeff Knisley, Lev Yampolsky (Program Director)
Support: $998,342. DUE-0525447
Supported period: 09.15.2005-08.31.2009
This, Talent Expansion in Quantitative Biology is a joint project between the Departments of Mathematics and Biological Sciences in response to the STEP-Type 1 solicitation. The PIs are Anant Godbole (Math); Jeff Knisley (Math); Lev Yampolsky and Hugh Miller (Biological Sciences); Jack Rhoton (Curriculum and Instruction). The advisory board for the project consists of the University Provost; the ETSU Vice President for Research; the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Director of Undergraduate Research; and the Assistant Dean of the Graduate School. Three cohorts of entering freshmen (20 students each year) are immersed in a new four year research-intensive curriculum in quantitative biology.2. Howard Hughes Medical Institute " The Symbiosis Initiative"
Leadership: Karl Joplin (Project Director)
Support: $1,700,000 Grant # 52005872
Symbiosis is an inquiry-based, active-learning curriculum in which math and biology are integrated into a coordinated, mutually beneficial relationship, beginning at the earliest stages of a student’s college career.
It is delivered as a introductory
three-course laboratory science sequence, IBMS 1100, IBMS
1200, and IBMS 1300, which integrates material from 3
introductory biology courses (
Cell/Molecular, Structure/Function of
Plants &
Animals, Population
Biology/Ecology/Evolution
) with 2 courses from math (
Calculus I & Probability &
Statistics
) plus several components from other
math courses.
Curriculum Modules
Ea
ch module is a true integration of biology
concepts with math concepts and tools at the introductory
level. They are developed by a team of at least 1 biology
and at least 1 math faculty.
Included in each module are 10 lectures
(including summary of previous modules and assessment), 1 wet
lab and 1 dry lab. We plan on publishing individual
modules along with an extensive textbook at the end of the
project.
Completed Grants:
NSF UBM: A Multi-Stage Approach To
Undergraduate Research in Mathematical Biology
Leadership: Jeff Knisley and Istvan
Karsai (Program Director)
Support: $99,382. DUE-0337406
Supported period: 04.30.2004-04.30.2006
Rational: The biological sciences are becoming increasingly more dependent on concepts and techniques from mathematics, thus creating a need for students competent in both fields. However, students tend to gravitate toward either mathematics or biology to the exclusion of the other. We propose to extend an existing, highly successful curriculum model to counter this tendency. Through a multi-stage process designed to address biologists and mathematicians both collaboratively and independently, we will equip biologists with mathematical skills and mathematicians with biological skills as we prepare both for collaborative REU type research experiences that at the cutting edge of quantitative biology.