UBM: Collaborative Learning at the Interface of Mathematics and Biology(CLIMB)- an Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research Training Program at UC Davis

University Of California-Davis, Davis CA

Investigators

Abstract

The Collaborative Learning in Mathematics and Biology (CLIMB) program at the University of California, Davis will train a diverse group of college students in collaborative interdisciplinary research in mathematics and biology to address the nation's need for researchers who use mathematics and computation to uncover the mechanisms and properties that underlie biological processes and patterns. The CLIMB program is part of a comprehensive revision of the biological sciences undergraduate curriculum at UC Davis in which the links between mathematics and biology are integrated into all coursework. CLIMB trainees will develop the expertise needed to participate in collaborative teams by building on a strong foundation of mathematics and biology, and gaining interdisciplinary collaborative research skills through coursework, seminars, group projects, and mentoring. A student-driven collaborative project provides a capstone. Within CLIMB, trainees may study movement of materials within cells, plant and animal biomechanics, ecology, animal behavior, and resource management using microbes, plants, insects, or aquatic organisms as study systems. Mathematical and statistical methods include dynamic modeling, statistical approaches, and computer simulation. Through links with community colleges and UC Davis enrichment programs, the CLIMB program will attract students from groups traditionally underrepresented in mathematics and life sciences. Students who complete the CLIMB program will be well-versed in a variety of biological problems and will have an in-depth understanding of appropriate empirical and quantitative methods by which to study them. Students will learn to act as cross-disciplinary ambassadors for collaborative research and will be prepared to continue their studies in a graduate program in applied mathematics, quantitative life sciences, or in interdisciplinary programs that join the two areas.