UBM: Training Undergraduate Students in Mathematics and Biology at UL Lafayette

University Of Louisiana At Lafayette, Lafayette LA

Investigators

Abstract

There is an increasing national need to apply mathematical analysis to solve complex biological problems. This project is helping to meet this need by providing cross-disciplinary training via program development and research projects for undergraduate students. The project team is developing two new courses and two seminars, and is establishing a new mathematical biology option for undergraduates. The students are being cross-trained through courses, for example, in biomathematics and modeling, ecological field techniques, and experimental design and analysis. In addition to coursework, research projects are underway in which cohorts of students spend a year each on two long-term field projects and the mathematical modeling associated with them. These students are engaged in conducting field studies and experiments to investigate animal and plant population dynamics, insect-plant interactions, and invasive species performance. Each cohort is composed of students from the university's Mathematics and Biology Departments, and these students are being mentored by faculty members from the two departments. Some of the projects have an additional mentor from the United States Geological Survey's National Wetlands Research Center in Lafayette, Louisiana.