UBM-Undergraduate collaborative group in mathematical biology

Ives, Milewski The two investigators train a long-term (2-year) collaborative group of 4 undergraduates working on a suite of problems in mathematical biology. One of the investigators is a biologist, and the other is an applied mathematician, yet both have collaborated with researchers from the other discipline. The investigators work collaboratively with 4 undergraduates and address aspects of at least three problems at the interface of biology and mathematics: (1) Why do periodical cicadas have long, prime-numbered periods? (2) Why do pineapples, pinecones (and many other plants) display patterns with Fibonnaci sequences? and (3) How does the functioning of ecosystems change as they collapse via species extinctions? These three questions are an exciting starting point for the collaborative group, and they are selected to both keep the interest of the students and take life through the collaborative process. Although some areas of biology (ecology in particular) have luminous histories of partnership with mathematics, the current explosion of theoretical and technological advances in both fields has upped the ante for interdisciplinary work. To work at the interface between biology and mathematics, more scientists need to be trained in both fields, and trained in how to connect the fields. Recognizing that a single person cannot span the gap between fields effectively, future scientists must also be trained to work collaboratively. Using collaborative learning groups for undergraduates fosters interdisciplinary thinking for the participating undergraduates and the investigators. It also serves as a model for training undergraduates to do research at the interface between disciplines.