1 / 63

Incorporating Biological Problems into Mathematics Courses

A Report on a Non-existent* White Paper. Incorporating Biological Problems into Mathematics Courses. Lester Caudill Kathy Hoke University of Richmond Department of Mathematics and Computer Science lcaudill@richmond.edu. * For now. What is a “White Paper”?. What is a “White Paper”?.

overton
Download Presentation

Incorporating Biological Problems into Mathematics Courses

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. A Report on a Non-existent* White Paper Incorporating Biological Problems into Mathematics Courses Lester Caudill Kathy Hoke University of Richmond Department of Mathematics and Computer Science lcaudill@richmond.edu * For now

  2. What is a “White Paper”?

  3. What is a “White Paper”? • A report or guide that often addresses problems and how to solve them.

  4. What is a “White Paper”? • A report or guide that often addresses problems and how to solve them. • WPs are used to educate readers and help people make decisions.

  5. What is a “White Paper”? • A report or guide that often addresses problems and how to solve them. • WPs are used to educate readers and help people make decisions. • The thing in the binder is NOT the white paper!

  6. Combining Biology and Math • Three possible approaches:

  7. Combining Biology and Math • Three possible approaches: • Incorporate biological applications into existing math courses

  8. Combining Biology and Math • Three possible approaches: • Incorporate biological applications into existing math courses • Incorporate mathematical techniques into existing biology courses

  9. Combining Biology and Math • Three possible approaches: • Incorporate biological applications into existing math courses • Incorporate mathematical techniques into existing biology courses • Create new “hybrid” mathematical biology/biomathematics courses

  10. Combining Biology and Math • Three possible approaches: • Incorporate biological applications into existing math courses • Incorporate mathematical techniques into existing biology courses • Create new “hybrid” mathematical biology/biomathematics courses

  11. Working Group: • “Incorporating Bio into Math Courses” • Formed at Quantitative Biology meeting at ETSU, July 2007

  12. Why Work Bio into Math Courses?

  13. Why Work Bio into Math Courses? • Help students recognize, appreciate, and utilize the interconnections between biology and mathematics

  14. Why Work Bio into Math Courses? • Help students recognize, appreciate, and utilize the interconnections between biology and mathematics • Prepare biology students for modern quantitative biology

  15. Why Work Bio into Math Courses? • Help students recognize, appreciate, and utilize the interconnections between biology and mathematics • Prepare biology students for modern quantitative biology • Prepare mathematics students to support and contribute to modern biological research

  16. Why Work Bio into Math Courses? • Help students recognize, appreciate, and utilize the interconnections between biology and mathematics • Prepare biology students for modern quantitative biology • Prepare mathematics students to support and contribute to modern biological research • Reflect on what Pat and Malcolm said

  17. Different Levels of Integration (of bio into math courses)

  18. Different Levels of Integration (of bio into math courses) • Keep math course as it is, but insert biological applications (i.e. “flavoring” an existing course)

  19. Different Levels of Integration (of bio into math courses) • Keep math course as it is, but insert biological applications (i.e. “flavoring” an existing course) • Adapt the math topics in an existing course to include bio-friendly topics

  20. Different Levels of Integration (of bio into math courses) • Keep math course as it is, but insert biological applications (i.e. “flavoring” an existing course) • Adapt the math topics in an existing course to include bio-friendly topics • Build a new math course, including only bio-relevant math topics (e.g. math methods for biology)

  21. Four Challenges to Incorporating Bio into Math Courses

  22. Four Challenges to Incorporating Bio into Math Courses • Challenge #1: Not everyone recognizes the importance of doing this.

  23. Four Challenges to Incorporating Bio into Math Courses • Challenge #1: Not everyone recognizes the importance of doing this. • This is true on both sides of the fence.

  24. Four Challenges to Incorporating Bio into Math Courses

  25. Four Challenges to Incorporating Bio into Math Courses • Challenge #2: Competing interests

  26. Four Challenges to Incorporating Bio into Math Courses • Challenge #2: Competing interests • Biologists want to work on the biology courses

  27. Four Challenges to Incorporating Bio into Math Courses • Challenge #2: Competing interests • Biologists want to work on the biology courses • Mathematicians want to work on the math courses

  28. Four Challenges to Incorporating Bio into Math Courses • Challenge #2: Competing interests • Biologists want to work on the biology courses • Mathematicians want to work on the math courses • Evidence: Working group memberships

  29. Four Challenges to Incorporating Bio into Math Courses

  30. Four Challenges to Incorporating Bio into Math Courses • Challenge #3: Identifying and utilizing good biological applications of mathematics is difficult to do

  31. Four Challenges to Incorporating Bio into Math Courses • Challenge #3: Identifying and utilizing good biological applications of mathematics is difficult to do • To identify “new” applications, need people well-educated in both biology and math

  32. Four Challenges to Incorporating Bio into Math Courses • Challenge #3: Identifying and utilizing good biological applications of mathematics is difficult to do • To identify “new” applications, need people well-educated in both biology and math • Even bio-mathematicians usually only know the biology directly related to their research field

  33. Four Challenges to Incorporating Bio into Math Courses • Challenge #3: Identifying and utilizing good biological applications of mathematics is difficult to do • Need real data sets to work with

  34. Four Challenges to Incorporating Bio into Math Courses • Challenge #3: Identifying and utilizing good biological applications of mathematics is difficult to do • Need real data sets to work with • Not many texts available as resources

  35. Four Challenges to Incorporating Bio into Math Courses

  36. Four Challenges to Incorporating Bio into Math Courses • Challenge #4: Implementation issues

  37. Four Challenges to Incorporating Bio into Math Courses • Challenge #4: Implementation issues • Possible conflict between adapting course content for biological purposes and maintaining content needed for succeeding math courses

  38. Four Challenges to Incorporating Bio into Math Courses • Challenge #4: Implementation issues • Possible conflict between adapting course content for biological purposes and maintaining content needed for succeeding math courses • Resource issues (faculty dev time, course revision time, team teaching credit)

  39. Addressing the “Four Challenges”

  40. Addressing the “Four Challenges” • Challenge #1: Not everyone recognizes the importance of doing this.

  41. Addressing the “Four Challenges” • Challenge #1: Not everyone recognizes the importance of doing this. • Not everyone will buy into the idea – THIS IS OKAY! (PR can help)

  42. Addressing the “Four Challenges” • Challenge #1: Not everyone recognizes the importance of doing this. • Not everyone will buy into the idea – THIS IS OKAY! (PR can help) • Just need at least one biologist and at least one mathematician

  43. Addressing the “Four Challenges”

  44. Addressing the “Four Challenges” • Challenge #2: Competing interests

  45. Addressing the “Four Challenges” • Challenge #2: Competing interests • Many of the same math-bio connections will serve both sides, so WORK TOGETHER!

  46. Addressing the “Four Challenges” • Challenge #2: Competing interests • Many of the same math-bio connections will serve both sides, so WORK TOGETHER! • Each connection should be good for use in both bio and math courses

  47. Addressing the “Four Challenges”

  48. Addressing the “Four Challenges” • Challenge #3: Identifying and utilizing good biological applications of mathematics is difficult to do

  49. Addressing the “Four Challenges” • Challenge #3: Identifying and utilizing good biological applications of mathematics is difficult to do • Work together and share! (e.g. existing courses – see wiki)

  50. Addressing the “Four Challenges” • Challenge #3: Identifying and utilizing good biological applications of mathematics is difficult to do • Work together and share! (e.g. existing courses – see wiki) • Need a repository of math applications in biology (More about this later)

More Related