suzanne lenhart, associate director for education, outreach and diversity research and education...

Suzanne Lenhart, Associate Director for Education, Outreach and Diversity

Research and Education Opportunities at NIMBioS

US Department ofHomeland Security

NIMBioS Vision• Foster new collaborative efforts to investigate

fundamental and applied questions arising in biology using appropriate mathematical and computational methods

• Enhance the essential human capacity to analyze complex biological questions and develop necessary new mathematics

• Encourage broader public appreciation of the unity of science and mathematics.

Specific Methods• Focused research projects (Working Groups) to build

collaboration among diverse communities.• Building collaborations through more open-ended

general problems, addressed through multiple approaches (Investigative Workshops).

• Skill and methods-based programs (Tutorials) that foster a broader understanding of potential applications of modern math and computational science in biology.

• An expansive set of education-linked-to-research endeavors from elementary through post-doctoral level that provide diverse opportunities at the math/biology interface.

Working Group

• Relatively small size (10-15 people).

• Focus on a well-defined topic.

• Well-defined goal

Ex. Software, databases, and publication

Investigative Workshop

• Relatively larger size (30-40 people).

• Inclusion of visitors, post-docs, and graduate students.

• Focus on a broader topic or set of related topics.

• Summarize state-of-the-art and identify future directions.

• Potential for leading to future working group (s).

Postdoctoral Fellows• Postdocs are independent researchers chosen based

upon an application that fits NIMBioS opportunities • Each postdoc is assigned two mentors, one from

mathematical/ computational sciences and one from biology.

• Postdocs are given the opportunity to teach regular UT classes, to invite collaborators as short-term visitors and to give talks at meetings and other institutions.

• In addition to participating in Working Groups, Workshops and Tutorials as appropriate, post-docs attend bi-weekly seminars and other UT activities as desired

NIMBioS Advisory Board NIMBioS activities are community-driven. We request

suggestions from a broad array of constituents.

NIMBioS relies on requests from the community to prioritize support, as evaluated through a formal process utilizing the broad set of expertise of the external Board of Advisors.

The Board meets physically once a year and once virtually to make recommendations on requests for support of Working Groups, Investigative Workshops, Postdocs and Sabbatical Fellows.

Our Committee to Promote Diversity works to enhance participation by under-represented groups.

The NIMBioS Leadership decides which Tutorials, short-term visitors and REU/REV students to support.

NIMBioS Education and Outreach

Goals:-To offer a diverse array of activities ranging from elementary education to post-doc education

-To focus on the enhancement of education at the interface between mathematics and biology

-To promote cross-disciplinary approaches to science at all levels

-Encourage broad public appreciation of the unity of science and math

K-12 Education and Outreach

-Increase student interest in the STEM disciplines-Encourage inquiry based approaches to science-Add mathematics examples and exercises to strengthen students quantitative skills-Foster use in both math and biology classrooms-Currently in 80 school systems in TN-Plans to expand outside the state

Unit 1: FossilsUnit 2: Of Skulls and TeethUnit 3: Fur, Feathers and ScalesUnit 4: Simple MeasuresUnit 5: It’s in your GenesUnit 6: Animal Kingdom

Unit 7: Backyard NaturalistUnit 8: Everything VariesUnit 9: ForestryUnit 10: Animal Behavior

Planned additions:From Climates to BiomesOf Cells and Cell ProcessesEngineering and BiologyOn Size and Life Cycle

Biology in a Box:

Biology in a Box Workshop- This workshop (June 17-18, 2010) had teams of

biology and mathematics teachers working on new interdisciplinary exercises from the boxes

- Teachers will learn how to use the exercises in both biology and mathematics courses to enhance student learning using interdisciplinary, hands-on inquiry based materials

-Teams from KY, GA, NC and ten teams from TN

Teacher Collaboration Program The Teacher Collaboration Program has been

launched to match math and biology high school teachers with mathematicians and biologists in colleges, industry, and government

-To date the program has 30 participants and 14 matches have been made

-Each group has access to a group site which enables them to get feedback and interact with other groups in the program

Undergraduate EducationThe Undergraduate Research Conference at the Interface

of Biology and Mathematics in fall 2009 and 2010

- 120 participants in 2010

- 25 student talks and 30 student posters

This coming fall, conference on November 21-22.

REU/REV Summer ProgramThe Research Experience for Undergraduates and

Veterinary Students summer program 2009 and 2010

- interdisciplinary math biology projects each with a math mentor and a biology mentor

-14 Undergraduates

- 4 Veterinary Students

-2 High School Teachers

Duncan, S., P. Bishop, and S. Lenhart. (in press) Preparing the ‘New Biologist of the Future: Student Research at the Interface of Biology and Mathematics. CBE-LSE

Graduate Education- new NIH PEER fellowship program and new NSF

IGERT graduate fellowship programs

– Four UT graduate students supported by NIMBioS

– Graduate students participate in workshops and tutorials and short term visits

– Plan to cooperate with MBI on grad. student summer workshop

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park:

-Girls in Science Week 2009 and 2010

-Science Teachers Institute at Tremont 2009 and 2010

-Advanced Science Teachers Workshop at Tremont 2010

Education Partnerships

Minority Serving Institution Partnerships

-Priority in participation in REU program, workshops,tutorials, and undergraduate research conference-Seminar series arranged by NIMBioS-Collaborations and visits by post-docs-Collaboration for curriculum program development

-University of Texas, El Paso-Cal State, San Marcos-Fisk University-Tennessee State University-North Carolina A&T University-Howard University

GSMNPGreat Smoky Mountains National Park

• biodiversity hotspot, imperiled species hotspot

• international context: – Wildlife Heritage Site, proposed non-stationary NEON sites– International Biosphere reserve

• role as a ‘prototype’ park within the National Park Service

Additional Partnerships

• Minority Serving Institutions

• IBM and ESRI

• Oak Ridge National Laboratory

• National Institute for Comput. Sciences

DiversityNIMBioS is committed to promoting in all aspects of activities including: gender, ethnicity, scientific field, career stage, geography and type of home institution

-The diversity goals are to be clearly stated in the applicationguidelines for organizers of potential activities, and diversity statements in activity applications are an essential part of the selection criterion.

-The Board, the Committee for Diversity, and Lenhart works with organizers to help increase the diversity of invited participants

-Each participant is contacted up to 3 times about the demographic surveyand is also contacted up to 3 times about the evaluation survey of his/her activity