This UBM Group project is providing rigorous research experiences for interdisciplinary teams of students that pair one student from mathematics and one from biology. Student teams work in close association with faculty from both mathematics and biology to plan projects in the general area of Riverine Ecology, conduct research, and then disseminate the results to peers and the general public. Course and curricular innovation includes an initial independent study course through which students receive an introduction to the upper Mississippi River system and perform a literature review to enhance their theoretical and empirical understanding of the local systems. Based on feedback from faculty and peers and their immersion in the literature students generate testable hypotheses, leading into a ten-week period of summer research activities. Weekly interactions among all program members occur throughout the summer period and continue into the fall semester, during which time students meet weekly to discuss recent papers, peer-review presentations by cohort members, create video podcasts for dissemination, and learn about career opportunities in mathematical biology.
The methodologies employed by mathematicians and statisticians have emerged as critical tools for modeling complex biological phenomena, predicting biological patterns, and analyzing large amounts of biological data such as those generated by national science laboratories. Unfortunately, collaborations rarely occur between scientists from these different disciplines, which ultimately hampers our ability to investigate important biological patterns. In 2011, members from the Departments of Mathematics and Biology at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse (UW-L) were awarded a collaborative grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish a program in Mathematical Biology. The UBM-Collaboration on Riverine Ecology (UBM-CORE) program was developed as a one-year undergraduate research experience designed to facilitate the development of twenty-first century biologists and mathematicians with broad, interdisciplinary scientific training. Twelve undergraduates (6 from mathematics and 6 from biology) participated in the program which required student teams to develop research projects at the interface between mathematics and biology. Research investigations centered on species invasions and outbreaks of waterfowl disease in the upper Mississippi River. The invasive snail (Bithynia tentaculata) was first discovered in the upper Mississippi River in 2002. This snail harbors a number of parasite species that cause thousands of annual waterfowl deaths in the region after birds consume infected snails. Unfortunately, little was known about interactions among the parasites, the snails and the waterfowl in the region which limits our ability to 1) predict invasive species spread, and 2) determine the extent and magnitude of disease in the region. Students used combinations of empirical methodologies and differential equation/statistical models to pursue a number of relevant research avenues within this system, including: Using energy budget to model host-parasite interaction along upper Mississippi River (2011). Kari Soltau (Biology), Kacie Van Calster (Mathematics). Investigating the role of host competition in the transmission of waterfowl disease in the upper Mississippi River (2011). Maria Jansen (Mathematics), Matt Rittenhouse (Biology). The role of parasite specificity in parasite transmission (2012). Susan Frankki (Mathematics), A.J. Kressin. (Biology) Game Theoretical approach to movement patterns of infected and non-infected Bithynia tentaculata (2012). Krista Hines (Biology), Robert Wolf (Mathematics) Maximizing Reproduction in Bithynia tentaculata with a Parasite Infection (2013). Stephanie Kerswill (Mathematics), Emily Ziegler (Biology). Assessing the Parasite Manipulation Hypothesis in an Invasive Host (Bithynia tentaculata) (2013). Alicia Weeks (Biology), Rebecca Peot (Mathematics). Together, these student-driven studies and experiences have helped us to foster and develop students with the tools and knowledge necessary for bridging current gaps between biology and mathematics. In addition, collective results from these projects have provided both scientists and conservationists with a broader understanding of the system and have generated an important foundation for future studies aimed at reducing invasive snail spread and waterfowl disease in the upper Mississippi. One of the most exciting aspects of this NSF-funded experience, is that it has created a very strong collaborative atmosphere throughout our College at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. We now have a strong working Bio-Math discussion group, recent hires in both Biology and Math have been cross-disciplinary in nature, and collaborations have been initiated between other Departments in the College such as Geography and Physics. Moreover, the Departments of Mathematics and Biology at UW-La Crosse will be hosting the 1st annual Midwest Mathematical Biology Conference in May of 2014 which is designed to bring together faculty and students in the region to share their research findings and experiences. Finally, the ties between Mathematics and Biology that were solidified via the CORE program have fostered the development of a proposed Mathematical Biology minor. Our feeling is that very few of these progressive accomplishments would have been possible without NSF support and the initiation of the UBM-CORE program in Mathematical Biology.
