Biological ESTEEM - More about the collection

Author(s): 
John Jungck

Editorial Board of the Biological ESTEEM Collection

Biology

Mathematics

Editor

John R. Jungck
Professor of Biology and Mead Chair of the Sciences
Beloit College
Beloit, WI 53511

Editor

Raina Robeva
Associate Professor of Mathematical Science
Sweet Briar College
Sweet Briar, VA 24595

Section Editors

Evolutionary Biology and Bioinformatics
Anton E. Weisstein
Assistant Professor
Division of Science
Truman State University
Kirksville, MO 63501

Genetics, Molecular Biology, and Microbiology
Srebrenka Robic
Beloit College
Beloit, WI 53511

Population Biology and Developmental Biology
Doug Green
Professor of Biology
Saint Michael's College
Colchester, VT  05439

Physiology
Tom Hoogendyck
Instructional Technology Associate
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst MA 01003

Botany
Ethel D. Stanley
Beloit College
Beloit, WI 53511

Ecology
Denny Fernández del Viso
Department of Biology
University of Puerto Rico at Humacao

Section Editors

Eric Marland
Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Department of Mathematical Sciences
Appalachian State University Boone, NC 28608

Jennifer Galovich
Associate Professor of Mathematics
St. John's University
Collegeville, MN 56321
and
The College of St. Benedict
St. Joseph, MN 56374

Elio Ramos
Assistant Professor
Department of Mathematics
University of Puerto Rico at Humacao

Rene Salinas

Tim Comar
Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Benedictine University
Lisle, IL

Mike Martin
Professor of Mathematics
Johnson County Community College
Overland Park, KS

Renée Fister
Associate Professor of Mathematics
Murray State University
Murray, KY

MAA Digital Classroom Resources Editor

Doug Ensley
Department of Mathematics
Shippensburg University
Shippensburg, PA 17257

Copyright 2005, All Rights Reserved, The Mathematical Association of America.
 

Implementing NRC Bio 2010's Recommendations for More Mathematics in Undergraduate Biology Education

In 2002, the National Research Council made eight major recommendations for the improvement of undergraduate biology education in its publication: BIO2010: Transforming Undergraduate Education for Future Research Biologists. The first two of these recommendations both emphasized the need for additional attention to the inclusion of more mathematics:

“It is important that all students understand the growing relevance of quantitative science in addressing life-science questions. Thus, a better integration of quantitative applications in biology would not only enhance life science education for all students, but also decrease the chances that mathematically talented students would reject life sciences as too soft …  Most biology majors take no more than one year of calculus, although some also take an additional semester of statistics. Very few are exposed to discrete mathematics, linear algebra, probability, and modeling topics, which could greatly enhance their future research careers. These are often considered advanced courses; however, many aspects of discrete math or linear algebra that would be relevant to biology students do not require calculus as a prerequisite. While calculus remains an important topic for future biologists, the committee does not believe biology students should study calculus to the exclusion of other types of mathematics.”

Explicit strategies for implementing these recommendations were the subject of a follow-up conference entitled “Meeting the Challenges: Education Across the Biological, Mathematical and Computer Sciences” and a book published by the Mathematics Association of America entitled: Math & Bio 2010: Linking Undergraduate Disciplines.

Members of the BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium were funded to develop modules to address these challenges through a new initiative: Biological ESTEEM (Excel Simulations and Tools for Exploratory, Experiential Mathematics). The recommended areas: “discrete mathematics, linear algebra, probability, and modeling topics” will be illustrated through materials that were developed in biochemistry, bioinformatics, biometrics, developmental biology, ecology, evolution, genetics, microbiology, and physiology. All materials are easily run on economical microcomputers equipped with Microsoft Excel and a web browser. Biological ESTEEM modules are downloadable at no charge.