The integration of biology with mathematics and computer science mandates the training of students capable of comfortably navigating among these fields. We address this formidable pedagogical challenge with the creation of transdisciplinary modules that guide students toward solving realistic problems with methods from different disciplines. Knowledge is gradually integrated as the same topic is revisited in biology, mathematics, and computer science courses. We illustrate this process with a module on the homeostasis and dynamic regulation of red blood cell production, which was first implemented in an introductory biology course and will be revisited in the mathematics and computer science curricula.
{"title":"Integration of biology, mathematics and computing in the classroom through the creation and repeated use of transdisciplinary modules.","authors":"Mentewab Ayalew, Derrick Hylton, Jeticia Sistrunk, James Melton, Kiandra Johnson, Eberhard Voit","doi":"10.1080/10511970.2020.1861140","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10511970.2020.1861140","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The integration of biology with mathematics and computer science mandates the training of students capable of comfortably navigating among these fields. We address this formidable pedagogical challenge with the creation of transdisciplinary modules that guide students toward solving realistic problems with methods from different disciplines. Knowledge is gradually integrated as the same topic is revisited in biology, mathematics, and computer science courses. We illustrate this process with a module on the homeostasis and dynamic regulation of red blood cell production, which was first implemented in an introductory biology course and will be revisited in the mathematics and computer science curricula.</p>","PeriodicalId":74495,"journal":{"name":"PRIMUS : problems, resources, and issues in mathematics undergraduate studies","volume":"32 3 Pt 2","pages":"367-385"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8916718/pdf/nihms-1655026.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10459042","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-01Epub Date: 2021-02-18DOI: 10.1080/10511970.2021.1881849
Aasakiran Madamanchi, Madison Thomas, Alejandra Magana, Randy Heiland, Paul Macklin
There is growing awareness of the need for mathematics and computing to quantitatively understand the complex dynamics and feedbacks in the life sciences. Although several institutions and research groups are conducting pioneering multidisciplinary research, communication and education across fields remain a bottleneck. The opportunity is ripe for using education research-supported mechanisms of cross-disciplinary training at the intersection of mathematics, computation, and biology. This case study uses the computational apprenticeship theoretical framework to describe the efforts of a computational biology lab to rapidly prototype, test, and refine a mentorship infrastructure for undergraduate research experiences. We describe the challenges, benefits, and lessons learned, as well as the utility of the computational apprenticeship framework in supporting computational/math students learning and contributing to biology, and biologists in learning computational methods. We also explore implications for undergraduate classroom instruction and cross-disciplinary scientific communication.
{"title":"Supporting <i>Computational Apprenticeship</i> Through Educational and Software Infrastructure: A Case Study in a Mathematical Oncology Research Lab.","authors":"Aasakiran Madamanchi, Madison Thomas, Alejandra Magana, Randy Heiland, Paul Macklin","doi":"10.1080/10511970.2021.1881849","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10511970.2021.1881849","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>There is growing awareness of the need for mathematics and computing to quantitatively understand the complex dynamics and feedbacks in the life sciences. Although several institutions and research groups are conducting pioneering multidisciplinary research, communication and education across fields remain a bottleneck. The opportunity is ripe for using education research-supported mechanisms of cross-disciplinary training at the intersection of mathematics, computation, and biology. This case study uses the computational apprenticeship theoretical framework to describe the efforts of a computational biology lab to rapidly prototype, test, and refine a mentorship infrastructure for undergraduate research experiences. We describe the challenges, benefits, and lessons learned, as well as the utility of the computational apprenticeship framework in supporting computational/math students learning and contributing to biology, and biologists in learning computational methods. We also explore implications for undergraduate classroom instruction and cross-disciplinary scientific communication.</p>","PeriodicalId":74495,"journal":{"name":"PRIMUS : problems, resources, and issues in mathematics undergraduate studies","volume":" ","pages":"446-467"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10511970.2021.1881849","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39947593","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aasakiran Madamanchi, Madison Thomas, Alejandra J. Magana, R. Heiland, P. Macklin
There is growing awareness of the need for mathematics and computing to quantitatively understand the complex dynamics and feedbacks in the life sciences. Although individual institutions and research groups are conducting pioneering multidisciplinary research, communication and education across fields remains a bottleneck. The opportunity is ripe for using education research principles to develop new mechanisms of cross-disciplinary training at the intersection of mathematics, computation and biology. In this paper we present a case study which describes the efforts of one computational biology lab to rapidly prototype, test, and refine a mentorship infrastructure for undergraduate research experiences in alignment with the computational apprenticeship theoretical framework. We describe the challenges, benefits, and lessons learned, as well as the utility of the computational apprenticeship framework in supporting computational/math students learning and contributing to biology, and biologists in learning computational methods. We also explore implications for undergraduate classroom instruction, and cross-disciplinary scientific communication.
{"title":"Supporting Computational Apprenticeship Through Educational and Software Infrastructure: A Case Study in a Mathematical Oncology Research Lab","authors":"Aasakiran Madamanchi, Madison Thomas, Alejandra J. Magana, R. Heiland, P. Macklin","doi":"10.1101/835363","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1101/835363","url":null,"abstract":"There is growing awareness of the need for mathematics and computing to quantitatively understand the complex dynamics and feedbacks in the life sciences. Although individual institutions and research groups are conducting pioneering multidisciplinary research, communication and education across fields remains a bottleneck. The opportunity is ripe for using education research principles to develop new mechanisms of cross-disciplinary training at the intersection of mathematics, computation and biology. In this paper we present a case study which describes the efforts of one computational biology lab to rapidly prototype, test, and refine a mentorship infrastructure for undergraduate research experiences in alignment with the computational apprenticeship theoretical framework. We describe the challenges, benefits, and lessons learned, as well as the utility of the computational apprenticeship framework in supporting computational/math students learning and contributing to biology, and biologists in learning computational methods. We also explore implications for undergraduate classroom instruction, and cross-disciplinary scientific communication.","PeriodicalId":74495,"journal":{"name":"PRIMUS : problems, resources, and issues in mathematics undergraduate studies","volume":"43 1","pages":"446 - 467"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81569207","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}