The Undergraduate Biological and Mathematical (UBM)
training program is a new initiative by the National
Science Foundation (NSF) to bridge the gap between the
biological sciences and mathematics.
This UBM project is designed to engage undergraduate
biology and mathematics majors in innovative research at
the bridge between the mathematical and biological
disciplines. Examples of research areas available include
studying vital population parameters of reef corals,
regulation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase during
oocyte maturation and fertilization, and the analysis of
mutation rates in a bacterial model system for DNA repeats
associated with neurodegenerative diseases. For this,
students will utilize cutting edge research tools and
methods and analyze results using rigorous mathematical
techniques. The intense involvement of the students will be
during the last 2 years of their undergraduate education.
For three years, we will support six undergraduate
researchers annually, three each from the departments of
mathematics and biology.
