An Introduction to Undergraduate Research in Computational and Mathematical Biology: From Birdsongs to Viscosities - Hardcover

by Hannah Callender Highlander (Editor), Alex Capaldi (Editor), Carrie Diaz Eaton (Editor)

Speaking directly to the growing importance of research experience in undergraduate mathematics programs, this volume offers suggestions for undergraduate-appropriate research projects in mathematical and computational biology for students and their faculty mentors. The aim of each chapter is twofold: for faculty, to alleviate the challenges of identifying accessible topics and advising students through the research process; for students, to provide sufficient background, additional references, and context to excite students in these areas and to enable them to successfully undertake these problems in their research.

Some of the topics discussed include:

- Oscillatory behaviors present in real-world applications, from seasonal outbreaks of childhood diseases to action potentials in neurons

- Simulating bacterial growth, competition, and resistance with agent-based models and laboratory experiments

- Network structure and the dynamics of biological systems

- Using neural networks to identify bird species from birdsong samples

Aimed at undergraduate mathematics faculty and advanced undergraduate students, this unique guide will be a valuable resource for generating fruitful research collaborations between students and faculty.

Back Jacket

Speaking directly to the growing importance of research experience in undergraduate mathematics programs, this volume offers suggestions for undergraduate-appropriate research projects in mathematical and computational biology for students and their faculty mentors. The aim of each chapter is twofold: for faculty, to alleviate the challenges of identifying accessible topics and advising students through the research process; for students, to provide sufficient background, additional references, and context to excite students in these areas and to enable them to successfully undertake these problems in their research.
Some of the topics discussed include:
- Oscillatory behaviors present in real-world applications, from seasonal outbreaks of childhood diseases to action potentials in neurons
- Simulating bacterial growth, competition, and resistance with agent-based models and laboratory experiments
- Network structure and the dynamics of biological systems
- Using neural networks to identify bird species from birdsong samples
- Modeling fluid flow induced by the motion of pulmonary cilia
Aimed at undergraduate mathematics faculty and advanced undergraduate students, this unique guide will be a valuable resource for generating fruitful research collaborations between students and faculty.

Author Biography

Hannah Callender Highlander is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Portland in Portland, Oregon.
Alex Capaldi is an Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana.
Carrie Diaz Eaton is an Associate Professor of Digital and Computational Studies at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine.