Project Profile
Multidisciplinary Training at the Interface of Biology, Mathematics and Physics
University of Arizona
Abstract
This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) award will support the establishment of a broadly- based graduate training program at the interface of the biological, mathematical and physical sciences. The program, a joint effort of 21 faculty drawn from 9 departments and 2 national laboratories, will emphasize collaborative research… more »
This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) award will support the establishment of a broadly- based graduate training program at the interface of the biological, mathematical and physical sciences. The program, a joint effort of 21 faculty drawn from 9 departments and 2 national laboratories, will emphasize collaborative research on problems where the joining of mathematical and physical modeling with hands-on laboratory experimentation holds great promise. Particular areas of interest include arthropod evolution and population biology, cardiovascular physiology, image analysis, bacterial motion, physics of cell structures, and olfaction.
Students enrolled in any of seven existing Ph.D. programs, will participate in a combination of existing and new courses, including a new three semester biomathematics seminar that will combine literature research, faculty-student group discussions and seminars by outside experts to explore topical problems. A new, biological physics laboratory course covering Brownian motion, membranes, biopolymers, chemotaxis and fluid dynamics will be required of all students. Students will be recruited through existing departmentally-based strategies, as well as special efforts sponsored directly by the graduate college.
IGERT is a new, NSF-wide program whose goal is to sponsor the establishment of innovative, research-based graduate programs that will train a diverse group of new scientists and engineers to be well-prepared for varied careers in the private and public sectors. IGERT provides an opportunity for the development of new, well-focused multidisciplinary programs that bridge traditional organizational barriers, uniting faculty from several departments or institutions to establish a highly-interactive collaborative environment for both training and research. In its first year, the program will provide support to 17 institutions for new or nascent programs that collectively s pan all areas of science, engineering and mathematics eligible for support by the NSF. « less
