NSF - USE- 95-545805

GrantAbstract:

This curriculum project focuses on six courses: Introductory Anatomy & Physiology, Microanatomy, Developmental Biology, Statistics, Mathematical Modeling, and Mathematics Majors Seminar. The project addresses the dual problems of : 1) encouraging biology students to approach their discipline in terms of quantitative problem solving and ; 2) engaging applied mathematics students in devising and solving mathematical problems which interface with the sciences. The courses selected are populated by a wide range of students: lower division upper division, science major, and non-science major. Through digital interfaces with microscopes and physiological transducers, the selected biology courses yield large interactive databases which are compliant to statistical analysis. These data bases are incorporated into inquiry-based undergraduate biology laboratory exercises which emphasize statistical methods of analysis. In addition a mathematics mentoring program is being established. The resultant exercises and experiences are being disseminated to a large audience through presentations, the Internet, publications, and commercial distribution. Through this curriculum development project undergraduate students learn why they need numerical data and how to generate the necessary data.