Catalog Description: Introduction to Mathematical Biology (MATH 345/BIOL 345)

Students will study papers drawn from research literature in which mathematics is used to model biological systems, encompassing the molecular level to the community level of organization. Topics from matrix algebra, differential equations, discrete mathematics, probability and statistics will be introduced and developed through lectures, readings, and a computer lab. Data will be drawn from a variety of sources, including student laboratory experiments, research papers, and scientific databases. The course meets for two hours of lectures and two hours of biology/computer lab each week. Cross-listed as BIOL 345/MATH 345, this course will be team-taught by a biologist and a mathematician. Prerequisites: MATH 198 and a biology course, each with a grade of C or better , or permission of instructors.

Course Objectives Students in this course are expected to develop expertise in

• understanding how biological phenomena can be described with mathematical models
• discerning how particular mathematical models are especially useful in addressing specific biological processes
• using computer-based tools (e.g., Mathematica) to implement mathematical models of biological phenomena, and to visualize these descriptions
• collecting data characterizing biological processes, which can then be used in developing mathematical models of those processes
• investigating the “behavior” of mathematical models – to clarify their inherent theoretical and computational attributes, as well as to explore how such model descriptions might “map” conceptually onto the behavior of the biological processes they aim to emulate