Education & Outreach
Students who intend to work at the math/biology interface must not only acquire skills from both disciplines, but also develop an intuition for how this knowledge can be applied across disciplinary boundaries. Developing this fluency begins at the K-12 level, when students learn to formulate questions in mathematical terms and use mathematics as a language to reason about the world. It can then continue into their college education, when young scholars must learn increasingly sophisticated techniques that do not fall neatly into disciplinary silos. Structural inequities create disadvantages that impact students, teachers and schools, ultimately reducing the wealth of creativity in the scientific workforce. The NSF-Simons National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology is uniquely positioned to address these needs and has a set of programs to tackle the challenges.
This program gives undergraduate students majoring in biology engineering, mathematics, statistics, physics, and related fields the opportunity to participate in hands-on laboratory or computational research that applies mathematical concepts and methodology to understanding mechanisms in biology. This is supported by Northwestern Quantitative Biology REU (NSF DMS-2150134), and
National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology.
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NITMB appointments focus on recruitment of students from minority-serving institutions, primarily-undergraduate institutions, and community colleges. Students work closely with faculty mentors to develop and apply cutting-edge mathematical and computational models to address problems in biology. Weekly workshops cover scientific writing and presentations, interdisciplinary communication, computer programming, applying to graduate schools and fellowships, and career opportunities.
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Participants receive a taxable stipend of approximately $4,500, and are provided housing and a meal plan.
