Project for Research Experiences for Undergraduates

2011 Summer Program, May 31 - July 22, 2011

National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS)
at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Title: Fast Movements Inside Cells

Mentors: Dr. Vasileios Maroulas (Mathematics) and Dr. Andreas Nebenführ (Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology)

Modern fluorescence microscopy has revealed a wealth of intracellular dynamics that range from diffusional distribution of small molecules to directional movement of organelles along the cytoskeleton. A better characterization of these movements depends on the development of efficient algorithms that allow automated analysis of time-lapse image sequences. This REU project will focus on the rapid, myosin-dependent organelle movements found in plant cells. Participants will be introduced to fluorescence microscopy and use their own data to develop and test mathematical tracking models such as the celebrated Kalman filter which was installed in the Apollo navigation system.

Products

Abstract of project report (PDF)

Return to REU/REV 2011.

NIMBioS
1122 Volunteer Blvd., Suite 106
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996-3410
PH: (865) 974-9334
FAX: (865) 974-9461
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From 2008 until early 2021, NIMBioS was supported by the National Science Foundation through NSF Award #DBI-1300426, with additional support from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.