2018 Summer Research Experiences (SRE) at NIMBioS for Undergraduates

SRE 2018 participants.

The 2018 NIMBioS Summer Research Experiences (SRE) for Undergraduates was held May 29 – July 20, 2018 at NIMBioS on the campus of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Participants from all over the country worked in teams with NIMBioS postdocs and UT faculty on research at the interface of mathematics and biology. Participants received free university apartment-style housing, a stipend of $4100, and up to $650 of support for travel to/from Knoxville.

2018 Projects

• Ecological Niche Modeling and Risk Assessment of Thousand Cankers Disease
• Mosquito Population Response to Environmental Variables
• Modeling the Management of Feral Cats with Economic Impacts
• Spatial Interactions between Hunting and Plant Gathering in Tropical Forests
• Using Phylogenetics to Understand Cancer Tumor Evolution

2018 Participants

Click on the names below for comments from some of the 2018 SRE participants.

Annastashia Blesi Hometown: Atoka, TN School: University of Tennessee, Knoxville Major/Degree and Year: Physics; Senior SRE Mentors: Suzanne Lenhart, Becky Trout Fryxell SRE Research Project: Mosquito Population Response to Environmental Variables

Sadhana Chidambaran Hometown: East Brunswick, NJ School: Rutgers University Major/Degree and Year: Genetics and Computer Science; Junior SRE Mentors: Michael Gilchrist and Brian O'Meara SRE Research Project: Using Phylogenetics to Understand Cancer Tumor Evolution

Kevin de Angeli Hometown: Buenos Aires, Argentina School: Texas A&M-Kingsville Major/Degree and Year: Mathematics/Statistics; Senior SRE Mentors: Charlotte Chang and Xingli Giam SRE Research Project: Spatial Interactions between Hunting and Plant Gathering in Tropical Forests

Brielle Kwarta Hometown: Rochester, NY School: Houghton College Major/Degree and Year: Mathematics (Major); Biology and Education (Minors); Senior SRE Mentors: Suzanne Lenhart, Charles Sims, Teresa Fisher SRE Research Project: Modeling the Management of Feral Cats with Economic Impacts

Benjamin Schenck Hometown: Richmond, VA School: The College of William and Mary Major/Degree and Year: Applied Mathematics and Biology; Senior SRE Mentors: Mona Papeş and Greg Wiggins SRE Research Project: Ecological Niche Modeling and Risk Assessment of Thousand Cankers Disease

Questions? Check our SRE Frequently Asked Questions page.

Evaluation Report

Blogging from the 2018 program:

• A Decade of Summer Undergrad Research Underway

SRE 2018 in the News:

• College students investigate invasive, beetle-carried disease killing walnut trees. Knoxville News Sentinel, July 13, 2018
• Students hope mosquito model will reduce La Crosse encephalitis rates. Knoxville News Sentinel, July 7, 2018

Related Links:

• SRE 2018 Photo Album
• Main SRE page

For further information about the program, please contact:
     Greg Wiggins, Education and Outreach Coordinator, NIMBioS (Email: wiggybug@nimbios.org) or
     Dr. Suzanne Lenhart, Associate Director for Education and Outreach, NIMBioS (Email: slenhart@tennessee.edu).

NIMBioS
1122 Volunteer Blvd., Suite 106
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996-3410
PH: (865) 974-9334
FAX: (865) 974-9461
Contact NIMBioS

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.