NIMBioS Researchers Travel to Promote Diversity

Posted on November 9, 2012 by admin

Back at NIMBioS, postdoctoral researchers Maud Lelu and J.J. Chai show school pride for the institutions they visited last week.

NIMBioS researchers shared their science at minority-serving institutions last week to increase awareness among diverse groups about cutting-edge research in math and biology. NIMBioS postdoctoral fellow Maud Lelu traveled to Fisk University in Nashville, TN, to speak at a mathematics colloquium on the topic of “Modeling interaction and evolution of Toxoplasma gondii transmission routes,” while NIMBioS postdoc J.J. Chai spoke to a bioinformatics master class at the University of Texas-El Paso on “A mechanistic model for protein evolution.” Each visit also involved informal discussions with faculty and students about educational and research opportunities at NIMBioS.

To date, NIMBioS has partnered with five minority-serving institutions throughout the country, with the goal of fostering collaborations in research and education at the interface of mathematics and biology. Supporting visits of researchers between these institutions is just one area of collaboration.

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Teaching Evolution Without Tears

Posted on November 9, 2012 by admin

Beth Adler, Oak Ridge High School teacher, talks to teachers with a printout of part of the human genome surrounding her on the floor.

Teaching evolution without tears can be a tall order for science teachers in a nation where 46 percent of Americans believe in creationism over science (Gallup Poll), but NIMBioS is trying to help get good information into the hands of teachers.

NIMBioS co-sponsored a special session on teaching evolution and the nature of science last week at the Tennessee Science Teachers Association Conference in Murfreesboro, TN. The session included discussions on the challenges facing teachers that teach evolution in Tennessee, particularly in the wake of recent state legislation that encourages the teaching of “scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses” regarding evolution. Effective strategies for teaching evolution and the nature of science were also shared in the session.

Forty teachers from throughout Tennessee attended the presentation, “Teaching Evolution Without Tears – From Darwin Day Tennessee.” Oak Ridge High School teacher Beth Adler and Jefferson County High School teacher Lauren Wilmoth shared some of their favorite classroom-tested teaching strategies, including a True/False nature of science activity and a history of life card game where students arrange images representing evolutionary steps in chronological order. Many great ideas can be found in this freely downloadable National Academies publication: Teaching About Evolution and the Nature of Science. They were joined by Michael Meister, who is a senior majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT) and a student representative for Darwin Day Tennessee.

Beth Wilmoth, Jefferson County High School teacher interacts with session participants.

NIMBioS Education & Outreach Coordinator Kelly Sturner became an organizer of the project as a member of UT’s Darwin Day Tennessee organization and because of her interest in science literacy. Through corresponding with the National Center for Science Education and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Sturner gathered donations of books, DVDs and information packets that were distributed to teachers, and met with the group at NIMBioS as they planned their session.

UT professor in science education Barry Golden also advised on the project.

Darwin Day Tennessee gave financial support to the teachers to cover some of their expenses in attending the conference.

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Students Named Regional Finalists With NIMBioS Research

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Catherine Crawley

(From left) Tucker Gilman, Dalton Chafee and Hayes Griffin attend last summer’s Society for Mathematical Biology annual meeting in Knoxville. Chafee and Griffin are regional finalists in the Siemens Competition.

Two local high school students have been named regional finalists in the 2012 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology with a project on sexual imprinting that they completed at NIMBioS under the guidance of former postdoc Tucker Gilman.

Dalton Chafee and Hayes Griffin, both seniors at Bearden High School, spent several hours each day last summer at NIMBioS working on their project with Gilman, who is now a Lecturer in Environmental Science in the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Manchester, UK. The students used a combination of analytical models and individual-based simulations to study the conditions under which sexual imprinting can evolve, as well as specific strategies that should be expected to evolve in nature.

Ninety-three students from 25 states were invited to compete as regional finalists in this year’s Siemens Competition, the nation’s premier research competition for high school students. Regional finalists are invited to compete at one of six regional events held over three consecutive weekends in November. Chafee and Griffin will travel to Georgia Institute of Technology on Nov. 16-17 to compete.

The Siemens Competition awards one $3,000 prize to an individual and one $6,000 prize to a team at each regional competition. Winners of the regional events advance to the National Finals at The George Washington University in Washington, DC, on Dec. 1-4, where $500,000 in scholarships will be awarded, including two top prizes of $100,000.

In the 2012 competition, 2,255 students registered to enter for a total of 1,504 projects submitted.

Congratulations Dalton and Hayes!

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Brothers to Direct Diversity Efforts at NIMBioS

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Catherine Crawley

Dr. Ernest Brothers

NIMBioS welcomes Ernest Brothers as associate director for diversity enhancement, a newly created leadership role at NIMBioS. Brothers is an assistant dean in the Graduate School of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, overseeing the Office of Graduate Training and Mentorship.

A native of Greenville, MS, Brothers received a bachelor of science degree in chemistry and a master of science in natural science from Delta State University; a master of public policy and administration degree from Mississippi State University; and a PhD in urban higher education from Jackson State University.

Before arriving at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Brothers served as the executive director of the Peach State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program at the University of Georgia. During his tenure in Mississippi, Brothers served as the Louis Stokes Mississippi Alliance for Minority Participation site coordinator and assistant professor of chemistry at Delta State University. He also worked at the Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory as an herbicide/pesticide residue chemist, and a laboratory project director for the Analytical Food Safety Laboratory in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University.

Brothers’ research interests include retention of underrepresented minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) at majority institutions, managing diversity, and cross-culture mentoring.

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Camacho Named SACNAS Distinguished Mentor

Posted on October 29, 2012 by admin

Erica Camacho

Congratulations are in order for NIMBioS Advisory Board Member Erica Camacho honored with the 2012 SACNAS Distinguished Undergraduate Institution Mentor Award.

Camacho, a professor at Arizona State University, was one of six recipients of the 2012 SACNAS Distinguished Awards. SACNAS is the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science, a national nonprofit organization established in 1973 to diversify the scientific workforce.

Since the SACNAS Distinguished Awards program was initiated in 1997, the Society has honored 84 scientists, educators and program directors for their commitment to and personification of the spirit of the SACNAS mission: to assist Hispanic/Chicano and Native American scientists, from college students to professionals, to attain advanced degrees, careers, and positions of leadership in science.

Awardees receive honorary lifetime SACNAS membership and are the guests of SACNAS at the annual conference where they receive their award. Camacho’s award was presented at this year’s annual meeting in Seattle, Washington.

Camacho’s research focuses on mathematical applications to biology and sociology. Past projects have included mathematically modeling the transcription network in yeast, the interactions of photoreceptors, social networks, and fungal resistance under selective pressure.

 

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Modern Math Workshop at SACNAS Promotes Diversity

Posted on October 24, 2012 by admin

Dr. Brandilyn Stigler from Southern Methodist University leads an undergraduate mini-course during the Modern Math Workshop on “Inferring Gene Regulatory Networks: An Algebraic Geometry-Systems Biology Connection.”

More than 170 young mathematicians attended last week’s Modern Math Workshop at SACNAS, which NIMBioS took the lead in organizing this year.

Mathematics undergraduates, graduate students, post-docs and early career faculty attended mini-courses, research talks and a panel highlighting opportunities at NSF mathematics institutes across the U.S. The two-day event immediately preceded the national conference in Seattle, Washington, for the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS).

Rooms were packed to capacity, and participants told us they were pleased to have an event just for those interested in math before the larger SACNAS conference, which had more than 3,500 attendees from all realms of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. NIMBioS postdoctoral fellow Calistus Ngonghala, Associated Director for Education & Outreach Suzanne Lenhart and Education & Outreach Coordinator Kelly Sturner represented NIMBioS at the annual workshop, which is one of the activities to promote diversity offered by the NSF Mathematical Sciences Institutes Diversity Committee.

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NIMBioS Fall Hike: A Creek Meander and Conquering Rocky Top!

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Catherine Crawley

A large turnout for the NIMBioS fall hike along Anthony Creek in the Smokies.

Rocky Top summit

NIMBioS hikers enjoyed the magical display of fall foliage on Saturday with a hike along Anthony Creek in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We were a lively group — at least at the start — of about 23 NIMBioS researchers, staffers and their families. A few hearty souls trekked all the way to Spence Field (5.2 miles, 2,842 foot elevation gain) and then further onto Rocky Top (6.4 miles, 3,665 foot elevation gain) on the Appalachian Trail, while those with small children enjoyed a meander along Anthony Creek to take in the fall colors.

At 4,920 feet above sea level, Spence Field is a grassy bald lying along the Tennessee-North Carolina border, while Rocky Top at 5,440 feet sits on the western ridge of Thunderhead Mountain. And exhaustion must have set in because we did not sing that popular Tennessee state song when we reached the summit.

For many, who come to NIMBioS from all over the world, this was their first adventure in the Smokies. And it won’t be their last! NIMBioS will host more group hikes as the weather gets warmer and the spring flowers begin to bloom. Watch for future announcements about upcoming hikes!

To see the full set of photos from the day, visit the NIMBioS Flickr page.

 

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New Publications From NIMBioS: Crops, Ticks & Ocean Viruses

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Catherine Crawley

Several new papers on topics related to land and sea acknowledge the support of NIMBioS.

The Ocean Viral Dynamics Working Group has published a paper, “Ocean viruses and their effects on microbial communities and biogeochemical cycles,” in F1000 Biology. The review paper describes new developments in the study of ecological effects of viruses of marine microbes. Focusing specifically on the influence of ocean viruses in shaping the size of microbial populations and in regenerating carbon and other nutrients, the paper expands on ideas and themes developed in the writing and planning stages of the Working Group, which is co-organized by Joshua Weitz, theoretical ecologist at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Steven Wilhelm, an environmental microbiologist at the Univ. of Tennessee. The second meeting of this Working Group is scheduled for late October.

Tick bites and their associated diseases is the focus of a review article, which appears in Zoonoses and Public Health. Co-authored by NIMBioS Associate Director for Partner Relations Graham Hickling, the paper recommends that people save any tick that bites them in order to help correctly diagnose tick-related disease that could develop. In the Southeastern states, at least, Lyme disease is not the greatest cause for concern, as it is in the Northern states, because the blacklegged ticks that carry the pathogen that causes Lyme disease are not often found south of mid-Virginia. However, there are many more tick-related diseases that could occur, especially ehrlichiosis, a tick-borne bacterial infection often associated with bites from the lone star tick, and rickettsiosis, which has seen a more than 500 percent increase of cases as reported this spring by the Tennessee Department of Health. As wildlife populations, forest habitats and weather patterns change, the distribution of tick species and their pathogens are changing, according to the paper. National Geographic ran an feature on the paper.

A new commentary on modeling approaches used in predicting crop yields appears this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Co-authored by NIMBioS Director Louis Gross and former NIMBioS Sabbatical Fellow Brian Beckage, the paper advocates meshing theory with data particularly in assessing crop systems in order to more effectively explicate patterns in crop growth. Gross and Beckage cite an example of this effective modeling approach described in a recent PNAS paper by Jianming Deng and other researchers at Lanzhou University.

The results produced from NIMBioS research activities are important in measuring our success. If you would like more information about how to correctly acknowledge NIMBioS in your publication, please visit https://legacy.nimbios.org/research/acknowledgment. To record your publication with NIMBioS, use the online reporting form.

 

 

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NIMBioS Signs Partnership with Tennessee State University

Posted on September 10, 2012 by admin

NIMBioS has signed a new minority-serving institution partnership with Tennessee State University to promote diversity in math and science. As part of the agreement, NIMBioS-affiliated scientists will visit TSU, give seminars and talk about opportunities at NIMBioS. TSU faculty and students will also receive priority consideration for participating in NIMBioS programs. Already, NIMBioS has had four TSU participants in our programs, and we expect the collaboration to lead to many more in the future. TSU is a public university located in Nashville and is a designated historically black college and university or HBCU. HBCUs are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community. There are 105 HBCUs in the United States today. NIMBioS has partnerships with four other minority-serving institutions to foster collaboration in areas of research, science and education.

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Lenhart Named American Mathematical Society Fellow

Posted on September 10, 2012 by admin

 

Suzanne Lenhart

Suzanne Lenhart has been chosen to join the inaugural class of Fellows of the American Mathematical Society (AMS). Lenhart, NIMBioS Associate Director for Education, Outreach & Diversity, was chosen for this honor “in view of [her] distinguished contributions to mathematics.” Lenhart will be inducted during a ceremony at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in San Diego this January. Other fellows will be announced in November. Congratulations, Suzanne!

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