NIMBioS

Postdocs Present at Workshop for Young Researchers

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Catherine Crawley

Orou Gaoue

Tony Jhwueng

Calistus Ngonghala

NIMBioS postdoctoral fellows Orou Gaoue, Tony Jhwueng and Calistus Ngonghala are currently attending the 2011 Workshop for Young Researchers in Mathematical Biology held at the Mathematical Biosciences Institute at The Ohio State University. The workshop exposes postdocs and early career faculty to broader topics in mathematical biology and gives them a chance to interact with other scientists. Gaoue will also present on the topic, “Asymptotic growth rates underestimate the transient response of a tropical plant population to harvest,” and Ngonghala will present on the topic, “A new route to periodic oscillations in the dynamics of malaria transmission.” Jhwueng is presenting a poster on the topic, “Modeling phylogenetic comparative methods with hybridization.” The workshop runs from Aug. 29 – Sept. 1, 2011.

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NIMBioS GRAs Develop Award-winning Algorithm

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Catherine Crawley

Adam Sullivan NIMBioS GRA

Henian Xia Former NIMBioS GRA

NIMBioS graduate research assistant Adam Sullivan and former NIMBioS GRA Henian Xia are part of a team that has created an award-winning algorithm to improve the effectiveness of remote electrocardiography. Sullivan and Xia are both doctoral students in biomedical engineering and work in the lab of Dr. Xiaopeng Zhao at the Univ. of Tennessee. Zhao and his team of graduate and undergraduate students and physicians won top honors in Physionet Challenge 2011—two first-place finishes and one third-place finish. Zhao’s algorithm examines interferences that result from electrode misplacement and disturbances, including patient motion and electromagnetic noise. The algorithm, which has been implemented in a java program, can be installed and operated on a smart phone. Zhao is also a collaborator with NIMBioS.

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Research Results: REU Students Talk About Their Experience

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Catherine Crawley

Lindsay Lee, REU participant

“I’ve learned so much, and it really feels like the research we’re doing is going to have a major impact. It’s not often I get to feel that way about my work,” said Lindsay Lee of her summer spent at NIMBioS as a participant in our 2011 Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. Lee, a mathematics and Spanish major at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), was one of 16 undergraduates who participated in the eight-week program, which also included five veterinary students and one high school science teacher. The students lived on campus and worked in teams with NIMBioS postdocs and UT faculty to conduct research. The six research projects for the 2011 program were modeling feral cat populations, modeling E. coli in cattle, investigating maternal investment in the offspring of bird species, modeling intracellular movements in plants, modeling the effect of essential oils on a biocontrol fungus, and modeling the early dynamics of simian immunodeficiency virus. Profiles of six of the participants have now been posted on our website. Read what Lee along with Tiffany H. Blankenship (biology major, Univ. of Texas, El Paso); Dana-Adriana Botesteanu (math and French major, Mount Holyoke College); Rojin Chitrakar (biology major, Eastern New Mexico Univ.); Rachel Johnson (veterinary graduate student, UTK); and Krista Schaefer (math major, Valpraiso Univ.) had to say. More information about the REU and the Research Experiences for Veterinary Students (REV) program can be found here. We will begin taking applications for the 2012 program in December, so watch our website for the announcement!

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New NIMBioS Education Module: Writing the Abstract

Posted on July 19, 2011 by admin

Having a strategy and knowing some of the conventions helps when writing the abstract for a publication. Photo credit: Caitlin Regan

The abstract can be tough and time-consuming to write, but it can make or break a paper’s success. One little paragraph ends up being the most widely read portion of a study, and also its emissary to encourage others to invest time to find and read (and hopefully cite) the entire work. Many students struggle on their first abstract to understand the conventions, so to help with this, NIMBioS has developed an education module titled “Writing the Abstract” for students participating in the REU/REV program. The “Writing the Abstract” module is now available on the NIMBioS website to anyone interested in honing those abstract-writing skills, along with three other education modules that bring together math and biology.

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Networking Builds Relationships to Meet Career Goals

Posted on July 19, 2011 by admin

NIMBioS REU/REV and BCMB REU students practice their networking skills by introducing themselves to someone new

The biggest barrier to networking is overcoming shyness, but practice helps, according to Brian Roe, Trainer for UT Employee and Organizational Development. Roe gave networking tips in a recent training session for students in the NIMBioS REU/REV program and the BCMB REU program. In “Meeting People: A Guide to Effective Networking,” Roe defined networking as “the ability to create and maintain an effective, widely based system of resources that works to the mutual benefit of oneself and others.” Roe demonstrated how networking will help them achieve career goals by having the students consider how networking may have already led them to their current internship. After learning some strategies for meeting new people and exchanging contact information, students put the knowledge into practice by mingling and networking among themselves. This is the final week for the NIMBioS REU/REV program, which will culminate with students presenting their final research talks on Thursday and Friday.

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Metabolism and Body Weight Focus of Workshop

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Catherine Crawley

Experts in nutrition and physiology join mathematicians to explore the value of mathematical model in understanding the dynamics of metabolism and body weight regulation.

With more than two-thirds of Americans considered overweight and more than one-third categorized as obese, understanding mechanisms behind weight gain, loss, and maintenance is a major national goal. Thirty-five researchers from around the world are gathered at NIMBioS this week to explore mathematical modeling of metabolism and body weight regulation. Models aid in understanding changes in body composition during weight loss or gain, the degree of individual adherence to a diet or exercise plan, and long‐term effects of changes in diet and exercise on an individual’s weight. Mathematical models have also been applied to understand how metabolic rate varies among animal species and the contribution of reduced physical activity and increased food consumption to the current obesity epidemic. Mathematicians and experts in nutrition and physiology are exploring these themes in the workshop, which is co-organized by Kevin D. Hall (NIDDK, National Institutes of Health); Steven B. Heymsfield (Global Director, Scientific Affairs, Obesity, Merck & Co., Inc.); and Diana M. Thomas (Assoc. Professor of Mathematical Sciences, Montclair State Univ.).

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Panelists Advise ‘Flexibility’ as Key to Career Success

Posted on July 12, 2011 by admin

Career panelists share their advice and experiences with REU and REV students. From left to right: Jan Brown, Stacey Patterson, Angelia Gibson and Robert Gerhold

Flexibility is the key to finding your future career, according to the consensus of four panelists representing diverse careers in mathematics and biology. REU and REV students listened to this advice and more during a recent career panel at NIMBioS. If you are flexible and work hard, the perfect opportunity will come to you, looking for you, said one panelist. Networking was also cited as important, as well as time management skills and setting priorities to achieve the right work-life balance. Representing a variety of careers from higher education to research to industry, the panelists included Angelia Gibson (chemistry/biochemistry faculty, Maryville College); Stacey Patterson (director of research partnerships for the Univ. of Tennessee); Richard Gerhold (postdoctoral fellow in UT’s forestry, wildlife, and fisheries department); and Janda Brown (a senior commodity specialist with the Tennessee Valley Authority). The panel was monitored by NIMBioS Education and Outreach Coordinator Kelly Sturner. Only two more weeks remain in the 2011 NIMBioS Summer REU/REV program, which concludes with research presentations from the participants in the six REU/REV projects.

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Get Your Head in the Cloud

Posted on June 28, 2011 by Catherine Crawley

Research supported by NIMBioS

It probably comes as no surprise that the words model and models are the most prominent in the word cloud (above), representing the work of NIMBioS. The word cloud, which was created using Wordle, represents the words used most frequently in the titles of publications arising from research supported by NIMBioS. Larger-sized words, like “model,” “ecological,” and “speciation,” were used more frequently in publication titles. The word cloud includes the 85 studies that have been published since 2009, the year that the first publication appeared. The results produced from NIMBioS research activities are important in measuring our success. We want to add your publication to our word cloud! If you have a publication and/or other product (a presentation, a proposal, a follow-on meeting or workshop, an educational tool, etc.) that has resulted from your NIMBioS activities, send us the citation or better yet, go to our online form and enter it. For specific language to use in acknowledging NIMBioS in your research, click here. September 1st is the deadline for requests for NIMBioS support for Working Groups, Investigative Workshops, Postdoctoral Fellows, Sabbaticals, and Short-term Visits. All areas of research at the interface of biology and mathematics are considered, but we are especially interested in activities that expand beyond the areas of research supported to date. Get your request for support in today!

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REU and REV’s Wild About Knoxville Zoo Tour

Posted on June 24, 2011 by admin

Veterinary professor Juergen Schumacher introduces an old friend, a gibbon at the Knoxville Zoo.

Veterinary professor Juergen Schumacher recalled the first time he met a gibbon at the Knoxville Zoo: the young ape surprised him by climbing atop his shoulder, and for a split moment, Schumacher thought maybe his ear was about to become a snack. Thankfully, Schumacher, professor and director of avian and zoological medicine at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, still had both his ears as he told this tale to NIMBioS REU and REV students touring the zoo today. Schumacher led the tour, and to the amazement of the students, this time when the gibbon saw his favorite zoo vet, he swung down from his perch and put his feet up to the glass to say hello. This was just one of many highlights of the walking tour, during which Schumacher shared stories with the students of the challenges and successes of his veterinary work with the zoo animals.

Posted in Education/Outreach, REU/REV, Wildlife | Tagged Education/Outreach, REU/REV, Veterinary Science, Zoo | Comments Off

Down on the Farm: Students Learn Cow Facts for E-coli Study

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Catherine Crawley

NIMBioS REU/REV students learn about cattle management methods from farm manager Brandon Beavers and the ways they might incorporate in the data into the mathematical models they are developing to help control the spread of e-coli.

How a cattle herd is managed can affect how e-coli bacteria spreads, so students from NIMBioS’ REU/REV program visited a farm today to learn about cattle management methods. The group hopes to incorporate some of what they learned into the mathematical models they are developing to understand and control the transmission and spread of e-coli bacteria. Brandon Beavers, who manages the farm at the Blount Unit of UT’s East Tennessee Research & Education Center, talked to the group about management practices as they visited the barns and the cows in the pasture. The farm maintains a purebred Angus herd, which consists of about 150 mature cows. The “E-coli Research Team,” one of six REU/REV team projects at NIMBioS this summer, includes Daniel Brooke, a veterinary student from North Carolina State University; David Haycraft, an undergraduate from Howard University; Rachel Johnson, a veterinary student from the University of Tennessee (UT); and Shaniell Nelson, a science teacher from Campbell County High School. Also visiting the farm were the group’s research mentors, Suzanne Lenhart, NIMBioS associate director for education, outreach and diversity, and Cristina Lanzas, assistant professor of epidemiology in the department of comparative medicine in UT’s College of Veterinary Medicine.