PRIMUS article - PRIMUS had a special issue on writing in mathematics and this is one on mathematical modeling in particular.

Some people structure their modeling course so that students can participate in a modeling competition. COMAP has many textbooks to support mathematical modeling as well.

This is a collaboration in calculus II with the writing director on best practices in peer-review.   This link is to the version on arxiv, but the full is published in PRIMUS.

Syllabus and course assignments for a course in math modeling & scientific writing

Template for research log that I use with my research students. Template contains definition of new commands in TeX for goals, log entries, meeting notes, and reflections. I have students maintain this file in a shared folder while they are doing research. My research students are expected to make goals for each week, a log entry for each day they work on their research project, and a reflection entry at the end of each week.

by Turner, Caroline Sotello Viernes

"This monograph suggests ways in which an institution can diversify its faculty and facilitate the work of the search committee before a candidate ever reaches the interview stage. It outlines a step-by-step process to improve the likelihood of a successful search, and it recommends items to consider after a hire is confirmed to ensure that the new faculty member will be more likely to stay. The sections are: (1) Before the Search Begins; (2) The Search Process; and (3) After the Search. Appendixes contain a checklist of best practices, a list of leading institutions for minority Ph.D.s, a list of baccalaureate institutions identified as producers of numbers of female doctorates; and a list of Web resources of programs for building diverse faculties. An annotated bibliography lists 59 sources for additional information. (Contains 36 references.) (SLD)"

Chad Topaz discusses personal values, college mission, undergraduate research management tips, being a productive scholar, and more

Module 4: Mammal Size on Islands [Island Biogeography]

Course:

• Upper Level Ecology (Juniors or Seniors)

Length:

• This exercise is designed as a 2-3-hour experience, but could be spread over several days or include a take-home component.
• The assessment is completed as a take-home assignment.

Objectives:

• Interpret patterns of species morphology on islands using natural history collections data.
• Apply the process of science by the development and testing of hypotheses.
• Collect, clean, and analyze data from a digitized natural history collection.

Activities:

1. Students make a prediction about the relationship between mammal body size and island vs mainland habitat.
2. Students use the Arctos online database to download species collection records from islands in the Alexander Archipelago and from the nearby Alaska mainland.
3. Students determine the average mass of different mammal species collected on the islands and mainland. This activity requires significant time for data “cleaning”.
4. Students do statistical analyses of the data (t-test) to test their hypotheses.

Assessment:

• Students complete a standard laboratory report detailing their methods and findings.

Module 3: The Effect of Climate Change on Phenology and Interspecific Interactions

Course:

• Introductory Ecology (Sophomores or Juniors)

Length:

• This exercise is designed as a 3-hour laboratory experience.
• The assessment is completed as a take-home assignment.

Objectives:

• Measure shifts in the timing of life history events due to climate change.
• Predict the effects of phenology shifts on interspecific interactions.
• Collect, clean, and analyze data from a digitized natural history collection.

Activities:

• Students collect temperature data from weather/climate database.
• Students collect data on butterfly plants phenology from digitized natural history collections.
• Students collect data on butterfly phenology from digitized natural history collections.
• Students analyze the three data sets to identify correlations between temperature change and shifts in the phenology of butterfly food plants and butterflies.
• Students make predictions about the effects of phenology shifts on the population sizes of the plants and butterflies.
• Students read parts of a primary literature article about the phenology of the pied flycatcher and its prey, butterfly larvae, and draw conclusions about the interactions between all three groups (butterfly food plants, butterflies, and flycatchers).

Assessment:

• Students complete a case study assessment investigating phenology shifts in the early spider orchid (Ophyrs sphegodes) and its pollinator, the solitary bee (Andrena nigroaenea).
• Students graph provided temperature, flowering time, and date of first bee flight data to visualize the changes in phenology.
• Students make predictions about the effects of the phenology shifts on the orchid population.

Module 2: The Evolution (and Coevolution) of Flowering Plants

Course:

• Introductory Biology, Ecology, or Evolution (Freshmen or Sophomores)

Length:

• This exercise is designed as a 3-hour laboratory experience, but activities could be used individually.
• The assessment is completed as a take-home assignment.

Objectives:

• Describe the role of flowers in angiosperm reproduction.
• Identify the parts of a flower.
• Describe the role of fruits in angiosperm reproduction.
• Identify the parts of a fruit.
• Identify different types of fruits.
• Explain the role of pollinators in the life history of angiosperms.
• Define coevolution and identify selection pressures that exist between pollinators and the plants they pollinate.
• Predict pollinator/plant pairs based on morphological traits.
• Collect data from digitized natural history collections.
• Analyze spatial co-occurrence data for pollinators and the plants they pollinate.

Activities:

1. Flower dissection and drawing [30 min] – each pair of students is assigned a flower to dissect and draw.
2. Plant/Pollinator match game [30 min] – each student receives either a pollinator or plant “card” and must locate their match using information provided on the card.
3. Bat/Agave case study using digitized Natural History Collection data [60 min] – students use the iDigBio Portal to investigate the distribution of several bat and plant species to analyze spatial co-occurrence data to make inferences about interspecific interactions.
4. Fruit dissection, drawing, stations [45 min] – each pair of students is assigned a fruit to identify, dissect, and draw. The team then produces a “station” displaying their fruit for other class members to view.

Assessment:

• Students complete a case study assessment investigating the relationship between the early spider orchid (Ophyrs sphegodes) and its pollinator, the solitary bee (Andrena nigroaenea).
• Students use images to identify characteristics of the orchid flower and fruit, use the iDigBio Portal to investigate the co-occurrence of the two species, and write about the selection pressures involved in the co-evolutionary relationship.

Module 1: The Relationship between Island Size and Species Richness [Island Biogeography]

Suited for Upper-Level Undergraduates

Course:

• Introductory Biology or Ecology (Freshmen or Sophomores)

Length:

• This exercise is designed as a 2-3-hour experience, but could be spread over several days or include a take-home component.
• The assessment is completed as a take-home assignment.

Objectives:

• Interpret patterns of species distribution on islands using natural history collections data.
• Apply the process of science by the development and testing of hypotheses.
• Collect, clean, and analyze data from a digitized natural history collection.

Activities:

1. Students make a prediction about the relationship between island size and species richness.
2. Students use an aggregated online database to download species collection records from islands of different size classes in the Alexander Archipelago.
3. Students determine the number of mammal species collected on each of the selected islands. This activity requires significant time for data “cleaning”.
4. Students do statistical analyses of the data (t-test, ANOVA, or regression) to test their hypotheses.

Assessment:

• Students complete a standard laboratory report detailing their methods and findings.

This lab activity merges the HHMI Biointeractive lactase resources with additional data analysis opportunities for a 300-level Anatomy and Physiology lab (2 hours).

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May 10, 2017.  Mebane Arts Center.  170 students received invitations for the recognition ceremony. Each honoree were allowed to bring family. Approximately 80 students RSVP'ed. 53 eighth graders and 10 ninth graders were in attendance. Total attendance was approximately 225 inclusive of honorees, guest, and speakers.

Middle schools Represented Broadview Graham Hawfields Southern Turrentine Western Woodlawn

High schools Respresented Cummings Eastern Graham Southern Williams Western

DISCUSSION funded the Dinners and Gave the Charge to Students and Parents

Calculus II 3-credit course at Unity College for life and environmental science. Matlab, Integration, ODEs and intro to systems.

3 credit calculus for life and environmental science majors. Covers beginning of sequences, difference equations, limits, and derivatives with applications.

People profiles to be used to discuss global lactase persistence. 

Online website for web designers and web developers.

Design weblog for designers, bloggers and tech users. Covering useful tools, tutorials, tips and inspirational artworks.