This meeting was supported by two NSF-funded projects: the Data In Inquiry RCN, and the newly funded Quantitative Undergraduate Biology Education and Synthesis Project (QUBES). The Data in Inquiry RCN was wrapping up its activities but the community we established and many of the educational issues we addressed have been picked up as part of the QUBES project. QUBES will focus on supporting faculty throughout their efforts to bring a more quantitative perspective as they teach biology, including providing students with opportunities to work with modern tools and data. This support extends from learning about new quantitative approaches, to finding and adapting existing quantitative teaching resources, implementing new lessons, and evaluating their effectiveness.

This meeting was a unique opportunity to work collaboratively to survey the dynamic field of quantitative biology education and share input on strategies for advancing our knowledge and practice around effectively teaching modern biological methods.  We built on the initial work generated by the Data in Inquiry RCN and the QUBES RCN - forerunner of the current QUBES project - and established priorities for our future efforts.  We are interested in building on, and learning from, previous and ongoing projects as we launch the 5-year Quantitative Undergraduate Biology Education and Synthesis (QUBES) project: http://www.qubeshub.org/.  We will be identifying objectives for immediate action, as well as strategizing for longer term projects.

Breakout working groups were an integral part of this meeting, allowing us to focus on key issues in teaching quantitative biology, including using data in classrooms, creating an

inventory of quantitative skills in the Biology curriculum, and defining quantitative biology reasoning.  For more details and key contacts for select working groups, please see the breakout group summaries below.

For more information about the meeting in general, please contact members of the organizing committee through their QUBES profiles.