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MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGY RESEARCH
PROGRAM DRAWS STUDENTS NATIONWIDE
Six students from all over the United States have come together in Erie for the sixth year of Penn State Erie's Undergraduate Summer Research Program in Mathematical Biology. Two Penn State Erie math professors, Joseph Paullet and Joseph Previte, collaborate to make the experience a rewarding one for those chosen to participate. This year the program runs from June 18 to July 16.
"We had forty applicants this year, about the same as previous years," said Previte. "The National Science Foundation continues to find value in our results and continues to fund it under the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program." Funding is given in three-year cycles, and this year's grant was approximately $36,000, which provides students attending the Penn State Erie program a $1,5000 stipend, $350 for travel and meals, and on-campus housing.
This year the group includes four men and two women, each majoring in math but seeking a new way of looking at their field of study. Interestingly, each found their way to Penn State Erie's mathematical biology program by searching the Internet.
Peter Coe, a Yale University junior, came to Erie from Watertown, Massachusetts with an interest in learning more about the biology side of mathematical biology. During the program his interest was piqued by Richard Bertram, a guest lecturer who demonstrated, using mathematical applications, how circadian rhythms of the body could be trained using light impulses.
Ed Corcoran of Mena, Arkansas, will be a senior at the University of Arkansas this fall. A math and computer science major, he is well versed in theoretical mathematics, but interested in learning more about mathematical applications. "A lot of applied mathematics can be done on the computer," said Corcoran, "but the qualitative evaluation of the results can't be done that way. Human knowledge is necessary to find the best answer for many problems."
Jason Laska of Dothan, Alabama, will be a senior at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa in the fall. He likes the applied nature of mathematical biology, which involves modeling systems, and looks forward to using some of what he's learned this summer in graduate school. After a few cold days at the beginning of his stay at Penn State Erie, Laska says he likes his Erie experience.
Libby Sommer has enjoyed a wealth of travel in her college career. Originally from Chadron, Nebraska, Sommer earned an undergraduate degree in math from Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia. She has studied abroad in England and spent a summer in Houston, and during her stay in Erie this summer she's looking forward to traveling to Niagara Falls with the group. "I hadn't realized how complicated mathematical modeling would be," said Sommer, "but it will have definite applications in my master's program, so I am glad I'm here." Sommer will begin a master's degree in energy and environmental analysis at Boston University this fall.
Maggie Brosseau, a native of Westminster, Colorado, is a senior majoring in applied math at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. She's interested in genetic engineering and saw Penn State Erie's summer program in mathematical biology as a way to learn more about mathematical modeling. "Penn State Erie is a really pretty campus," said Brosseau, "and I'm enjoying my time here."
Steven Pon came from the University of California at San Diego for the summer to see something different and experience something new. Originally from San Jose, California, Pon finds Erie's summer comfortable and the people friendly. "I've never done this type of applied mathematical modeling before," said Pon. "What I've learned here will definitely affect my grad school focus."
For more information about the Penn State Erie Summer Undergraduate Research Program in Mathematical Biolgy, check the Web at http://vortex.bd.psu.edu/~mathdept/research/REU.php3.
Contact: Loretta Brandon 814-898-6063 (O) e-mail: lzb6@psu.edu