7-26-05
Behrend Research Program Brings Students to Erie from Around U.S.
Penn State Behrend holds an undergraduate research program in mathematical biology each summer. This year there were fifty applicants for the six spots. Seated: Behrend mathematics professors Joseph Paullet, Joseph Previte, Michael Rutter; The 2005 students are (l. to r.) Shannon Stanglewicz, Keith Merrill, Matthew Beauchesne, Michael Zimmerman, Kyli Foltz, Ben Nolting.
Over the past seven years, nearly fifty college students from locations all across the United States have come to Erie to participate in Penn State Behrend’s Undergraduate Summer Research Program in Mathematical Biology. This summer is the eighth year of the program, and this year’s group, which met from June 13 to July 15, included students from as far away as Alaska and California.
Two Penn State Behrend math professors, Joseph Paullet and Joseph Previte, developed the program with funding from the National Science Foundation. As an outreach of the college’s Center for Mathematical Biology, the summer program encourages and supports the interplay between biological experimentation and mathematical modeling. Students in the program develop and analyze mathematical models that reflect and quantify biological systems.
This year Paullet and Previte expanded the program to include their colleague, Dr. Michael A. Rutter, an assistant professor of statistics who has a strong research interest in mathematical biology. Rutter holds a doctorate in fisheries from Michigan State University, and his dissertation dealt with the creation of a lake trout population model. He also holds master’s degrees in statistics and applied mathematics.
“We will be going back to the National Science Foundation this fall to once again renew our grant to continue the summer program,” said Previte. The NSF’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) grant is given for three years, and provides students attending the Penn State Behrend summer program a $1,500 stipend, on-campus housing, and $350 for travel and meals.
The students’ time in Erie is not limited to campus. Paullet, Previte, and Rutter have entertained them in their homes and encouraged them to visit Presque Isle, Niagara Falls, and other regional attractions.
“We had fifty applicants this year, up from previous years,” said Previte. “Each year the applicants are stronger and admission becomes more competitive. In fact, this year two student projects are headed for publication in refereed journals.” This year the group includes four men and two women:
Matthew Beauchesne will be a senior at Keene State College in Keene, New Hampshire. He lives in Langdon, New Hampshire, and is a mathematics major looking toward graduate school.
Kyli Foltz will be a senior math major at Hiram College in the fall and hails from West Middlesex, Pennsylvania. She is considering graduate school in the areas of public health, biostatistics, or epidemiology.
Keith Merrill lives in Los Angeles and will be a senior at the University of California, Los Angeles, in the fall. He plans to attend graduate school and eventually teach mathematics.
Ben Nolting attends the University of Alaska at Anchorage and lives in Palmer, Alaska. He will be a senior this fall, and plans on graduate school and eventually becoming a math professor. Nolting said he enjoyed Erie, especially the fact that Erie has fewer mosquitoes than Alaska this time of year!
Shannon Stanglewicz lives in St. Louis, Michigan, and will be a senior this fall at Hillsdale College in her home state.
Michael Zimmerman hails from Shawano, Wisconsin, and will be a junior at Concordia University in St. Pail, Minnesota, this fall. He said this research opportunity has been a great experience, and that he also enjoyed meeting new people, Erie’s beaches, and sailing on Lake Erie.
For more information about the Penn State Erie Summer Undergraduate Research Program in Mathematical Biology, check the Web at http://vortex.bd.psu.edu/~mathdept/research/REU.php3.