In today's world of biological research, quantitative analysis, modeling and prediction are playing increasingly important roles. This in turn requires a new generation of students with mastery of mathematical problem-solving tools applied to biology and the biomedical sciences. In response to that growing need in the field, Dr. José Quintans, Professor in the Department of Pathology and Master of the BSD Collegiate Division, pioneered an experimental, interdisciplinary two-part Biomathematics course for both undergraduate and graduate students interested in learning more about applied mathematics in the biological sciences. The course was created as part of the University of Chicago's Bio2010 initiative to establish interdisciplinary courses in the natural sciences.

"This is the type of curricular activity being promoted in the 2003 NIH Roadmap. This is how science should be taught in the 21st century," says Quintans. "We just happen to be ahead of the curve, at the cutting edge of curricular development and delivery."

To fulfill his mission, Dr. Quintans enlisted Professor Marta Lewicka, L.E. Dickson Instructor in the Department of Mathematics, to teach the course, along with two teaching assistants with interests in both mathematics and biology, BSCD undergraduate concentrators Katarina Ruscic and Erin Chen. Together this group has developed a curriculum of both biological and mathematical concepts, addressing such topics as enzyme kinetics, blood flow and fluid mechanics, and population model studies.

"The point of the class is to expose students to basic mathematical tools that will be helpful to them later in their careers in the biological sciences," says Lewicka. "I give lectures twice a week where I introduce the students to basic mathematical concepts and formulas, then once a week Katarina and Erin lead problem sessions where they focus on applying those mathematical concepts to biological problems."

The first quarter is designed to accelerate students, mostly undergraduates, to the to the same basic level of mathematical understanding, while the second quarter addresses more advanced topics in both mathematics and biology and includes graduate students as well. The course

"We would like for this course to become a permanent addition to the curriculum at the university," said Quintans. "Hopefully students will learn that mathematical concepts and applications are extremely important tools for biologists and will acquire a taste for quantitative approaches to biological problems."

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