1.

Students must commit to 2 semesters and one 10-week summer in which they participate in research, directed studies in areas relevant to their project, and take courses in biology and mathematics as assigned by their UBM advisors.

2.

Minimum course requirements include General Biology I/II, Calculus I/II, and one upper-division course in biology and mathematics.

3.

Students will present their work at local, regional, and national meetings (funds are available for travel)

4.

Enroll in BIOL/MATH 4290 Special Topics: Introduction to Mathematical Modeling

5.

Enroll in BIOL/MATH 3399 Directed Studies in Mathematical Biology

6.

Maintain a minimum of 3.0 GPA in science and math in every semester the student participates in the program

1.

Semester stipends: $1875 / 10 hrs per week effort in research

2.

10-week summer session: $5000 / 40 hrs per work effort in research

In order to be considered for this training program, applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:

1.

Be a citizen or permanent resident of the US .

2.

Be a declared major in mathematical or life sciences at UHD

3.

Minimum 2.5 Grade Point Average

Fungal Population Dynamics in Coastal Tallgrass Prairie Systems

Faculty: Dr. Phil Lyons (NS) and Dr. Shishen Xie (CMS)

Project description: Coastal Prairie was once the dominant ecosystem throughout much of the Gulf Coast region of Texas and Louisiana. Now, only remnants of native prairie remain. Efforts are being made to preserve these remnants and to restore disturbed areas to native conditions. It is important to these efforts to develop a better understanding of Coastal Prairie ecology than currently exists. This study focuses on the ecology of Coastal Prairie and how soil microbial communities, particularly fungi, are affected by farming and restoration. To address this question we will monitor and analyze changes in fungal communities within bulk soil and the root rhizospheres of four native grass species throughout a restoration process. Molecular genetic analyses will be used for these studies. A simulated mathematical model based on statistical techniques (mean, confidence interval, and standardization, etc.), fuzzy analysis, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) will be developed to analyze population structures of farmed and native Coastal Prairie Ecosystems during the restoration process.

Stress Analysis of Bacterial Biofilms

Faculty: Dr. Poonam Gulati (NS) and Dr. Youn-Sha Chan (CMS)

Project Description: In environments with sufficient moisture and nutrients, microorganisms grow as biofilms. A biofilm is a community of microbes that are growing attached to a surface and are encased in polymers that they have synthesized and secreted. This mode of living protects the microbes from the environment. Some studies have found that fluid shear influences the physical properties such as density and strength of biofilm. For instance, biofilms grown at higher shear are smoother and denser than those grown at low shear. A question we ask is how the shear stress effects the cell growth in a biofilm? How is the mechanical force transferred to the cells? Is there a biomechanical process involved? How do mechanical forces affect cell signals? In this project we will investigate the mechanism of biofilm formation and try to answer some of the proposed questions. Mathematical models using partial differential equations and qualitative and quantitative biochemical and molecular analyses will be used to address these questions.

Mathematical Models of Pierce's Disease

Faculty: Dr. Lisa Morano (NS) and Dr. Jeong-Mi Yoon (CMS)

Project Description: Pierces Disease (PD) is a threatening bacterial disease of grapevines with the capacity to kill an entire vineyard in one year. The disease is caused by a bacterium Xylella fastidiosa and is transmitted by a xylem-feeding insect commonly called a sharpshooter. Once transferred to the xylem vessels (water-conducting structures) by the insect, the bacteria multiply and lead to the blockage of water transport and subsequently death of the vine. The spread of PD in both Texas and California has renewed interest in grape hybrids and their complex mechanisms of disease tolerance and/or resistance. Recent research by plant anatomists suggests when susceptible grapevines become infected with X. fastidiosa the smaller vessels of the leaves become plugged and the plant produces tyloses (balloon-like growths within the xylem vessels) in an attempt to wall off the infection. Wild species may produce less tyloses upon infection. If a hybrid variety (Blanc du Bois) and susceptible varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay) are both inoculated with the same amount of X. fastidiosa, what differences in internal disease progression are observable? After infection, petiole cross-sections will be measured over time for xylem diameter, xylem number, bacterial load and percent xylem blockage. This data will be used to build a dynamic model for disease progression in susceptible versus hybrid grapevines.

Physiological and Evolutionary Significance of Geographic Variation of Gestation Time in Vespertilionid Bats

Faculty: Dr. Aaron Krochmal (NS) and Dr. Steven London (CMS)

Project Description: Recent studies have shown that within the United States , bats born at northern latitudes are born larger and earlier than conspecifics born at more southerly latitudes. Pregnant bats likely experience decreased foraging efficiency and flight performance, and natural selection would therefore favor reduced gestation periods so as to increase maternal survival. It has been hypothesized that selection would favor female bats birthing earlier in the gestation period (i.e. having premature pups) in regions with benign thermal conditions, allowing female bats to decrease their gestation periods, and thus, the constraints on their fitness, without sacrificing offspring survival. Morphometric analyses will be used to develop testable mathematical models to test several assertions regarding the adaptive significance of geographic variations in gestation times in these bats.

Mathematical Modeling of Interacting Signaling Pathways During Neural Development in Vertebrates

Faculty: Dr. Akif Uzman (NS) and Dr. Edwin Tecarro (CMS)

Project Description: The onset of the development of the central nervous system in vertebrate embryos (called neural induction) arises from an interaction between two signaling pathways, the BMP4 (bone morphogenetic protein-4) pathway and the MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) pathway. No quantitative analysis of these pathways has been done to understand how this interaction leads to specific phenotypic outcomes. The current model of interactions between these two pathways hypothesizes that increases in MAPK activity lead to a repression of the BMP4 pathway, which induces subsequent neural development by inhibiting migration of the SMAD 1/4 transcription factor into the nucleus. Conversely, epidermal development is induced by the SMAD 1/4 transcription factor, which activates and/or represses genes leading to the development of epidermal tissue. Quantitative mathematical models will be explored to provide key testable insights into which key parameters control this developmental decision. Key biochemical parameters including relative protein concentrations and binding interactions will be determined to help define key parameters of proposed models.