What is RUTE?
Critical questions in contemporary biology increasingly require mathematical analyses for their answers; however, there is a shortage of biologists with sufficient training in mathematics and mathematicians with sufficient training in biology to master this interdisciplinary work. The Department of Mathematics, the School of Biological Sciences, and the School of Natural Resources are cooperating to address this issue at a variety of levels. The RUTE program has two interrelated components, a year-long research-based experience and a month-long course-based experience.
Co-directors
Glenn Ledder, Department of Mathematics,
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402-472-7382
Chad Brassil, School of Biological Sciences,
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402-419-0076
Current Notices
The RUTE Scholars program is currently accepting applications for 2010. Applications are due by October 6.
The RUTE Scholars Program
a research-based experience
The RUTE Scholars program is a structured research program for teams of undergraduate students and faculty mentors. Each team has two biology or natural resources students and two mathematics students along with at least one biology or natural resource mentor and at least one mathematics mentor. Projects run from January through December; participants must be UNL students and U.S. permanent residents or citizens.
Benefits include a structured introduction to research in ecology and mathematical modeling, a close mentoring relationship with faculty at UNL, a 13-week summer field research experience, a stipend of $4300 for the summer research experience, coverage of tuition for the courses involved with the project, coverage of housing for research at field stations, and possible funds to attend a professional meeting to present a talk or a poster.
The application deadline for the 2010 program is October 6, 2009: Application instructions.
Project descriptions for 2010.
The program is structured around the following courses:
- Spring: You will take a 3-credit course on Case Studies in Theoretical Ecology in which you will study the biological and mathematical principles needed for the research question. You will initiate basic mathematical modeling related to your question, and you will produce a research proposal for the field work.
- Summer: You will spend weeks collecting field data for your project and furthering the development and analysis of your mathematical model.
- Fall: You will take a 2-credit Independent Study course in which you will complete any remaining analysis and in which you will prepare a talk, a poster presentation, and a written paper based on your research.
The RUTE Summer Scholars Program
a course-based experience
The RUTE Summer Scholars program is a five-week summer program that introduces interdisciplinary research to students who are at an early stage in their education. Participants take a non-credit course at UNL called Research Skills for Theoretical Ecology. This course is taught by a mathematician and a biologist and includes both a lab and a lecture. The students will research aphid population growth and predation by coccinellids (ladybird beetles). The 2009 program will run from June 8 to July 10. Applications are now being accepted from high school seniors and college freshmen. Students do not need any prior experience in biology or any mathematics background beyond a strong foundation in algebra and precalculus. Applications are due on March 1.
Participants earn a $1500 stipend; we also pay for room and board in a UNL dorm for those students who choose to live on campus and some travel expenses for students coming from far away.
Here is a poster on the program that was presented at the Ecological Society of America meeting, August 2007
Here are student posters on aphid population growth:
Here are student posters on aphid-coccinellid interaction:
- Humera Ahmad, Seely Kaufmann, Andrea Tarrell, Laura Vinci
- Kyle Harrison, Kayce Kobs, Eric Price, William Steinbach
Funded by the National Science Foundation
