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,
,
402-472-7382
Chad Brassil, School of Biological
Sciences,
,
402-472-1947
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 3-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 2008 program will run from June 9 to July 11. 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. Screening will begin on January 14 and continue until all positions are filled.
The program pays for tuition and also pays a $1500 stipend at the end of the course. We will pay for room and board in a UNL dorm for those students who choose to live on campus. We also pay 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:
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 or May; participants must be UNL students.
Benefits include a structured introduction to research in ecology and mathematical modeling, a close mentoring relationship with faculty at UNL, a 10-week summer field research experience, a stipend of $3250 for the summer field research experience, coverage of tuition for the 3 courses involved with the project, coverage of travel and housing during the summer research, and possible funds to attend a professional meeting to present a talk or a poster.
The application deadline for the 2008 program has passed. The deadline for the 2009 program will be in October 2008: Application instructions.
Project descriptions for 2008.
The program is structured around the following courses:
- Spring: You will take a 2-credit readings course on Designing Research. In this course, you will study the biological and mathematical principles needed for the research project, including field methods and research design.
- Summer: You will spend 10 weeks collecting field data for your project. You will get 3 credits for Independent Research in Biology, with UNL covering the tuition and fees and the costs of room, board, and transportation.
- Fall: You will take a 3-credit course on Independent Study in Mathematics, in which you will analyze the data from the field research and create and analyze a mathematical model to study some aspect of the biological research.
- Spring, second year: Optionally, you can take a 2-credit course on Refining and Presenting Research Results, in which you will prepare a talk, a poster presentation, and a written paper based on your research
Funded by the National Science Foundation
