QUALITY EDUCATION FOR MINORITIES (QEM) NETWORK

WORKSHOP FOR BIOLOGY AND MATHEMATICS FACULTY

AT GRANTEE INSTITUTIONS IN THE

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF)ÕS

HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM

Four Points by Sheraton BWI Airport Hotel

7032 Elm Road ¥ Baltimore, MD 21240 ¥ Tel. 410/859-3300

Friday, April 21 – Saturday, April 22, 2006

 

AGENDA

 

Workshop Purposes: To (1) bring together faculty who teach biology or mathematics at Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the Washington Metro Area to identify and align core concepts in freshman-level courses in each of the two disciplines; and (2) identify a minimal set of competencies students need in biology and in mathematics to pursue study in emerging fields such as bioinformatics and computational biology.

 

FRIDAY, APRIL 21

 

AM

  8:00             Registration and Continental Breakfast                                                                               Scott Room

 

  8:30             Opening Session

                       Welcome, Introductions, and Review of Purpose and Agenda

                              Shirley M. McBay, President, QEM Network

 

  8:45             ÒApplications of Mathematics to BiologyÓ

                              Roosevelt Gentry, Professor of Mathematics

                              Jackson State University

 

  9:30             Mathematics/Biology Funding Opportunities

                              Mary Ann Horn, Program Director, Division of Mathematical Sciences

                                  National Science Foundation

                              Shawn Drew, Director, Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) Program

                                  National Institutes of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health

 

10:15            Coffee Break

 

10:30            Discussion of Mathematics Requirements of Biology Majors at
Participating Institutions

                              Shirley McBay, QEM Network

 

10:45            Discussion of Core Concepts in General Biology and of Core Concepts
in Introductory Mathematics

                              Ali Mohamed, Professor, Department of Biology, Virginia State University

                              J. Arthur Jones, Senior Associate, QEM Network

 

11:15            Presentation of Virginia State University's Course (under development)
Introduction to Mathematical Biology

                              Krishan Agrawal, Professor of Mathematics

                              Ali Mohamed, Professor of Biology

 

11:30            Four Concurrent Breakout Sessions (Breakout Session I):

                       Topic:  Aligning Core Concepts in Introductory-Level Biology and

                                      Mathematics (See Breakout Group Assignment Sheet)

                       Group I:    Scott Room                           Group III:           Chesapeake I

                       Group II:  Room 2101                           Group IV:           Severn Room

PM

12:30            Working Lunch                                                                                                                    Scott Room

                       ÒContributions of African Americans to ScienceÓ

                              Kenneth Manning, Professor of Rhetoric and History of Science

                              Massachusetts Institute of Technology

 

  2:00             Brief Reports from Breakout Session I

 

  2:30             ÒUse of Computational Theories in BiologyÓ

                              Duane Bailey, Professor and Chair

                              Department of Computer Science, Williams College

 

  3:15             Break

 

  3:30             Four Concurrent Breakout Sessions (Breakout Session II) - in same room locations:

                       Topic: Integrating Mathematical Applications & Computational Theories into Biology

 

  4:30             Brief Reports from Breakout Session II                                                                           Scott Room

 

  5:30             Break

 

  6:00             Dinner                                                                                                                                    Crane B

 

 

SATURDAY, APRIL 22

 

AM

  8:30             Full Breakfast                                                                                                                      Scott Room

 

  9:00             Panel Discussion: Emerging Disciplines Linking Biology and Mathematics

                       Panelists:  Duane Bailey, Williams College     (Ant)   (StickyAtom)

                                          Roosevelt Gentry, Jackson State University

 

  9:30             Four Concurrent Breakout Sessions (Breakout Session III):

                       Topics: ÒPreparing Students to Pursue Emerging Science DisciplinesÓ

                                     ÒPotential Areas of Collaboration Between and Among HBCU-UP GranteesÓ

                       Group I:   Scott Room                            Group III:           Potomac Room

                       Group II:  Room 2101                           Group IV:           Severn Room

 

10:30            Break

 

10:45            Brief Reports on Breakout Session III

 

11:15            ÒUndergraduate Research: Preparation and PathwaysÓ

                              Teresa Edwards, Associate, QEM Network

 

11:45            Group Discussion: Strategies to Enhance Student Learning and Increase Student
Retention in Addition to Undergraduate Research Opportunities

PM

12:30            Lunch and Discussion of Next Steps for Institutional Teams                                                 Scott Room

 

  1:30            Adjournment