Botesteanu Wins MAA Outstanding Presentation Award

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Kelly Sturner

Dana-Adriana Botesteanu, 2011 NIMBioS REU Participant

Dana-Adriana Botesteanu, a participant in NIMBioS’ 2011 REU program, has won an “Outstanding Presentation” award from the Mathematical Association of America for her poster at the Undergraduate Poster Session at the 2012 Joint Mathematics Meetings. Botesteanu’s poster presentation, “How does the effort that a mother bird expends on her offspring depend on the attractiveness of her mate?” was rated within the top 15% of more than 300 posters. The research stemmed from Botesteanu’s research at NIMBioS during the REU program. Botesteanu, a mathematics and French major at Mount Holyoke College, describes her research in this NIMBioS video about REU. Mentors for the team project were Dr. Tucker Gilman, a current NIMBioS postdoctoral fellow, and Dr. Tony Jhwueng, former  postdoctoral fellow at NIMBioS. Other 2012 winners are listed here. Congratulations, Dana!

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Posted in awards, ecology, Education/Outreach, research, REU/REV, undergraduates, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Happy Birthday, Darwin! NIMBioS Celebrates at Teacher Workshop

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Kelly Sturner

Teachers work together on activities and discuss the challenges and strategies for teaching evolution in their classrooms at the Darwin Day Teacher Workshop.

In honor of Charles Darwin’s birthday last week, NIMBioS participated in a training-the-teacher workshop on strategies for teaching evolution for around 30 local middle and high school teachers in East Tennessee. NIMBioS Education & Outreach Coordinator Kelly Sturner led teachers in an activity demonstrating how half-life and radiometric dating helps scientists determine the absolute age of fossils in rock layers, a major source of evidence for evolution. The activity came from Biology in a Box, and the workshop was a part of UT-Knoxville’s week-long celebration of Darwin Day organised by volunteers from the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department.

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The Noes Have It

Posted on February 10, 2012 by ccrawley

Following a lively public debate on the role of warfare in early social evolution, a sea of hands waving blue cards with the words “anti-thesis” indicated that the majority of the audience believed the antithesis debaters had won the day: that is, other evolutionary mechanisms, and not warfare alone, hastened the rise of highly complex societies.

The debate, held Feb. 8, 2012, in the University of Tennessee’s University Center, was designed to raise questions about how science can explain the transition from simple to complex societies.

To find out more about the debate and a link to view it, click here.

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SFI President Brings Anthropologist’s Perspective

Posted on February 8, 2012 by ccrawley

Mathematical modelers, anthropologists, archaeologists, and other social scientists are gathered at NIMBioS this week for the Investigative Workshop on Modeling Social Complexity. The aim of the workshop, co-hosted by NIMBioS and the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, is to work toward developing a formal theory for the evolution of human social complexity. This new science, known as Cliodynamics, uses a dynamical systems approach to studying history by combining mathematical models and analyses of quantitative data to explain the processes and mechanisms that influence history. This week’s gathering of international scholars looking mathematical modeling of social complexity is the first of its kind. One participant is Dr. Jeremy Sabloff, the president of Santa Fe Institute. We sat down with Dr. Sabloff, an anthropologist, to find out the value of mathematical approaches to scientific inquiry. Click here to view the video.

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It’s in Your Genes: Tree Diagrams, Probability, & Inheritance

Posted on February 6, 2012 by ccrawley

Source: capl@washjeff.edu

Our latest post over at Biology by Numbers on Talking Science teaches a lesson in genetics. Poker chips are used not for gambling but to represent genes. In this lesson, borrowed with permission from Biology in a Box, students draw tree diagrams to illustrate the chance for inheritance of multiple traits.  In this hands-on activity, students use the chips to simulate the inheritance of multiple traits by an offspring produced by a cross between parents of randomly determined genotypes. The lesson is geared toward 9th-12th grade levels and covers the subjects of genetics, probability and mathematics. More Biology by Numbers posts can be found at the Talking Science website. Talking Science is a project of the radio program NPR’s Science Friday.

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The Nerd Superbowl: the Hidden Gems of REU

Posted on February 3, 2012 by ccrawley

You might call it the “Nerd Superbowl,” but it is lots of fun. In this new video about the NIMBioS REU program, find out what REU participant Alice Bugman (above) means when she describes one of the extra-curricula REU activities as kinda nerdy. For eight weeks each summer, undergraduates in math, biology and related fields work on teams to conduct original research at NIMBioS as a part of our Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU). The video includes interviews with past participants, including Bugman, Reka Keleman, Lindsay Lee and Dana Botesteanu, and also Dr. Suzanne Lenhart, who organizes the program. The deadline for applying to the 2012 REU is February 17. For more information, details on the 2012 projects, and an online application, click here.

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Extreme Makeover, NIMBioS Edition: Renovations Underway at NIMBioS’ New Home

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Kelly Sturner
Mosaic of Claxton Rennovation Pictures

(Clockwise from upper left) Wires dangle from the ceiling and the floor in the future breakout room. Plywood surrounds the side of Claxton Hall, which will serve as NIMBioS' entrance. The future Education and Outreach Office stripped to the bones. A long hallway will soon have new flooring. A classroom awaiting new chairs and a fresh coat of paint.

Renovations began this month on the first floor of Claxton Education Center, the future home of NIMBioS in the heart of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville’s campus. From the beginning NIMBioS has been slated to move to accommodate its growing number of postdocs and staff, and the new space will provide better and larger classrooms and additional conference rooms for our more than 500 visitors a year. The central location will also give NIMBioS a higher profile on campus. Hammers are flying and we expect all to be ready for a move some time this spring.

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NIMBioS Website Wins Another Award

Posted on January 25, 2012 by ccrawley

We’re pleased to announce that the NIMBioS website has won a Distinguished Technical Communication award from the Society for Technical Communication’s East Tennessee Chapter. The award is the highest level of recognition in the competition. Judges considered context of purpose, design, content, usability and writing style. The following are some of the judges’ remarks:

“The web site is a testament to the fact that with careful planning and consistent execution, presentation of complex scientific material can be fun.”

“This site is very impressive in its organization of a massive amount of information in a clear, coherent way.”

“This is an attractive, interesting, and informative web site that works well on both tablet and desktop computers.”

So if you’ve not visited the NIMBioS website in a while, now might be the time. You will find a range of videos, from NIMBioS postdocs explaining their research to interviews with distinguished visiting scientists; the bi-monthly newsletter; educational as well as research and training opportunities; and lots of great features on the science we do here at NIMBioS.

Last May, the NIMBioS website won a 2011 Award of Quality from the Public Relations Society of America Volunteer Chapter. The website is written and produced by NIMBioS Senior Analyst Jane Comiskey and NIMBioS Communications Coordinator Catherine Crawley.

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New to Lead Postdoctoral Activities at NIMBioS

Posted on January 13, 2012 by ccrawley

Dr. John C. New Associate Director for Postdoctoral Activities

NIMBioS welcomes Dr. John C. New, a professor of public health and epidemiology in the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture College of Veterinary Medicine, in the newly-created position of Associate Director for Postdoctoral Activities at NIMBioS.

New’s research focuses on infectious disease epidemiology, especially zoonotic diseases of free-roaming wildlife and their potential risks to human health and human-animal interactions. In his new role at NIMBioS, New will oversee postdoctoral activities, including organizing appropriate career-oriented activities and enhancing the mentoring plan for postdoctoral fellows. New is familiar with NIMBioS activities, having been involved in NIMBioS since its formation and having co-organized two NIMBioS summer programs of Research Experiences for Veterinary Students.

“Dr. New has already been a valuable mentor to undergraduates and veterinary students conducting research here at NIMBioS during our summer programs. We are excited to be able to extend his involvement with NIMBioS and bring his extensive academic background to help lead our efforts to enhance the postdoctoral experience at NIMBioS,” said NIMBioS Director Louis Gross.

New’s position as Associate Director is part-time, and he continues to maintain his professorial and research duties in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

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NIMBioS Attends Largest Mathematics Meeting in the World

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Kelly Sturner

More than 7,000 mathematicians descended upon Boston last week for the 2012 Joint Mathematics Meeting, the world’s largest mathematics meeting, and NIMBioS was there.  NIMBioS researchers, faculty and staff contributed talks on research and outreach. Two posters from the NIMBioS REU program were presented at an undergraduate poster session sponsored by the MAA. In addition, NIMBioS co-sponsored a reception with all the NSF-sponsored math institutes. It was a great time to connect with partner organizations and to share with the mathematical community about the exciting things going on at NIMBioS.

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Posted in Education/Outreach, postdocs, research, REU/REV, undergraduates | Tagged , , | Leave a comment