Grant Initiates New Research and Education Program

MELBOURNE, FLA. — Florida Tech has been awarded a three-year National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for $214,161. This grant begins Jan. 1 and will support
interdisciplinary training for Undergraduates in Biological and Mathematical Sciences (UBM).

“This is a fertile field that encompasses both disciplines of biology and mathematics, where results in one area lead to advances in the other. However,
currently there are few people able to work in this intersection,” said Semen Koksal, Mathematical Sciences.

Annually, six qualified mathematics and biology majors will be mentored by Koksal and Eugene Dshalalow from Mathematical Sciences and Robert van Woesik,
Richard Sinden and David Carroll from Biological Sciences. They will prepare students for careers that apply biomathematics in research areas, including
molecular biology, cell and developmental biology and population ecology. In addition to biological science research, the students in this program will
also be exposed to cutting-edge mathematical and statistical tools.

The vision of the UBM program is to transcend traditional boundaries in educating biological and mathematical scientists, while strengthening mathematical
training for biology students and interdisciplinary training for mathematics students.