Bi-Monthly News from NIMBioS
March-April 2018
New Report
NSF Highlights STEM Evaluation
A new NSF Report to the Nation highlights NIMBioS’ and NISER’s efforts in the “bold, new initiative in broadening participation in STEM” called NSF INCLUDES . One of NSF's Ten Big Ideas for Future NSF Investments , NSF INCLUDES invests in pilot projects and partnerships that use research-based, collaborative change strategies aimed to broaden participation in STEM. The report features the conference that NIMBioS and NISER organized on Multi-scale Evaluation in STEM Education. INCLUDES stands for “Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science.” Find out more
Featured Science
Plant Quality Key Climate Variable
In the drive to survive changing climates, larger herbivores may fare slightly better than their smaller competitors, according to research from NIMBioS and the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Scientists have generally expected animals to get smaller as the planet warms, as research on the interactions in food webs has focused mainly on the effects of temperature. But the new study accounts for more climate variables that could come into play, including atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and rainfall patterns, and plant quality appears to be key. Find out more
Educational Spotlight
Summer Research Experiences
NIMBioS is pleased to announce the 15 participants selected for its highly competitive  2018 Summer Research Experience program. The participants were selected from a pool of more than 100 applicants from around the country. The program runs for eight weeks, from May 29-July 20. Participants will come to NIMBioS on the UT-Knoxville campus to work in teams with postdocs and faculty on research at the interface of mathematics and biology. Check out the full list of participants and this year's projects .
NIMBioS/NISER Monthly Webinars
Series for NSF INCLUDES
Now through June, these free evaluation-focused webinars help develop evaluation plans to meet the needs of INCLUDES projects. Topics will be of interest to those involved in current or upcoming INCLUDES projects, those considering collaborating in such projects, and STEM educators considering inclusion of formal evaluation in their projects.

Next Webinar: April 5 - Engaging Diverse Populations in Evaluations of NSF INCLUDES Projects

New & Noteworthy
Gross Receives Top Award
Congratulations to NIMBioS Director Louis Gross who has received a top award from the Southeastern Conference. Gross was honored with the 2018 SEC Faculty Achievement Award. The prestigious, university-level award recognizes professors from the 14 SEC universities who have outstanding records in both teaching and scholarship.   Honorees from each university receive a $5,000 honorarium and become their university’s nominee for SEC Professor of the Year, to be awarded this spring.  Find out more
Lenhart's Dedication to Diversity
NIMBioS is fortunate to have the tireless efforts of math professor Suzanne Lenhart at the helm of the NIMBioS Education & Outreach program. Her years-long dedication to increasing diversity in the STEM fields was featured in story on the UT website and continues to receive prominent play on the site. “Diversity is important to me, and I am proud to be in this inaugural class,” Lenhart says in the article. “A diverse set of viewpoints, backgrounds, and knowledge bases can better solve the scientific problems that face our society and our communities." You can read the full feature here .
Selected Recent NIMBioS Publications
Allman ES, Degnan JH,Rhodes JA. 2018. Split probabilities and species tree inference under the multispecies coalescent model. Bulletin of Mathematical Biology 80:64-103.

Barradas I, Caja Rivera RM. 2018. Cutaneous leishmaniasis in Peru using a vector-host model: Backward bifurcation and sensitivity analysis. Mathematical Methods in the Applied Sciences 41(5):1908-1924.

Christoph J et al. 2018. Electromechanical vortex filaments during cardiac fibrillation. Nature 555:667-672.


Tolkacheva EG, Zhao X, Zlochiver S, Mori Y. 2017. Computational and mathematical methods in cardiovascular diseases. Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine.

Results produced from NIMBioS research activities are important in measuring our success. 
 NIMBioS is sponsored by the National Science Foundation through NSF Award #DBI-1300426, with additional support from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.