Exploring Mathematical Modeling in Biology Through Case Studies and Experimental Activities

Exploring Mathematical Modeling in Biology Through Case Studies and Experimental Activities, written collaboratively by a mathematician and biologist, provides supporting materials for a course taken simultaneously by students majoring in mathematics or computer science and those in the life sciences. The text is designed to actively engage students in the process of modeling through a collection of case studies and wet labs connecting mathematical models to real data. The supporting mathematical coding and biological background helps readers practice and build confidence in asking questions, formulating mathematical models, articulating model assumptions, estimating parameters, analyzing models, and interpreting the results. These skills can be applied in the case studies across multiple levels of organization and areas of biological inquiry. The labs reveal the practical issues of collecting data suitable for model formulation and validation. Moreover, collecting data in the context of a modeling course helps clarify experimental questions and design, and the model analysis often raises new research questions to explore. Through the case studies and labs, the reader will see the utility of models for understanding complex systems, making predictions, and identifying further questions.