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The manuscript outlines the impact that our National Science Foundation Interdisciplinary Training for Undergraduates in Biological and Mathematical Sciences program, BioMaPS, has had on the students and faculty at Murray State University. This interdisciplinary program teams mathematics and biology undergraduate students with mathematics and biology faculty and has produced research insights and curriculum developments at the intersection of these two disciplines. The goals, structure, achievements, and curriculum initiatives are described in relation to the effects they have had to enhance the study of biomathematics. (Contains 1 table.)

The use of tablet PCs in teaching is a relatively new phenomenon. A cross between a notebook computer and a personal digital assistant (PDA), the tablet PC has all of the features of a notebook with the additional capability that the screen can also be used for input. Tablet PCs are usually equipped with a stylus that allows the user to write on the screen. Handwriting recognition software converts this input into text for use with software such as internet browsers and email programs. As an educational tool, two of the most important features of the tablet PC are annotation and wireless communication. The annotation feature allows the user to write on almost any document much as one would annotate a printout of the same document. The wireless communication feature allows tablet PCs to share information with one another. The advantages of these features and their impact on the Murray State University (MSU) classroom will be discussed in the evaluation section. (Contains 4 figures.)

While cholera has been a recognized disease for two centuries, there is no strategy for its effective control. We formulate a mathematical model to include essential components such as a hyperinfectious, short-lived bacterial state, a separate class for mild human infections, and waning disease immunity. A new result quantifies contributions to the basic reproductive number from multiple infectious classes. Using optimal control theory, parameter sensitivity analysis, and numerical simulations, a cost-effective balance of multiple intervention methods is compared for two endemic populations. Results provide a framework for designing cost-effective strategies for diseases with multiple intervention methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is known that a beneficial cancer treatment approach for a single patient often involves the administration of more than one type of therapy. The question of how best to combine multiple cancer therapies, however, is still open. In this study, we investigate the theoretical interaction of three treatment types (two biological therapies and one chemotherapy) with a growing cancer, and present an analysis of an optimal control strategy for administering all three therapies in combination. In the situations with controls introduced linearly, we find that there are conditions on which the controls exist singularly. Although bang-bang controls (on-off) reflect the drug treatment approach that is often implemented clinically, we have demonstrated, in the context of our mathematical model, that there can exist regions on which this may not be the best strategy for minimizing a tumor burden. We characterize the controls in singular regions by taking time derivatives of the switching functions. We will examine these representations and the conditions necessary for the controls to be minimizing in the singular region. We begin by assuming only one of the controls is singular on a given interval. Then we analyze the conditions on which a pair and then all three controls are singular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate optimal control of a first order partial differential equation (PDE) system representing a competitive population model with age structure. The controls are the proportions of the populations to be harvested, and the objective functional represents the profit from harvesting. The existence and unique characterization of the optimal control pair are established. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Presents a study that developed an optimal control model to analyze surface water contamination in a river basin. Background on basic management features and conditions for an optimal control strategy; Characterization of optimal control; Factors that affect surface water contamination.