Enriching the Teaching of Biology with Mathematical Concepts

• Published in: The American biology teacher Vol. 69; no. 4; pp. 205 - 209
• Main Author: Andersen, Janet
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Reston National Association of Biology Teachers 01.04.2007; University of California Press; University of California Press Books Division
• Subjects: Antibodies; Antigens; Binding sites; Biology; Cellular biology; Cytology; Educational Facilities Improvement; Electric currents; Electric fields; Enzymes; Evaluation; Gels; Higher Education; Immune system; Interdisciplinary Approach; Interdisciplinary approach (Education); Interdisciplinary approach in education; Iron sulfides; Mathematical Aptitude; Mathematical Concepts; Mathematics; Mathematics education; Mathematics Instruction; Microbiology; Middle School Students; Middle Schools; Molecular Biology; Molecular weight; New York; Plasmids; Platonic solids; Pyrite; Science education; Science Instruction; Sciences education; Scientific Concepts; Secondary Schools; Sodium chloride; Study and teaching; Symmetry; Teaching; Teaching Methods; Undergraduate Students; Viruses; Visual Aids; New York; United States
• ISSN: 0002-7685; 1938-4211
• DOI: 10.1662/0002-7685%282007%2969%5B205%3AETTOBW%5D2.0.CO%3B2

Secondary school educators are told to teach more mathematics and science to their students to help them become more proficient in the two subjects. Coordination of mathematics and science teaching is recognized as another means of improving proficiency. The National Science Foundation has funded the "Mathematics, Science and Technology Partnership" at Hofstra University and Stony Brook University to enhance mathematical proficiency of middle school students through coordinated teaching of mathematics, science, and technology. Involvement in this project has inspired the author to incorporate mathematical concepts in her own college classroom. In particular, she used mathematical concepts to enhance the teaching of a biological course in Molecular Immunology, the study of the immune system. This course is taught to undergraduates and to perspective biology teachers at Stony Brook University. Three areas in the course have become enriched through the introduction of mathematical concepts. These areas are also covered briefly in other biology courses such as Molecular and Cellular Biology, Microbiology, and in various laboratory courses at Stony Brook University. The incorporation of mathematical concepts in these three areas is described in this article. The author has found that using mathematical concepts to enhance the teaching of immunology has enriched students' grasp of the subject and makes teaching more rewarding. (Contains 6 figures and 2 tables.)