Online Hub Feeds Biology Faculty Resources to Help Students Learn

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 09/29/15

The QUBES resource library features a range of teaching materials, from video presentations to publications to simulation tools.

A big phase is done in a cross-institutional project to bring math and biology experts together for interdisciplinary teaching. The goal is to help undergraduate students understand the quantitative reasoning and computational skills they need for their biology courses. Quantitative Undergraduate Biology Education and Synthesis (QUBES) is an educational repository with a Facebook-like interface that brings biologists and mathematicians together in order to discuss teaching submissions, pedagogies and instructional approaches "in an efficient manner," according to the award proposal submitted to the National Science Foundation, which is funding the work.

The research brings together numerous institutions as well as professional societies. Among the participants are Maine's Unity College, the University of Pittsburgh and four other schools, along with the Society for Mathematical Biology, the American Mathematical Society and the National Institute for Mathematical Biology and Synthesis.

QUBES, which has been built with open source components, currently includes 99 teaching resources, such as modules on global temperature change in the 21st century, the molecular evolution of DNA sequences and the "friendship paradox" and how it affects disease transmission. Members of the user community may provide comments and ratings on the resources, and the portal is intended to bring educators together to collaborate across disciplines in additional curriculum development.

The site also contains:

  • Faculty "mentoring" networks, where online groups of 10 to 15 instructors can come together to focus on a specific topic;
  • Reference materials;
  • Teaching content including lecture notes, exams and problems sets;
  • Software that can be run on the hub along with programs intended to be run off the site; and
  • Models of biological processes.

Unity associate professor Carrie Diaz Eaton said in a prepared statement that she hopes the availability of the materials will encourage faculty to reform their courses and integrate quantitative skills into biological science programs.

"We are pleased that Unity College has the opportunity to take a leadership role on such an important issue facing not only biology education, but sustainability science education," said Diaz Eaton. "To keep up with advances in science in the 21st century, we need educators to have access to the right tools, and the support to teach with them."

The project, whose major grants go through August 2019, is funded jointly by NSF's Directorate for Biological Sciences and the Directorate of Education & Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • open laptop in a college classroom with holographic AI icons like a brain and data charts rising from the screen

    4 Ways Universities Are Using Google AI Tools for Learning and Administration

    In a recent blog post, Google shared an array of education customer stories, showcasing ways institutions are using AI tools like Gemini and NotebookLM to transform both learning and administrative tasks.

  • illustration of a human head with a glowing neural network in the brain, connected to tech icons on a cool blue-gray background

    Meta Launches Stand-Alone AI App

    Meta Platforms has introduced a stand-alone artificial intelligence app built on its proprietary Llama 4 model, intensifying the competitive race in generative AI alongside OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI.

  • three main icons—a cloud, a user profile, and a padlock—connected by circuit lines on a blue abstract background

    Report: Identity Has Become a Critical Security Perimeter for Cloud Services

    A new threat landscape report points to new cloud vulnerabilities. According to the 2025 Global Threat Landscape Report from Fortinet, while misconfigured cloud storage buckets were once a prime vector for cybersecurity exploits, other cloud missteps are gaining focus.

  • Stylized illustration showing cybersecurity elements like shields, padlocks, and secure cloud icons on a neutral, minimalist digital background

    Microsoft Announces Security Advancements

    Microsoft has announced major security advancements across its product portfolio and practices. The work is part of its Secure Future Initiative (SFI), a multiyear cybersecurity transformation the company calls the largest engineering project in company history.