Model Reduction on the Wnt Pathway Leads to Biological Adaptation

Complex systems are an unavoidable problem in the field of biology. One of the ways that scientists have tried to overcome this problem is by building mathematical models—manageable representations designed to look at specific physical phenomena. The Wnt Signaling Pathway is a complex system known to regulate cell-to-cell interactions, play a crucial role in Embryonic Development, and has been implicated in the study of cancer. Typically, the Wnt signal is observed through the behavior of a protein called beta-Catenin (β-Catenin). In 2003, Lee et al. built a model of the Wnt pathway which caused β-Catenin to increase over time. However, in 2010, Jensen et al. built a different model of the Wnt pathway which caused β-Catenin to oscillate over time. This project called for model reduction on the Jensen et al. model to identify the phenomenological parameter combinations that determined features of the Wnt oscillations. The method used to reduce the model is called the Manifold Boundary Approximation Method, which is a geometric, parameter-independent method of reducing the model one parameter at a time. Reduction of the model showed that there were 5 variables and 8 parameters which drove the oscillating behavior of the system. After comparing our results to the Lee et al. reduced model of the Wnt pathway done by student Dane Bjork, a minimal model was constructed which predicted a novel class behavior of the Wnt system: biological adaptation

Sustainability Education at the University of Montana

Sustainability education has become increasingly important to prepare the next generation of professionals to address immense challenges such as climate change. Institutions of higher education play a critical role in developing student understanding and perceptions of sustainability through their curricula, specifically in the three pillars of sustainability: ecology, economy, and society. This research paper explores sustainability education at the University of Montana to answer the following questions: (1) To what extent do sustainability-focused and sustainability-inclusive courses at the University of Montana include themes or concepts from all three pillars of sustainability; (2) Do courses at UM impact student understanding, beliefs, attitudes, and intentions about sustainability; and (3) From among the small group of sustainability courses sampled, are students’ understanding, beliefs, attitudes, or intentions impacted by course content? I collected data in three phases. First, I examined UM’s 2021 Sustainability Tracking and Assessment Report (STARS) of inventoried sustainability courses to analyze the distribution of the three pillars of sustainability. Second, I assessed syllabi from three sustainability courses taught in the fall of 2021. Lastly, I administered a survey to students in those three courses at the beginning and end of the fall 2021 semester to measure student understanding, beliefs, attitudes, and intentions. The results showed that only 18% of the inventoried sustainability courses incorporated all three dimensions of sustainability, and the economic dimension was the least represented across courses. Syllabi varied in topics and activities and was more difficult to compare given that there is no common framework for curricula development. The survey results revealed that most students held sustainability beliefs prior to the course which stayed consistent over time. Student understanding and attitudes were more variable and had the biggest changes from beginning to end of the semester, while intentions somewhat changed. Currently, there is no standardized assessment tool for examining sustainability curricula internationally or at UM, which made the research process nuanced and difficult. This research suggest that UM needs a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to develop an updated and common framework to guide curricula development, as well as a standard assessment tool, so that aspects of sustainability teaching are consistent across campus

Sustainability Education at the University of Montana

Sustainability education has become increasingly important to prepare the next generation of professionals to address immense challenges such as climate change. Institutions of higher education play a critical role in developing student understanding and views of sustainability through their curricula, specifically in the three pillars of sustainability: ecology, economy, and society. This research paper explores sustainability education at the University of Montana to answer the following questions: (1) To what extent do sustainability-focused and sustainability-inclusive courses at UM include themes or concepts from all three pillars of sustainability; (2) Do courses at the University of Montana impact student understanding, beliefs, attitudes, and intentions about sustainability; and (3) From among the small group of sustainability courses sampled, are students’ understanding, beliefs, attitudes, or intentions impacted by course content? The study collected data in three phases. First, the research examined UM’s 2021 Sustainability Tracking and Assessment Report (STARS) to analyze the distribution of the three pillars across courses. Second, the study assessed curricula from three sustainability courses. Lastly, a survey was administered to students in those three courses at the beginning and end of the fall 2021 semester to measure student understanding, beliefs, attitudes, and intentions. Findings showed that only 18% of course descriptions incorporated all three dimensions of sustainability and curricula varied in topics and activities. The survey results revealed that most students held sustainability beliefs prior to the course which stayed consistent over time. Student understanding and attitudes varied and had the biggest changes from beginning to end of the semester. Currently, there is no standardized assessment tool for examining sustainability curricula internationally or at UM, which made the research process nuanced and difficult. This research suggest that UM needs a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to develop an updated and common framework to guide and assess curricula development so that aspects of sustainability teaching are consistent across campus