Quantitative Research in the Life and Social Sciences Program (QRLSSP)

Check out the article about this REU in ASU Now

MTBI alumna Heather Harrington, associate professor and Royal Society University Research Fellow at the Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, is a co-winner, along with Dr Luitgard Veraart (London School of Economics and Political Science) of the 2019 Adams Prize of the University of Cambridge. The topic is “The Mathematics of Networks.”.... to read more click title.

"At this point in my academic career, MTBI has been by far the most challenging experience. However, the difficulties encountered along the way are easily offset by the rewarding feeling one gets after finishing writing a research article related to a topic you are passionate about. If you want to study something meaningful, it is more likely than not that conducting research on the topic will be frustratingly difficult at times. In that respect, students participating in MTBI have an advantage because they are not going through the process alone. Instead, you are surrounded by like-minded and talented students, mentors, and professors who all are there to help you succeed. You learn to play off one another's strengths and by doing so accomplish much more than you would ever be able to do on your own. Although you may not have all of the answers you were looking for by the end of the summer, you will certainly be more prepared and eager to address more challenging questions in the future." – Steven Manns, MTBI 2020

While wildlife can be exposed to lead from many sources, bald eagles' main source of lead is linked to the fall and winter big game hunting seasons, which happen to coincide with the eagles’ scavenging season. Lead-toxicity may cause severe clinical symptoms (including death), but also more subtle, chronic symptoms. Chronic lead-toxicity results in continual physiological damage and affected biological mechanisms, including reduced fertility and voracity. This research quantifies the impact of lead-contaminated food sources on the bald eagle’s population of the Great Lakes by formulating a system of ordinary differential equations to show the progression through the stages of lead-toxicity and its role in the eagle’s population dynamics.

Homelessness in NYC at its highest level since the Great Depression, and as the NYC battles COVID-19, the advised precautionary measures are out of reach for this population. This research examines the contribution the homeless population has had on prolonging the epidemic in the city. The findings indicate that a significant number of secondary infections in the population of NYC are due to transmission of COVID-19 via the homeless, this most directly attributable to the higher effective reproductive number for the homeless population. These results could be used to study the impact of control measures.

Excelencia in Education co-founder Deborah Santiago moderates a discussion with University of Arizona President Robert Robbins and ASU President Michael Crow during Excelencia in Education’s “Arizona Briefing on 25 Years of Hispanic-Serving Institutions” webcast, Thursday, March 25, 2021.... Click title to read about it.