Addressing Challenges in Access, Diversity, and Equity at the Applied Mathematics Interface

By Aditi Ghosh, Olcay Akman, and Padmanabhan Seshaiyer

During the 2022 International Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research (BEER), which took place at Illinois State University in November 2022, a special component focused on “Addressing Challenges in Access, Diversity, and Equity at the Applied Mathematics Interface (ACADEMI) – Cross-Institutional Research in Health and Data Science.” The session aimed to bring together students from underrepresented minority groups, early-career faculty members, and female researchers who work in mathematical/computational modeling with applications to life, health, and the social sciences. It exposed the audience to cutting-edge methods in mathematical health and data science, with a particular emphasis on social equity and diversity-driven methods. The session’s unique format included a talk by an early-career academician, a panel discussion with four distinguished members of the mathematical biology community, and a National Science Foundation (NSF) workshop about broadening participation in mathematical biology. 

The idea for this workshop first originated during the NSF’s MODels for Uncovering Rules and Unexpected Phenomena in Biological Systems (MODULUS) program (DMS 2232739), which took place at George Mason University in August 2022. A group of experts discussed the challenges and opportunities that might accompany a paradigm shift in interdisciplinary mathematical biology. One consensus of these conversations was the need for thoughtful educational programs and grant solicitations that target the following goals:

• Engage interdisciplinary teams of mathematical, computational, and biological scientists to develop innovative solutions for challenging biological questions and pressing societal needs
• Encourage potential mathematical biology principal investigators (PIs) from institutions that do not traditionally receive significant funding from the NSF Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS)—such as certain minority-serving institutions, primarily undergraduate institutions, and R2 research institutions—to write proposals that demonstrate mathematical innovation, biological relevance and significance, and strong integration between mathematics and biology
• Broaden participation and increase opportunities for all scientists, including those from underrepresented groups in NSF MPS fields (Black and African American, Hispanic, Latino, Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and other Native Pacific Islander), and encourage individuals to actively and competitively engage in research as independent investigators. 

Participants, moderators, and presenters from the MODULUS workshop thus helped to develop the structure for ACADEMI.

The ACADEMI session at the Symposium on BEER began with a talk by Amy Buchmann (University of San Diego) on “Culturally Responsive Practices to Address Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Math Biology Research and Education.” Buchmann’s research focuses on mechanical models of microorganisms that examine their coordinated behavior and environmental interactions; her talk sought to engage female participants via an interdisciplinary lab residency in mathematical biology that concentrates on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). She spoke about the importance of establishing guidelines for productive collaborations and mentorship to address DEI and promoted the usefulness of programs such as Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education (EDGE). 

Buchmann’s talk was followed by a panel discussion on “Future Modeling Challenges Through the Lens of Diversity and Opportunities in Industry and Academia: Empowering Women via Interactions through Global Leaders.” Panelists Elebeoba May (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Marcella Torres (University of Richmond), Maia Martcheva (University of Florida), and Laxmi Parida (IBM Research) represented female researchers at different career stages who work in interdisciplinary areas of mathematical biology, such as multiscale modeling, artificial intelligence (AI), bioinformatics, and infectious diseases. The panelists offered remarks on complex mathematical modeling challenges, theoretical and practical fundamental principles in biological models, and model-based prediction challenges that pertain to missing data and transmission dynamics in HIV. Furthermore, the panelists acknowledged integrated inclusive science that paves the way for the solution of complex, real-world problems in health science, as well as innovative abstractions and representations that tackle missing data challenges for resource-efficient scientific discoveries.

Elebeoba May, who directs the Multi-scale Immunobiology Design, Algorithms, and Simulation Lab at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, introduced a computational framework for host-pathogen interface models and used multiscale modeling to explore the physiological immune response’s role in tuberculosis. Her work demonstrates the importance of host physiology, the microenvironment, and biochemical dynamics in the modulation of infection outcome. “Our goal should be to push beyond just matching models to data to the point of actually making meaningful predictions,” May said. “We have lot more work to do. We need to integrate AI and biological knowledge, ask the 'if' questions, play with the models, and—most importantly—work as a community. When it comes to undergraduate training, we are still in silos with gaps between undergrads and PIs.” 

Marcella Torres is the director of mathematical studies at Richmond, where her research focuses on mathematical modeling of human biological systems and the application of statistical methods to connect these mechanistic models with real data. During the panel, she discussed the ability of integrated inclusive science to empower traditionally underrepresented individuals and shared strategies that she uses to implement an integrated inclusive science curriculum for first-generation students and students who are traditionally underrepresented in science fields. “It has been the focus of NSF to integrate interdisciplinarity,” Torres said. "For example, COVID-19 research incorporates models that integrate beyond just epidemiology to also include geographic information system data, computer science information, and more. We need a whole team to solve the grand challenges facing society, and so scientists and social scientists should come together.”

Maia Martcheva’s research interests include avian influenza modeling, malaria modeling, epidemic modeling of multi-strain interactions, immuno-epidemiological modeling, and spatial epidemic modeling. She accentuated the importance of co-infection models for multiple strains and diseases, presented a multiscale immuno-epidemiological model of HIV infection that intertwines with the opioid epidemic, and addressed the role of gender selection in these models. “Gender differences can be incorporated only when gender-dependent data is actually collected,” Martcheva said. “Models need to be more gender structured, which will again depend on the data.” 

Panelist Laxmi Parida is an expert in neurological, cancer, plant, population, microbiome, and data-driven genomics. She emphasized the importance of accelerated discovery in the life sciences via responsible AI, mathematics, and algorithms, and wondered whether researchers can harness these tools to accelerate science itself. Parida also described a variety of relevant applications, including methods that utilize dark-matter DNA to identify subtle blood cancers and questions about AI fairness that relate to demographic data collection. “By using topology and logic in areas such as topological data analysis, we can make pathways towards hypothesis discovery,” she said [2].

ACADEMI’s grand finale was a workshop that empowered student and faculty participants with the latest scientific findings on the learning characteristics of underrepresented populations. Participants practiced recognizing cultural differences, better understanding students with unique learning styles, and employing equitable and non-biased assessments. This session also helped attendees recognize their own biases, appreciate local communities, and recognize the manifestation of talent in various cultures. In addition, they engaged in brainstorming and problem-solving activities and learned about effective pedagogical and instructional approaches for mathematical biology curricula. 

Attendees offered ample positive feedback about the event. One first-year graduate student appreciated that students and faculty had the opportunity to equally engage and learn from each other’s perspectives on cognitive bias. “[Cognitive bias] often occurs when people try to process and interpret information in the world around them, and it affects the decisions and judgments that they make,” she said. “The session helped us understand how that manifests into researchers’ creation of models that may not be meaningful or do not include ethical considerations.” Meanwhile, a participating faculty member shared their appreciation for newfound knowledge about positive and negative biases that can enter the hiring process at any time — from first impressions based on a candidate’s name to unfiltered feedback from stakeholders on finalists [1]. 

The entire session was a joint initiative by the Intercollegiate Biomathematics Alliance (IBA), Illinois State University, Texas A&M University-Commerce, and George Mason University. The Symposium on BEER provided a forum for networking, disseminating research, and creating opportunities for students’ professional growth. Anna Singley, a graduate student at the University of Portland, offered concluding thoughts about her experiences at the symposium. “I have attended BEER multiple times, and each time it has helped me grow more polished in my presentational skills, allowed me to network with faculty around the nation, and increased my confidence in my own abilities,” she said.

Aditi Ghosh is a tenure-track assistant professor at Texas A&M University-Commerce. Her research interests are in mathematical biology and her critical research work involves projects in hepatology. Ghosh helps prepare undergraduate students for cutting-edge, modeling-based interdisciplinary research projects and model competitions, including the SIMIODE Challenge Using Differential Equations Modeling and COMAP’s international contests in modeling. Olcay Akman is a professor of mathematics at Illinois State University. He is director of the Intercollegiate Biomathematics Alliance: a consortium of universities that collaborate and share resources in the pursuit of scholarships, teaching, and advanced research development. Akman is currently the editor-in-chief of Letters in Biomathematics and Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics. His research interests include computing-intensive modeling, evolutionary computing, and machine-learning-based methods. Padmanabhan Seshaiyer is a professor of mathematical sciences at George Mason University and chair of the SIAM Diversity Advisory Committee. He works in the broad area of computational mathematics, data science, biomechanics, design and systems thinking, and STEM education. Seshaiyer also serves as vice chair of the U.S. National Academies Commission on Mathematics Instruction and as Associate Director for Applied Mathematics of the Math Alliance.