Hannah Callender Highlander

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at University of Portland

The next generation of life science professionals will require far more quantitative skills than prior generations. Calculus is important for understanding dynamical systems in biology and, therefore, is often a required course for life science students. However, many life science students do not understand the utility value of mathematics to biolo...

Speaking directly to the growing importance of research experience in undergraduate mathematics programs, this volume offers suggestions for undergraduate-appropriate research projects in mathematical and computational biology for students and their faculty mentors. The aim of each chapter is twofold: for faculty, to alleviate the challenges of ide...

Social distancing is an effective method of impeding the spread of a novel disease such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but is dependent on public involvement and is susceptible to failure when sectors of the population fail to participate. A standard SIR model is largely incapable of modeling differences in a popul...

Invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) is among the leading causes of blood stream infections in sub-Saharan Africa and other developing regions, especially among pediatric populations. Invasive NTS can be difficult to treat and have high case-fatality rates, in part due to emergence of strains resistant to broad-spectrum antibiotics. Furthermore,...

Invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) is among the leading causes of blood stream infections in sub-Saharan Africa and other developing regions, especially among pediatric populations. Invasive NTS can be difficult to treat and have high case-fatality rates, in part due to emergence of strains resistant to broad-spectrum antibiotics. Furthermore,...

Despite widespread calls for the incorporation of mathematical modeling into the undergraduate biology curriculum, there is lack of a common understanding around the definition of modeling, which inhibits progress. In this paper, we extend the “Rule-of-Four,” initially used in calculus reform efforts, to a framework for models and modeling that is...

Models and the process of modeling are fundamental to the discipline of biology, and therefore should be incorporated into undergraduate biology courses. In this essay, we draw upon the literature and our own teaching experiences to provide practical suggestions for how to introduce models and modeling to introductory biology students. We begin by...

Models and the process of modeling are fundamental to the discipline of biology, and therefore should be incorporated into undergraduate biology courses. In this essay, we draw upon the literature and our own teaching experiences to provide practical suggestions for how to introduce models and modeling to introductory biology students. We begin by...

Sensitivity analysis (SA) is a critical part of modeling any biological system due to the inherent uncertainty in model output, as introduced by parameter values that have not been experimentally determined. SA therefore provides deeper understanding of the system by painting a picture of the extent to which certain model outputs vary in relationsh...

Calculus is one of the primary avenues for initial quantitative training of students in all science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields, but life science students have been found to underperform in the traditional calculus setting. As a result, and because of perceived lack of its contribution to the understanding of biology, calculus...

A differential equation model is formulated that describes the dynamics of glucose concentration in blood circulation. The model accounts for the intake of food, expenditure of calories and the control of glucose levels by insulin and glucagon. These and other hormones affect the blood glucose level in various ways. In this study only main effects...

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Independent of institution size and faculty research expectations, a growing number of colleges and universities encourage their undergraduates to engage in some form of research experience. To meet the demand of students seeking such experiences and to ensure these experiences are of high quality, it is imperative to have qualified mentors. While...

Professional societies and collaboratives have called for the incorporation of more quantitative skills, such as mathematical modeling, securely into the foundation and throughout undergraduate biology programs. However, the integration of modeling both within and between mathematics and biology curricula remains limited. One barrier to integration...

We will first provide a brief introduction to models of disease transmission on so-called contact networks, which can be represented by various structures from the mathematical field of graph theory. These models allow for exploration of stochastic effects and incorporation of more biological detail than the classical compartment-based ordinary dif...

This chapter introduces students to various aspects of mathematical modeling in epidemiology, including data collection, development of models, and deriving and interpreting predictions of models. The agent-based models of this chapter are explored by using a teaching tool, IONTW (Infections On NeTWorks), which was developed by the authors using th...

The first part of this chapter covers compartment-based models that are constructed under the uniform mixing assumption. The role of the basic reproductive ratio in these models is illustrated both by theoretical results and simulations with IONTW (Infections On NeTWorks), a teaching tool that was developed by the authors and uses the NetLogo langu...

Background EngineeringFaculty members should adopt effective pedagogical approaches in order to maximize student learning. The beliefs of faculty members about instructional practice are an important construct in determining what and how they teach.PurposeThis study investigates the effect of faculty members’ involvement in model-eliciting activiti...

Inspired by the national initiative toward a 'new biology,' this work offers a collection of modules introducing methods from modern discrete mathematics into the undergraduate math and biology curricula. Each module begins with a question from contemporary biology, followed by the description of mathematical methods and theory appropriate for the...

Inspired by the national initiative toward a 'new biology,' this work offers a collection of modules introducing methods from modern discrete mathematics into the undergraduate math and biology curricula. Each module begins with a question from contemporary biology, followed by the description of mathematical methods and theory appropriate for the...

Background It is crucial that engineering educators apply effective pedagogical approaches in order to maximize student learning. When considering instructional practice, the beliefs of an educator represent an important construct in the determination of what and how they teach. Purpose This study investigates the impact of faculty involvement i...

Though portable accelerometers are ubiquitous in physiology and public health studies, their accuracy as objective measures of physical activity is still being examined. This paper enumerates and analyzes the various biases of the widely used ActiLife(®) software in reporting activity counts from ActiGraph(®) accelerometers. In particular, we focus...

Cellular motility is an important function in many cellular processes. Among the key players in cellular movement are transmembrane receptor proteins called integrins. Through the development of a mathematical model we investigate the dynamic relationship between integrins and other molecules known to contribute to initial cellular movement such as...

If a mathematics department has a capstone course, how does undergraduate research figure into that capstone requirement? What challenges are involved when instituting undergraduate research as part of the capstone experience? These were the central questions for discussion in the undergraduate research as a capstone requirement breakout session at...

Across the nation, undergraduate research is on the rise. Independent of institution size and faculty research expectations, a growing number of colleges and universities encourage their undergraduates to engage in some form of research experience. In order to meet the demand of students seeking such experiences and to ensure these experiences are...

Cell signalling pathways play a crucial role in proper cell development and behaviour, with implications to survival, chemotaxis, proliferation, and even programmed cell death known as apoptosis. In this article, we outline a mathematical model of the G-protein signalling pathway in a particular cell line of macrophages, focusing on activation of a...

A mathematical model of the G protein signaling pathway in RAW 264.7 macrophages downstream of P2Y(6) receptors activated by the ubiquitous signaling nucleotide uridine 5'-diphosphate is developed. The model, which is based on time-course measurements of inositol trisphosphate, cytosolic calcium, and diacylglycerol, focuses particularly on differen...

Diacylglycerols (DAGs) play significant roles in both intermediate metabolism and signal transduction. These lipid species are second messengers involved in modulating a plethora of cellular processes. Evaluation of DAG species concentrations has been hampered by the lack of a reliable method for molecular species analysis within a complex mixture...