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(Last updated 6/27/02)

Editor's note: for more information, visit http://mbi.osu.edu.

NEW INSTITUTE FIRST-EVER TO UNITE MATH, LIFE SCIENCES

COLUMBUS, Ohio A new $10 million institute at Ohio State University will connect research in mathematics, statistics, and computing with the biological and medical sciences.

The National Science Foundation will fund the nation’s first-ever Mathematical Biosciences Institute (MBI)-- an interdisciplinary center designed to develop mathematical and statistical models and theories to answer the life sciences’ ever-growing need for data analysis.

Avner Friedman

“From the completion of the human genome project to the fight against diseases of the brain, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, we've harvested incredible amounts of data that must be managed in new and better ways,” said Avner Friedman, director of the MBI and professor of mathematics at Ohio State. “Society is eager to see basic research and technological advances translated into better diagnostic and remedial tools for health problems.”

Friedman, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, said the MBI will encourage relationships between mathematicians and life scientists, and nurture a community of scholars through education and support of students and researchers in mathematical biosciences.

“The interdisciplinary research that will result from the collaborations encouraged through the MBI will place Ohio State and Ohio at the forefront of some of the most important research of the 21st century.”

“This is an exceptional opportunity for Ohio State, and the entire state of Ohio,” said William E. Kirwan, president of the university and professor of mathematics. “Moreover, the new institute will mesh well with the biomedical research initiative the university will undertake as part of its new Academic Plan.”

“The interdisciplinary research that will result from the collaborations encouraged through the MBI will place Ohio State and Ohio at the forefront of some of the most important research of the 21st century,” Kirwan added.

“Ohio State is an outstanding location for this institute, given our strengths in all the basic research areas,” said Brad Moore, vice president for the Office of Research. He added that the MBI will join a long list of prestigious research centers at Ohio State, including the Byrd Polar Research Center, the Spectroscopy Institute, and the Environmental Molecular Sciences Institute, among some 40 others.

“Math and statistics are often the silent research partners in great scientific advances,” said Peter March, chair of the Department of Mathematics. “But in fact, there is a long tradition of applying mathematical models to meet challenges in the natural sciences.”

The interdisciplinary nature of the institute was central to its inception. Friedman, whose interest has been in the sources of mathematical problems, began probing the possibility of a mathematical biosciences institute more than a year ago. His efforts involved the departments of statistics, pharmacology, neurosciences, and the Colleges of Engineering, Pharmacy, Biological Sciences and Medicine. Many of the collaborations to be enhanced by the MBI are already well established, Friedman said.

Additional activities at the MBI will include:

  • A succession of year-long programs, each focusing on a specific research area. The first (2002-2003) program will involve mathematical neurosciences -- the use of math and statistical modeling for studying the brain. The second (2003-2004) program will focus on cellular processes and the immune system.
  • In-depth workshops and tutorials to introduce mathematical researchers to the subject of that year’s program. Visitors and postdoctoral fellows will have the opportunity to take part in each unique, interdisciplinary program.
  • Current topics workshops that will explore the most recent advances in the biological and medical sciences.
  • Summer programs for undergraduate students, high school teachers and college teachers.
  • A series of public lectures by prominent scientists, to explore scientific controversies in a lively format.

The MBI will officially open September 1, 2002. Temporarily, facilities will be located in Cockins Hall and the Math Building on Ohio State’s main campus. The institute will then move to its permanent home in Edward H. Jennings Hall, formerly known as the Botany and Zoology Building, pending renovations.

The National Science Foundation will fund the MBI with approximately $2 million per year for five years, and has the option of renewing funding in 2007.

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Contacts: Avner Friedman, (614) 292-5296; afriedman@mbi.osu.edu
Peter March, (614) 292-7173; March.2@osu.edu
Written by Pam Frost Gorder, (614) 292-9475; Gorder.1@osu.edu