Bi-Monthly News from NIMBioS
January-February 2017
Why We Need Your Support

Science is as vital as ever. The ability of scientists to travel to and from the U.S. to meet, teach, collaborate and share research is a critical part of innovation. Since 2008, the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis has brought together more than 6,000 researchers and educators like you from across the world to NIMBioS to work at the interface of mathematics and biology. 

As NIMBioS moves toward the future, your support will help continue and grow the work of the Institute. We seek donations to offset the cost of travel to our activities, to fund our workshops, and to pilot innovative research opportunities. Visit our website for full details.

At NIMBioS, we remain committed to protecting the rights and opportunities extended to all members of the scientific community, and we will continue to welcome  researchers from around the world.  

Thank you for your support.
Featured Science
Male Pipefish Pregnancy
In the upside-down world of the pipefish, sexual selection appears to work in reverse, with flashy females battling for males who bear the pregnancy and carry their young to term in their brood pouch. But new research, published in the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, shows even more factors appear to play a role in determining mating success. NIMBioS postdoctoral fellow Sarah Flanagan is lead author.
Postdoctoral Spotlight
Population Genomics
NIMBioS Postdoctoral Fellow Sarah Flanagan is developing different approaches to generate better a priori predictions for next-generation sequencing population genetics studies. One of her most recent publication is described above in Featured Science. In this Q&A, Flanagan explains how her grandmother who earned a mathematics degree in the 1940s and worked as a biostatistician in an era when women rarely worked inspired her own journey into discovery.
Research & Training Opportunities
  • Thursday this week! Online Webinar: Evaluation 101. An activity associated with the NSF INCLUDES Conference on Multi-scale Evaluation in STEM Education, pre-conference tutorial Feb. 22 and conference Feb. 22-23.  
Recent NIMBioS Publications
Hampton SE et al. 2017. Best practices for virtual participation in meetings: Experiences from synthesis centers. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America.   doi:10.1002/bes2.1290

Leinseter T, Meckes MW. 2016. Maximizing diversity in biology and beyond. Entropy. doi:10.3390/e18030088

Shih PM Hemp J, Ward LM, Matzke NJ, Fischer WW. 2017. Crown group Oxyphotobacteria postdate the rise of oxygen.  G eobiology. doi:10.1111/gbi.12220

Smith-Ramesh LM. 2017. Invasive plant alters community and ecosystem dynamics by promoting native predators. Ecology. doi:10.1002/ecy.168

Weitz J. 2016. Winner of the Postgraduate Textbook Prize for book Quantitative Viral Ecology: Dynamics of Viruses and Their Microbial Hosts. Royal Society of Biology.

Results produced from NIMBioS research activities are important in measuring our success. 
•  Report your publications  and other products resulting from NIMBioS activities. 
• How to Acknowledge NIMBioS
NIMBioS is sponsored by the National Science Foundation through NSF Award #DBI-1300426, with additional support from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.