A COMPUTER PROGRAM TO TEACH BIOLOGICAL SIMULATION

A COMPUTER PROGRAM TO TEACH MODELING OF BIOLOGICAL PROBLEMS IS BEING DEVELOPED. IT USES A SIMULATION LANGUAGE THAT IS EXPRESSED IN BIOLOGICAL TERMS AND MAKES MINIMAL USE OF MATHEMATICAL AND COMPUTER JARGON. A COMPANION TEXTBOOK WHICH WILL GIVE SAMPLE BIOLOGICAL SIMULATIONS THAT ILLUSTRATE STATE-OF-THE-ART MODELING METHODS IS ALSO PROVIDED. IT IS DESIGNED TO GIVE STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO "WHAT IF" SIMULATIONS OF REAL BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES SO THAT THEY DEVELOP AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THESE PROCESSES WORK AND HOW TO STUDY THEM. BECAUSE OF ITS OPEN ARCHITECTURE, STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO CHALLENGE ASSUMPTIONS I MODELS, PROPOSE THEIR OWN HYPOTHESES, AND TEST THEM BY DEVELOPING THEIR OWN BIOLOGICAL MODELS. THE PROGRAM IS TAILORED FOR USE BY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS BUT THE PROGRAM AND TEXTBOOK ARE STRUCTURED SO THAT IT COULD ALSO BE USED BY A WIDE SPECTRUM OF BIOLOGY STUDENTS.