Richard A. Erickson
U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center, La Crosse, WI
Douglas Baumann
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, La Crosse, WI
Barbara Bennie
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, La Crosse, WI & Gundersen Health System, La Crosse, WI
Wako Bungula
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, La Crosse, WI
Aaron R. Cupp
U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center, La Crosse, WI
Jay Diffendorfer
U.S. Geological Survey, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Denver, CO
Eric A. Eager
Sumer Sports, Palm Springs, FL
Roger J. Haro
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, La Crosse, WI & Northern Arizona University, College of the Environment, Forestry & Natural Sciences, Flagsta , AZ
Kathi Jo Jankowski
U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center, La Crosse, WI
Danelle M. Larson
U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center, La Crosse, WI
Greg Sandland
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, La Crosse, WI
Molly Van Appledorn
U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center, La Crosse, WI
James Peirce
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, La Crosse, WI
Mathematical biology is a wide field of study with many venues that undergraduate students can access through research. However, the topics of study for these students can be overwhelming, and many topics of study yield either only trivial results or abstract outcomes that are nonintuitive and difficult to understand. We have used natural resource modeling, and more specifically, a partnership between academic researchers and federal scientists, as a bridge between undergraduate research and mathematical biology. Our collaboration is an interdisciplinary team that combines biology, mathematics, and statistics professors with government research scientists. As a team, we have mentored students through opportunities such as a Research Experiences for Undergraduates and other projects. In this article, we provide an overview of how we develop questions for undergraduates and outline two case studies, both of which resulted in peer reviewed journal articles. Last, we describe how we also transfer the results from these undergraduate projects to resource managers so the results may be applied to real world problems.
