Biomathematical Sciences Program

The goal of this program is to create educational structures that help Five College students become scientifically multilingual in fields of life and quantitative sciences by providing the means for each student to trace their own intentional pathway across the disciplines.

The daunting complexities of biological phenomena from neurological development to ecosystem carbon fluxes require development of new modeling and analytic approaches. Sorting through potential mechanisms and patterns to develop testable hypotheses requires collaboration between life science investigators and mathematicians, statisticians, and computer scientists.

Cutting edge life science research increasingly involves such collaborations, but researchers are too often stymied by the different languages of their disciplines. The goal of this program is to create educational structures that help Five College students become scientifically multilingual in fields of life and quantitative sciences by providing the means for each student to trace their own intentional pathway across the disciplines.

The Five College Certificate in Biomathematical Sciences is currently available to undergraduate students at Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges, and courses in the program are available to all students enrolled at one of the five campuses through the Five College Course Interchange.

Nicole DelRosso working in a lab

Engaged Alumni

Learn how Hampshire College alum Nicole DelRosso engaged with Biomathematical Sciences while a student at the Five Colleges!

dorothy wrinch in the smith mobile

Dorothy Wrinch: The First Biomathematician in the Valley

The Four College Biomathematics Program, begun in 2011, allows the colleges of the Pioneer Valley to work together across many scientific disciplines. This, however, is not the first biomathematics collaboration in the college consortium. The first experiment with intercollege cooperation in any field began 70 years earlier, with the appointment of Dorothy Wrinch in 1941 to teach courses on molecular biology at Amherst, Mount Holyoke, and Smith colleges. In her words, the effort was “the first of its kind to be given in any center of higher education.”

Certificate Requirements

The Five College Certificate in Biomathematical Sciences is currently available to students enrolled at Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges.

A minimum of six courses and a research experience are required. In addition to an introductory and capstone biomathematical sciences courses, students are expected to take courses complementing their major. Students with majors in the quantitative sciences (mathematics, statistics, computer science, engineering, and physics) are expected to take courses in the life sciences (biology, neuroscience, biochemistry, chemistry, etc.) and students with majors in the life sciences are expected to take courses in the quantitative sciences for the certificate. A biomathematical science research experience is also an essential component of the certificate, to provide an experience outside the classroom.

In summary, to qualify for the Five College Certificate in Biomathematical Sciences, students must complete the following:

  • One gateway course: an entry level biomath course to introduce current research questions and foundational skills
  • 4 courses in the life sciences if you are majoring in a quantitative science, or 4 courses in the quantitative sciences if you are majoring in a life science
  • A capstone course in biomathematical or biostatistical methods or an honors thesis in a biomathematical sciences topic
  • A research experience of one summer (or equivalent) with a team of life and mathematical science mentors

The gateway course should contain some basic programming skills and examples in biology. Courses that students have used include Frontiers in Biomathematics (Smith, IDP 170), Modeling in the Sciences (Smith, MTH 205), and Mathematical Modeling (Amherst, Math 140). At least 2 of the 4 courses that complement the major should be upper level courses. Hybrid courses, e.g., computational biology, bioinformatics, biostatistics, can count toward either life sciences or quantitative sciences. To explore the certificate program, please contact your campus certificate advisor or the current program director.

Courses

Note that if you don't see classes from all campuses currently listed, they will appear as the campuses release their course schedules for the semester. The five campuses release their schedules on different dates. Visit this page for specific dates.

Spring 2025 Biomathematics Courses

Subject
Course #
Sect #
Course Title
Instructor(s)
Institution
Meeting Times
Subject
MATH
Course #
140
Sect #
01
Course Title
Mathematical Modeling
Instructor(s)
Joe Kraisler
Institution
Amherst College
Meeting Times
TU/TH | 8:30 AM - 9:50 AM
Subject
MATH
Course #
272
Sect #
01
Course Title
Linear Algebra W Applica
Instructor(s)
Nathan Pflueger
Institution
Amherst College
Meeting Times
M/W/F | 11:00 AM - 11:50 AM
Subject
STAT
Course #
230
Sect #
01
Course Title
Intermediate Stats
Instructor(s)
Pamela Matheson
Institution
Amherst College
Meeting Times
M/W/F | 10:00 AM - 10:50 AM
Subject
STAT
Course #
230
Sect #
02
Course Title
Intermediate Stats
Instructor(s)
Pamela Matheson
Institution
Amherst College
Meeting Times
M/W/F | 11:00 AM - 11:50 AM
Subject
STAT
Course #
231
Sect #
02
Course Title
Data Science
Instructor(s)
Katharine Correia
Institution
Amherst College
Meeting Times
TU/TH | 10:00 AM - 11:20 AM
Subject
NS
Course #
0104
Sect #
1
Course Title
Introduction to Data Science
Instructor(s)
Kenneth Mulder
Institution
Hampshire College
Meeting Times
10:30AM-11:50AM TU;10:30AM-11:50AM TH
Subject
NS
Course #
0251
Sect #
1
Course Title
Bioinf: Community Analysis
Instructor(s)
Juliet (Julie) Johnston
Institution
Hampshire College
Meeting Times
02:30PM-03:50PM TU;02:30PM-03:50PM TH
Subject
NS
Course #
0253
Sect #
1
Course Title
Bioinf: Metagenomic Analysis
Instructor(s)
Juliet (Julie) Johnston
Institution
Hampshire College
Meeting Times
09:00AM-12:00PM F
Subject
NS
Course #
0259
Sect #
1
Course Title
Intro to Beyesian Modeling
Instructor(s)
Kenneth Mulder
Institution
Hampshire College
Meeting Times
01:00PM-02:20PM M;01:00PM-02:20PM W
Subject
BIOL
Course #
321ME
Sect #
01
Course Title
Molecular Ecology
Instructor(s)
Jason Andras
Institution
Mount Holyoke College
Meeting Times
TTH 01:45PM-03:00PM
Subject
DATA
Course #
113
Sect #
01
Course Title
Intro to Data Science
Instructor(s)
Arie Shaus
Institution
Mount Holyoke College
Meeting Times
MWF 11:30AM-12:45PM
Subject
MATH
Course #
203
Sect #
01
Course Title
Calculus III
Instructor(s)
Jen Paulhus
Institution
Mount Holyoke College
Meeting Times
TTHF 01:45PM-03:00PM;F 01:45AM-03:00AM
Subject
MATH
Course #
203
Sect #
02
Course Title
Calculus III
Instructor(s)
Robert Quarles
Institution
Mount Holyoke College
Meeting Times
MWF 11:30AM-12:45PM
Subject
MATH
Course #
211
Sect #
01
Course Title
Linear Algebra
Instructor(s)
Lidia Mrad
Institution
Mount Holyoke College
Meeting Times
MWF 03:15PM-04:30PM
Subject
MATH
Course #
211
Sect #
02
Course Title
Linear Algebra
Instructor(s)
Derek Young
Institution
Mount Holyoke College
Meeting Times
MWF 08:30AM-09:45AM
Subject
MATH
Course #
342
Sect #
01
Course Title
Probability
Instructor(s)
Alanna Hoyer-Leitzel
Institution
Mount Holyoke College
Meeting Times
MWF 11:30AM-12:45PM
Subject
STAT
Course #
140
Sect #
01
Course Title
Intro Ideas/Applic Statistics
Instructor(s)
Ishfaaq Mohammed Imtiyas
Institution
Mount Holyoke College
Meeting Times
MWF 08:30AM-09:45AM
Subject
STAT
Course #
140
Sect #
02
Course Title
Intro Ideas/Applic Statistics
Instructor(s)
Ishfaaq Mohammed Imtiyas
Institution
Mount Holyoke College
Meeting Times
MWF 10:00AM-11:15AM
Subject
STAT
Course #
140
Sect #
03
Course Title
Intro Ideas/Applic Statistics
Instructor(s)
Ben Pittman-Polletta
Institution
Mount Holyoke College
Meeting Times
MWF 01:45PM-03:00PM
Subject
STAT
Course #
242
Sect #
01
Course Title
Intermediate Statistics
Instructor(s)
Isabelle Beaudry
Institution
Mount Holyoke College
Meeting Times
MWF 10:00AM-11:15AM
Subject
STAT
Course #
242
Sect #
02
Course Title
Intermediate Statistics
Instructor(s)
Laura Lyman
Institution
Mount Holyoke College
Meeting Times
MWF 03:15PM-04:30PM
Subject
STAT
Course #
340
Sect #
01
Course Title
Applied Regression Methods
Instructor(s)
Ishfaaq Mohammed Imtiyas
Institution
Mount Holyoke College
Meeting Times
MWF 03:15PM-04:30PM
Subject
BIO
Course #
131
Sect #
01
Course Title
Res:Biodiv, Ecol, Consrv Lab
Instructor(s)
Marney C. Pratt
Institution
Smith College
Meeting Times
TU 1:10 PM - 4:00 PM
Subject
BIO
Course #
131
Sect #
02
Course Title
Res:Biodiv, Ecol, Consrv Lab
Instructor(s)
Marney C. Pratt
Institution
Smith College
Meeting Times
W 1:10 PM - 4:00 PM
Subject
BIO
Course #
131
Sect #
03
Course Title
Res:Biodiv, Ecol, Consrv Lab
Instructor(s)
Marney C. Pratt
Institution
Smith College
Meeting Times
TH 1:10 PM - 4:00 PM
Subject
BIO
Course #
133
Sect #
01
Course Title
Resrch: Molecules, Cells, Syst
Instructor(s)
Samantha Danielle Torquato
Institution
Smith College
Meeting Times
M 1:30 PM - 4:20 PM
Subject
BIO
Course #
133
Sect #
02
Course Title
Resrch: Molecules, Cells, Syst
Instructor(s)
Samantha Danielle Torquato
Institution
Smith College
Meeting Times
TU 1:10 PM - 4:00 PM
Subject
BIO
Course #
133
Sect #
03
Course Title
Resrch: Molecules, Cells, Syst
Instructor(s)
Samantha Danielle Torquato
Institution
Smith College
Meeting Times
W 1:10 PM - 4:00 PM
Subject
BIO
Course #
133
Sect #
04
Course Title
Resrch: Molecules, Cells, Syst
Instructor(s)
Samantha Danielle Torquato
Institution
Smith College
Meeting Times
TH 1:10 PM - 4:00 PM
Subject
CSC
Course #
205
Sect #
01
Course Title
Modeling in the Sciences
Instructor(s)
Ileana Streinu
Institution
Smith College
Meeting Times
M W F 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM

Contact Us

Amherst College Certificate Advisor:

Amy Wagaman(link is external), Professor of Statistics, Amherst College

Hampshire College Certificate Advisor:

Kenneth Mulder(link is external), Associate Professor of Data Analysis and Modeling. Hampshire College

Mount Holyoke College Certificate Advisor:

Martha Hoopes(link is external)Professor of Biological Sciences, Mount Holyoke College

Smith College Certificate Advisor:

Christophe Golé(link is external)Professor of Mathematics & Statistics, Smith College

Five College Staff Liaison:

Ray Rennard, Director of Academic Programs