Math meets Biology

Project description

An Interdisciplinary Start to the Studies

Math Meets Biology is a teaching initiative at ETH Zürich that brings together mathematics and biology from the very beginning of the study programme. While mathematics is often perceived as abstract and biology as descriptive, this project shows how both disciplines complement one another. Mathematical models help to describe and analyse complex biological processes, while biological questions give rise to new mathematical perspectives. Students experience this connection in their first year of study, learning how theoretical concepts can be applied directly to real scientific problems.

The course is designed and delivered jointly by lecturers from mathematics and biology. This team teaching ensures that content from both areas is not presented in isolation but woven into a coherent whole. Students are introduced to differential equations in mathematics and immediately see their application in biology, for example in modelling gene regulatory networks or population dynamics. What might otherwise remain an abstract exercise is turned into a meaningful tool for understanding living systems, making mathematics more tangible and motivating for students from the life sciences.

Project Work, Peer Learning and Long-Term Impact

A central element of the course is project-based learning. Over two to three months, students work in small groups to investigate a biological question of their own choosing. They develop a mathematical model, analyse its behaviour and test it through data or simulations. The results are then presented in diverse formats, such as oral presentations, short videos, an interactive Jupyter-Notebook or an e-collaboration document like polybooks. This process not only trains scientific skills but also encourages creativity and communication. Students take responsibility for their own learning, developing independence as well as teamwork abilities.

Peer teaching plays an important role as well. Groups are asked to teach certain parts of their project or their methods to their classmates. By preparing material for others, students consolidate their own understanding and learn to explain complex concepts clearly. This strengthens the sense of community within the course and fosters collaborative learning.

Since its launch in 2017, Math Meets Biology has been continuously refined. Teaching materials and project results are reused and adapted for subsequent cohorts, ensuring continuity and improvement over time. The approach has proven highly effective and offers a model that could be applied to other areas of the life sciences, such as epidemiology, metabolic networks or neuroscience. By connecting mathematics and biology in a systematic and practical way, the project not only enriches education at ETH Zürich but also prepares students to think across disciplines and to address the complex challenges of modern science.