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From the President

VOLUME 75, NO. 4, APRIL 2013 The challenges of the 21st century require students to think critically and use quantitative skills. As the field of biology evolves, these skills will become fundamental to the study of biology. John von Neumann, the Hungarian-born mathematician, once said, “If people do not believe that mathematics is simple, it is only because they do not realize how complicated life is.” From a science–math point of view, people do not realize how complicated life is. If one is going to study science and/or engineering, they are going to need to develop skills in mathematics because it is at the core of all science and engineering. As we study biology, and start digging deeper and peel back layer after layer, math will be at the core. The major focus in biology has always been the study of life. However, there have been many changes in biology over recent years. New fields of biological research have been emerging. Synthetic biology, bioinformatics, and systems biology are just a few. The development and the rapid changes in technologies available have expanded the research opportunities in these fields and many others. All these developments, plus the massive amounts of data that have been collected, stored, and available for analysis, make skills in mathematics, statistical analysis, and computational skills necessary competencies in studying modern biology. The need for more “quantitative skills” in biology education and biology research for undergraduates was highlighted in the BIO2010 report (National Research Council [NRC] 2003), which states: