Her paper, “Numerical Simulation of Jellyfish Swimming,” is available in Volume 8 of “PUMP (Preparing Undergraduate Mathematicians for PhDs): Journal of Undergraduate Research.”

The article focuses on research that began when Jillian participated in the NSF-funded North Carolina A&T State University and �þ��� Joint Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) in Mathematical Biology in Summer 2022.

Thomas continued to investigate jellyfish swimming in her Honors thesis (mentored by Professor of Mathematics Karen Yokley).

The paper, “Mathematical Approaches of Modeling Obesity Trends,” presents DaSilva’s research from her Honors Thesis. The article appears in Volume 10 of The North Carolina Journal of Mathematics and Statistics.

Yokley and Luke shared details of the program in their talk, “Experiences in Facilitating Mathematical Modeling Research in the NCA&T/Elon Collaborative Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program.” Yokley and Luke shared their approaches to mentoring students and leading an �þ��� research experience.

The North Carolina A&T State University and �þ��� joint REU in Mathematical Biology will be held in summer 2023 and more information can be found at . Participants will conduct research in mathematical biology mentored by faculty from Elon and N.C. A&T over the course of eight weeks. Previous programs have involved projects related to toxicology, epidemiology, and neuroscience.

The National Science Foundation-funded program provided support for the students to participate in intense, mentored research projects over the course of nine weeks. 

The students visited Elon’s campus to give their final presentations on Friday, July 29, 2022. Introductory remarks were given by the two co-directors, N.C. A&T State Professor of Mathematics Nicholas Luke and Elon Professor of Mathematics Karen Yokley. The students were welcomed on behalf of Elon by Professor of Mathematics Crista Arangala, who chairs Elon’s Mathematics and Statistics Department, and on behalf of N.C. A&T State University by Vincent Childress, associate dean of College of Science and Technology. The students who presented their research are listed below.

• Sarah Mirrow ’24 (Elon Honors Fellow) and Colton Waller (N.C. A&T State University), “Investigation of Silent Transmission: Mathematical Modeling of COVID-19 Incorporating Asymptomatic and Presymptomatic Spread,” mentored by Yokley.
• Ella Allan (Duke University) and Luc Brancheau (New Jersey Institute of Technology), “Effects of Route of Exposure in a Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic (PBPK) Model of Borneol,” mentored by Luke.
• Colby Kinser (Center College) and Neil MacLachlan (University of Pittsburgh), “An Overview of Mathematical Models of Bipolar Mood,” mentored by Luke.
• Atira Glenn-Keough (Haverford College) and Jillian Thomas ’25 (Elon Honors Fellow), “Numerical Simulation of Jellyfish Swimming,” mentored by Ling Xu (NC A&T State University).
• Joshua (Caleb) Rivers-McCullough (Shenandoah University) and Suzan Taha (Southern New Hampshire University), “Epidemiology of the Influenza-A Virus Applied to Multi-Pen Pig Farms,” mentored by John Paul Roop (NC A&T State University).

Summer 2022 marks the third year of the REU program. Applications for the Summer 2023 program will be available near the end of 2022 at the following website: .

The Bridges Organization promotes work related to mathematical connections to art, music, architecture, education and culture. The Bridges Organization typically presents two gallery showings a year, one at the annual Bridges meeting and one at JMM.

Acceptance to the gallery is based on criteria, including (1) mathematical content, (2) esthetic appeal, (3) medium, (4) craftsmanship, and (5) innovation and originality.  Yokley’s painting, “Fractal Firework,” is her fifth work featured in a Bridges gallery.

More information about the painting can be found here: 

“Lessons Learned from a Virtual Summer Undergraduate Research Program” appears in the of (SPUR), which is a journal published by the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR). The vignette was part of SPUR’s ongoing theme: “Undergraduate Research during Times of Disruption.”

Yokley and Luke co-directed the National Science Foundation-funded North Carolina A&T State University and �þ��� Joint Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) in Mathematical Biology in Summer 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic was forcing traditionally residential summer programs to be virtual or to be cancelled.  The program will continue to be offered in Summer 2021 and Summer 2022.  More information on the program can be found on the program website:

The program focuses on providing opportunities for research in mathematical biology for students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and schools with liberal arts and sciences traditions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 10-week program was conducted virtually.

Participants met over Zoom and Webex for meetings, workshops, and other activities. Weekly activities included meetings with mentors including Yokley, Luke and Assistant Professor of Mathematics Suzanne O’Regan, Associate Professor of Statistics Seongtae “Ty” Kim from N.C. A&T. The program also included attending invited seminars and a proof-based course led by Zach Denton, associate professor of mathematics at N.C. A&T. �þ��� were also expected to make weekly oral presentations and complete a written report by the end of the program.

Ten students in five research pairs worked on projects related to coronavirus transmission, toxicology, and phosphorylation. These students presented their research findings on July 31, 2020, to their mentors and invited guests.  Co-directors Yokley and Luke made welcoming statements, and Associate Professor of Statistics Laura Taylor made statements on behalf of Elon’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Four of the research pairs had already shared their results at the 2020 MATH REU Conference at Clemson University on July 27.

The collaborative REU program will be held again in Summers 2021 and 2022.  If conditions allow, the program will be held residentially on �þ���’s campus in 2021.

The article, “A computational investigation on how visitation affects the reproduction number in a dengue fever model,” appears in The North Carolina Journal of Mathematics and Statistics.

Yokley was invited to lead the short course because of her involvement in the mathematical modeling community. She has been a member of the Steering Committee for the Mathematical Modeling Hub (MMHub), an online resource that facilitates the integration of mathematical modeling in the classroom, for the last three years. She is also a member of the NCTM/SIAM/COMAP Joint Committee on Modeling Across the Curriculum.

The  $359,972 award for Yokley and Luke, who will each be a principal investigator for their institution will fund research experiences for �þ���s (REUs) from 2020 through 2022. Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Statistics Kristen Mazur is among senior personnel on the grant.

The joint REU will be a 10-week residential summer program in which �þ���s participants will conduct research on a variety of topics within the field of mathematical biology mentored by faculty from the two host institutions. Research topics are drawn from a variety of fields, including pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, epidemiological and ecological modeling, and biostatistics. 

The location of the program will alternate between the host institutions, with the 2020 program being held at N.C. A&T State University.

The primary objective of the program is to provide students an opportunity to conduct and present research with a diverse group of peers. �þ��� will also gain skills related to writing mathematical proofs and using mathematical software.