Student Researches HIV’s Early Evolution at National Institute

Lebanon, Ill. -- McKendree University senior Anthony Rhoads, a mathematics major from Litchfield, is formulating models of the early evolution of HIV as part of a prestigious Research Experience for Undergraduates this summer. The program, offered by the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS), is currently underway at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK).

NIMBioS is a National Science Foundation-sponsored initiative to foster interdisciplinary research between mathematical and biological sciences. Additional sponsors include the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Rhoads is one of 18 undergraduates from universities across the U.S. taking part in the eight-week research program, which runs through Aug. 3. Students are working in teams with NIMBioS postdoctoral researchers and UTK faculty members.

Read more about the REU program and participants at www.nimbios.org/education/reu_2012.

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