Most of us don't associate solving a calculus problem with a day at the beach, but for Tim Pennings, a math professor at Hope College, this is exactly what comes to mind.

Pennings and his dog, a Welsh Corgi named Elvis, came to campus Monday to share their unique take on calculus with students and faculty members.

Thanks to a prestigious $1.2 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Colgate will be one of the few primarily undergraduate colleges or universities in the country where students can study systems biology, an important interdisciplinary field that uses complex mathematical analysis to study networks of interactions within living systems.

The grant will allow Colgate to hire a tenure-track systems biologist with a joint appointment in mathematics and biology, who will work with members of both departments to develop courses, laboratory modules, and pedagogical tools that will help students integrate the complex material associated with this rapidly expanding field.

Colgate also will introduce a new major -- in mathematical biology -- in fall 2009.