MATH 396 Topics in Applied Mathematics

This is a 2-unit seminar course which will cover various topics in applied mathematics. This course may be repeated once for credit.

Industrial Mathematics
This course is a project-oriented introduction to industrial mathematics. Students will be grouped into teams and tasked with creating solutions to actual real-world problems provided by external partners from business, industry and government. Familiarity with a programming language is highly desirable but not required. The goal of this course is to provide students with an experience of what it is like to work as a mathematician in a professional setting.

Mathematical Modeling
This course is a project-oriented seminar in mathematical modeling. Concepts from calculus, linear algebra, differential equations and other areas of mathematics will be used to derive, describe and solve mathematical models from the life, physical, and social sciences. Familiarity with a programming language is desirable but not required. The goal of this course is to provide students with multiple examples of how mathematics can be used to explain various phenomena, to describe real-world situations and to make (more quantitatively) informed decisions.

Applied Mathematics
This weekly seminar course is an introduction to some of the classic techniques of applied mathematics. Topics will include scaling, dimensional analysis, regular and singular perturbations, and asymptotic matching. The goals of the course are to expose students to important techniques widely used in applied mathematics; to present a different mode of classroom instruction and student involvement where students see themselves as equal participants in the learning process; to provide students with opportunities to practice and hone oral presentation skills; and to become more familiar with using modern computational tools to solve mathematical problems.