Development and Evaluation of a Curriculum in Scientific Computing for Mathematical Science Majors

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

Mathematical Sciences (21) This project develops a prototype course in scientific programming that is aimed at majors in the mathematical sciences (as distinct from engineering and computer science) and provides a comprehensive introduction to software development tools for large codes in scientific computing. The undergraduate computer science curriculum typically includes one or more courses in which students work on a large software project, often as part of a team, that requires them to develop, document, and respect functional interfaces and to compile and link the final product from multiple files and libraries. In contrast, majors in mathematics, physics, and similar disciplines usually do not learn such skills in the introductory programming and numerical analysis courses that typically are part of the curriculum. As a result, majors in the mathematical sciences often are at a disadvantage, relative to their peers in computer science, when they seek employment after completing their baccalaureate degrees or when they continue on to graduate study in fields that involve the development of large scientific codes. The course provides mathematical science majors with experience in developing and prototyping software for applications that involve large data sets or large amounts of CPU time.