Instructional Laboratory for Undergraduate Mathematics Majors

在过去的3年中，提案人已经开发（小规模的15 - 18名学生）的建模课程（MA581 B）的基础上的基本物理过程：热流，波的传播，流体和结构动力学。 在课程中涉及的具体主题包括热成像和检测，结构的动力学特性（刚度，阻尼），如梁和板，声学和流体传输。 该课程，在一个适合大三，大四和一年级研究生在数学科学的水平，一直是一个不合格的成功，并正在扩大从一个学期的试验课程，以两个学期的常规课程序列。 过去3年的困难之一是必须使用几个不同的实验室（例如，美国宇航局兰利，当地工业，甚至其他大学）整个学期。 为了将这种教学法带给更广泛的学生群体（包括来自新的应用数学荣誉课程的学生和本科课程选定部分的学生），大学必须有一个专门的实验室，可以在使用它的课程方便的情况下安排实验。 购置新设备的目的是为本科数学专业配备一个教学实验室。 几个特定领域（热，声学，机械振动和傅立叶分析）的能力，可以开发实验室实验和演示。 对于未来的院士以及年轻的数学科学家进入工业（多学科）劳动力，这些实验室为基础的数学课程提供的经验是非常宝贵的。

For the past 3 years, the proposers have developed (on a small scale of 15 18 students) a modeling course (MA581B) based on fundamental physical processes: heat flow, wave propagation, and fluid and structural dynamics. Among the specific topics covered in the course have been thermal imaging and detection, dynamics properties (stiffness, damping) of structures such as beams and plates, acoustics, and fluid transport. The course, at a level appropriate for juniors, seniors, and first-year graduate students in the mathematical sciences, has been an unqualified success and is being expanded from a one-semester trial course to a two-semester regular course sequence. One of the difficulties during the past 3 years has been the necessity to use several different laboratories (e.g., NASA Langley, local industries, and even other universities) throughout the semester. In order to bring this pedagogy to a wider group of students (including students from a new Applied Mathematics Honors Program and students in selected sections of undergraduate courses), the university must have a dedicated laboratory where experiments can be scheduled at the convenience of the courses using it. The objective of the new equipment acquisition is to equip an instructional laboratory for undergraduate mathematics majors. Several specific areas (thermal, acoustic, mechanical vibrations, and Fourier analysis) of capabilities can be developed for the laboratory experiments and demos. For prospective academicians as well as young mathematical scientists entering the industrial (multidisciplinary) workforce, the experiences afforded by these laboratory-based mathematics courses are invaluable.