Using Information in Mathematics and Science

多年来，学校一直开设课程，向文科和商科学生介绍计算机的使用，将其作为一种工具，帮助他们在教育和职业方面有所帮助。不幸的是，理科学生还没有做到这一点。人们一直认为，他们将通过渗透学习，或者只是在需要的时候学习技能。我们认为理科学生应该在大一的时候接触到计算机的能力，作为一种工具来帮助他们的学习和一生的工作。这门课程的主题不仅包括文字处理、电子表格和简单数据库的常用用法，更重要的是，将集中于如何使用计算机搜索、分析、评估和显示科学数据。此外，这些学生还需要在下载和分析大量数据、自动收集数据、使用统计包分析数据、绘制数据结果图、使用建模和模拟技术以及准备演示材料方面的指导。我们建议为初学科学和数学的学生开设一门课程，为他们提供必要的计算技能，以使用各种计算工具来帮助他们进行教育，并使他们做好准备，在科学环境下将计算机作为其职业生涯中的有效工具。

For years courses have been offered to introduce the liberal arts and business students to the use of computers as a tool to aid them in their education and professions. Unfortunately this has not been done for students in science. It has been assumed that they will learn by osmosis or just pick up skills as needed. We believe that science students should be introduced to the capabilities of computers in their freshman year as a tool to assist them in their learning and in their life's work. Topics to be covered in such a course include not only the usual usage of word processing, spreadsheets, and simple data bases, but more importantly, will concentrate on how to use the computer to search, analyze, evaluate and display scientific data. In addition these students need instruction in downloading and analyzing large masses of data, automating the collection of data, using statistical packages to analyze data, graphing the results of data, using modeling and simulation techniques, and preparing materials for presentation. We propose to develop a course for beginning science and mathematics students to provide them with the necessary skills in computing to use a wide variety of computing tools to assist them in their education and prepare them to use computers as an effective tool in their career in a scientific setting.