Modeling across the Curriculum

The STEM DisciplinesWhat are some key issues?

How is the community responding?What curricular changes/ improvements are needed?

The First Two Years of College Math: Building Student Success

Peter Turner SIAM Vice President for Education

Dean of Arts & Sciences, Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science,

Clarkson Universitypturner@clarkson.edu vpeducation@siam.org

* NSF/EHR/DUE Awards 1206230 & 1352973, Education and Human Resources Directorate

Key issues: Some of them

• Preparation & Readiness for STEM majors• CU STEM admissions data

• Outdated curricula and delivery methods• PCAST Engage to Excel• Math 2025

• Workforce issues• Very few “future math profs” in large core math classes• Teach the students we have, not the ones we dream of• INGenIOuS

• Student “demands” for relevant education• BUT with care over “training vs. education”

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STEMdoesn’t happen

So, what is being done?

• Multiple initiatives in the Math Sciences community• Modeling across the Curriculum• TPSE-Math• MAA-led Common Vision for Undergraduate Math in 2025• CSE Future Workshop

• Multiple curricular reports:• CUPM Guidelines (2015?)

Greater emphasis on applied topics than previously• SIAM Report on Undergraduate CS&E (2011)• SIAM Report on Applied Math undergraduate programs (2014)• Future Directions in CSE Workshop, August 2014

• INGenIOuS

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So, what is being done?

• Changing nature of both Math majors and of “service” courses• Modeling, computation, statistics• Project-based learning• Teamwork, etc.

• SIAM Undergraduate Research Online, SIURO• MAA-SIAM PIC (preparation for Industrial Careers)

Math project• More internship opportunities• Implications for K-12 and Teacher Preparation

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Modeling across the Curriculum

• Two SIAM-NSF Workshops• August 30 -31, 2012 at NSF • January 12- 14, 2014 at ASA

Draft report near complete

• Engage and Keep Young People in STEM, • from K12 through Undergrad (and Grad)

Studies, and into the Workforce

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MaC I Recommendations

Four categories• Expanding modeling in K-12• Development of a high school one semester, or

one year modeling course (with stratified content)• Develop modeling-based undergraduate

curricula• Develop a repository of materials for math

modeling instruction and understanding

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MaC II• Three primary topic areas:• Early grades (Rachel Levy coordinating)• Middle/High School (Katherine Socha)• Undergrad curricula (Jeff Humpherys)

•MaC II process:• Developing clear list of deliverables• Intro from Joan Ferrini-Mundy• Keynote on Math2025, Panel on opening

afternoon advance this process

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MaC II Panel

• Used to “set the scene” and review some of the discussions at MaC I:• Definition of modeling• Stand alone vs. infusion

• Setting goals for MaC II sessions• The role of algorithms• Modeling at different educational levels and in different

disciplinary contexts

• Assessment

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Panel members: Jeff Humpherys, Rachel Levy, Katherine SochaModerator: Turner

Discussion Topics• Programs: • Courses, Programs, Degrees, Summer Experiences,

Internships• “Infusion” or stand alone? (“Trojan mice”)

• Materials: • Books, Videos, Software, Posters, Websites, MOOCs? • Informal education (MoMath?)

• Training: • Pre-service and in-service• Ways of interacting with teachers/ faculty/ TAs and

students (and perhaps parents)

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Some MaC II undergrad recommendations* • Proposal for NRC Study/Report

Response to Joan Ferrini-Mundy’s Challenge to think about effective ways to educate students at the crossroads of:• Mathematical modeling• Data science• Information science• Computational science• Computational thinking

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* Credit to Jeff Humpherys for some of this content

Modeling and the Pipeline:Attracting and retaining STEM students

A study/paper on recommended topics to address:• How to achieve the 34% increase in Engage to Excel.• Multiple entryways?

A non-calculus track for freshman modeling?• Diversity• Focus on Jobs!• Teaching needs to match what we expect

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Two Recommendations for Professional Organizations

• Form a SIAM Activity Group (SIAG) in Applied Mathematics Education• Done!

SIAG Ed was approved at SIAM Council and Board in JulyBegins operation in January 2015• Plans for First SIAG Ed conference to coincide with, and

broaden, MaC III

• SIAM Education VP needs to continue to work with other VPs and other societies• New VP for Education starts in January 2015, Rachel Levy

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What are “new” key areas for undergrad math?

A modern math sciences undergraduate education should include at least some introduction to• Algorithms and Analysis (Data Structures, Approximation

Theory, Numerical Analysis, Computational Science)• Distributed Computing and Big Data (MPI, Hadoop,

noSQL)• Data Analytics (Regression, Estimation, SQL, R/Python)• Modeling with Probability and Stochastic Processes• Bayesian Statistics and Machine Learning• Dynamical Systems (ODE, PDE, SDE)• Optimization and Control

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Why? Actual Job from CareerBuilder.com

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