Elements of Computational Science and Engineering Education
01 Jan 2003-Siam Review (Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics)-Vol. 45, Iss: 4, pp 787-805
TL;DR: The stages through which CSE education is evolving, from initial recognition in the 1980s to present growth, are discussed, as is the emergence of a set of core elements common to different approaches.
Abstract: The multidisciplinary nature of computational science and engineering (CSE) and its rela- tion to other disciplines is described. The stages through which CSE education is evolving, from initial recognition in the 1980s to present growth, are discussed. The challenges and benefits of different approaches to CSE education are discussed, as is the emergence of a set of core elements common to different approaches. The content of courses, curricula, and degrees offered in CSE are reviewed, and a survey is made of all undergraduate de- gree programs. The curricula of different programs are examined for the common "tool set" they define and analyzed for their relative weighting of computing, application, and mathematics. A trend toward a standard curriculum is noted.
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31 Dec 2013
TL;DR: The Treviso Arithmetic, from 1478, teaches students how to do multiplication and division using "exactly" the same paper-based algorithms we use today as mentioned in this paper, and their descriptions of 16th century schools and their curricula look strikingly similar to today's mathematics classes.
Abstract: A quote often attributed to Seymour Papert states that if a teacher from the 16th century would timetravel to the present, he or she would have no problem entering a school and teaching a class. Historical documents from that time show that he could not be more accurate. The Treviso Arithmetic, from 1478, teaches students how to do multiplication and division using ‘exactly’ the same paper-based algorithms we use today. Several descriptions of 16th century schools and their curricula look strikingly similar to today’s mathematics classes, such as a well-known school in Florence run by Master Francesco Ghaligai in 1519 which had a “...heavy emphasis on memorization and procedures” and a curriculum comprised of units on “multiplication, practice in the use of algorithms, division, fractions, and the rule of three” (Swetz & Smith, 1987).
623 citations
Cites background from "Elements of Computational Science a..."
...Today, the range of accepted disciplinary knowledge has expanded to include not only programming, but also engineering and design (Astrachan, Hambrusch, Peckham, & Settle, 2009; Yasar & Landau, 2003)....
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TL;DR: Computational physics provides a broader, more balanced, and more flexible education than a traditional physics major.
Abstract: Computational physics provides a broader, more balanced, and more flexible education than a traditional physics major. Moreover, presenting physics within a scientific problem-solving paradigm is a more effective and efficient way to teach physics than the traditional approach
68 citations
TL;DR: This study explored the ways in which CS affected the students' conceptual understanding of the physics behind formulas, and found that computer-science helped overcoming difficulties in physics understanding.
Abstract: College and high-school students face many difficulties when dealing with physics formulas, such as a lack of understanding of their components or of the physical relationships between the two sides of a formula. To overcome these difficulties some instructors suggest combining simulations' design while learning physics, claiming that the programming process forces the students to understand the physical mechanism activating the simulation. This study took place in a computational-science course where high-school students programmed simulations of physical systems, thus combining computer science (CS) and mathematics with physics learning. The study explored the ways in which CS affected the students' conceptual understanding of the physics behind formulas. The major part of the analysis process was qualitative, although some quantitative analysis was applied as well. Findings revealed that a great amount of the time was invested by the students on representing their physics knowledge in terms of computer science. Three knowledge domains were found to be applied: structural, procedural and systemic. A fourth domain which enabled reflection on the knowledge was found as well, the domain of execution. Each of the domains was found to promote the emergence of knowledge integration processes (Linn & Eylon, 2006, 2011), thus promoting students' physics conceptual understanding. Based on these findings, some instructional implications are discussed. Computer-science helped overcoming difficulties in physics understanding.Computer-science promoted knowledge integration processes.Students used computer-science to represent their physics knowledge on formulas.Three computer-science knowledge domains were used to represent physics knowledge.A fourth computer-science domain enabled reflection on the represented knowledge.
29 citations
TL;DR: The content of a CSE curriculum, the skills needed by successful graduates, the structure and experiences of some recently developed CSE undergraduate programs, and the potential career paths following a C SE undergraduate education are outlined.
Abstract: It is widely acknowledged that computational science and engineering (CSE) will play a critical role in the future of the scientific discovery process and engineering design. However, in recent years computational skills have been deemphasized in the curricula of many undergraduate programs in science and engineering. There is a clear need to provide training in CSE fundamentals at the undergraduate level. An undergraduate CSE program can train students for careers in industry, education, and for graduate CSE study. The courses developed for such a program will have an impact throughout the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduate curriculum. This paper outlines the content of a CSE curriculum, the skills needed by successful graduates, the structure and experiences of some recently developed CSE undergraduate programs, and the potential career paths following a CSE undergraduate education.
27 citations
29 Mar 2006
TL;DR: The result of internal formative evaluation by workshop instructors and the materials and tools developed during that process are presented, which use two methods to address the lack of educational HPC infrastructure of most institutions.
Abstract: In 2002, we first brought High Performance Computing (HPC) methods to the college classroom as a way to enrich Computational Science education. Through the years, we have continued to facilitate college faculty in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines to stay current with HPC methodologies. We have accomplished this by designing and delivering faculty workshops, hosted in a variety of lab settings, as well as by developing tools supporting the technical infrastructure necessary for HPC education, all this without requiring access to traditional HPC computing platforms. In all, we have so far presented 16 professional development workshops for close to 400 predominantly undergraduate STEM faculty. This paper presents the result of internal formative evaluation by workshop instructors and the materials and tools developed during that process.We did this work as part of the National Computational Science Institute (NCSI) and in collaboration with the following groups: The Minority Serving Institutions--High Performance Computing (MSI-HPC) program of the National Computational Science AllianceThe Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges (CCSC)The Center for Excellence in High Performance ComputingThe Oklahoma University Supercomputing Symposium seriesThe Super Computing (SC) conference series education program.We presented learners with a sequence of interactive, "run it, modify it, build it" open-ended lab exercises drawn from a variety of disciplines. Interactivity means having the ability to change parallel and algorithmic parameters, e.g. running software on more than one machine, using different models, refining the model, changing the problem scale, using different parallel algorithms.There is a lack of scientific parallel curricula suitable for illustrating Computational Science principles in the classroom. We addressed this need by locating, and where necessary creating, suitable open source software, data-sets, and curricular support materials related to typical problems in STEM disciplines.We use two methods to address the lack of educational HPC infrastructure of most institutions. Via a workstation reboot, the Bootable Cluster CD (BCCD) temporarily transforms a pre-existing Windows or Macintosh laboratory into a computational cluster in under five minutes. Second, we have prototyped an easily portable, airline checkable, under $3000, 8 node cluster for delivering HPC education anywhere with a standard electrical outlet.All the described curriculum materials and software are available through the Shodor Foundation's Computational Science Education Reference Desk (CSERD), one of the pathway projects of the National Science Foundation's National Science Digital Library (NSDL).
24 citations
Cites background from "Elements of Computational Science a..."
...In a recent review Yasar and Landau listed High Performance Computing, including the use of clusters and other parallel architectures, as a key component of any CSE program [17]....
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References
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Book•
01 Jan 1990
TL;DR: In this article, a wide-ranging, important volume explores what constitutes scientific literacy in a modern society; the knowledge, skills, and attitudes all students should acquire from their total school experience from kindergarten through high school; and what steps this country must take to begin reforming its system of education in science, mathematics, and technology.
Abstract: In order to compete in the modern world, any society today must rank education in science, mathematics, and technology as one of its highest priorities. It's a sad but true fact, however, that most Americans are not scientifically literate. International studies of educational performance reveal that U.S. students consistently rank near the bottom in science and mathematics. The latest study of the National Assessment of Educational Progress has found that despite some small gains recently, the average performance of seventeen-year-olds in 1986 remained substantially lower than it had been in 1969. As the world approaches the twenty-first century, American schools-- when it comes to the advancement of scientific knowledge-- seem to be stuck in the Victorian age. In Science for All Americans, F. James Rutherford and Andrew Ahlgren brilliantly tackle this devastating problem. Based on Project 2061, a scientific literacy initiative sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, this wide-ranging, important volume explores what constitutes scientific literacy in a modern society; the knowledge, skills, and attitudes all students should acquire from their total school experience from kindergarten through high school; and what steps this country must take to begin reforming its system of education in science, mathematics, and technology. Science for All Americans describes the scientifically literate person as one who knows that science, mathematics, and technology are interdependent enterprises with strengths and limitations; who understands key concepts and principles of science; who recognizes both the diversity and unity of the natural world; and who uses scientific knowledge and scientific ways of thinking for personal and social purposes. Its recommendations for educational reform downplay traditional subject categories and instead highlight the connections between them. It also emphasizes ideas and thinking skills over the memorization of specialized vocabulary. For instance, basic scientific literacy means knowing that the chief function of living cells is assembling protein molecules according to the instructions coded in DNA molecules, but does not mean necessarily knowing the terms "ribosome" or "deoxyribonucleic acid." Science, mathematics, and technology will be at the center of the radical changes in the nature of human existence that will occur during the next life span; therefore, preparing today's children for tomorrow's world must entail a solid education in these areas. Science for All Americans will help pave the way for the necessary reforms in America's schools.
1,934 citations
"Elements of Computational Science a..." refers background in this paper
...To aide in the inquiry, facts are presented as needed rather than as individual objects to memorize [24, 25, 26, 27, 28]....
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01 Jan 1995
TL;DR: In this paper, a two-step, second-order accurate Eulerian solution algorithm is used to solve the mass, momentum, and energy conservation equations, which includes models for material strength, fracture, porosity, and high explosive detonation and initiation.
Abstract: CTH is a family of codes developed at Sandia National Laboratories for modelling complex multi-dimensional, multi-material problems that are characterized by large deformations and/or strong shocks. A two-step, second-order accurate Eulerian solution algorithm is used to solve the mass, momentum, and energy conservation equations. CTH includes models for material strength, fracture, porosity, and high explosive detonation and initiation.
232 citations
"Elements of Computational Science a..." refers background in this paper
...For example, simulations permit us to study the fuel density, ignition energy and heat waves in a combustion chamber at temperatures above 3000 Kelvin [3], the configuration of gluon flux tubes between quarks within the proton [2], and the possible orbits for earth–asteroid collisions [6]....
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...Examples include climate modeling [1], quark structure of elementary particles [2], engine and vehicle design [3], materials development [4], drug development, astronomy [5, 6], nonlinear dynamics and chaotic behavior [8], biodiversity, finance, and the mining of huge data sets such as the virtual humans and the digital sky observatories [9]....
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TL;DR: The Responsive University: Restructuring for High Performance, edited by William G. Tierney as discussed by the authors, is a survey of the state of higher education in the United States.
Abstract: The Responsive University: Restructuring for High Performance, edited by William G. Tierney. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998. 162+ pp. $29.95 We are indeed witnessing an explosion in higher education research: on employee motivation, faculty work, leadership, governance, the role of the modern university, managing various schools, units, and divisions. Clark Ken's old adage, the only thing many in academe share in common are grievances over parking, should be amended. We share an unending propensity to study, dissect, promote, reevaluate, champion, and analyze, both ourselves and our institutions. Many who comment on work and culture in academic environments stand somewhere on a "crisis" continuum. On one end of the spectrum are those who bemoan the state of higher education, its lack of accountability, declining public support, perceived inefficiencies in teaching, research, service, and the like. On the other end are those who find that faculty, by and large, are pleased with the work environment, our institutions have not been bought by foreign competitors, and, yes, certain sectors of academe are indeed robust, and enrollments are climbing (but graduate students are organizing!). Why are so many reluctant to admit that, in spite of the culture wars, politicization, legislative incursions, and apparent loss of leadership, American colleges and universities, as organizations, are, by and large, healthy, fulfill an important and recognized societal niche, are desirable places to work, and are still viewed, throughout the world, as the best models to emulate? Set in this context is The Responsive University. It sits somewhere in the middle of the crisis continuum, although leaning decidedly toward a more optimistic end. As Kent Keith says in his excellent summary chapter, "This book is about getting out of the box, it is about rethinking fundamental assumptions that worked late in the twentieth century but can trap and immobilize our institutions in the twenty-first century" (p. 162). We are offered a glimmer of hope, the possibility of redemption, tempered by the notion that whatever works well in the present will probably not work in the future. Nevertheless, despite the deluge of studies reevaluating academe, I enjoyed this book and found myself arguing with its premises as I lurched through my daily routine of meetings with lawyers, promotion and tenure committees, accountants, housing directors, faculty, police, and gardeners. The notion of a responsive university holds great attraction to individuals who, like myself, are actually responsible for administering academic organizations, and who, like most senior executives, are forced to spend the majority of our time responding to others' agendas, not promoting our own solutions or ideas. Themes stressed in this book include service to students and society, tenure, internal decision making, governmental policy, and institutional accountability. Treatment of issues is innovative. The authors identify an emerging university, one that is "responsive," e.g., responsive to those being served--students, parents, businesses, nonprofit organizations. Each chapter, in its own fashion, stresses that "public s" will judge the university in terms of the quality of relationship and, as well, by the outcomes of those relationships. Responsiveness, in this context, includes a service orientation, proactive and outcome-oriented relationships between faculty members and administrators, e.g., those that support planning and evaluation processes, lateral decision-making structures, and the like. The idea that higher education should focus on outcomes relevant to the needs of those who work and live beyond campus walls is thoughtfully stated. Ellen Earle Chaffee argues that we must be unafraid to use the term "customers." William Tierney, editor and author, suggests we look past arguments over tenure and seek to encourage faculty to meet performance goals. …
201 citations