A team of Auburn University professors is implementing a
two-year course of study this fall designed to
meld principles of mathematics, engineering and physics.
Funded through a $200,000 grant from the National Science
Foundation, Auburn's colleges of Science and Mathematics and Engineering have
developed the "Coordinated Approach to Pre-Engineering." The program combines
introductory physics, math and engineering courses, says Phillip Zenor of
the Department of Mathematics.
"It's designed to reorganize those courses that are in most of the
pre-engineering curricula and that use calculus as a tool so that the commonality of the ideas and theories expressed are
conveyed and demonstrated to the students."
Zenor says the program's foundation in mathematics makes it original.
In the beginning, Zenor said the math courses will use engineering
applications to reinforce the mathematical base.
"By the end of the program, the mathematical element together with the understanding of how it fits with the physics and engineering that
they've seen is going to give the students a tremendously powerful tool as they pursue their engineering careers," he said. "It turns the old scattershot approach
(of teaching these courses) into a process."
[Previous Story] [Contents] [Next Story]