This course is about developing mathematical models (for instance, systems of equations) to describe real-world phenomena. For instance, one might model the populations of various species in an ecosystem, or determine optimal treatment planning for gamma-knife surgery, or compare the effectiveness of various strategies to fend off a zombie attack.

Click here for a brief introduction to modeling.

To get a sense for the subject from examples, you might try checking out past problems from the Mathematical Contest in Modeling.

This course will have fewer self-contained proofs and calculations than a typical math class and more extended, open-ended problems. In fact, rather than a final exam, there will be a term project, to be done in groups, culminating in an in-class presentation and a 15-20 page paper. For this project you will model a real-world situation of your own choosing. Click here for examples of projects from a previous semester. There will also be homework (approximately weekly) and two midterm exams. Some of the homework will involve programming in Maple, but no programming experience is required. The text for the class is A first course in Mathematical Modeling, by Giordano, Weir, and Fox. Either the third or fourth edition is fine.