Spring 2013 Computation Course Offerings

COSC 3000-01/6000-01: C++ Programming for Scientists and Engineers

MWF - 9:00AM-9:50AM

This course begins with an introduction to C++ and will cover up to relatively sophisticated programming techniques including data structures, abstract data types, interfaces, and algorithms for sorting and searching. The goal is for the student to get a taste of the design and implementation of large programs. The goal is for the students to become proficient at programming in C++.

COSC 3100-01/6100-01: Data Visualization

MWF - 1:00PM-1:50PM

This course will cover core topics in data visualization. It underlines both theoretical and practical concepts in creating, exploring, interpreting, and evaluating visual representations of large, abstract, and multidimensional datasets from a variety of fields. Topics include data representation, major visualization techniques, visualization toolkits, scientific visualization, volume visualization and rendering, information visualization, and flow visualization.

The goal of this course is to expose students to data visualization methods and related computational techniques that help to gain valuable insights into the visualization of large, abstract, and complex data. Students should develop familiarity with related literature and software visualization tools. In addition, they should critically assess the power and limits of each visualization technique.

COSC/EBIO 6700-01: Mathematical Modeling in Ecology and Evolution

TR - 09:30AM-10:45AM

An introductory course in mathematical modeling in biology with emphasis on construction and interpretation of models in ecology. The goals of this course are to provide training in a wide variety of mathematical and computational techniques that are used to describe ecological systems, to learn to construct ecological models and provide instruction in the biological interpretation of mathematical results. The course is taught as lectures and hands-on computer lab in which students explore models, perform simulations and solve problems.

Students will become competent in constructing mathematical models representing problems in ecology, by formulating questions, describing biological phenomena verbally and mathematically, and analyzing the equations that result. Students will become familiar with some of the classical mathematical models in ecology and evolutionary biology. Students will analyze and derive predictions from simple mathematical models formulated as difference and differential equations, using mathematical and computational tools.

Sample Curricula

The following are examples of the courses that two different students might take in order to complete the Masters degree.  Other variations are possible, these are only examples.

Sample curriculum #1

Junior year Spring	COSC 3000: C++ Programming for Science and Engineering
Senior year Fall	MATH 6470: Analyical Methods of Applied Mathematics
Senior year Spring	MATH 6130: Data Analysis
"+1" year Fall	MATH 7570: Scientific Computing II (numerical linear algebra)  COSC xxx: Large Scale Computation  COSC yyy: Data Visualization  Thesis research
"+1" year Spring	MATH 7580: Scientific Computing III (numerical PDE)  CHEM 7140: Computational Quantum Chemistry  Thesis research

Sample curriculum #2

Junior year Spring	COSC 3000: C++ Programming for Science and Engineering
Senior year Fall	BMEN 6330: Biofluid Mechanics
Senior year Spring	BMEN 6620: Multiscale Modeling for Biophysical Systems
"+1" year Fall	MATH 7570: Scientific Computing II (numerical linear algebra)  COSC xxx: Large Scale Computation  COSC yyy: Data Visualization  Thesis research
"+1" year Spring	MATH 7580: Scientific Computing III (numerical PDE)  Thesis research