Fall 2015  

 

Math 495W: Senior Project A

 

Course Syllabus and Class Policies

 

Course Description and Expectations:

Your capstone senior project should involve application of mathematics to the solution of a problem or problems. A written research proposal and presentation is expected at the end of the fall semester for the research that is to be carried out during the spring semester (Math 496W, Senior Project B course). Ongoing written and oral progress reports as well as regular consultations with the course instructor and the project advisor are required. Your research proposal this semester should include the following:

á         Abstract

á         Problem Formulation

á         Special Assumptions & Conditions

á         Definitions & Notations

á         Motivation/Applications

á         History of the problem under consideration

á         Literature Review

á         Background on any methods to be used 

á         Examples & Preliminary Work

á         Interpretation/Validation of Expected Results

á         Research Plan and Timeline for the spring semester of 2016.

 

The course instructor has some available projects for you in several areas of applied mathematics. If you decide to work on a different project of your own choice, it is important that you choose a faculty advisor with the right background, who will be willing and able to guide you during the course of your work. Data collection for the statistics projects has oftentimes become a serious challenge. Your goal should be to complete the data collection in the fall semester. If you do not think you can accomplish that, you should consider simulating data or exploring other areas of mathematics where data is less of an issue, such as differential equations, linear algebra, graph theory, etc. You are also expected to identify what software you will need to use for your project. In collaboration with the course instructor, you want to make sure that the software is installed in one of our labs and that you get the appropriate training.

 

In addition, you need to select a committee of three to four faculty members, which includes your project advisor and course instructor. You are expected to consult with your committee members and keep them updated on your work. The committee members are expected to review your written report, attend your oral presentation, provide comments and evaluate your work. At least two members of your committee should be from the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.

 

This is a research experience and there will be bumps on the road. It is important that you keep an open mind, be flexible, adventurous, patient, determined and optimistic in this journey. Enjoy the ride!

 

The class meets once a week, on Tuesdays, 10:45 - 11:40, in Serra Hall 128. The prerequisite for the course is MATH 445 (Mathematical Modeling) or consent of the instructor.

 

 

 

Tentative Course Schedule:

September:

á         Team forming, if necessary

á         Research planning, project selection; overview of available projects by the course instructor

á         Project advisor and committee member identification

á         Discussion on expectations and proposals/reports from former USD students

á         Literature and data search: class visit -- Amy Besnoy, Copley Library

 

October:

á         Literature review, abstract/document writing, data search

á         Software needed for research (MATLAB, Maple, SPSS, etc.) and training. Research Lab (Serra 141) access

á         First presentation due (October 30), first report due (November 9), with weekly updates and revisions from then on

 

November:

á         Preliminary results, data search, software training, document writing, presentation

á         Review and revise the draft of your written research proposal. Rehearse final presentation

 

December:

á         Submit your written research proposal to your committee members and present it

á         Presentation Day: December 15, 10:30 - 12:30; your presentation is expected to be about 10 minutes long and may include: outline, description of the problem motivation, literature review, problem formulation, assumptions, methods and background, examples and preliminary work

 

Course learning outcomes:

á         Further develop skills of writing a technical report

á         Further develop skills of presenting your work in front of an audience and communicating your ideas clearly

á         Gain experience doing research in mathematics and learn how to apply prior knowledge learned in various undergraduate courses

á         Make a connection of mathematics to other disciplines

á         Learn how to navigate through the literature to find relevant work applicable to your project

á         Learn how to collaborate with others

á         Learn how to break a large problem into small components

á         Further develop skills in computational mathematics and use of software such as MATLAB, Mathematica, Maple, etc.

á         Learn how to set a research agenda, including goals, problem solving strategies/methods and a clear timeline

á         Develop research and presentation skills that could be helpful in workplace and graduate school

 

 

 

 

Office hours (Dr. Lukasz Pruski, Serra 149, x. 4035):

 

Monday

10:10 - 11:10

Tuesday

2:20 - 3:50

Wednesday

4:30 - 5:30

Friday

2 - 3:30

 

and at other times, by appointment. (NOTE: These days/times are tentative at this point.)

 

Contact: The best way to contact me is by using e-mail (pruski@sandiego.edu or lukaszpruski@gmail.com). I read e-mail many times a day.  I have voice mail (x. 4035), but I often forget to check it. If for some reason you are unable to contact me, try calling our departmental Executive Assistant, Tina, at extension 4706.

 

Course website can be found at http://home.sandiego.edu/~pruski/m495wf15.html . This syllabus has been posted on my website; see http://home.sandiego.edu/~pruski/m495wf15cp.html .

 

Evaluation:

Evaluation Criteria:

Besides the course instructor, your committee members may also be involved in evaluating your work. The evaluation will be based on the accuracy, knowledge, content, clarity, difficulty of the methods used, creativity and originality of your written report and oral presentation, as well as your overall performance and meeting the deadlines during the semester. In addition, in the case of group work, the individual contribution of each member will be taken into consideration. Your oral presentation this semester will be scheduled in December and it is expected to last 15 minutes for an individual project and about 20 minutes for a team project. It is your responsibility to distribute a copy of your written research proposal to all your committee members, at least one week before your presentation.

 

Word Description of the Grades:

á         C-level work:  Project is described well but the mathematical content is not satisfactory. Some deadlines have been met. Data collection process (as applicable) has started but has not gone very far.

á         B-level work: Project indicates a pretty good mathematical understanding by the student of the work that needs to be performed. Most of the deadlines have been met. Data collection (as applicable) partially complete.

á         A-level work: The students understand in depth the work to be performed and have already obtained some preliminary results. All or almost all deadlines have been met. Data collection (as applicable) almost complete.