Computers, computations and science education

CMA, University of Oslo, Norway
September 30, 2005.

Introduction:

Computation and visualisation on computers is today an essential tool for most researchers and other professionals in the natural sciences and mathematical subjects. In fact, major parts of our modern, technological society would simply be impossible without these tools. But even though our research and other professional work has been radically changed by, and to a large extent is focused around computation, our undergraduate teaching remains virtually the same.

This was the background for establishing the project 'Computers in Science Education' at the CMA (Center of Mathematics for Applications, one of the three centers of excellence at UiO) in the fall of 2004. The project is financially supported by the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, the University's unit for flexible teaching, the CMA and the Departments of Physics and Mathematics, and is a joint initiative from the boards of the two bachelorprograms MIT and FAM. The project has an explicit aim of incorporating computations in the undergraduate teaching in a unified way. This is also a concern of the board of the faculty as they state in the latest strategic plan that 'The faculty will integrate central and modern aids and techniques in order to extend and modernise the teaching of science. Numerical computations and modelling have an important role in this context'.

The purpose of this seminar is to make the project 'Computers in Science Education' better known around the faculty and at the same time receive input from others who have experience with computations in research and/or teaching. The seminar will consist of two parts. In the first part the project will be presented and two international guests will present their ideas and experiences about computations in the teaching of mathematics and physics. After lunch some local scientists will present their ideas about computations in our undergraduate teaching.

Place

12th floor, Niels Henrik Abels hus

Program (subject to change):

09:30 Opening by Knut Fægri, Dean of the faculty

09:45 The project 'Computers in Science Education', Morten Hiorth-Jensen, Department of Physics, Chairman of the board of the bachelor-program FAM

10:15 Clas Johnsson, Department of Mathematical Sciences
Chalmers University of Technology and Göteborg University, Sweden

11:15 Franz Vesely, Institute of Experimental Physics, University of Vienna, Austria

12:15 Lunch

13:00 Jan Trulsen, Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics

13:20 Jon Egill Kristianson, Department of Geosciences

13:40 Trygve Helgaker, Department of Chemistry

14:00 Morten Dæhlen, Department of Informatics

Registration

Please register by sending an email to
Helge Galdal: h.k.galdal 'at' cma.uio.no (replace 'at' with @). Lunch will be served to all registered participants;

Organizing committee:

The project Computers in Science Education, represented by:

• Torgeir Engeland (Department of Physics)
• Njål Foldnes (CMA)
• John Grue (Department of Mathematics)
• Morten Hjorth-Jensen (Department of Physics and CMA)
• Hans Petter Langtangen (Department of Informatics and Simula)
• Knut Mørken (Department of Informatics and CMA)
• Arnt Inge Vistnes (Department of Physics)