Math Tune-up 2009

Following the success of the Math Tune-Up Workshop held during the summers of 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008, we are pleased to announce the Seventh Math Tune-Up Workshop.

Unusual Registration Procedure: Students should register as usual for Math 4999 (Section 6) for the Fall 2009 semester, and can receive up to three graduate credit hours for the Fall semester. The workshop, however, will be held during the summer intersession, August 3–21, 2009.

The workshop is aimed at incoming, first, or second year graduate students in any discipline interested in reviewing key mathematical topics that are usually needed in graduate school.

Reasons to enroll

  1. Refresh the math you are expected to know for Graduate School
  2. Earn 4000-level math credit hours for Fall during intersession
  3. Show the graduate adviser that you actually know the necessary math to get involved in his/her research
  4. No prerequisites to enroll the class

Material to cover

  1. Linear Algebra
  2. Vector Calculus
  3. Differential Equations
  4. Probability and Statistics
  5. Fourier Analysis, Special topics
  6. Software (Mathematica, MATLAB)

Setup and evaluation

The workshop will be roughly split into two parts.

During the first part fundamental topics (check material) will be reviewed. The faculty supervisors will contribute lectures, oversee problem sessions, and be assisted by experienced math graduate students. An informal atmosphere will be cultivated so that there is plenty of time for questions and discussions.

The second part will be project-oriented and may vary according to the interests of the students. The idea is to present a topic in your research area in which mathematics play an important role.

The final grade will be determined by your participation on the first part and your presentation during the second part of the course.

Rationale

The idea and rationale for the workshop arose out of a perceived need that many incoming graduate students have not retained their math skills obtained as undergraduates, and others have not received adequate mathematical preparation for graduate school. The workshop is a vehicle to acclimate and to prepare the incoming class of graduate students for their first year of study at LSU by reviewing important mathematical concepts from the undergraduate curriculum. For students who have completed their first year of graduate study at LSU, it serves as a means to obtain additional mathematical training necessary for pursuing their research interests.

The Format

Mornings: lectures by the faculty, although plenty of time will be devoted to questions and examples.

Afternoons: devoted to working out exercises based on the morning’s material. This work will be performed in small groups, with help of advanced mathematics graduate students, and using computer software packages such as Mathematica and MATLAB. Problem-solving exercises, in both an individual and teamwork format, will facilitate student interaction.

Contact information

If you have questions or if you are a graduate student who wants to participate as workshop assistant, please contact the SIAM Student Chapter at siam@math.lsu.edu or Prof Wolenski at wolenski@math.lsu.edu

For printing purposes, use the attached file below.

AttachmentSize
MathTuneUp2009.ppt208 KB