This project supports a two and a half day working conference, on STEM Education, specifically as it relates to the applied and computational mathematics community and the infusion of mathematical modeling throughout the K-16 curriculum. The goal of the conference is to develop a coordinated approach for the community designing this curriculum. This, the second SIAM workshop pertaining to Modeling across the curriculum, is more narrowly focused than the first, based on some of the principal recommendations from the first workshop. In particular, the development of a richer curriculum for modeling in K-12, a High School modeling course with a stratified content and a modeling-based undergraduate curricula.
There is an observed need to approach STEM Education in a more coordinated fashion, rather than simply developing distinct educational program streams that pay little or no attention to interactions and interconnections. Applied and computational mathematics, including statistics, (ACMS) represents a natural vehicle for this coordination. A goal of this project is consdiering the development of undergraduate STEM degree programs as alternatives to traditional discipline majors. The intention is that this would experience growth similar to that of Computational Science and Engineering programs over the past 5 to 10 years. Coordinating the fundamental mathematics, computation, statistics and science content to support application in a wide range of STEM fields may have strong appeal to potential students and their eventual employers. STEM degree programs would preserve options while not restricting choices for graduate, professional or career opportunities.
Within the K-12 education, the discretionary 15% of the Common Core State Standards Initiative recommendations for math and science education will provide an opportunity to develop material that enhances the whole STEM educational spectrum in a coordinated fashion. At the upper level, an alternative curriculum in applied and computational mathematics could be established, and an integrated STEM educational experience that would reinforce prior experience in a way that would yield more and better prepared students for STEM college majors and careers would result.
