This project will support the establishment of a computer laboratory in order to improve the manner in which mathematics is taught by using the computer in a fundamental way to motivate concepts and involve students in the process of mathematics research and discovery. It is being funded under the Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement (ILI) Program, which has the goal of supporting projects to develop new or improved instrument-based undergraduate laboratory courses in science, mathematics, or engineering. The Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement Program provides matching support for the instrumentation necessary to implement undergraduate instructional improvements at U.S. colleges and universities. In particular, the main objective of this project is to engage students' interest in mathematics by using the computer to motivate concepts and to involve students as active participants. The major focus of this project will be a new course in Chaotic Dynamical Systems which: (1) is designed to appeal to a wide spectrum of students interested in science and mathematics, (2) is seen as the precursor of a first-year course that would combine dynamical systems and calculus, and (3) would bring to a much broader audience the excitement and beauty of research-level mathematics. Other courses in which the computer is already used would also be affected by the acquisition of the new equipment. The long-range goal is the improvement of the participation of women and minorities in the scientific workforce, as well as the role women play in our society as mathematically and scientifically literate citizens.
