New Challenges in the Degree in Mathematics: Applications at Work

Abstract

The new “Degree in Mathematics” of the University of Murcia implements in 2011/12 its third year, which includes the compulsory subject “Modeling laboratory”. Its syllabus says “the main aim is that the student be able to afford a problem from other sciences, model it using mathematical techniques, give a solution (even an approximate one) and check and interpret the obtained solution.” For that, “a set of projects will be offered to the students, to work on individually and in groups”. In this paper we show the decisions made by the teachers to put the subject at work, as well as the first results obtained. In particular, we describe the topics considered in the subject (which include discrete models of numerical analysis, differential equations models, (linear, integer and nonlinear) optimization problems, heuristic optimization, multiobjective optimization, routing problems, location problems, game theory problems and project management), the way they are explained, and the activities that the students have to do (both individually and in small groups) to pass.