A Problem with STEM

Striking differences between physics and biology have important implications for interdisciplinary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. I am a physicist with interdisciplinary connections. The research group in which I work, the Center for Nonlinear Dynamics at the University of Texas at Austin, is converting into the physics department home for biological physics. Many ofmycollaborations have been with faculty in engineering. For the past 15 years, I have been codirector of the program at the University of Texas at Austin that prepares secondary science and mathematics teachers (UTeach, 2012). The future teachers take a course on scientific research I developed and deliver together with colleagues from biology, astronomy, chemistry, and biochemistry (Marder, 2011). This background naturally makes me an enthusiastic advocate of interdisciplinary education at the secondary and undergraduate levels. Yet at the same time, I am worried by some features of what may be coming. These worries have to do with what can happen as we are all lumped together under the heading of STEM.National Science FoundationPhysic

Multidisciplinary Space Related Research Semiannual Progress Report, 1 Mar. - 31 Aug. 1966

Space related research in physics, chemical engineering, mathematics, and related discipline

A brief historical perspective of the Wiener-Hopf technique

It is a little over 75 years since two of the most important mathematicians of the 20th century collaborated on finding the exact solution of a particular equation with semi-infinite convolution type integral operator. The elegance and analytical sophistication of the method, now called the Wiener–Hopf technique, impress all who use it. Its applicability to almost all branches of engineering, mathematical physics and applied mathematics is borne out by the many thousands of papers published on the subject since its conception. The Wiener–Hopf technique remains an extremely important tool for modern scientists, and the areas of application continue to broaden. This special issue of the Journal of Engineering Mathematics is dedicated to the work of Wiener and Hopf, and includes a number of articles which demonstrate the relevance of the technique to a representative range of model problems

Student Performance in First Year, Mathematics, and Physics Courses: Implications for Success in the Study of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Mathematics and physics courses are recognized as a crucial foundation for the study of engineering, and often are prerequisite courses for the basic engineering curriculum. But how does performance in these prerequisite courses affect student performance in engineering courses? This study evaluated the relationship between grades in prerequisite math and physics courses and grades in subsequent electrical engineering courses. Where significant relationships were found, additional analysis was conducted to determine minimum grade goals for the prerequisite courses. Relationships were found between five course pairs: calculus II and differential equations; calculus II and physics I (mechanics); physics II (electricity and optics) and circuits analysis II; physics II (electricity and optics) and signals and systems; and circuits analysis II and signals and systems. The results indicate that a grade of C+ or higher in calculus II, and a grade of B- or higher in physics II and circuits analysis II will lead to higher grades in subsequent mathematics, circuits, and signals and systems courses. This information will be used to aid faculty in making decisions about imposing minimum grade requirements

The 1984 NASA/ASEE summer faculty fellowship program

An overview is given of the program management and activities. Participants and research advisors are listed. Abstracts give describe and present results of research assignments performed by 31 fellows either at the Johnson Space Center, at the White Sands test Facility, or at the California Space Institute in La Jolla. Disciplines studied include engineering; biology/life sciences; Earth sciences; chemistry; mathematics/statistics/computer sciences; and physics/astronomy

Adapting to a changing highschool population

This paper reports the recent changes in the EE Bachelor program at the University of Twente. Recent generations of freshman students exhibited a lack in mathematics skills and the ability to grasp the physics behind the equations. By starting of the curriculum with a new course “Introduction to electronics and electrical engineering (IEEE)�? we have managed to solve the issue of lacking entry levels while simultaneously eliminating the unmotivated or under skilled students in a very early stage in their studies