Issues in undergraduate education in computational science and high performance computing

Abstract

The ever increasing need for mathematical and computational literacy within our society and among members of the work force has generated enormous pressure to revise and improve the teaching of related subjects throughout the curriculum, particularly at the undergraduate level. The Calculus Reform movement is perhaps the best known example of an organized initiative in this regard.The UCES (Undergraduate Computational Engineering and Science) project, an effort funded by the Department of Energy and administered through the Ames Laboratory, is sponsoring an informal and open discussion of the salient issues confronting efforts to improve and expand the teaching of computational science as a problem oriented, interdisciplinary approach to scientific investigation.Although the format will be open, we hope to consider pertinent questions such as:1. How can faculty and research scientists obtain the recognition necessary to further excellence in teaching the mathematical and computational sciences?2. What sort of educational resources -- both hardware and software -- are needed to teach computational science at the undergraduate level? Are traditional procedural languages sufficient? Are PCs enough? Are massively parallel platforms needed?3. How can electronic educational materials be distributed in an efficient way? Can they be made interactive in nature? How should such materials be tied to the World Wide Web and the growing "Information Superhighway"?4. Can these teaching materials be adapted for use by teachers' colleges? Can they also be incorporated by industry for (re)training of staff?5. How should efforts to improve undergraduate education be integrated with current programs aimed at the high school level? Specifically, what new kinds of preparation might be needed from K-12, freshman math, etc., to improve mathematical and computational education throughout the undergraduate curriculum?6. What is the role of the national laboratories and high performance computing centers in education at the undergraduate level? Can they play an active part in this process? Similarly, what further actions can be taken by government, whether at the federal, state, or local level, to promote the goal of a mathematical literacy within our society.