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(Forskarskolan i matematik och beräkningsvetenskap, FMB)All scientific computing (SC) courses, and many others, are taught by the Division of Scientific Computing (DSC). In the Swedish university system, the most students enter specified programs from the first year. Within each program, there is a certain degree of flexibility, but a number of courses are mandatory. The DSC offers a broad selection of courses in the field, taught by active researchers originating from many countries. Except for a few courses, for example in Computational Chemistry, all teaching in SC at Uppsala University (UU) up to and including the Master's degree is concentrated to the DSC. Also, many of the courses in Programming Techniques, including several courses in High Performance Computing and Parallel Programming Techniques are given by lecturers at DSC.
The software tool MATLAB has a long history in SC undergraduate education at UU. The DSC was among the first in the world to use the software tool MATLAB in education and research. Since 1986, MATLAB has been used as a teaching tool in basic courses in numerical analysis and numerical linear algebra. Lecturers at the division have also produced a complete MATLAB handbook which is used by the Swedish MATLAB distributor as well as by most Swedish universities, several industrial companies, and research labs.
A number of courses in SC are given in distance mode using advanced teaching tools. The undergraduate curriculum in SC includes a number of distance education courses and other courses using web-based material. The DSC has a long history in distance education, and the first courses were developed in 70's. In the early 90's, the internet and the web were introduced as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools. In the distance courses, a learning management system (Ping Pong) in combination with synchronous web based meetings, such as on-line web communication and video conferencing (PictureTalk and Marratech) are used for tutoring and assessing SC students.
The DSC has tight connections to the Wallenberg Global Learning Network. The SC education is closely connected to Uppsala Learning Lab, which is one of the nodes in the Wallenberg Global Learning Network (WGLN). Some teachers are directly connected to the Lab, as technical team leader or teachers, e.g., involved in development of ICT education of university teachers at UU.
The Division of SC has been awarded for its pedagogical achievements, and educational research is an integrated part of the activities. Three of the lecturers at the DSC have recently been awarded the Uppsala University Prize for Pedagogical Achievements. Also, the DSC was awarded the UU Student Union Prize for best undergraduate teaching in 1998. The research activities at the division includes an integrated group in Computer Science Education. The primary goal of the research performed by this group is to gain knowledge of how students learn aspects of computer science and scientific computing, in order to further improve the quality of education. The results are expected to be of interest for a wide range of study programs at the university level, and also for high school and continuing education.
All engineering programs at UU contain at least one SC and one programming course. At UU, there are 9 different engineering programs which all take 4.5 years to complete. All of the programs contain at least one mandatory course in Scientific Computing and one in Programming Techniques. The Engineering Physics program has a yearly intake of 120 students and contains more mandatory courses in Numerical Analysis and Programming, which are also followed by many other students. For many of the engineering programs, the first and second courses in programming are also taught by lecturers at DSC.
At the Engineering Physics program, an SC branch was started in 1984. After two years, the Engineering Physics program has a number of branches, where one is called Scientific Computing. This is equivalent to a Swedish Master's of Science in SC with a national student recruitment. This branch was initiated in 1984, and includes a number of advanced courses in Numerical Analysis and High Performance Computing, all taught by DSC:
Many students from other programs also follow the SC courses. In addition to the engineering programs, there is a program in Computer Science and one in Natural Science at UU. These programs also contain specific courses in Scientific Computing, including for example Numerical Linear Algebra and Parallel Numerical Algorithms which in some cases are followed by students in the engineering programs. There is of course a certain coordination between courses for different programs, such that students from different programs attend certain courses together.
The DSC has initiated an M.Sc. program in SC with international recruitment. Starting 2003, the DSC also runs a Master of Science program in Scientific Computing with an enlarged, international, student recruitment. When starting studies in this program, the students are required to have a B.Sc. comprising a solid grounding in Computer Science and Mathematics. The aim of the M.Sc. program is to provide a high-quality education in Scientific Computing, emphasizing knowledge and analytic skills that have a long lasting value. Topics covered are: Object Oriented Scientific Programming, High Performance Computing and Programming of Parallel Computers, Numerical Methods and Scientific Visualization. The courses combine theory with practical exercises of implementation on different computer systems including several parallel computer systems. The final period of studies is devoted to the Master's Thesis project, consisting of five months of full-time work on a specialized project in the computational area, either in industry or within a department at UU, under the guidance of a supervisor from the DSC.
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