Modeling of Natural Systems

Catalog description

This course is designed to expose science and technology majors to models of real problems arising in the environment and ecology. Students will learn how to create solvable models of the real world situations and how to find answers on the posted questions by using tools of mathematics and computing. There will be modeling and simulations of tides in the Gulf, multi-species models of the food chains, circulation of carbon, water, and oxygen. Students will learn some new tools based on calculus and elementary statistics such as numerical algorithms, Monte-Carlo methods, Markov Processes, multivariate analysis, evaluation of stability, methods of extrapolation (predictions) and interpolations.