Mathematics
专业详情
Mathematics is at the heart of many different sciences and at the gateway of many different disciplines. It is the language used to express laws of nature and many phenomena in various subjects, including medicine psychology, sociology, biology,economics, computer science, engineering, and more.
In addition to the standard Math Major we also have a Math Major program with concentration in Biological Mathematics.
Mathematical Biology is an area that is growing in importance. Many universities are establishing institutes and centers in this area, and are encouraging the development of courses in it. The Biological Mathematics concentration is intended to train Mathematics majors in key areas of biology, as well as in the core of discrete and continuous mathematics.
Mathematical models have been used in Biology for many decades, since the first simplistic models of population growth were devised by Malthus and others. Recently however, because of developments in our understanding of Biology at the molecular level, developments in discrete and continuous pure mathematics, and the development of computing, the complexity and diversity of mathematical models applied in the life sciences has increased tremendously.
For example, the need to solve problems associated with the assimilation, storage, retrieval and ultimate analysis of data areising from the Human Genome Project and similar projects, that is massive data sets containing long DNA sequences involves the use of complex existing computational methods directed specifically towards biological questions.
A second broad area of biology in which computational methods have for some time been used is in evolution and ecology. Many evolutionary processes when viewed from the genetic point of view involve equations of great complexity. Both mathematical and computational expertise are necessary in quantitative biology.
There are four different majors which combine biology with math or computer science:
- The biological mathematics concentration in the mathematics major
- The mathematical biology concentration in the biology major
- The computational biology concentration in the biology major
- The computational biology concentration in the computer science major
