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Visit our applied math lab
Q: MEC Lab? What does that stand for?
A: MEC is an acronym for modeling, experiment, and computation. The mission of the laboratory is to provide students with a balanced view of these three facets of applied mathematics.
Q: Where is the MEC Lab located?
A: The lab is located on the first floor of Ewing Hall, room 101c.
Q: Who may use the lab?
A: The lab is available for use by any faculty member, instructor, post-doc, or visitor to the Department of Mathematical Sciences. Graduate students are encouraged to use the lab under the supervision of their advisor or in the context of a lab related course. Undergraduate students are encouraged to use the lab within the context of a lab related course or under the supervision of a faculty advisor.
Q: What equipment is available in the lab?
A: At this time the lab is still under construction and we are still in the process of purchasing equipment. However, some equipment is already available. In particular, a video camera, basic machine tools, and several computers equiped with Pasco Scientific's Science Workshop sensor and datalogging equipment are available. We will continue to purchase new equipment as needed and as funding permits. If there is equipment you would like to see the lab purchase, please let me know. Also, we are always willing to accept donated equipment!
  Q: What courses can make us of the MEC Lab?
  A: Any instructor teaching a mathematics course at the University of Delaware is welcome to make use of the lab. Please contact John A. Pelesko to coordinate efforts. Certain courses lend themselves naturally to lab based activities. In the past I have incorporated lab activities into undergraduate differential equations courses and graduate level mathematical modeling courses. Courses such as partial differential equations, mathematical methods, asymptotic methods, and fluid dynamics are natural fits for lab activities. Faculty are encouraged to develop new ways of incorporating the MEC Lab into their courses.
  Q: How else can I make use of the MEC Lab?
  A: Another way to make use of the lab is to run a lab based honors supplement. For example, when teaching a regular section of ODE's and faced with one or two students who would like to take your course as an honors course, you could require the students to complete one of the projects designed for ODE's courses.
  Q: How else can I make use of the MEC Lab - Part 2?
  A: In the future we hope to have stock demonstrations that can be borrowed by any faculty member and used in the classroom to illustrate mathematical ideas. For example, Prof. Edwards has suggested building an inverted pendulum where the support is driven periodically to illustrate an entertaining problem he discusses in graduate perturbation methods. Please contact John A. Pelesko if you have ideas for other demonstrations you would like to have available.