Leveraging the Mathematical Contest in Modeling to Enhance the Undergraduate STEM Experience
"Leveraging the Mathematical Contest in Modeling to Enhance the Undergraduate STEM Experience," by Kamila Larripa and Borbala Mazzag, Humboldt State University, Arcata CA USA, is an article which will be appearing in a forthcoming issue of the journal PRIMUS - Problems, Resources, and Issues in Mathematics Undergraduate Studies.
The abstract reads and holds great promise so look out for it. PRIMUS is freely available to all MAA members.
"This article proposes that in addition to training teams of students to succeed in the Mathematical Contest in Modeling, the contest and the preparation for competition can be successfully used as a framework to teach an auxiliary skill set to undergraduate STEM majors through workshop-style modules. The skills emphasized are collaboration across disciplines to creatively approach a problem, scientific writing, and the visual display of quantitative information. These skills are highly valued in industry and graduate study, yet are not always explicitly taught in a traditional undergraduate curriculum. The contest experience gives students a realistic appreciation for collaborative science work. Moreover, the active learning aspect of the preparation is broadly linked with student success in STEM, particularly for traditionally underrepresented STEM students."
Look for it in the near future. Again, ALL PRIMUS issues are free to MAA Members, so look for it.
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