Engineering with computers-a summer course for gifted high schoolstudents

摘要

The development of a six-week pre-engineering course at theUniversity of South Florida is presented. The program focuses on the useof computers as the engineer's tool. Students spend three hours in themorning, five days per week, in an intensive formal instruction periodincluding constructive number theory, computational linear algebra, andcomputer programming (FORTRAN-WATIV) conducted by members of theMathematics faculty. Because of the computer use, the students receivethe satisfaction of problem solving without being overwhelmed by thetheory and computation. This imparts an engineering experience tostudents who, in general, have not been exposed to engineering in theirhigh school curricula