Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Engaging Students in Applied Mathematics Education and Research for Global Problem Solving

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Improving Applied Mathematics Education

Part of the book series: SEMA SIMAI Springer Series ((ICIAM2019SSSS,volume 7))

Abstract

In this chapter, we present a novel way to engage students in applied mathematics education and research by combining context provided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that helps to drive content demonstrated via a new mathematical modeling cycle for global problem solving. To illustrate the approach, we select a specific goal in this chapter, namely, health and well-being (SDG-Goal 3) and apply the eight different phases of the mathematical modeling cycle that consists of Observe, Theorize, Formulate, Describe, Analyse, Simulate, Validate and Predict to solve the global problem of controlling the spread of the Zika virus. Along with these phases, we also present the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a context to motivate the mathematical modeling cycle as a powerful mechanism to both engage students in a global problem-solving process and also excite them to pursue applied mathematics education and research.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Albrecht, J.R., Karabenick, S.A.: Relevance for learning and motivation in education. J. Exp. Educ. 86(1), 1–10 (2018). DOI: 10.1080/00220973.2017.1380593

    Google Scholar 

  2. Anderson, R.M., May, R.M.: Population biology of infectious diseases: Part I. Nature 280(5721), 361 (1979)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Anonymous: Influenza in a boarding school. Br. Med. J. 1, 578 (1978). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1603269/pdf/brmedj00115-0064.pdf

  4. Bliss, K.M., Galluzzo, B.J., Kavanagh, K.R., Skufca, J.D.: Incorporating Mathematical Modeling into the Undergraduate Curriculum: What the GAIMME Report Offers Faculty. PRIMUS (2018), pp. 1–29

    Google Scholar 

  5. Boaler, J.: The role of contexts in the mathematics classroom: do they make mathematics more “ Real”?. Learn. Math. 13(2), 12–17 (1993)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Brauer, F., Castillo-Chavez, C.: Mathematical Models in Population Biology and Epidemiology, vol. 40. Springer, New York (2012)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  7. Brauer, F., Castillo-Chavez, C.: Mathematical Models for Communicable Diseases, vol. 84. SIAM, Philadelphia (2012)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  8. Chowell, G., Diaz-Duenas, P., Miller, J.C., Alcazar-Velazco, A., Hyman, J.M., Fenimore, P.W., Castillo-Chavez, C.: Estimation of the reproduction number of dengue fever from spatial epidemic data. Math. Biosci. 208(2), 571–589 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Council of Chief State School Officers. Common Core State Standards (Mathematics). National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Washington (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  10. English, L.D.: Young children’s early modelling with data. Math. Educ. Res. J. 22(2), 24–47 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Fauci, A.S., Morens, D.M.: Zika virus in the Americas—yet another arbovirus threat. N. Engl. J. Med. 374(7), 601–604 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Flegg, J., Mallet, D., Lupton, M.: Students’ perceptions of the relevance of mathematics in engineering. Int. J. Math. Educ. Sci. Technol. 43(6), 717–732 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Gaspard, H., Dicke, A.L., Flunger, B., Brisson, B.M., Häfner, I., Nagengast, B., Trautwein, U.; Fostering adolescents’ value beliefs for mathematics with a relevance intervention in the classroom. Dev. Psychol. 51(9), 1226 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Guidelines for assessment and instruction in mathematical modeling education (GAIMME). In: Consortium of Mathematics and Its Applications (COMAP). Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), Philadelphia (2016). http://www.siam.org/reports/gaimme.php

  15. Hecht-Nielsen, R.: Theory of the backpropagation neural network. In: Neural Networks for Perception, pp. 65–93 (1992)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Jones, K.E., Patel, N.G., Levy, M.A., Storeygard, A., Balk, D., Gittleman, J.L., Daszak, P.: Global trends in emerging infectious diseases. Nature 451(7181), 990 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Kermack, W.O., McKendrick, A.G.: A contribution to the mathematical theory of epidemics. Proc. R. Soc. London, Ser. A 115(772), 700–721 (1927)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Lee, E.K., Liu, Y., Pietz, F.H.: A compartmental model for Zika virus with dynamic human and vector populations. In: AMIA Annual Symposium Proceeding, pp. 743–752. AMIA Symposium, New York (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  19. National Council for Teachers in Mathematics: Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All. NCTM, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Reston (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Padmanabhan, P., Baez, A., Caiseda, C., McLane, K., Ellanki, N., Seshaiyer, P., Kwon, B.K., Massawe, E.: Design thinking and computational modeling to stop illegal poaching. In: Proceedings of the 2017 IEEE Integrated STEM Education Conference (ISEC), pp. 175–181. IEEE, New York (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Padmanabhan, P., Seshaiyer, P., Castillo-Chavez, C.: Mathematical modeling, analysis and simulation of the spread of Zika with influence of sexual transmission and preventive measures. Lett. Biomath. 4(1), 148–166 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Pólya, G.: How to solve it, Princeton. Princeton University, New Jersey (1945)

    Google Scholar 

  23. Raissi, M., Karniadakis, G.E.: Hidden physics models: machine learning of nonlinear partial differential equations. J. Comput. Phys. 357, 125–141 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Raissi, M., Perdikaris, P., Karniadakis, G.E.: Inferring solutions of differential equations using noisy multi-fidelity data. J. Comput. Phys. 335, 736–746 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Raissi, M., Perdikaris, P., Karniadakis, G.E.: Machine learning of linear differential equations using Gaussian processes. J. Comput. Phys. 348, 683–693 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Raissi, M., Ramezani, N., Seshaiyer, P.: On parameter estimation approaches for predicting disease transmission through optimization, deep learning and statistical inference methods. Lett. Biomath., 6(2), 1–26 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Rivera-Castro, M., Padmanabhan, P., Caiseda, C., Seshaiyer, P., Boria-Guanill, C.: Mathematical modelling, analysis and simulation of the spread of gangs in interacting youth and adult populations. Lett. Biomath., 6(2), 1–19 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Seshaiyer, P.: Transforming practice through undergraduate researchers. Council on Undergraduate Res. Focus 33(1), 8–13 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Seshaiyer, P.: Leading undergraduate research projects in mathematical modeling. PRIMUS 27(4–5), 476–493 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Seshaiyer, P., Solin, P.: Enhancing student learning of differential equations through technology. Int. J. Technol. Math. Educ. 24(4), 207–215 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  31. Seshaiyer, P., Suh, J.: Mathematical modeling in problem solving: a big idea across the curriculum. In: Tin Lam Toh and Joseph B.W. Yeo (Eds.), Big Ideas in Mathematics: Yearbook 2019, Association of Mathematics Educators, pp 167–186, World Scientific, Singapore (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  32. Suh, J.M., Padmanabhan S.: Modeling Mathematical Ideas: Developing Strategic Competence in Elementary and Middle School. Rowman and Littlefield, New York (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  33. Suh, J., Seshaiyer, P.: Mathematical practices that promote twenty-first century skills. Math. Teaching Middle School 19(3), 132–137 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Suh, J.M., Matson, K., Seshaiyer, P.: Engaging elementary students in the creative process of mathematizing their world through mathematical modeling. Educ. Sci. 7(2), 62 (2017). doi:10.3390/educsci7020062

    Google Scholar 

  35. UN General Assembly, Transforming our World : The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 21 October 2015, A/RES/70/1. https://www.refworld.org/docid/57b6e3e44.html

  36. WHO: List of Blueprint Priority Diseases. http://numericana.com/answer/ellipse.htm

  37. Zawojewski, J.: Problem solving versus modeling. In: Modeling Students’ Mathematical Modeling Competencies, pp. 237–243, Springer, Dordrecht (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  38. Zbiek, Rose Mary, and Annamarie Conner: Beyond motivation: Exploring mathematical modeling as a context for deepening students’ understandings of curricular mathematics. Educ. Stud. Math. 63(1), 89–112 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mathematical Sciences, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA

    Wei Wang & Padmanabhan Seshaiyer

Authors
  1. Wei Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Padmanabhan Seshaiyer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Padmanabhan Seshaiyer .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Mathematics Department, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Ron Buckmire

  2. Global Studies Institute, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland;, Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Geneva, Switzerland

    Jessica M. Libertini

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Wang, W., Seshaiyer, P. (2021). Engaging Students in Applied Mathematics Education and Research for Global Problem Solving. In: Buckmire, R., M. Libertini, J. (eds) Improving Applied Mathematics Education. SEMA SIMAI Springer Series(), vol 7. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61717-2_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation