Department of Computational Science

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Department of Computational Science

129 Smith Hall
(585) 395-2021, www.brockport.edu/cps/

Professor/Chair: Osman Yasar; Associate Professor: Robert E. Tuzun; Assistant Professor: Leigh J. Little.

• Requirements
• Combined BS/MS Program
• Courses

Along with traditional experimental and theoretical methodologies, advanced work in all areas of science and engineering has come to rely critically on computation. Computer modeling combined with visualization represents a new paradigm for scientific exploration and technological research and development. It permits a new approach to problems that were previously inaccessible. The goal of the computational science program is to enable students to perform computational modeling in problems of technological and societal relevance. To this end, students learn a core set of skills in mathematics, computer programming, visualization, and simulation/modeling. Students may then apply these skills to application areas of interest to them.

Nearly all areas of science and engineering now use computers for modeling and problem solving. The aerospace industry uses this approach to design safe and economical aircraft. The automobile industry uses similar techniques to design better engines and safer vehicles. Computational technology is used in the medical and pharmaceutical industries to develop new drugs, process medical records, and assist in medical procedures. Meteorologists use computational techniques to predict the weather and long-term climate changes. Ecologists and biologists use computer models to study the environment, population dynamics, and the influence of pollutants on the body, the air and the ocean. The genetic blueprint of human beings is about to be mapped out in its entirety through computer modeling. Economists use computers to predict future behavior of many financial systems, including the stock market. Computer modeling enables the study and performance testing of systems before they are put into production. This approach has saved billions of dollars and years of development time.

The Department of Computational Science has received equipment support from Intel and Silicon Graphics and works closely with local industry, particularly Xerox Corporation and Eastman Kodak Company. The program is flexible so as to allow students to follow their particular interests and continue, if desired, with advanced degrees. Graduates can expect employment in industry, government, business, academia, and at major research and development laboratories.

Major in Computational Science

The computational science undergraduate major requires 36 credits of the following courses from the Departments of Computational Science, Computer Science, and Mathematics and from the department of an application area of interest. Six additional credits of elective courses are required.

Minor in Computational Science

Combined BS/MS Program in Computational Science

The combined BS/MS degree is designed for high-parameter students wishing to accelerate the pace of their studies and to receive bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computational science within five years. To be considered for entry into this program requires a GPA of at least 3.25, a written application, and interviews with the departmental undergraduate and graduate directors. In addition to the required courses listed above, the combined program requires undergraduate electives, duplicate requirements (simultaneously satisfying undergraduate elective and graduate core requirements), research experience, and graduate electives.

Note: Information on graduate courses and electives may be found in the SUNY Brockport Graduate Studies 2005-2007 Catalog.

Computational Science Courses

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