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Reply to "Bordeaux's Son Off the Academic Charts!"

Thank you all. This was indeed a very lovely surprise and yes, well-timed for Mother's Day!

With regard to what the major is, this may be more than you were asking for, but.....I look at the books and they are all Greek to me (literally! all those Greek symbols!) so I went to the department website and copy below their own description of the department. In 2 words, it is like applied mathematics.

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Department Description

Mathematical and Computational Science is an interdepartmental undergraduate program designed as a major for students interested in the mathematical sciences, or in the use of mathematical ideas and analysis of problems in the social or management sciences. It provides a core of mathematics basic to all mathematical sciences and an introduction to the concepts and techniques of automatic computation, optimal decision-making, probabilistic modeling, and statistical inference. It also provides an opportunity for elective work in any of the mathematical science disciplines at Stanford.

The program utilizes the faculty and courses of the departments of Computer Science, Mathematics, Management Science and Engineering, and Statistics. It prepares students for graduate study or employment in the mathematical and computational sciences or in those areas of applied mathematics which center around the use of computers and are concerned with the problems of the social and management sciences.


Department Goals

Mathematics, by its nature, is a broad and varied discipline, straddling virtually all fields of science. The advent of computers has further broadened the importance and impact of mathematics. As a consequence, there has been an increased demand in academic institutions and industry for employees trained in mathematics and operations research.

The goals of our program are ambitious: we aim to provide a broad and deep understanding of mathematical issues in the information sciences. The variety of topics covered in the courses making up the degree program require expertise in a wide selection of subject disciplines; by utilizing the resources of several departments in teaching the courses, we hope to grant the students the best possible introduction to mathematical and information sciences.

Department History

In 1975, four professors created an interdisciplinary group: Rupert Miller from Statistics, Richard Cottle from Operations Research, John Herriot from Computer Science, and Paul Berg from Mathematics felt the need to have an undergraduate program for students interested in applied math. The program immediately met with great success and soon, the number of Mathematical and Computational Science majors reached 120-150 students per year.

In the 1980s, the Department of Computer Science branched off into its own undergraduate program, which now graduates approximately 80 students per year. The average number of M&CS majors has recently been about 40 students.

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One of his courses this quarter is "Mathematics of Sports", described below. How cool is that?

"The use of mathematics, statistics and probability in the analysis of sports performance, sports records and strategy. Topics include mathematical analysis of the physics of sports and the determination of optimal strategies. In each sport an attempt will be made to find new diagnostic statistics and strategies. Essentially all sports will be considered and any necessary mathematics will be used."
Last edited by Bordeaux
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