^^ Agreed with BrownParent -- any student interested in Applied Mathematics who does not check out Brown is missing the boat. Pure math may be interesting to some -- and those folks should check out Princeton, or better yet one of the very good 'techie' schools like MIT. But Brown excels at Applied Math.
Most definitely. I am currently a senior at Brown, and will graduate this May with a degree in Applied Mathematics. In my opinion, the Division of Applied Mathematics is extremely strong here; this is primarily derived from phenomenal lineup of faculty we have within DAM. (For instance, the current executive director of American Mathematical Society is a Brown professor. Or, we can also boast having David Mumford, a Fields medalist!).
One of the best things about the division is the breadth of research that is conducted. Come to think about it.. last week I went to a talk about 'Rare Events in the Financial Markets' talking about how conventional asset pricing model is statistically flawed. Next week, I'll be going to another talk about 'BrainGate' project, which aims to create a system to decode brain signals and translate that into real commands (think about the benefits for paralyzed people). My friend is doing a project in computer vision that aims to extrapolate a person's body shape from, say a snapshot of the face.
In this respect, Brown is truly a research powerhouse.. and it's amazing because you get exposed to all this fantastic cutting-edge ideas daily. Very much consistent with Brown's free-spirited education philosophy, I think majoring in Applied Mathematics opened my mind to boundless, cool applications of this discipline.
However, I do have to say that it's rather difficult to obtain research positions within DAM as an undergraduate. We do have a sizeable graduate student population, and most of the money go to them. Not only that, many of these research projects are usually very specific and would require some mathematical training that goes beyond the suggested undergraduate core courses. But definitely, if you're persistent and can demonstrate potential, many professors are willing to do projects with you (UTRA is a good way to do this). It's just that they don't actively recruit for undergraduate research assistants.
Now, what about classroom teaching? Well, at least from my experience, it has been overwhelmingly positive. I would say that having a great researcher as your instructor does not immediately ensure a great learning experience, but most of the time they are really passionate about their field and such energy is infectious.
It's hard to kinda pin down everything that makes the program so highly regarded, but I hope what I said here can be a starting point. In all, I'm very satisfied with my undergraduate experience being an AM concentrator. I'd be more than happy to entertain more specific questions: classes, professors, fields of research, whatever.
P.S. It's funny that you mentioned Princeton, Gabba, because I'll be heading there next year -- they do have an AM program, which is also strong!
Brown is great at sex. I don't even mean Brown student's by that, just the school in general. Supposedly, its very free-spirited, liberal and just an all-around champ. I haven't heard any complaints yet.
Thanks, icebox. Sorry I lost track of this thread and I failed to subscribe to it. Great info in your reply, and good luck at Princeton. Good to know they have a superb AM grad program.
Replies to: What is Brown Good At?
Applied Mathematics Department - Brown University
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One of the best things about the division is the breadth of research that is conducted. Come to think about it.. last week I went to a talk about 'Rare Events in the Financial Markets' talking about how conventional asset pricing model is statistically flawed. Next week, I'll be going to another talk about 'BrainGate' project, which aims to create a system to decode brain signals and translate that into real commands (think about the benefits for paralyzed people). My friend is doing a project in computer vision that aims to extrapolate a person's body shape from, say a snapshot of the face.
In this respect, Brown is truly a research powerhouse.. and it's amazing because you get exposed to all this fantastic cutting-edge ideas daily. Very much consistent with Brown's free-spirited education philosophy, I think majoring in Applied Mathematics opened my mind to boundless, cool applications of this discipline.
However, I do have to say that it's rather difficult to obtain research positions within DAM as an undergraduate. We do have a sizeable graduate student population, and most of the money go to them. Not only that, many of these research projects are usually very specific and would require some mathematical training that goes beyond the suggested undergraduate core courses. But definitely, if you're persistent and can demonstrate potential, many professors are willing to do projects with you (UTRA is a good way to do this). It's just that they don't actively recruit for undergraduate research assistants.
Now, what about classroom teaching? Well, at least from my experience, it has been overwhelmingly positive. I would say that having a great researcher as your instructor does not immediately ensure a great learning experience, but most of the time they are really passionate about their field and such energy is infectious.
It's hard to kinda pin down everything that makes the program so highly regarded, but I hope what I said here can be a starting point. In all, I'm very satisfied with my undergraduate experience being an AM concentrator. I'd be more than happy to entertain more specific questions: classes, professors, fields of research, whatever.
P.S. It's funny that you mentioned Princeton, Gabba, because I'll be heading there next year -- they do have an AM program, which is also strong!
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/purity.png