Who should take a class on
Solving PDE's with the
FEniCS Project
software
Anyone interested in using partial differential equations to model natural or social
phenomena will benefit from the class.
People who may not be current on the modern theory of partial differential equations
will be re-introduced to the subject via critical examples.
Partial differential equation models are used to study human diseases, to simulate
scientific processes, and to design aircraft, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, renewable
energy technology, and more. The finite element method is the most commonly used technique
to render these models computationally tractable. The FEniCS Project is open source,
and it has made it possible
for researchers worldwide to address such simulation challenges using finite element
techniques. Thus any advances made via the FEniCS Project have extremely broad and
beneficial impact for society, the ecosystem, and the economy.
This class requires minimal background beyond advanced calculus.
We describe the basic concepts of modeling using partial differential equations.
We indicate potential pitfalls of such models and how to identify them.
Students learn
-
basic principles of partial differential equations via
computational examples
-
standard models in engineering design and scientific research
-
advanced modeling techniques.
The course is ideal for anyone considering adopting open source software
for computational modeling via partial differential equations.
For more information, see the
Textbook
for the courses.
For a detailed syllabus,
contact Ridgway Scott at
ridg@uchicago.edu