IN 1969
IN 2009
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| BUT NOT AT UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND! | ||
| WHERE WE TAUGHT CALCULUS IN 1969 |
WHERE WE TEACH CALCULUS IN 2009 |
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Mathematics preparation in general is one of the key predictors of success on this campus, and as queen of the sciences, mathematics is critical foundation to physics, computer science, chemistry, biology, engineering and so much more. STEM degrees - science, technology, engineering and mathematics - are flagged as a priority in the state, necessary for the state's future economic success.
That's why at the University of Maryland we are careful to teach calculus, the language of mathematics that is necessary for all scientific endeavors, in exactly the same facilities as we did four decades ago. That's right, Terps who mastered calculus in the basement of the then-antique, cramped, poorly heated/cooled, inadequately configured Reckord Armory back in 1969 can send their kids to College Park where they can sit behind the same pillar, wonder what was just written on the chalk board and ask the same "what did the professor just say?" question as their parents.
The Reckord Amory's basement has in fact been used for teaching calculus and other introductory mathematics courses for more than 40 years. It has no installed sound equipment or projectors, much less modern multi-media technologies typical of most other facilities. The acoustics defy clear communication, the visibility of anything on the chalk boards is poor (if not absent, when the student must sit behind one of the pillars) and the air handling for either heating or cooling is both noisy and ineffective.
One other item has remained invariant on the UM campus for 40 years - the Administration's promise that a new math teaching facility would be the very next priority in capital improvements. The Mathematics faculty dedicated to top quality instruction fervently hopes this time it will be true.
Credits: