SEFI Mathematics Working Group Seminar

The 17th SEFI Mathematics Working Group Seminar took place in Dublin, Ireland, on June 23 – 25. About 70 participants from 12 European countries came together for three days to discuss important issues related to the mathematical education of engineers. The seminar was jointly hosted by the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), the Institute of Technology Tallaght (ITT) and the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown (ITB). Dr Paul Robinson from ITT chaired the local organizing committee that excellently organized the event. The program consisted of three keynote lectures by Thomas Schramm (Hamburg HafenCity University), Tim Joyce (Office of Public Works, Ireland) and Chris Sangwin (University of Loughborough), 20 paper presentations and about 10 poster presentations and software demonstrations. In addition, there were two larger discussion sessions on “What are the important topics in the mathematical education of engineers?” and “How can technology improve teaching and learning?”. A visit to Dublin Castle and a trip to the historic site of Glendalough gave the participants the opportunity to learn more about the history of the hosting country.
The main achievement after the last seminar in Salamanca, Spain, in 2012 was the issuing of the third edition of the working group’s curriculum document called “A Framework for Mathematics Curricula in Engineering Education” which was referred to quite often during the seminar. The document also summarizes many contributions to former seminars and hence provides valuable references to further literature. The proceedings of the 17th seminar and the curriculum document can be freely downloaded from the group’s website at http://sefi.htw-aalen.de.

The next seminar is planned for 2016 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The local organizing committee headed by Tommy Gustaffson (Chalmers University) gave a promising presentation of the venue which will again attract many participants.
Burkhard Alpers, HTW Aalen – Aalen University of Applied Sciences