• Dr. Rebecca Tyson
• rebecca.tyson@ubc.ca
• http://people.ok.ubc.ca/rtyson
• 807-8766, rm SCI 386
• email: rebecca.tyson@ubc.ca (though don't try to contact me this way unless absolutely necessary - my inbox is so overstuffed I can't read everything that is sent to me and often miss emails)

Here is a little autobiography I wrote for a newsletter a few years ago. It will tell you a little about my bizzarre career path and how I ended up here at UBCO!

I have an open door policy for this class: Any time you find me in my office and not in a meeting I am happy to answer questions. Generally, I will be on campus every day except Wednesday, and I have set aside 2pm-5pm Mondays for office hours. Occasionally, however, there will be meetings or other appointments that fall during this time. I'll try to let you know of these ahead of time - and you can always ask in class - when I will be available in the coming week!

There is no single textbook for the course. Material for the course will be drawn from a variety of sources, including original research papers and texts available for free via Springerlink or other online sources. Consequently, class notes are very important, and so please ask me questions if you are confused about any of my lecture notes! These will be scanned and made available on the course website.

In this course, we will learn how to analyse nonlinear dynamical systems models by analysing models of current importance found in the literature. We will focus on continuous systems, but will study discrete ones if time permits. The topics covered will include: one-dimensional and two-dimensional systems, steady states, stability, bifurcations and bifurcation diagrams, limit cycles, Poincare-Bendixson Theorem, Lyapunov functions and exponents.

Component	Value
Assignments	35%
Midterms	40%
Term Project	25%
Total	100%

There will be five Assignments, all due by the beginning of class on the due date. Assignment questions will be available on the website. Late assignments will not be accepted. I will drop the lowest mark.

If you miss class, it is your responsibility to ensure that you receive the assignment questions and hand them in. Note that I find math questions rather difficult to answer over email, so please come and see me if you have questions.

Solutions will be provided for all of the questions (after the due date!), and any problematic ones will be discussed in class. I don't anticipate having much class time to go over assignments, so assignment questions will largely be handled outside of class during office hours or other appointments.

Midterms will be run as two-stage tests. This means that the test will be written twice.

1. First Stage (45 minutes): During the first stage, the test is written in the usual manner, with students writing test papers individually. Test papers are handed in after the 45 minute test time is up. This test is an assessment of your individual understanding of the course material.
2. Second Stage (30 minutes): During the second stage, students form into groups of 3 or 4, and each group has one clean copy of the test (the same one written in the first 45 minutes) to work on. Students work in groups to finish the test, and must agree on the answers provided. The group papers are handed in after the 30 minute test time is up. This test is an assessment of your ability to explain the material to others, and to listen to explanations or questions from others.
3. Marking: The final mark for the test is a weighted sum of the individual and group scores. The individual test is worth no more than 85% of the mark, and the group test is worth at least 15% of the mark.
4. Further Information: Two-stage exams are being promoted by the Carl Weimann Science Education Initiative. There are a number of advantages to two-stage exams. Here are a few:
   • Students immediately get feedback on their performance on the individual exam.
   • Students have their questions answered by peers, who may have had the same questions themselves and therefore be well-positioned to provide answers. They will also use language that is more novice-like rather than expert-like and is therefore accessible to their classmates.
   • Students find the group component makes the whole exam less stressful and more fun!

Midterms must be written at the time and place which the professor designates and out-of-time tests will not be permitted (i.e. there will be no make-up tests).

If you believe that you have a legitimate reason for missing a test, you must contact your professor as soon as the reason arises, and explain the situation. Legitimate reasons include those of a medical or compassionate nature. Written documentation may be required.

The Term Project is a study of a dynamical systems model that you find in the research literature. Projects may be done individually or in groups. The project includes several components:

• Paper Selection (see the agenda for the due date): You must provide me with three papers (pdfs sent via email) discussing dynamical systems models that interest you. I will provide a written (email) response, indicating which paper I recommend you study, and factors you should consider in your project. If all three papers are too challenging, you may choose to study a paper that I recommend, or keep looking for a more suitable paper. We will discuss a final due date for paper selections in this case.
• Abstract (see the agenda for the due date): You must provide me with an abstract of your project.
• Oral Presentation (some time during the last two weeks of class): A 15-minute oral presentation of the project to be delivered to the class.
• Questions: Each student is expected to ask at least one question each day during term project presentations.
• Written Report: A 3-5 page summary of the paper and any further research done.

For each student, assessment will be based on

1. the initial selection of potential papers (10%)
2. the report (30%)
3. the abstract prepared for the class (10%)
4. the class presentation (30%)
5. the student's participation (asking questions) in the class discussion (20%)

For all important dates including the last day for withdrawal with or without a "W", the last day for conversion from credit to audit, as well as holidays and the exam period please visit the website for the UBC Okanagan academic calendar.

If you require disability related accommodations to meet the course objectives please contact the Coordinator of Disability Resources located in the Student development and Advising area of the student services building. For more information about Disability Resources or about academic accommodations please visit the UBC Okanagan disability services website.

Math 339 uses the standard UBCO marking scheme as described in the UBCO calendar. A 50% is required for a passing mark and a 60% is required to use this course as a prerequisite for further coursework.

A scientific calculator is occasionally helpful.

We will be doing a lot of simulations, since nonlinear dynamical systems are generally unsolvable by hand, and so a laptop with Maple or Matlab on it will be extremely useful.

The academic enterprise is founded on honesty, civility, and integrity. As members of this enterprise, all students are expected to know, understand, and follow the codes of conduct regarding academic integrity. At the most basic level, this means submitting only original work done by you and acknowledging all sources of information or ideas and attributing them to others as required. This also means you should not cheat, copy, or mislead others about what is your work. Violations of academic integrity (i.e., misconduct) lead to the break down of the academic enterprise, and therefore serious consequences arise and harsh sanctions are imposed. For example, incidences of plagiarism or cheating usually result in a failing grade or mark of zero on the assignment or in the course. Careful records are kept in order to monitor and prevent recidivism. A more detailed description highlighting the salient points of academic integrity, including the policies and procedures, may be found at http://web.ubc.ca/okanagan/faculties/resources/academicintegrity.html. The unabridged document can be found under the website for academic misconduct. If you have any questions about how academic integrity applies to this course, please consult with your professor.

• Some Student Study Strategies collated by UBC http://www.studygs.net