W.S.G. Abacus
W.S.G. Abacus is the study association of Applied Mathematics in Twente. With 646 members it is the largest mathematical study association in the Netherlands. The name ‘Abacus’ comes from the ancient Chinese abacus. Two goals underlie Abacus: first of all promoting mathematics and secondly improving contacts between mathematicians, for example connecting students and lecturers, but also mathematicians from outside Twente. To reach these goals, Abacus organizes a lot of activities. Examples of these are drinks, board game nights, a gala and sport activities. These are the “recreational” activities, organised for and by students, because of the passion they all share: mathematics. Next to recreational activities, Abacus also organises more serious activities which revolve around mathematics, like lectures, excursions, symposia and study trips.
The study Applied Mathematics
Students and graduates in Applied Mathematics are trained in abstraction, formal reasoning and mathematical thinking. Their analytical skills are developed far beyond the average. They study or have studied mathematics from the perspective of the applications. That is, they are mathematicians driven by their interest in society and their desire to contribute to the solution of the big societal problems such as efficient use of energy, healthcare, engineering and more. They are aware of the fact that mathematics is everywhere but most of the times rather invisibly. To effectively act as mathematicians the students are trained in professional skills such as oral and written communication, and working in multidisciplinary teams.
Skills of a mathematician
During the study Applied Mathematics, our participants have been building up a wide range of skills. A few of these skills are:- Modeling
A mathematician can reduce (complex) systems to a mathematical model to analyze it further; - Simulation
Another powerful tool of a mathematician is simulating a model. Through simulation, effects of operations and changes to a complex system are calculated and described; - Optimization
After analyzing a system through simulation, the next step is to check different approaches and strategies to optimize the process; - Statistics
Research produces large amounts of data, and it is important that this data is processed and interpreted correctly. A mathematician has an extensive list of techniques to analyze small and large amounts of data statistically; - Programming
A mathematician is able to, besides creating a model, translate this model into the language of the computer, the programming language. Of course the participants also have expertise for other programming assignments.
Every student has personal interests, besides this list of skills, in which he has engrossed and developed himself. The participants have knowledge of a diverse spectrum of subjects. When you have questions concerning a (special) skill, do not hesitate to contact the study trip committee.