Bachelor of Science, Major in Scientific Computing and Numerical Methods

at EduCo - Western University Canada

Genetics is the study of the process and implications of trait inheritance which is linked explicitly to the concept of the gene and the molecule DNA. The Department offers four modules in this foundational area of biology that are built upon its research and teaching strengths. In the area of molecular genetics students will be able to take a range of courses focused on gene structure, function and regulation that introduce modern 'omic' approaches (e.g. genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics) that are taught using a range of animal, plant and microbial systems. Related topics such as genetic engineering and developmental genetics form the basis of additional courses. Building on research expertise in other subdiscipline there are courses in behavioural genetics, and evolutionary genetics.

Explore how Earth’s magnetic field protects us from being sautéed by the Sun’s harmful radiation. Consider how birds use the magnetic field to navigate during migration. Learn about why North America is moving away from Europe at 5 cm per year. Dig into the resources found underground to produce innovative products like cell phones. Geophysics at Western offers a great opportunity to study and unlock the secrets of the interior of the Earth and other planets and prepare you for an exciting future in exploration.

Geography and Environment at Western centres around the following sub-disciplines; Physical Geography, Geographic Information Science (GIS), Urban Studies and Environment, Development and Health. This broad, integrative perspective makes Western geographers employable in a wide range of occupations.

The Bachelor of Science (Honors Specialization) program is designed to give students a deeper appreciation of the life sciences. In addition to investigating courses throughout the broad scope of Kinesiology, that include exercise physiology, biomechanics, anatomy, sports injuries, exercise psychology, sport management and professional ethics, students must choose courses such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Math from the Faculty of Science.

From the smallest microchip to the largest power station, Electrical engineers harness electrical energy for human benefit. As a Western Electrical engineering student, you will embrace the study and application of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. Your knowledge will be applied to electronics, digital computers, robotics, power engineering, telecommunications, control systems, and signal processing. Electrical engineering will prepare you to tackle the world’s power and energy challenges.

The BA (Major in Popular Music Studies) is a module unique to Western that engages students with the interdisciplinary nature of the study of popular music.

The program incorporates three dimensions:

• Practical subjects, including songwriting and analysis of popular songs and recordings
• recording practice
• Critical study of musical styles, recordings, artists, and genres in their broader historical and cultural contexts.

In addition to courses in popular music and culture, the program includes post-1945 popular music, musical theatre, jazz, and more advanced courses indigenous musics and musics of the world, film studies, literature, and sociology. Introductory and advanced courses in songwriting and desktop music production allow students to compose, produce, and record their own music.

Instead of specializing, Integrated engineers work across fields realizing opportunities and implementing practical solutions. In the Integrated engineering program, you will have a broad foundation in engineering fundamentals and problem-solving approaches across different engineering disciplines and develop skills to navigate and manage the interaction between engineering and business. Your knowledge and skills will be suited to participate on and lead interdisciplinary engineering and business teams to seek innovative solutions to significant challenges, including: climate change, renewable energy, environmentally friendly buildings, food and water security, autonomous transportation systems, and much more.

Mechatronic Systems engineers combine elements of mechanical, electrical, software, and systems design to create smart solutions to everyday problems. As a Western Mechatronic Systems engineering student, you will take core courses in each of these areas alongside Mechatronic Systems engineering courses that serve to connect and expand upon discipline-specific foundations. You will graduate with the skill set to work across disciplines and improve systems in healthcare, aerospace, automotive, robotics and more.

High Energy Physics
Topics of interest to high-energy physicists include the phenomenology of elementary particle interactions, quantum field theory, the dynamical breakdown of quantum field theoretical symmetries, the quantization of gravity, string/brane models underlying known-interaction physics, and the unification of fundamental interactions of nature.
The high-energy physicists in our department participate in the Collaborative Ph.D. Program in Theoretical Physics, and have strong ties with the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in nearby Waterloo, Ontario.

Materials Physics
Water droplet graphicAt the other end of the spectrum, materials physics is a research area that connects physics with chemistry and computational mathematics. The Material Physics group in our department uses computer simulations of nano-scale phenomena to make important discoveries about the properties of materials we use every day.
Overall, the research in theoretical physics is devoted to the study of soft condensed matter physics, physical chemistry and fluid mechanics. Research topics include microfluidic devices, colloidal systems, nanotribology including friction in biological systems, ceramics under high pressure, quantum-mechanical many-body systems, quantum chemistry, polymers, liquid crystals, disordered systems, phase transitions, wave propagation and nonlinear interactions.

Economics is a social science devoted to the study of scarcity, and how individuals, organisations, and governments make choices. The discipline’s guiding principle is found in the idea that all of these choices can most usefully be seen as decisions to allocate scarce resources across a range of competing uses. This single principle is always in play, and leads economists to study a wide array of social questions.

In the first year Economics courses you will be exposed to the use of this basic principle and the analytical tools that go with them in both the microeconomic and macroeconomic realm. The first of these (micro) refers to the study of choices made by individuals and/or individual firms, and how these decisions interact in markets. The macro segment then looks at how this principle allows us to better understand the behaviour of the economy in the aggregate. This leads to the study of unemployment, inflation, government budgets and international trade balances. These courses then provide the basis for all of the more senior – and more specialized – courses offered by the Department.

The Major in Economics Module, by itself, can be either a 3 or 4 year Degree. The Economics Major can be combined with a Major in another subject in order to create an Honors Double Major Degree. For the purposes of progression and graduation, ALL Honors Economics courses taken shall be counted as principal courses, and the requirements for both majors must be met in order to graduate with an Honors Double Major.