Plenary Lecture

Symbolic computing in engineering simulations and education

Professor Marcin Kaminski
Chair of Mechanics of Materials, Technical University of Łódź
Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environmental Engineering
Al. Politechniki 6, 93-590 Łódź, tel/fax 48-42-6313551
POLAND,
E-mail: marcin.kaminski@p.lodz.pl

Abstract: Symbolic computations nowadays still extend the area of potential applications in a variety of the fundamental and applied sciences and, especially, in different branches of the modern engineering. Now, using such computer systems as MAPLE, MATHEMATICA, MATLAB or MATHCAD for instance, it is possible to solve the complex systems of partial differential, make precise visualizations of the observed dynamical systems or to perform some statistic or stochastic simulations of the non-deterministic systems. The quality of those computer environments in terms of interoperability with the other programs (like the Finite or Boundary Element as well as Finite Difference Methods source codes), computer time cost, visualization tools and the number of ready-to-use available applications still dramatically increases. Relatively simple differentiation methods, both symbolic and numerical, frequently leed the users to apply symbolic computations programs to sensitivity and optimization studies, whereas a wide range of statistical tools enables uncertainty inclusion and estimation in various unstable systems computations finished with the reliability prognoses. At the same time symbolic computer systems are very valuable educational tools for mathematicians, physicians and the engineers because the students after primary demonstration of some problem solution may easily follow the teacher, whereas the powerful visualization may help to understand the methods not only by numbers and symbols but also using the graphs and animations. Therefore, the main aim of the lecture is to make a review of the recent advances in designing, capabilities, implementation, various machines and operating systems performance as well as the applications for the symbolic computer programs using, as the example, the system MAPLE. The recent research applications in composite materials modeling and stochastic analysis will be shown together with the case studies used in the civil and mechanical engineering practice and some examples used in undergraduate, graduate and doctoral courses. Some new ideas concerning the symbolic computations packages and their general ideas will be also discussed.

Brief Biography of the Speaker:
Marcin Kaminski, born in Torun, Poland, 17.02.1969. M.Sc. in Civil Engineering (1994) at the Technical University of Lodz, Poland, Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (1997) at the Technical University of Lodz,Poland, postdoctoral study at Rice University, Houston, TX, USA, 1999-2000, D.Sc. in Civil Engineering (mechanics of materials and structures) at the University of Technology Wrocław, Poland; university professor since 2007. Author of more than 140 papers in international conference proceedings and scientific journals, a monograph 'Computational Mechanics of Composite Materials' printed by Springer London-New York, 2005. Recipient of the prizes of the Foundation of Polish Science in 1996 and 1999, John Argyris Award in computational mechanics in 2001 and J.T. Oden Faculty Fellowship at ICES, UT, Austin in 2004. A member of many international scientific associations - IACM, IASS, GAMM, SIAM & USACM.