Keele University Mathematics Undergraduate Programmes 2020 2020 Entry | Page 15

Undergraduate Programmes 2020 | 15
Mathematical Biology Professional Mathematics
One of the fastest growing fields in
which mathematics can explain and
predict behaviour is the biological
sciences. Game theory has supplied
new mathematical tools for studying
the evolution of animal behaviour.
Mathematical models of population
growth, and particularly of disease
transmission, have provided new
insights into the spread of MRSA.
Moreover, in the last few years, there
have been advances in the application
of mathematics to the study of animal
locomotion. The module discusses these
and other applications. The module aims to encourage
development of certain skills that are
needed when undertaking a research
degree or entering employment,
but which may not be developed by
traditional mathematics teaching. These
include working on one’s own initiative,
working in depth on a problem over
an extended period, writing reports,
communicating mathematical results
to audiences of differing mathematical
abilities, and working in collaboration with
others. In addition, this module aims to
develop further students’ problem-solving
skills and ability to select techniques and
apply mathematical knowledge to real-
world phenomena. Finally, this module
aims to develop the ability of students
to reflect upon the tasks performed and
skills developed, in a way similar to
that necessary for job applications and
interviews. The module is activity-led.
Medical Statistics
This module illustrates the application
of statistical techniques to health related
research. Methods are applied using
data from real-life studies, with particular
emphasis placed on cancer studies.
No prior knowledge of medicine
or biology is required. The module
commences with a revision of hypothesis
testing procedures. This is followed by
three main topics: clinical trials, survival
analysis and epidemiology. Clinical trials
are immensely important for evaluating
the relative effectiveness of different
treatments, and their design and analysis
are considered in depth. Survival analysis
looks at the features and analysis of data
from studies of patients with a potentially
fatal disease. Epidemiology explores the
distribution of disease in a population and
discusses studies for assessing whether
there is a possible association between
a factor (such as, smoking, eating
beef, using a mobile phone) and the
subsequent development of a disease.
Introduction to Mathematics
Teaching
This module introduces students to
principles of the teaching of Mathematics
and critical pedagogy linked to current
educational practice. Through a mixture
of individual and group work, students
will investigate and explore aspects
of the teaching of Mathematics
and critically analyse these with
reference to their effectiveness from
a personal perspective.
Financial Mathematics
This module is a combination of finance,
economics, probability and statistics.
You can use the knowledge from this
module to analyze and explain the use
of financial derivatives and hedging
strategies, which are essential for
jobs in banking and finance. The topics
covered in this module include futures
and options contracts; arbitrage;
European and American options;
option pricing models (binomial trees
and the Black-Scholes Model).
Project
It is possible for students to replace one
taught module with a project module. In
this case the student will be assigned an
appropriate supervisor who will provide
guidance throughout. The project will
typically be discursive and will involve the
preparation of a poster and a short report.
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