Nonlinear dynamics looks at the behavior of physical and social systems as they evolve in time.
Through a variety of educational opportunities, including introductory, intermediate and advanced courses, faculty-student research and a capstone seminar, students will learn science through participating in the practices of professional scientists. In introductory courses, students are typically exposed only to the core facts of a given area. Scientific literacy should also emphasize how the process of science works. Nonlinear dynamics is an emerging field of science that deals specifically with complex systems and therefore is ideal for confronting the issue of familiar phenomena with complex explanations. This grant places Washington and Lee as one of the first institutions in the U.S., especially liberal arts universities, to incorporate teaching and research in the integrated and interdisciplinary way described in the proposal.