Formulation and development of mathematical models for engineering problems: an experience on the integration of theory and the laboratory

The structure, the objectives and the methodology of a new engineering course are described. The course is intended as a facilitating step connecting the basic portion of an engineering program and the engineering sciences. As such, it invests into a synthesis of different topics of mathematics and numerical methods, and the observation and quantification of physical phenomena to be modeled. The main objective of the course is the coaching of students for the art of problem formulation or modeling. This is done, extensively, with the application of educational methodology characterized as problem solving and case study, with the use of original experimental data generated in class by the students