Applications of computational models in education

The CMISS software package is a modular mathematical modelling environment that includes finite element, boundary element, collocation methods and visualisation modules (www.cmiss.org). CMISS is the product of 30 years of collaborative work by bioengineering researchers and their graduate students at the University of Auckland. The software has also been used in engineering teaching courses and undergraduate student projects for many years. Recent development efforts have enabled CMISS to be embedded within other pieces of software or beneath application specific interfaces. This new ability is being used to explore the use of computational models for education and research by medical students, bioengineers and users in otherwise noncomputing fields. Two applications in development are presented, one for helping teach an understanding of the origin of the hearts electrical activity (EKG) to medical students, and another for illustrating DNA structure and function to a public museum audience.