What is ACME?

ACME: Problem solving for the 21st century.

Brigham Young University’s Applied and Computational Math Emphasis (ACME) program is a major designed for solving the problems of the 21st century. Mathematics provides the foundation of modern technology and science, is the key to building successful algorithms in artificial intelligence and machine learning, and provides the analytical power needed to process, evaluate, and take full advantage of the ever-growing flood of data and information in the world. ACME is a new educational model that teaches both theory and practical skills in mathematics, statistics, and computation, preparing students to solve the problems of the modern world.

Students who participate in ACME can expect a focus in rigorous mathematics, scientific computing, and modeling. After finishing two years of mathematical prerequisites, students then take two year-long core sequences each year for their junior and senior years. These courses and their associated labs cover the topics of

• Mathematical analysis, both linear and nonlinear
• Algorithms, approximation theory, and optimization
• Modeling with data and uncertainty, using advanced statistical and probabilistic methods, as well as the theory and tools of machine learning.
• Modeling with dynamics and control, covering numerical and theoretical differential equations, dynamical systems, and optimal control.

Students learn theory in the classroom and then immediately put that theory into practice in the labs, coding up algorithms and applications that rely on the theoretical mathematical tools. Students also choose a concentration in a subject where they can use their mathematical and computational skills. Concentrations range from computer science to economics, from biology to physics, and from linguistics to engineering.

ACME Mission

The Applied and Computational Math Emphasis (ACME) is an advancement in education and learning in mathematics—a new educational model that allows students to gain further understanding in mathematics and greater mathematical skills, but also provides students with real-world opportunities to utilize those skills.

Students who participate in ACME can expect a focus in rigorous mathematics, computation, and data science. The program consists of four year-long core sequences and labs for a total of eight classes with one lab per class. Students also participate in a concentration or emphasis of their choice.