Tufts Technology Services (TTS) announced the acquisition of a new license for MathWorks’ MATLAB software package on Sept. 11. The MATLAB software supports high-level numerical computation, visualization and application development to analyze data, develop algorithms or create models and applications, according to the announcement.
TTS Senior Communications Specialist Christine Fitzgerald explained that developed algorithms can be integrated with other common computer applications. She added that MATLAB can be useful in a number of different departments.
Before TTS acquired the student license, students using MATLAB would need to purchase the software on their own, according to Assistant Professor of Mathematics James Adler.
“The change in licensing is awesome,” he said. “MATLAB is very expensive. There was a student version and a [full] version ... Students could get the student version for about $100 from the bookstore, maybe slightly cheaper through MathWorks directly. But I think it was a temporary license, and we don't want to make you guys spend more money than you need to ... Now I don't feel guilty about recommending or requiring MATLAB in my course.”
According to Fitzgerald, the biggest benefit of the new license is that students can now download the software to their personal computers. She sees this as a major convenience factor that has stemmed from the TTS subscription.
“[Students and faculty] can now download it on their own, rather than having to go into the labs to use it,” Fitzgerald said.
In order to download the software and install it onto personal computers, students can either follow the instructions on the TTS website or go to the Eaton Computer Lab for assistance. Fitzgerald noted that Tufts-owned devices will need to be brought into the lab for installation.
Adler added that most of his students have downloaded and used the software since Tufts obtained the new license. He said he is not yet requiring MATLAB in his courses, but sees it as being a possibility in the future.
“I know some courses in engineering cover [the basics],” he said. “I think they're debating having a new course that will use MATLAB primarily, especially now that it's free.”
Adler explained that he uses MATLAB for his research as a way to test out his ideas and run various small-scale simulations. He said that he uses it in some of his classes, including Mathematical Modeling and Computation, as a suggested tool. He also noted that he has used it to demonstrate ideas in class.
“It's a super powerful tool,” Adler said. “It has lots of toolboxes that can do a lot of things, even specialized things. Solving partial differential equations, there's all sorts of stuff for statistics and biology ... I think [the toolboxes are] a nice feature for science and engineering.”
Even on the paid student version, most toolboxes were previously inaccessible without additional fees, according to Adler. The TTS license allows access to these toolboxes, along with free updates every time a new version of the software is released.
The software also supports functions for algebra, statistics, Fourier analysis, filtering, optimization, numerical integration and solving ordinary differential equations, according to the announcement.
Last spring, the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics graduate student group offered a tutorial for using MATLAB, according to Adler. He explained that there are many tutorials available online to learn how to use the software.
“Just like with any programming tool, it's a steep learning curve,” Adler said. “If you've never programmed before, you still need to learn these concepts of programming.”
Brian Rappaport used MATLAB over the summer while working with a professor at Northeastern University and has continued to use it independently to improve his coding skills. He sees the software as being a great resource in his future engineering courses.
“It makes many problems a lot easier for visualization purposes with its graphing capabilities,” Rappaport, a freshman, said. "It’s a very nice language for writing a quick little formula, and you can make very nice graphs with it very quickly.”
He said he hopes to continue to use it to build up his skills for work with more sophisticated software in the future. He sees MATLAB as a “building block” to experiment with programming techniques.
Adler also said he thinks the software serves as a good tool to start building programming skills.
“We suggest MATLAB because it’s easier to learn and use [than other programming software]," he said. “It's a nice tool for the students to get because they can play around with these concepts and practice [their] programming."
Tufts Technology Services obtains license for MATLAB
