mlee@hermod.cs.cornell.edu (mark lee) (10/29/90)
The top prize for IMPACT's first software contest has been awarded to Michael J. Mezzino, Chairman of the Mathematics Department at University of Houston - Clear Lake. (MEZZINO@cl.uh.edu) Dr. Mezzino submitted a program called PhaseScope. PhaseScope is a comprehensive user interface and general graphical display program for qualitatively analyzing the stability characteristics of dynamical systems. PhaseScope was written to be used as a learning tool supporting several topics in a typical course in differential equations. It has a very easy to use interface, and includes such advanced features as voice errors. PhaseScope obtains the solution to the dynamical system by hooking to Mathematica's kernel to perform the numerical integration, thereby allowing different numerical integration routines to be incorporated. In addition to being a general learning tool, PhaseScope also serves as a modeling tool which can be used in other disciplines such as biology and chemistry. As the top prize winner, Dr. Mezzino received a $1000 award and will be offered a contract to have PhaseScope published by IMPACT Software Publishing, Inc.