Ye Qi-xiao* (China), wuye@email.msn.com 

Using Math Software Packages and Mathematical Contest in Modelling (MCM) in
China

In early 1980s, a few professors began to involve in the research of math
software packages,such as MuMath, DERIVE etc, and to introduce to some
universities and research institutions.  Since 1989 some university teachers
and students began to use math software packages for their participating in the
US Mathematical Contest in Modeling.  We organized three workshops for learning
and testing Mathematica from 1990 to 1992.  In 1996 we organized a big
conference focused on learning Mathematica, Maple, Matlab etc, there were more
than 180 participants from about more than 100 universities and colleges.  Now,
more than 6,000 students from about 460 universities and colleges participate
in our own MCM, so at these institutions we have teachers they know these math
software packages quite well and can teach students to use them.  Some
universities now offer a course "Mathematical Experimentation", in that course
students mainly use Matlab, Mathematica and Maple to do a variety of
experiments.  Some universities hav