Mattawan Math Students Turn Numbers into Goblets

Mattawan High School students enrolled in Nancy Garman’s calculus classes were recently challenged to design a goblet using their math skills. The students’ computational responses were then sent to Dr. Mitchel Keil, an IME professor, who created prototype goblets from the students’ work.

Nancy Garman (standing), a 21-year veteran calculus teacher at Mattawan High School, reviews 16 goblet prototypes made by Dr. Mitchel Keil (seated) on a rapid prototyping machine (shown in the foreground). The prototypes are based on equations prepared by Mattawan High School math students

“This was a little end-of-the-year project to design a goblet,” Garman said. “Making the prototypes added a realistic dimension to the math.”

Garman’s 48 advanced math students were organized into 16 groups of three and required to produce the calculations for a goblet that met two criteria: the goblet had to be made with a specific amount of material and the goblet had to be able to hold a specific amount of liquid. She worked with Mattawan’s drafting teacher and CAD teacher on the project.

“The students had to design a goblet with those specifications using not only this year’s calculus, but also a lot of translations, scale changes, and what they had learned in functions last year,” Garman said.

The students used Pro-E, a computer-aided design software program that creates solid models. They also maintained engineering notebooks about the process they used and prepared a final report.

Although the computations were sent to Keil, he credits Jai Thomas, a Ph.D. graduate assistant, with doing the actual work of making the prototypes.

Thomas used the rapid prototyping machine in the Center for Integrated Design at WMU’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Parkview Campus. The process of making the 16 goblets took about seven hours.

According to Keil, the rapid prototyping machine creates prototypes – made from cornstarch – layer by layer using the computer calculations. “The process of getting the student design files to the machine is actually kind of simple,” he said.

Keil was generally impressed with the prototypes. “Several goblets are very close to meeting the criteria,” he said. “Only one seems a little small and one definitely seems very large.”

The prototype goblets were returned to the students who reviewed their computations and reported on any problems. “We pick apart their mathematics to discover what they did wrong,” Garman said.

Garman, a 21-year veteran math teacher, first used prototypes a year ago when her calculus students completed a similar project as part of a National Science Foundation grant study led by WMU engineering professor Dr. Andrew Kline. His grant project was completed last year, but this year’s advanced math students at Mattawan had heard rave reviews from last year’s students and wanted to do a similar project.

“The kids really liked doing this last year,” Garman said. “They gained a lot of understanding from the actual prototypes.”

The Mattawan Foundation was credited for providing grant funds for this year’s project, and Garman said that if funding is available, she plans to do a similar project next year. “This is very valuable for the students,” she said.

---Story and photos courtesy of Kalamazoo Gazette

Engineering Management Major Selected as IME Presidential Scholar

Melissa Saltzman, an April 2007 graduate of the IME Engineering Management Technology (UEM) program with a minor in Integrated Supply Management, was the IME choice as the 2007 WMU Presidential Scholar and as the 2007 CEAS Dean’s Scholar.

As a Presidential Scholar, Saltzman, who earned a 3.95 GPA, achieved the highest academic honor that can be attained by a WMU student. She is the top 2007 graduating scholar of the Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Department. “I appreciate the support and encouragement I received from my professors, classmates, and most importantly, my family,” she said.

The Presidential award was presented at the 27th Annual Presidential Scholars Convocation, hosted by WMU Provost Janet Pisaneschi, and the Dean’s award was given at a special luncheon given by CEAS Dean Tim Greene.

For each event, Saltzman selected IME’s Dr. David Lyth as the most supportive faculty member and her choice to celebrate with her.

Saltzman has been an intern at Summit Polymers Engineering since 2005. “Being an intern has helped teach me a lot about the engineering world,” she said. “I feel that experiencing first-hand the fast-paced, high-quality demands of the auto industry has really helped me appreciate the knowledge I’m gaining from school.”

At the 27th Annual Presidential Scholars Convocation (left to right) IME professor David Lyth, Provost Janet Pisaneschi, IME Presidential Scholar Melissa Saltzman, and Faculty Senator John Jellies

For her senior design project, Saltzman and her team mates, Zachary Armstrong and Andrew Nowak, worked on designing a feasibility analysis of mobile incineration to process certain kinds of medical waste in the state of Michigan. Mobile Incinerator New Venture Analysis was presented on April 17 at the Senior Engineering Design Conference held at the Parkview Campus.

A Lee Honors College member from 2003 to 2005, Saltzman also belongs to many honor societies. Her scholarships include the MEAP, Heart of Cook, WMU Academic, George R. Kohrman, and Engineering Week, and she also won the Fall 2006 IEEE Writing Contest. She is a member of the Society of Women Engineers, and she has volunteered as a Glad-Peach Fest Children’s Day Game Designer since 2000.

Saltzman’s future plans include continuing her education at WMU in pursuit of a master’s in engineering management technology with a possible focus on supply chain and perhaps a Ph.D. in operations. “The prospect of being able to help generate plans that will lead to savings in not only time and money, but also precious resources and energy really excites me,” she said. “I look forward to being able to apply what I learn in school to the real world.”

Saltzman would like to remain in Southwest Michigan. “Someday I may also want to consider becoming a college professor,” she said. “I’d like to encourage girls to get involved in the sciences.”