December 5, 2012

I was unable to attend my internship meeting this week due to our senior field trip to NYC. However, I talked to my mentor and will begin blogging on the project's blogging website next week. The website is http://cs4hs.rpi.edu/blog/. I will provide more details next week once I actually begin.

November 27, 2012

Today during my meeting I helped to compile results for my mentor's research. Before beginning the program each of the students who will participate take a pre-test, which asks questions about the type of math that will be taught throughout creating the pieces of art. At the end of the program, the students take a post-test, which includes the same questions as the pre-test to see how much they have been able to take away from the computer program. During the meeting a used the answer key we have been working on to grade the pre-tests the students took. I then created a table that included the school the student attended, their identification number, and the score they received on the test. I did this for around 4 different high schools. 

Some of the students have already completed the program and therefore have taken the post-test. I graded these tests as while and recorded the results in comparison to the student's scores the first time they took it before taking part in the program. A majority of the students showed improvement in their scores from beginning to end. As more of the post-tests are taken, I will add the results to the data already collected for my mentor to use in her research and presentations. 

On my next visit I will organize answers to a computer survey the students took before completing the program in context with both their ethnicity and gender to compare between different groups of people.

November 14, 2012

On November 14, I went to RPI for my first 3-hr internship meeting with my mentor. For the computer program, she has developed a set of instructions and questions for the students to use as they participate in creating the art. During my time at RPI, I went through each of the steps involved with the program and edited the instructions for both grammatical errors along with areas which may need to be fixed in order to further understanding of the materials and what the students should do. As well as editing I also was to create an answer key to provide to the teachers so that they would be better prepared to teach the students using this method. This required me to go through the entire program myself and follow the directions carefully while answering the questions.

For the first part of the program, I learned how to apply mathematical principles such as symmetry to Native American beadwork. I then used computer algorithms to create lines of beads of different colors to copy a picture of a specific design. I then recorded the algorithms I developed to add to the answer key. For the second-half of the program I learned how to do iteration to create braiding patterns for hair (cornrows specifically). I used the software to create a certain braided design using different types of iteration using different types of transformational geometry. I then recorded my results to add to the answer key. The programming is very interesting and I am enjoying learning about what different types of math principles can be applied to cultural art.

November 7, 2012

On November 7th I was unable to attend my internship due to an illness.

November 1, 2012

On November 1, Mr. Calos and I traveled to RPI to meet with my mentor, Audrey, who is a professor in the communications and media department, for my first meeting. During the visit we introduced ourselves and arranged technicalities for my future visits. She began by describing the research she has been conducting at RPI with another professor. Her research involves computer programming, art, and math principles. Through computer programming, they have developed a system where students create art using mathematical methods, such as algorithms. Through this process, they are able to learn new mathematical techniques while creating a piece of art that can then be applied to the rest of their life as a student. The art is geared towards culturally significant designs such as Native American bead work, to also combine culture into learning math. This allows the students to also become culturally aware and to be involved in creating art that is a part of their own culture.

Throughout my internship, I will aid Audrey with her research in this topic and help her prepare for a conference where the information and results will be presented in March.She received a Google Grant to fund her research with high school age students. The programs will be given to teachers and they will then proceed to teach the students using these methods. I will delve into a part of the research that interests me the most and help to develop that part of the program.

Science Quest at UMass!

On October 27, we traveled to UMass Amherst to attend the university’s annual Science Quest. The Science Quest program gives high school students and their teachers to experience what science and labs are like at the college. There were many demo classes available that covered many different aspects of the sciences found at UMass.

Throughout the day I attended four mini-courses: 1. Dark Matters, 2. The Energy Crisis: Where are the Renewable Solutions?, 3. Funtastic Food Science!, and 4. The Singular Science of Paper, and Everything Else.

The first course, Dark Matters, included information about galaxies and how the universe is expanding. There are many theories for how the universe is continuing to grow: some say it will continue to grow exponentially and others state that eventually in will hit peak growth and then begin to condense again.  A large portion of the class was devoted to the study of Dark Matter and Dark Energy, which seem to make up most of the universe even thought neither have been studied or even created in a lab.

The second course, The Energy Crisis: Where are the Renewable Solutions?, discussed different alternative energy resources and UMass’s pioneering effort to create and design energy resources that can replace oil in large quantities.

The third course, Funtastic Food Science!,, provided information on how taste works and how different kinds of food are created. For example you can use an extract from seaweed to make gelled foods and use liquid nitrogen to freeze ice cream.

The fourth course, The Singular Science of Paper, and Everything Else, discussed singularities that form in paper when it is crumpled and compared it to the singularities as water forms droplets, and even what occurs in a black hole. Even the way the matter within paper interacts and moves is more complicated than it seems.

The day at Science Quest was a great experience and I ended up learning a lot of interesting information.