A History of Undergraduate Research in Mathematics

Author(s):  
Joseph A. Gallian
Author(s):  
Amy L. Miller ◽  
Alyson Stegman

Pennsylvania has a long history of coal mining. Unfortunately, it has left many scars. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) is looking at the potential of using micro hydro turbines in acid mine drainage streams. They hope to make it profitable for business to "clean-up" the streams by providing seed money to initiate the hydro turbine projects. It is believed that businesses can profit from both the energy created by the turbines and the extraction of the acid mine drainage (AMD) minerals. The minerals and concentrations vary with each stream. Some possess precious metals, others contain minerals that are used in paint pigment, and still others are being researched for use in powder metallurgy. The paper outlines an undergraduate research project done at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. The study is to create a comprehensive diagnostic spreadsheet to be used by the PA DEP to determine viable economical turbines based on waterway conditions. The study has parallel phases: one addressing issues related to turbine parameters and a second dealing with waterway variables. Also to be discussed in the paper is the use of the project as an undergraduate research study for technology students. For students interested in research or graduate school, it is immensely important to introduce them to research. By guiding them through the process they are better prepared for their future.


Author(s):  
Carolina Mendonça Fernandes de Barros ◽  
Tais Feijo Viana ◽  
Luana Melo Pereira

Resumo: Este artigo tem como objetivo descrever um breve histórico sobre diferentes tendências pedagógicas da educação no Brasil e debater a relação entre esses modelos e a busca da formação do conhecimento, através da iniciação da pesquisa, usando, para isso, uma experiência realizada numa disciplina do Curso Técnico de Edificações do Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Sul-Riograndense. O estudo parte do pressuposto de que é preciso apreender com rapidez, em um mundo frenético, onde o ensino necessita de múltiplos contextos. “Roubemos”, então, parte de uma conversa deleuziana, na qual aprender é pensar, e do entendimento de que o professor reflexivo é o que procura desencadear, arrolar e romper o pensamento. Frente à ruptura feita pela tentativa de inovação em sala de aula, o paradigma dominante aqui se desconstrói, necessitando novas conexões para seguir. Assim, esta pesquisa parte da narração de uma nova prática, em que a inovação demonstra que o interesse dos estudantes é proporcional à curiosidade que a disciplina ou as atividades podem propiciar. A pesquisa desvincula-se do apenas ir para o laboratório de materiais de construção e realizar análises hipotéticas. Aqui, altera-se e amplia-se com o estímulo da vontade dos estudantes em analisar um produto que eles mesmos criaram. Desse modo, os estudantes são provocados a produzir, na forma de um texto científico, o conteúdo abordado, tendo a possibilidade de introdução na iniciação científica e de perdurar nela durante o semestre inteiro. O resultado é um banner, simulando a exposição em um congresso. Palavras-chaves: Inovação. Ensino Técnico. Iniciação Científica. Professor reflexivo.  THE REFLECTIVE TEACHER AND EDUCATION BY RESEARCH: PERSPECTIVES OF A PRACTICE WITH STUDENTS OF THE BUILDING TECHNICAL COURSE Abstract: This article aims to describe a brief history of the different pedagogical trends of education in Brazil and discuss the relations between these models and the pursuit of knowledge formation through the initiation of research, by using it for an experiment conducted in the discipline of Building Technical Course of Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology Sul-Rio-Grandense. The study assumes that we need to grasp quickly, in a frantic world, where teaching requires multiple contexts. We pick part of a conversation from Deleuze, by whom learning is thinking, and the understanding that the reflective teacher is looking trigger, roll over and break the thought. Face to break made by attempt of innovation in the classroom, the dominant paradigm here is deconstructed and need new connections. Thus, this research is the narration of a new practice, where innovation shows that student interest is proportional to the curiosity that the subject or the activities can provide. The research is disassociated of the only go to the lab of building materials and perform what if analysis here alters and expands on the stimulus of the will of the students in analyzing a product that they themselves created. Therefore, students are provoked to produce a scientific text about the studied subject, and they are given the opportunity of experiencing the undergraduate research and continuing it during the semester. The result is a banner, simulating an exposure in a conference. Keywords: Innovation. Techinical Education. Initiation to research. Reflective Teacher. 


Científica ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-53
Author(s):  
Stephanie Marie Villanueva-Pérez ◽  
Valerie Odeh-Couvertier ◽  
Viviana Vázquez-García ◽  
Rocío Isabe Fernández Lafuente ◽  
Verónica Díaz Cruz ◽  
...  

Manufacturing is a key economic activity. Its know-how and its competitive advantages have shaped the history of humankind. In many Industrial Engineering (IE) programs, however, manufacturing is not taught as related to process know-how, but as systemic integration and management. It is possible to capitalize on the recent 3D printing technologies to reintroduce IE students to manufacturing principles through prototyping projects. Sparking the interest of IE students, though, can also be achieved through selecting problems of environmental awareness. This work describes a project of self-assemblies developed under the scheme of undergraduate research that makes prototyping a central endeavor with the aim to foster plastic recycling as an end goal.


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