By Kristy Strauss
When Robert Tang wanted to give his Lisgar Collegiate Institute students hands-on experience in mathematics, he reached out to Carleton University Prof. Cheryl Schramm in the Department of Systems and Computer Engineering.
With support from Prof. Jeremy Laliberte in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, along with Kenneth Chow of the SAE Formula student race team, Tang was able to bring his students to campus to race cars they printed on Carleton’s Discovery Centre 3D printers.
“Robert Tang is a phenomenal math teacher and really looks for real-world experience and collaborative learning for his students,” said Schramm.
As their final assignment for the year, Tang’s class used math to find the best shape of a car for minimal air resistance. As a working partner of Schramm’s on other academic activities, he approached her to bring the project to life on the Carleton campus.
“It’s a great opportunity due to the amount of resources Carleton has (offered) us,” said Tang. “It has been a huge help to us for sure.”
Students designed their cars as 3D drawings and Schramm helped co-ordinate the 3D printing. She also tapped into the university’s wind tunnel for students to test their cars.
“The idea is to take it through the whole process of theory, doing math and simulation and initial testing into final product,” Schramm said.
Laliberte, who helped students access to the wind tunnel for their experiments, said the students also had a chance to see some of Carleton’s labs.
“It’s important to give them the experience and exposure to tools and techniques in engineering,” he said. “It’s fantastic and gets more kids into engineering and science. And it doesn’t just help our (university) community – it also helps the community at large.”
Kenneth Chow, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student who leads Ravens Racing – Carleton’s formula student racing team – also met with the high school students, telling them about the university’s racing program and what is available to them in high school to build and design a miniature car and enter it into an international competition.
Of their day of racing at Carleton on June 16, he said he hoped it would help students see what can be done when they apply math to a practical skill.
“They can use the technology we have now and create awesome designs and push the limits of what we think is impossible,” said Chow.
Schramm, Laliberte and students like Chow have helped his students understand what university is all about, said Tang.
“I think they shared a vision and they’re the leaders. This is a real opportunity they have brought to students.”
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Tuesday, June 17, 2014 in News Releases
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