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The familiar question "What is the point of algebra?" was recently answered.
Civil engineer Mark Love of Engineers Teaching Algebra conducted hands-on workshops at Ridgewood High School in Norridge. Love, who has been with the Rochester, New Hampshire-based organization for 15 years, travels to various schools around the country.
During the workshop, Ridgewood students used algebra to design a traffic signal, Love said.
"The algebra is based on the relationship between the traffic and the timing patterns," he said. "The more cars you have, the more green light time it needs to clear those cars. Their algebra was in relating the traffic volume with the seconds of green light time allocated per direction."
Sheri Vavilis, math and business division head for the high school, said Love was invited to speak with three 90-minute sessions of 25 students each, of ninth-grade algebra students to teach them real life applications of mathematics through engineering. Grant money was used to bring career awareness to students as one of the goals.
The workshops earned praise from Vavilis.
"As a team leader, I think it was a great experience," Vavilis said. "I've gotten feedback from both students and teachers who said they thought it was excellent. So we do plan on trying to work this in in the future or experiences like it. It sort of depends on grant money availability."
"It went really, really well," Love said. "I got a great response from the kids."
He said Vavilis told Love that the students were expressing their excitement to her, the school dean and guidance counselor after the workshops.
Love said he would like to come back to Ridgewood for workshops but acknowledged funding is an issue in the current economy.
Article written by Craig A. Whitney in the Thursday, March 5, 2009 issue of the Pioneer Press Norridge and Harwood Heights News and online at
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/norridge/news/1458166,no-algebra-030509-s1.article. Used with permission.
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