Canoeing
on the River of Recursion
by
Jo Marie Rozzelle
Faculty
Advisor: Dr. Al
Riveland, Mathematics
Washburn University
Kansas Delta
Chapter
Kappa
Mu Epsilon
16 August 2004
WU-CSI Summer
Fellowship
Follow-up
Report
Abstract
An
interesting mathematical problem
involves finding the minimum cost of a trip given a finite number of
stops as
well as the associated costs for stopping.
Intuitively, the least cost will be the most direct route;
however, as
seen in many real-world settings, this is not always the case. While the specific problem involves a canoe
trip, the solution may be useful for other modes of transportation as
well.
Conclusion
These research projects were conducted in
anticipation of the bi-annual
Kappa Mu Epsilon National Convention to be held in spring, 2005 near San Antonio, Texas. KME is a national mathematical
honor society. The researchers, Fred
Hollingshead and Jo Marie Rozzelle, are president and vice-president,
respectively, of Washburn University’s chapter, Kansas Delta. This
competitive math convention will
be the primary audience for the papers, where traditionally, Washburn
students
have faired quite well, often winning the top awards for their
presentations. Students and faculty
advisors
from colleges and universities across the nation will attend. In addition, the papers can be selected for
publication
in The Pentagon, KME’s bi-annual journal of student research.
Furthermore, there will be numerous
other opportunities for the presentation of each project.
This fall, the 100th meeting of
the Kansas Association Teachers of Mathematics (KATM) will be held at
Washburn. Both Fred and Jo Marie may
speak briefly of their experiences as student researchers and the
benefits of
those experiences, including this summer fellowship, as well as the
applications of conducting student research in a classroom setting. Also, each project has a specific audience in
mind. The insurance investigation will
be offered to the benefits committee of Washburn and will be offered as
a
presentation to the faculty and staff as an opportunity to learn more
about the
plans offered and to help each employee make a more informed decision
about
their health care packages in October.
The canoe problem will be considered for presentation at the
2005 Kansas
Mathematical Association of America (MAA) meeting to be held next
spring. Finally, the projects will also be
presented
at Washburn University’s
Apeiron.
We would like to take this
opportunity to thank Washburn
University
and the WU-CSI committee for this summer fellowship award.
It is rare for an undergraduate institution
to make opportunities like the WU-CSI program available to its students. We are appreciative for this
opportunity. The summer stipend allowed
us to focus on our research projects without the worry of a summer job. Indeed, we are honored to have been a part of
this program. We learned a great deal
about grant writing, conducting research for real-world applications
and about
ourselves as well. It is difficult
preparing a budget; we tried hard to stick to our submitted plan,
occasionally
faltering, but with overall success.
We bettered ourselves by conducting
our research as a team, something we would recommend to the committee
to remain
open to. There are additional learning
experiences which are encountered when working in a group.
We are much more prepared for future
endeavors having completed our tasks together.
Finally, we wish to also thank Dr.
Al Riveland. Dr. Riveland is truly an
inspiration and should be commended for his personal time he has
invested in
our projects, as well as our growth as mathematicians and people. He provided just the right amount of hands-on
and hands-off assistance. We
infinitely
appreciate his guidance.