A self-proclaimed man-e-ac for the mathematical constant e, Dr. Brian McCartin, professor of Applied Mathematics at Kettering University, is living the dream of many a mathematician – he has been slated to receive the prestigious 2010 Chauvenet Prize for Mathematical Expository Writing, given by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

“This is the sort of thing one dreams about but does not dare confess to dreaming about,” said McCartin of the award, which he described as the mathematical equivalent of a Pulitzer Prize, for those unfamiliar with the heady world of advanced mathematics.

“Even my best friends can’t believe I’m on the list (of Chauvenet winners),” he said of the honor. “I was thunderstruck when I was notified I had received this award.”

He was chosen as the 2010 recipient of the Chauvenet Prize for his article “e: The Master of All” published in the Mathematical Intelligencer Spring 2006 edition, a publication of Springer Science and Business Media, Inc.

e is a mathematical constant that “burst into existence in the early 17^th Century in the context of commercial transactions involving compound interest,” according to McCartin’s article. “For people proficient at math, e is the king,” said McCartin, describing the gist of his article as an in-depth explanation of how e “beats the crap out of Π!”

 e = 2.718281828459045 . . . was first discovered as the solution to the problem: How much is $1 worth if it is invested for 10 years at 10% interest? Since its discovery, it has been used in a variety of applications that include the scheduling of radiation therapy treatments, the definition of equiangular spirals like the one used to begin the Yellow Brick Road in the Wizard of Oz movie, and computing the probability of the “drunken secretary problem.” The latter involves a scenario in which, after a few too many spiked eggnogs at the company Christmas party, a tipsy secretary is confronted with n different letters and corresponding envelopes. The probability that she will produce a “derangement whereby no letter is placed in the correct envelope” can be calculated with e, according to McCartin.

After many years of reading what he calls “outstanding mathematical exposition,” McCartin said the idea for “e: The Master of All” came to him after reading Eli Maor’s 1994 book “e: The Story of a Number.” “Long a man-e-ac, I devoured this book but found that many of my favorite triv-e-a were missing!” he joked.

He began systematically collecting these miscellan-e-a, sending the completed manuscript to the Mathematical Intelligencer in 2005. After publication in the Intelligencer, the article was translated into Mandarin by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2007 for use in math education in China and is required reading for math teachers there.

To qualify for the Chauvenet Prize, an expository article must have been published for at least two years. The prize consists of a $1,000 monetary award and a certificate, and is normally awarded at the Annual Meeting of the Association, which this year will be held in San Francisco in January. Due to health restrictions that prevent him from travelling, McCartin will receive the Prize at the Regional meeting of the MAA in Ypsilanti, Mich.

First awarded in 1925, the Prize is named for William Chauvenet, a professor of mathematics at the United States Naval Academy. It was established through a gift in 1925 from J.L. Coolidge, then MAA president. Winners of the Chauvenet Prize are among the most distinguished of mathematical expositors.

McCartin has earned degrees in both Applied Mathematics from the University of Rhode Island and Music Theory from the Hartt School of Music of the University of Hartford. He holds a doctorate in Applied Mathematics from the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences of New York University. He was a senior research mathematician for United Technologies Research Center and chair of Computer Science at RPI/Hartford before joining Kettering University.

No stranger to professional recognition, McCartin received Kettering’s Outstanding Researcher Award in 2000, and the Outstanding Teaching award in 2001 and again in 2006. The Michigan Section of the MAA recognized him with their Award for Distinguished University Teaching in 2004, and in 2008 he was Plenary Lecturer at the First American Conference on Applied Mathematics held at Harvard University.

McCartin serves on the Editorial Board of the international journal Applied Mathematical Sciences and is a Fellow of the Electromagnetics Academy. He published his first book “Rayleigh-Schrödinger Perturbation Theory: Pseudoinverse Approach” (Hikari Ltd.) in 2009.

Interesting triv-e-a about McCartin: He is a devoted Yankees fan, and his wife, Barbara McCartin, creates all the line illustrations for his writings. For exponentially more triv-e-a about him, visit his web page at www.kettering.edu/~bmccarti

Written by Dawn Hibbard

810.762.9865

dhibbard@kettering.edu

Kettering University's Crash Safety Center worked with Dorel Juvenile Group to develop a ground-breaking new car seat safety technology that better protects children in side impact crashes.

The New Safety 1st Car Seat has Air Protect™ -- the most innovative and groundbreaking safety feature ever offered in a car seat.  Developed in conjunction with Kettering University’s renowned Crash Safety Center, Air Protect™ is designed to protect children in side impact collisions, putting a state-of-the-art layer of air protection where it’s needed most, around the child’s head.

Side impact crashes have dramatically increased over the past two decades and are today the deadliest kind of crashes for children.  The vast majority of these fatalities are due to head trauma, according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

“There is currently no government-mandated test requirement for side impacts related to child seats,” said Dr. Janet Brelin-Fornari, professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of Kettering’s Crash Safety Center.

“Dorel is actually moving ahead of government regulations to produce a safer car seat for side impact crashes because they want to be leaders in reducing the risk of injury to children during collisions,” she added. NHTSA is utilizing the research conducted by Dorel and Brelin-Fornari to develop standards for side impact testing of car seats, according to Brelin-Fornari.

How Air Protect™ Works - Through the precise release of air, Air Protect™ compresses and shields children from side impact intrusion and immediately reduces crash forces where the child is most vulnerable – the head.  Air Protect™ does this by extending ride-down, the amount of time it takes to slow a child’s movement in a crash.  By extending ride-down time, Air Protect™ creates a slower, softer landing.

The Dorel/Kettering Method - Air Protect™ was developed as a result of a revolutionary testing method. The Dorel/Kettering Method uses an intruding door technique, instead of a fixed door, to simulate a side impact crash with far more accuracy. In a side impact crash, a car door moves inward, toward the child.

Global Testing and Engineering Services collaborated with Kettering to design the fixtures that simulated real-world crash events, said Brelin-Fornari.

“Dorel continues to be the leader in the car seat category and with this unique testing approach has created a new level of side impact protection for children, the likes of which have never been seen before,” commented Dave Taylor, President of Dorel Juvenile Group US.  “This new testing method is so significant that we have shared our findings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, supporting NHTSA’s efforts to provide more comprehensive regulation for side impact crash testing.”

Over the past two years, Dorel’s team of industry-leading car seat engineers have collaborated with researchers at Kettering University to study side impact crashes.  “The Dorel/Kettering Method and Air Protect™ are truly break-through advancements for child passenger safety,” said Brelin-Fornari, who specializes in pediatric crash safety and oversees the crash safety programs at Kettering.

“The technology is so revolutionary that we will be rolling it out globally – incorporating it in Dorel car seats in Europe and Australia, in addition to North America,” said Hani Basile, Global Dorel Juvenile Group President and Chief Executive Officer.

Road safety is especially important this summer as millions of families plan to travel to vacation destinations by car.  According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), an estimated 27 million Americans will travel by car this summer, many with children in the back seat.

Air Protect™ is being offered in the new Safety 1st Complete Air car seat in black/gray and brown/orange.  In addition to offering the best side impact protection, the Safety 1st Complete Air with Air Protect™ is easy to install, with Safety 1st’s QuickFit™ Harness System, among other features.  “We know that proper installation and use are critical to a child’s safety too,” added Dorel’s Taylor.

A convertible car seat for children 5 to 50 pounds, Safety 1st’s Complete Air is available for pre-order beginning July 1 at Babies“R”Us stores and online at Babiesrus.com and Babiesrus.ca.  In August, Toys“R”Us and Babies“R”Us stores will be the first to offer the Complete Air car seat with Air Protect™, followed by other retailers later in the year.  To learn more, visit www.safety1st.com/airprotect.  Safety 1st has been the definitive leader and innovator in child safety products for the home and car for the past 25 years.

Air Protect™ Technology will also be extended to other Dorel car seats, including Maxi Cosi, Eddie Bauer and Cosco car seats.

About Dorel Industries

Dorel Industries Inc. (TSX: DII.B, DII.A) is a world class juvenile products and bicycle company. Established in 1962, Dorel creates style and excitement in equal measure to safety, quality and value. The Company’s lifestyle leadership position is pronounced in both its Juvenile and Bicycle categories with an array of trend-setting products. Dorel’s powerfully branded products include Safety 1st, Quinny, Cosco, Maxi-Cosi and Bébé Confort in Juvenile, as well as Cannondale, Schwinn, GT, Mongoose and SUGOI in Recreational/Leisure. Dorel’s Home Furnishings segment markets a wide assortment of furniture products, both domestically produced and imported. Dorel is a US $2.2 billion company with 4,700 employees, facilities in eighteen countries, and sales worldwide.

Written by Dawn Hibbard with information provided by Dorel

810.762.9865

dhibbard@kettering.edu

Dr. Jim Huggins, an associate professor of Computer Science at Kettering University, recently joined with more than 10,000 university and high school teachers in the evaluation of more than 2.7 million Advanced Placement exams for the College Board.

Huggins evaluated computer science exams at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Other subjects read at this location included Italian and Spanish languages, Spanish Literature and Studio Art. In addition, the 2009 AP Reading of tests in different disciplines also took place at Colorado State University, the Daytona Beach Ocean Center, the Kentucky International Convention Center, the University of Nebraska—Lincoln and the Kansas City Convention Center.

Each year, the AP Program, sponsored by the College Board, gives more than one million capable high school students an opportunity to take college-level courses and examinations. Based on their exam performance, these students can earn credit or advanced placement when they enter college.

According to the AP, college professors and high school teachers evaluated exams from more than 37 AP courses. These professors and teachers represent some of the finest academic institutions in the world. In addition, these individuals represent some of the best high school and college educators in the U.S., Canada and abroad.

The AP Reading is a unique forum in which academic dialogue between secondary school and college educators is fostered and strongly encouraged.

“The reading draws upon the talents of some of the finest teachers and professors that the world has to offer,” explained Trevor Packer, vice president of the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board. “It fosters professionalism, allows for the exchange of ideas and strengthens the commitment to students and to teaching. We are very grateful for the contributions of talented educators like Jim Huggins,” he added.

This is Huggins fifth time serving as an evaluator for the AP Program. “Working at the AP reading is an annual highlight for me.  It is amazing to work together with a group of highly dedicated high school and college instructors, all of whom care passionately about teaching the next generation of computing professionals,” he said, adding “I look forward to this opportunity every year and am thrilled to be able to serve again as a reader this year.”

The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the association is composed of more than 5,400 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. Each year, the College Board serves seven million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools, and 3,500 colleges through major programs and services in college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment, and teaching and learning. Among its best-known programs are the SAT, the PSAT/NMSQT, and the Advanced Placement Program. The College Board is committed to the principles of excellence and equity, and that commitment is embodied in all of its programs, services, activities, and concerns. To learn more about the AP Program sponsored by the College Board, visit http://www.collegeboard.com/about/index.html.

When one thinks of Legos, they often envision small children constructing elaborate buildings and vehicles that defy engineering theories.

But at Kettering University in Flint, Mich., Legos are an important component in teaching high school students about the work of industrial engineers and in encouraging them to consider industrial engineering (IE) as a potential career path. Since many of these students are unfamiliar with the work of an engineer in general, Kettering’s IE Airplane Demonstration Workshop provides a quick understanding of this field through hands-on activities that ultimately show them how cool engineering is.

Dr. Lucy King, interim department head for Industrial Engineering, said that this workshop grew out of a concern expressed by Kettering students about the lack of enrollment in IE.

“They wanted to do something to help increase recruitment efforts, to get high school students thinking about IE as a possible college major and career,” King explained, adding that this effort “is one of the first recruitment/public awareness efforts by IE students.”

So the students worked with Associate Professor Terri Lynch-Caris of IE to develop the IE Airplane Road Show. The goal is to give high school students assembly criteria and a set of Legos to create a plane utilizing the following five-step process:

• assembly of front fuselage;
• assembly of wing structure;
• assembly of tail;
• assembly of accessories/peripherals, such as landing gear; and
• quality check.

High schools students participating in the project include a number from Oakland Schools Technical Campus (OSTC) Northwest in Clarkston. Kettering students split the high school students into teams of five or six. The teams then engaged in the five-step process and were timed to determine how swiftly they could construct their Lego planes. At the end of the timed process, Kettering students calculated the number of good assemblies.

Teams were then rated by the number of unfinished assemblies against the number of finished assemblies. After this, the teams had an opportunity to discuss the assembly issues, determine a course of action to rectify these issues and increase quality based on suggestions from the Kettering students. Then they could redo the round to try and increase their overall score.

According to King, the high school students made considerable improvements in each round and quickly learned several lessons on how IEs work to improve engineering and manufacturing processes.

“This really helped them see what industrial engineering is all about,” she said. “They seemed to enjoy the workshop and the interaction with the Kettering students,” she added.

Teachers from the Oakland Schools Technical Campus agree with King’s assessment.

“The students had a basic understanding of engineering and little understanding of the different engineering disciplines,” said Teacher Robert DuCharme. “The workshop was very important in aiding the students in understanding what an IE career entails,” he added.

DuCharme also said that when his students were told about the workshop, they were skeptical at first. However, by the end of the program, they were enjoying the experience and the hands-on approach, including the challenging workshops.

“The Kettering students were fun, engaging and professional throughout the entire event,” he said.

Teacher Don Peters also felt the workshop was productive.

“Our students had no previous knowledge regarding the work that an industrial engineer performs in their career,” he said. “The Kettering students did a great job interacting with OSTC students and we’re looking forward to engaging in another workshop in the near future.”

The IE Airplane Demonstration Workshop is comprised of several components. At the start of the program, Kettering students, along with King, explain to the high school students what industrial engineers typically do during their careers. The Kettering contingent then shows a video about these careers, which features engineers working at Disney World, UPS, automotive companies as well as for hospitals among other areas.

“We try to show them that any job or company that deals with developing and implementing a process needs industrial engineers, since these professionals often take responsibility for this kind of work,” King noted.

After this lecture and video presentation, the Kettering contingent discusses the workshop, issues of quality, the rules for the competition and the importance of providing feedback to King and the students regarding the experience. King and the students also discuss with the high school students subjects such as LEAN operation, logistics, scheduling and other aspects related to an industrial engineering job.

Perhaps one of the most important features of this workshop is the opportunity for current college students to go out and explain what an IE does to those who might consider this as a career field. Instead of hearing about the IE field from a professor or parent, high school students are able to relate more directly to the experiences of college students studying the discipline, which could potentially persuade younger students to consider IE as a career path.

King said that she expects to conduct this workshop again in the near future.

To learn more about this workshop or industrial engineering, contact Dr. Lucy King at (810) 762-7850, via email at lking@kettering.edu or visit Kettering’s Industrial Engineering Department website at http://www.kettering.edu/futurestudents/undergraduate/industrialengineering.jsp.

Written by Gary J. Erwin

810.762.9538

gerwin@kettering.edu

Dr. Badri Rao, associate professor of Liberal Studies, chaired the Human Security and Peace in South and Southeast Asia session during the United Nations World Civic Forum 2009 in Seoul, South Korea May 5 – 8.

The first-ever World Civic Forum, “Building Our Humanitarian Planet," was organized by Kyung Hee University in partnership with the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). The forum covered three key issues stemming from the U.N. Millennium Declaration pledging to make the world better for all by 2015. The three issues were: Civic Values for Global Justice; Civic Engagement in Public and Global Governance; and Civic Action for the Global Agenda Including Climate Change.

Rao presented his paper “Turning Swords into Plowshares; Promoting Human Security and Tolerance in the Context of Terrorism in South Asia,” May 8, in conjunction with two other presenters addressing human security and peace in South and Southeast Asia.

His premise is that trade relations can be utilized to reduce conflict between hostile countries. Rao referenced the situation between his native India and Pakistan as an example, specifically the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai by members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based militant organization, considered a terrorist organization by many countries including India, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Since gaining independence in 1947, India and Pakistan have engaged in four wars and hundreds of terrorist attacks, creating endemic animosity and hostility between the two, according to Rao.

“The 2008 attacks in Mumbai outraged India collectively when it became clear that Pakistan was involved,” said Rao. “Indians demanded the Indian government make surgical strikes on known terrorist training camps in Pakistan,” he added.

However, the government of India was in a delicate situation as it had to reckon with the domestic and international implications of such demands, he explained. Aside form potentially disastrous economic implications, the country has the second largest Muslim population in the world (after Indonesia), and if they bow to internal pressure and attacked Pakistan, they run the risk of worsening already fragile Hindu-Muslim relations and jeopardizing the safety of Muslims in India. “Also, India cannot attack Pakistan and expect no retaliation,” he added.

On the other hand, Pakistan is viewed internationally as a sponsor of terrorism, said Rao, with its elites and the military patronizing terrorist groups to legitimize their rule and to settle scores with India. But Pakistani leaders can no longer manage the extremists within their borders as the spate of terrorist attacks in Pakistan amply prove. “And with increasing international pressure against state-sponsored terrorism, if they continue to sponsor terrorism they will become pariahs in the international community,” said Rao.

“Both countries have serious challenges ahead of them, and limited options,” he said. The most pragmatic strategy for promoting peace and tolerance in South Asia is by advancing human security and not just state security, according to Rao. “Human security ensures there is all-around human development, he said.

India and Pakistan must vigorously pursue the Millennium Development Goals, said Rao. “The two countries need to set aside old animosities and move beyond the 'burden of history',” he said. “I think India and Pakistan can put their heads together and collaborate, but this calls for enlightened leadership. They should promote trade and collaborate in the area of human development. The more you trade the less incentive you have to go to war,” he said.

Pursuing civic nationalism as opposed to religious nationalism: emphasizing social inclusion and tolerance in education; stressing the common cultural ties of India and Pakistan, providing aid to Pakistan in exchange for assurances of curbing terrorism; and threatening international isolation are some of the steps Rao outlines for effectively defusing terrorism.

While some may view his position too idealistic, Rao feels that if the area continues to fester, the situation will only get worse.

If, however, the Indian government tries to win the hearts and minds of the Pakistani people through trade and humanitarian efforts, it could serve to isolate the terrorists and they wouldn’t have as much influence on the general population, hypothesizes Rao. “Human development is the best antidote against the alienation of disaffected terrorists,” he said.

In the long term, Rao would like to see a South Asian Union similar to the European Union.

Like Rao, the more than 2500 participants at the World Civic Forum are hopeful that their work will help formulate U.N. policies and assist in the accomplishment of the Millennium Development Goals. “The whole idea of the forum was to find the ways and means to create a more humanitarian planet,” he said”

For more information on the World Civic Forum of UNDESA, hosted in conjunction with Kyung Hee University, visit http://www.wcf2009.org/