West Cary Middle School
Wake County Schools
Mentors: Dr. Michael Minion, Dr. Laura Miller, UNC-Chapel Hill
Sponsors: Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute, National Institute of Statistical Sciences
Pumping and Moving Through Fluids at Different Sizes: Mathematical Model to Describe Fluid Behavior
Kenan Fellow Jenny Rucker, working with faculty from the Department of Mathematics at the University of North Carolina, is creating activities to teach middle school students how to use math to model and predict natural phenomena. Through hands-on, inquiry-based labs, seventh and eighth grade students will explore the behavior and effects of fluid in and around objects and organisms. Students will investigate and create fluid transport systems and gather data to calculate natural frequencies. Using scale models to gain a better understanding, they will use data to predict real-life effects on trees and other structures.