Prof. Susan E. Martonosi Harvey Mudd College Mathematics Clinic Director Senior Capstone Projects: A Taste of the Real Word HMC Olin Science Center, Claremont,

Prof. Susan E. MartonosiHarvey Mudd College

Mathematics Clinic Director

Senior Capstone Projects:A Taste of the Real Word

HMC Olin Science Center, Claremont, California

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Today’s Workshop• Brief overview of HMC Clinic• Brainstorming: How might you start a similar

program?• Pole pole: Other ways to incorporate real-

world modeling

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Harvey Mudd College

• Highly-selective liberal arts college of science and engineering– Undergraduates only– Curriculum and post-graduate

opportunities similar to a university

• Math major emphasizes theory and application– Required courses in pure and

applied math– Students choose an elective track

(OR is one option)– Capstone

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What Is a Capstone?• Project conducted during student’s final

year– Synthesizes material learned in courses– Typically involves a final report and/or

presentation to develop communication skills• Thesis:

– One-on-one with faculty advisor– Often (but not always) theoretical research– Topic comes from student or advisor

• Clinic:– Team project with faculty advisor and liaison– Often (but not always) applied research– Topic comes from a sponsor (Industrial,

Non-profit, Government agency, …)

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Clinic Is a Sponsored Student Capstone Project Tackling a Real-World Problem

Sponsor

Research Problem

Liaison(s)

Funding (flat fee)

Harvey Mudd

Students (4-5)

Faculty Advisor

Infrastructure

Clinic Team

Original Research / Education in Professional PracticeDeliverables (Final Report, Prototypes, Models,

Software, Intellectual Property Rights)

Nine Months

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Clinic Was Founded as an Engineering Education Innovation in 1963

- Over 1300 projects since!

- 42 projects in 2011-12

- Programs in:-Computer Science-Engineering-Mathematics-Physics-Global Clinic

Global Clinic Started in 2006

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Partnerships with universities and sponsors in Puerto Rico, Singapore, Iceland, China, Japan

and India

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There Is No “Typical” Clinic Project• Math clinic sponsors have included:

– for-profit corporations, entrepreneurs, national labs, defense contractors and nonprofit organizations

• Mathematical areas of contribution:Statistics and Probability Fluid dynamicsOptimal control Operations researchAlgorithm design SimulationsNumerical methods Image processing

Financial mathematics Resource management

• Given a problem description we help sponsors scope it for project duration and difficulty

Operations Research and Probability Modeling

Pairs Trading and Statistical Arbitrage

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The Clinic Program Has Two Primary Goals

• Give advanced students the opportunity to solve real-world problems – Synthesize all they have learned– Training environment for solving important

real-world problems professionally and in a controlled and mentored setting.

• Provide value to the sponsoring organization in return for funding the project– Patents, prototypes, ideas– Recruiting opportunities

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Clinic Directors Are Tasked with Recruiting Project Sponsors

• Good potential sponsors:– Local and regional companies, non-profits

and government agencies– Alumni network– Successful projects lead to repeat

sponsorships• Curricular requirement pressure to find

good projects in sufficient numbers

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The First Step Is Identifying a Problem

• Sponsor provides a written problem statement– 1-2 revision cycles with Clinic Director to

ensure project scope is appropriate for students’ background and 9-month project timeframe

• Sponsor appoints a liaison to – monitor team progress, – provide domain expertise, and – ensure project direction is consistent with

sponsor’s objectives• Sponsor/HMC sign Letter of

Understanding• Faculty advisor assigned to project

based on interest and expertise• At start of fall semester, students are

assigned to teams based on their preferences

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Each Student Spends ~10 Hrs/Wk on the Project Throughout Academic Year

• Sept: Orientation Day• Oct.: Statement of Work• Fall semester: Site Visit• End of fall: Mid-year

report• Spring semester: Weekly

Clinic-wide presentations• May: Projects Day and

final site visit

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The Year Culminates in Projects Day

• Sponsoring organization invited to campus• Presentations and poster sessions by all

teams• Celebration of student work and the end of

an exciting year

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Project Deliverables Are Sent to Sponsor

• Bound final report• CD-ROM containing

– Final report– Software installation and code– User documentation– Relevant data– Final presentation– Poster– Statement of Work– Mid-year report

• All hardware or prototypes• Final site visit

Low-thrust Orbit Raising

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Quotes from Students: Knowledge Synthesis

“[T]his project was a very interesting mesh between theory and application.... 

Applying some of our control theory from classes to getting [good results in the lab] was quite a challenge and provided a lot

of useful (and frustrating) experience.”

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Quotes from Students: Teamwork

“We each had different strengths and weaknesses.  Yet, they seemed to

complement each other well.  Where I was weak, my teammates were strong, and

vice versa.”

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Quotes from Students: Professional Preparation

“Clinic has been … good in terms of giving me

job experience.”

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Clinic Gives Sponsor Fresh Ideas on an Important Problem

• Students gain technical expertise and develop professional skills

• Team of sharp, motivated and creative students working for a whole year– Many projects lead to patents– Many results are implemented– Many clients come back in subsequent years

• Excellent recruiting opportunities

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Significant Support Infrastructure Is Not Necessary at First

• Sponsorship fee– Covers equipment, staff, overhead, site visit,

recruiting– Sponsor expects results– Blessing and curse: non-profits can’t afford fee– At first, not necessary

• Graduation requirement– Need enough projects for students– Could offer as an extracurricular option– Could have multiple teams on same project

• Sponsors across the country– Start locally

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Getting Started• Assessing your students’ strengths• Identifying potential sponsors• Approaching sponsors• Choosing projects• Obtaining institutional support• Running the projects

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Assessing Your Students’ Strengths

“Think, Pair, Share”:• What is your program’s specialty?• How are your students successful?• What other skills do they have?

– Computing?– Communication?– Research?– Job experience?

• How much time can you expect students to spend on the project?

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Identifying Potential Sponsors

“Think, Pair, Share”:• Are there companies or organizations near

you who might have interesting O.R. problems?– Industry– Hospitals– Non-profit organizations– Offices at your own institution?

• Do you have contacts at these institutions?• “Mine” your contacts• “Mine” your colleagues’ contacts• Where are your alumni?

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Approaching Sponsors and Choosing Projects

• Have a clear idea of what you will offer them

• Cold calls• Presentations• Successful projects typically lead to more

projects!• Walking a tightrope: Aim for projects just

beyond the students’ training– Too easy: students don’t grow– Too hard: students and sponsor can get

discouraged• If at first you don’t succeed….

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Obtaining Institutional Support

“Think, Pair, Share”:• Who will oversee the program?• How many projects do you need to recruit?• How many projects can you feasibly staff

with faculty advisors?• Where will the teams work on the projects?• Do you have the computing

hardware/software?• Will you need funding, and if so, where will

you find it?• What is a reasonable sponsorship fee?

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Running the Project

“Think, Pair, Share”:• What might go wrong, and how do you

handle it?– Team dynamics

• Professional communication training• Intervene early and often

– Team loses interest in project• Graduation requirement

– Sponsor loses interest in project• Can you continue without input from sponsor?• Is there another sponsor with similar interests?

– Project is not successful• Hakuna matata: Redefine success

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Pole pole: Other Real-World Opportunities

• Project of choice– Students define a real-world problem of

interest and identify their own “sponsors”• Modeling contests

– COMAP International Mathematical and Interdisciplinary Contests in Modeling (MCM/ICM):

http://www.comap.com/undergraduate/contests/mcm

– Entrance fee of $100 US per team• Modeling workshop

– All previous COMAP problems are available online

– Can even run your own local MCM contest!

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Asante Sana!