Midland College team selected as finalist in research competitionJuly 09, 2019

The American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) recently selected three student researchers in the Midland College (MC) Math department as finalists in the Southwest Region for the AMATYC Student Research League Competition.  Andrea Estrella, Maria Ruiz and Oluwatosin (Deborah) Sadiku represented MC in the competition, which addressed the best options for providing energy for residential use.  The team had 11 days to submit their research that addressed the following three questions

·       What modifications will have to be made to the home and property?

·       What are the immediate and long-term fiscal and environmental consequences?

·       What are the results of a Cost-Benefit Analysis when determining the feasibility of the proposed modifications?

The MC research team concluded that a hybrid system consisting of a battery, generator, flat plate PV and 3 kW wind turbine, all connected to a house’s electrical grid, would be the most optimal solution in terms of financial and environmental benefits. Even though, it has high initial costs, the proposed system could possibly retrieve profit through incentives and provide ambient improvement by reducing greenhouse gas production.

The team’s research will now be entered in the second round of judging, and they will receive further feedback in August.  The final winner will be announced at the AMATYC conference in November.  The MC research team is mentored by Sarah Hildebrand and Jamie Kneisley, MC Math instructors.

Photo:  Pictured from left to right are MC Math students Deborah Sadiku, Andrea Estrella and Maria Ruiz.