COSAM

I had a very good dinner last night at Amsterdam Cafe in Auburn with two women who are actively involved in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) program in education. COSAM, the College of Science and Mathematics, is where both of them work. We talked about legos, Pico, and Mindstorms and the importance of exciting young children about math and science. Did you know that by 3rd grade children are beginning to eliminate areas of interest? So, we need to expose them to fun experiential science and math very early. COSAM has several programs to interest children and their families in science, Getting Under the Surface (GUTS), Daughters and Mothers Experiencing Science (DAMES), and AU Explore-a day where close to 2,000 middle school students do hands-on science with about 250 COSAM students to name just a few that we talked about. I had hoped to be volunteering weekends with some of the outreach programs but studying has taken precedence. Maybe later...maybe this summer...either in Auburn or in New Orleans...

Yesterday I spoke with the graduate coordinator of ISE. If I can stay on top of everything, it looks like I'll graduate in December. The requirement of a comprehensive test for the all coursework option has been lifted so all I have to do is finish two more courses. That takes quite a load off of my mind. This old brain isn't good at tests anymore.

It's cold again, 29 degrees, but a beautiful bluebird day--not a cloud in the sky. I look forward to my walk to class. Classes are good, not much change. I'm still reading, studying, working LP problems and Econ problems and coding optimization programs. We're finishing tabu search this week and beginning Ant Colony next week. I'll let you know how that one works when I've had a chance to read about it.