Asbury Math Professor Receives NASA Grant for Aeronautic Workshop Series

April 19, 2023

Professor of mathematics Dr. Duk Lee received a NASA Kentucky Space Grant for his upcoming aeronautic workshop series for elementary, middle, and high school students and teachers. “Flying Activities with Walkalong Gliders, Paper Planes, and Tumble-wings” is the first free workshop for elementary students (grades 3-6) and will take place on April 22 from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. in the Luce Auditorium in the Shaw Collaborative Learning Center. The second and third workshops for middle school students will take place on May 6 and 13, with more details coming soon. Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSempyCE0tWyXU9SGUtnReXNZfRBMz2DVpBW0CB-2dnRDanaCA/viewform?usp=send_form.

“This is an engaging, experiential, evidence-based educational program for students,” Lee said. “This will enable teachers to kindle curiosity and interest based on the learnings from these simple flying instruments and may lead students to pursue STEM fields in higher education and future careers.”

Dr. Duk Lee received his master’s degree and Ph.D. in mathematics from Arizona State University. His research interests surround mathematical connections of origami and music. He serves as the chair of the Kentucky Section of the Mathematical Association of America (KYMAA) and as president of the Kentucky chapter of Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association. Dr. Lee began teaching at Asbury University in 2001.  

The Asbury University Department of Mathematics continues to prepare students for their careers and graduate school. This year marked Asbury’s 36^th year of participation in the COMAP International Math Modeling Competition. Teams worked around the clock from Thursday, February 16, until Monday, February 20, to construct solutions to real-life problems. Teams submitted their papers to the COMAP competition, with results announced in mid-to-late May.  

“The competition is a culmination of the values that the Math Department seeks to instill in our students: teamwork and collaboration, persevering to solve difficult problems, and engaging in critical and creative thinking,” said Dr. Cheryll Crowe ’03 Johnson, who serves as associate dean of the Shaw School of Sciences and professor & chair of the Department of Mathematics. “Whether a student chooses to enter graduate school or the workplace after Asbury, mathematicians no longer work in isolation. This competition parallels the environment our students will experience beyond the walls of Asbury.” 

The 2023 math modeling teams included:  

Problem C:  Silas Behnke ’25, Sara Gantz ’25, Colin Ingalls ’25 

Problem C:  Caleb Bill ’24, Seth Haughton ’25, Josiah Smith ’23 

Problem E:  Josef Morstatt ’24, Hayden Smeal ’25, Katherine Stanley ’24 

Problem E:  Cody Akridge ’26, Andrea Collett ’24, Willem Hanssen ’24 

Learn more about COMAP’s official problem statements this year:
https://contest.comap.com/undergraduate/contests/mcm/contests/2023/problems/ 

The Asbury University Shaw School of Sciences offers 14 majors and six minors, including biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics. Learn more at: https://www.asbury.edu/about/offices/schools/science-health-math/.