Aubrey McKelvey
Pre-Algebra and Algebra 1
University School of Nashville 

Dr. Michael Miga – Biomedical Modeling Lab 

Our research lab was working on material testing of Polyvinyl Alcohol with the focus of making a model (or phantom) of a tumor within a breast.  My specific role within this research was to determine the unique stiffness characteristics of different Polyvinyl Alcohol solutions as they go through a varying number of freeze-thaw cycles.  This would then help the team determine the best material choice(s) to construct the breast phantom and tumor phantom.  Specifically, I was looking for two concentrations of Polyvinyl Alcohol where there was at least a four-fold difference in stiffness, which mimics how cancerous tissue is at least four times stiffer than normal tissue.  One of the project leaders, Jao Ou, helped me become acclimated to the project and gave me procedural advice along the way. 

The module I have created (and continue to revise) focuses on the most basic mathematical properties behind our research.  The force applied to an elastic material is directly proportional to the strain exerted on it.  Using this relationship, the slope of the line can be related to the Young’s Modulus of the material.  My module takes students through the basics of plotting points and graphing linear functions within the context of fitting data to a curve.