I am interested in finding cheaper and simpler ways for ordinary folks
to build sailboats in their backyards (though one person built an 8
footer in his apartment!). Not only is this field useful because it
empowers people to do spend their leisure time in a rewarding fa****on,
but sailboats are good for the environment: They consume virtually no
energy resources, and they slow people down, which I hope makes them
more contemplative.
Also, since most research in this area is done by amateurs, it is not
difficult for students to reach that "cutting" edge where one is on the
frontier of knowledge. In other words, you don't have to accomplish
much to call yourself a "boatologist".
I am a math/physics profrssor who is interested in ON-LINE
collaboration with middle and high school students or clubs. I charge
no money, but will pay no money either. But there are many im****tant
topics that can be investigated on a shoestring budget.
To get a taste for how fun this is, visit Craig O'Donnell's Cheap Pages
at
http://friend.ly.net/users/dadadata/
I have several on-going projects myself. One involves a controversial
method that might cut the cost of bulding a large wooden sailboat by a
third. Another involves finding a proper glue that can be used by
young children to construct self-designed model boats using the same
boatbuilding methods used by amateur boatbuilders. I have many more
projects to work on, but these two are fully described on my homepage
at
http://faculty.valpo.edu/gvandegr/
To learn about other possible areas of investigation, visit my homepage
and contact me!
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