Mathematical Modeling is a unique upper-level math class since its goal is to give you the tools necessary to use mathematics outside of school. The language of mathematical modeling is the language that real-world companies and business managers understand. If you are trying to convince your boss that she or he should follow a course of action that you suggest, you will need to justify yourself; basing your reasoning on a mathematically-sound model can provide the basis for a proof that your method is justified. This project is designed to give you practice in applying modeling techniques.

Groups: You will work in a group of two or three people. It is important that you choose a group of people with whom you can work well. If you are having trouble finding groupmates, discuss this with your professor.

Timeline: In order to help your time management, I have broken up the project into pieces.

• Project Statement, due Friday, February 23 : You will explain the project that you and your group will attempt. This must typed and submitted on time. We will set up a time to meet to discuss your proposal. A polished version will be due before you leave for Spring Break (on or before Wednesday, March 7th).
• Organizational Statement, due Friday, March 30 : You will write up a small description of your plan of attack for the project statement. This should include your mathematical model and any computing that you expect to need to complete. If you are having trouble, see me earlier in the week and we can set up a meeting.
• Almost-Finished Draft, due Thursday, April 24 : I expect your project to be in a finished state. You should have completed all calculations and written up the entire report following the guidelines below. On April 24, we will do a peer-review session in class.
• Final Draft, due Friday, May 4 : You shall submit a polished final draft at this time.

Content: Your report will be 15-20 pages long. I expect your report to include the following sections. Your report may include additional sections.

• Abstract. A brief summary of the main content of your paper. Two paragraphs / 300 words at most!
• Introduction. This should provide the reader with the necessary background information about why your project is an interesting and worthwhile project, and where the project fits into real life.
• Project Statement. You will give a clear project statement.
• Mathematical Model. Explain in depth the model you are using to solve the problem.
• Analysis of the Model. This will constitute a large portion of the paper. You will use the mathematics we have learned in class to discuss what the math says and what conclusions you can draw in terms of the real-life problem.
• Strengths and Weaknesses of the Model. Every model makes simplifying assumptions. You need to elaborate on yours and explain what is good and what is bad about your model.
• Conclusion. Explain what you have learned.
• Bibliography. Cite the sources you use!

Grading: This project report represents 20% of your grade this semester. You will be graded on content and structure. Yes, even in a math class, you must use proper grammar and spelling and follow conventions for good paper writing. Your paper must include a proper bibliography.

Presentation: You will need to organize a 15-20 minute presentation highlighting your work over the semester. You will need to summarize the content and results from your paper in a way that conveys the information well to your classmates. This presentation will count for 10% of your grade this semester. You will be graded on clarity, organization, and how well your fellow students understand your presentation. Presentations will occur on May 4th and on the last week of class. There may be presentations on the day of the final, depending on how many groups there are. Attendance is mandatory as you will be grading your fellow classmates. You must be present each presentation day; if not, you will lose points on your own presentation.

Turnitin: If I have any concerns about plagiarism, I will ask you to submit your final report through the Turnitin feature of Blackboard. The following disclaimer explains that Turnitin automatically keeps a record of your paper.

Binghamton University and faculty members reserve the right to use electronic means to detect and help prevent plagiarism. Students agree that by their taking this course, their mathematical modeling report becomes subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com. Assignments submitted to Turnitin.com will be included as source documents in Turnitin.com's restricted access database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism in such documents for five academic years. The terms that apply to Binghamton University's use of the Turnitin.com service are described on the Turnitin.com website.