User:Mam167

My name is Michelle and I am from Southern New Jersey.

About My Classes

I am currently taking EGR103 where we are learning MATLAB. My favorite demonstration in MATLAB is the one of the Traveling Salesman. The traveling salesman problem asks how to find the shortest possible route to travel between a number of cities. I became interested in this problem through my classes and discussions as part of the "What If?--Explaining the Past/Predicting the Future" Focus cluster, so I was fascinated by how MATLAB can be used to try to solve this problem by plotting a number of cities on a map, then connecting them in different patterns until it finds the shortest route.

Other Academic Interests

I am planning on majoring in civil or environmental engineering at Duke. I am interested in the National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenge titled "Provide access to clean water." My interest in this topic stems from the research projects I conducted throughout high school focused on water purification systems. Most of my work studied ways to optimize the design of biosand filters, which are natural and inexpensive filters used in developing countries. More information on biosand filters can be found here:

• Biosand Filter Info, BiosandFilter.org, updated 2004, accessed September 14, 2014

Outside of Class

I enjoy playing the flute in DUMB (Duke University Marching Band), meeting new people at Marketplace, and long walks in the Duke Gardens.