Design Mathematics Student Works

Below are some of the student works from the 2018 course: Design Mathematics. The final project of the course was about experimenting the designerly creativity. This included utilizing the mathematical concepts and objects studied throughout the semester. This was a rather open-ended homework question. But in the following years, I am not planning to repeat it. Because it becomes difficult to assess the learning outcome from open-ended homework within such a strict course content.

Ayşenur Gençsoy experimented with the tool MathMod. As you see, the criteria of this experiment were mostly about spatial variation. The complex parametric equations used in this design show a little out-of-control in that part. However, Ayşegül successfully imported the generated geometry and continued studying in Rhino.

Said Koçak studied Rhino Python, which was the main platform we studied throughout the semester. He approximated the famous “Butterfly Curve“. This required extensive research and development practice. So, I find this educational, fun, challenging, and helpful.

Sercan Okay approached the problem from a practical point of view. She designed a ring by using a parametric surface. That surface revolves via trigonometric functions. In fact, students did not have much time to experiment. But I think this one was a good start. She needed more time to advance this.

There were many other Design Mathematics student works. However, these three examples explain the major approaches. Throughout the semester, I thought about the assessment strategy of this course. Years after, I am still not sure about the evaluation of such courses. Because the integration between mathematics and design disciplines in an educational setting requires good planning. Also, this seems to be an open question in academia. The Design Mathematics course has three major interests. These are; design, mathematics, and coding (as a medium). Therefore, this becomes a pedagogical choice.