Update

The past week I've been working on an interesting project.  We were looking into why turbines weren't de-rating based on an algorithm created to de-rate a turbine when an inverter temperature reached a certain level so that the GCU would lower its power and the inverter temperature would decrease.   I pulled data from a site where this issue was occuring and looked at the three variables involved in the algorithm: Ambient temperature, Inverter Temperature (there are four of them) and GCU real power in kW (there are two of them).  They wanted me to find the relationship between the three variables to see if they need to change the parameters of the algorithm. 
After compiling and organazing the data I researched how to do a three-variable regression using Excel, where Ambient Temp and GCU power are independent variables and the Inverter Temp is the dependent variable.  I went into this not having any idea how it would turn out and skeptical I could actually pull it off! 
But to my surprise Excel came up with the summary data and I was able to determine the coeffecients and y-intercept for my equation.  A coworker looked at it and was surprised it was linear, so I decided to analyze it a bit more.  (Also the R squared value was in the upper 90's, another surprise!)
I ran the data using the regression function and then created a scatter plot to visually see how the actual Inverter Temperature compared to the Regression Inverter Temperature.  Here were the results for one of the turbines:

Once again I was surprised to see that the regression fit the data so well.  I gave myself a pat on the back that day.  :)
I decided to then use the same regression and use it for other sites to see if I would get similar results.  I did.
My supervisor asked me if I could write up some instructions for how I performed the multi-variable regression so that they could use it again later after I leave. 
Didn't I just mention this in my last blog?  Students may need to not only know how to do a process but also communicate how to do it others.  Case in point!

Guided Question #4

"Now that you are one month in, how do you see this experience changing your classroom? Think in terms of what you teach and how you teach. How will your students know something has changed? Begin to articulate your thoughts on how to bring a PBL into your classroom."

In my previous posting I mentioned how I can already see this experience changing my classroom, especially how I teach.  Working at Clipper has helped me realize that students need problem solving skills, they don't need to simply know rules and proerties.  Those rules and properties  are certianly still important, but more importantly they need to know how and when to apply these and can they communicate their process effectively to someone else.  When students complain about showing their work my response has always been that it's now always about the final product but about the process and the ability to communicate their process.  This experience at Clipper has only strengthened my argument.  I've had instances where I've created a chart or a spreadsheet and then needed to explain to someone how and why I created what I did so that when I leave they are able to recreate it using data from later dates.  If I simply gave them my product but was unable to explain how I created it, after I left it may become useless or someone would have to spend valuabe time trying to figure out what my steps were.
I would certainly like to bring in more projects into my classroom to incorporate various skills students will need such as learning to work cooperatively, organization, problem solving, real-world application, etc.  I still struggle with this because it seems like an in-depth real-world math project can often turn into a science or business project which then time is spent teaching non-math concepts.  We know time is precious and there are A LOT of standards to cover for the year.  I know there has got to be a way to balance projects with traditional teaching (which I believe does still have value in math classrooms), I am just still trying to figure out how to do it.

Guided Question #3

Now that I have been in my externship for a few weeks and experienced a lot of the day to day operations within my department I have realized that my many of my students are not prepared for the real world.  I try to envision them working on some of these projects and unfortunately I know some of my students would struggle.  They wouldn't necessarily struggle because of the actual math content, anyone can be taught that, they would struggle with critically thinking and engaging in true mental activity.  I don't blame them, I blame myself and the education system as a whole.  I need to put down the spoon and start getting them to think!
When addressing the 21st Century Skills needed, the two that would be essential for someone working in my position at Clipper Wind are "Employability" and "Technology Literacy".  To be successful here it is essential to have the ability to work productively in teams, communicate effectively, think innovatively and solve problems creatively.  My favorite moments here so far are when a few people in my department gather at the whiteboard to brainstorm a problem one of us is working on.  They recognize the importance of bouncing ideas off other people and collaboration.  Here are some results of a couple of these "gathering of the minds" to help each other solve various problems:

Notice all the math involved!  I took these pictures to help answer the question "When are we ever going to need this?" (By the way I did get the OK to take pictures of this) Students would also need Technology Literacy in a job like this one.  The department I work in uses various software programs to model and simulate various data within a wind turbine.  They identify trends and forecast possibilities to help reduce down-time-between-faults. 
I've already learned a lot from this experience, but so far the most important thing I'll take with me is the drive to help prepare students for the working world.  I work with some very intelligent people here who amaze me with their creativity and ability to think critically and I want my students to be able to do the same.

Guided Question #2

After meeting with my supervisor regarding the experience so far, we decided to get going on some more "mathy" projects.  I'm working in the PHM department where they work closely with RMDC in trying to increase wind turbine availability.  Their role is to take on a more proactive approach and detect issues with turbines that can be dealt with before there is a major fault that needs to shut the turbine down, therefore decreasing availability.  This is where I see a lot of math being used!  Currently I'm working on collecting a set of data from random turbines to help establish a norm.  To be honest, these turbines are so complicated I can't even competely describe what the numbers I'm dealing with relate to, but its something to do with the the high speed cartridges that are in each of the four generators.  There is data that is measuring the temperature vs. time and using a co-variance matrix (5 variable) a t-squared value is derived.  I'm basically pulling those t-squared values from random turbines to find a norm value.  The goal is that if we can determine a norm value than eventually they want to create a program that will recognize when a turbine is approaching a value outside the norm so they can fix the problem sooner.