When you hear the words algebra, pre-calculus and calculus, chances are something else comes to mind -- graphs. Graphs are great because they communicate information visually. Some concepts are difficult to understand but graphing can help clear things up. Unfortunately, not everyone can benefit from seeing a graph.
People who are visually impaired or blind must rely on other tools. One really innovative and exciting tool is MathTrax, a free graphing tool. Principal investigator Dr. Robert Shelton and engineers Dan Dexter, Terry Hodgson and Stephanie Smith developed MathTrax for NASA at the Johnson Space Center. Dr. Shelton, who lost his sight at age 11, has a unique understanding of the challenges visually impaired students face in learning and studying math and science. MathTrax can help middle school and high school students meet those challenges. And, while it is designed for visually impaired and blind students, all students can use MathTrax.
Image courtesy NASA
A screenshot of MathTrax
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Basically the way it works is MathTrax lets you hear a graph! Once you've entered an equation into the MathTrax program, it graphs it and provides descriptions of the graph using text and sound. Everyone at Express was so intrigued by MathTrax that we knew we had to hear more about it. Fortunately, Dr. Shelton agreed to an interview. Here's what he had to say.
Photo in image courtesy NASA
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Express: Where did the idea for MathTrax come from?
Dr. Shelton: It was almost an afterthought. Our group, the NASA Johnson Space Center Learning Technologies Project, competes for grant money every year. The year we proposed MathTrax, we also proposed another project - a Web-based Robotics simulation, something similar to our previous projects; however, the one that got picked was MathTrax.
Where did the idea for the program come from? What about adding sound?
Dr. Shelton: Many of the programming ideas for the descriptions came from tricks I developed over the years that helped me do my job more effectively. I have been in situations in which I needed to review large volumes of numerical data, and since I couldn't see a graphical representation, I used alternative descriptive and acoustical methods.
Express: Who is using MathTrax? And how are they using it?
Dr. Shelton: Thousands and thousands of people, if we can believe our server logs. MathTrax is a free download from http://prime.jsc.nasa.gov/mathtrax/. In 2005, the MathTrax application was downloaded to over 11,000 different computers. We originally intended MathTrax as a tool primarily for kids with blindness or impaired vision, who might have some issues with graphs in their math courses. Because of its unique features, MathTrax seems to have gotten quite a following in the mainstream world of mathematics education ...
Express: What is your favorite thing to do with it?
Dr. Shelton: We do a lot of testing just to make sure it works the way it's supposed to, but I'll admit that sometimes I like to see if I can fool it by handing it a particularly nasty problem. Here's an example of an equation with a complicated graph that MathTrax describes beautifully:
y-1 = x^3*(1/(1-x^2) - 1/(4-x^2))
It's also fun to try making up equations that have interesting or musical "tone graphs" - an audio representation of the graph to augment the text description. The equation:
(y/8-sin(2*x))*(y/6+2*cos(3*x))*(y/9-sin(4*x)-sin(x)) = 0
will give your sound card a great workout.
Express: Why does NASA have such a huge educational outreach program?
Dr. Shelton: NASA's education mission was founded in the legislation (1958) which established the agency. As a technical organization, NASA depends on being able to recruit the best and brightest, and in a broader sense, our programs aim to develop and strengthen the nation's future workforce in science, technology, engineering and math. I believe that all of NASA is motivated by an excitement in what we do, what is discovered, and the desire to share it with the public who supports us.
Image courtesy NASA
Dr. Robert Shelton
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Express: What are some of the other NASA projects you've worked on? What's the coolest?
Dr. Shelton: I have done many things in my nearly 20 years with NASA. Much of my early work was pure research into artificial intelligence, essentially figuring out how to get computer software to do what humans normally would have to do. This became a pilot project to create monitoring applications for the mission control center. For the last 10 years, I've been involved primarily in developing educational technology. It's really hard to pick a favorite. While every job has its down side, I've been extremely lucky to have interesting and rewarding tasks through my time with the agency.
Express: What are you working on right now?
Dr. Shelton: It's something called "Earth+." It will be a way to represent earth science visual data, such as maps and other images, in such a way that they will be accessible to students with impaired vision.
"I get my best thinking done after work when I walk or run with my dogs ... Boudreax and Maggie ..."
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Express: What's an average work day like for you?
Dr. Shelton: There is no such thing as an average day. I spend a great deal of time answering e-mail - very necessary, and hopefully some time doing creative work. I get my best thinking done after work when I walk or run with my dogs … Boudreaux is a black Lab-Great Dane mix -- approximately 135 lbs -- loves to sit in my lap. Maggie is more or less black lab, a mere 95 lbs, and she takes her turn in my lap after Boudreaux (age and rank has its privileges) … these dogs are not guide dogs; they are pets. The only training they've had is from me. I can run behind them with complete confidence because there is nothing any more important to them than my well-being. Often people have no clue how incredibly loyal a devoted animal can be to its human.
Express: Growing up, besides math, what other school subjects interested you?
Dr. Shelton: Music, history, and business were my favorites. I also really enjoyed Spanish, but I was terrible at it.
"With the Internet, the knowledge of the whole human race is available at your fingertips."
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Express: What do you do in your free time?
Dr. Shelton: I love music. Everyone in our family sings or plays an instrument. We always enjoy getting together for holidays or birthdays. We always swear we'll take the time to do it more often, but we all stay pretty busy. I also really enjoy learning new things. With the Internet, the knowledge of the whole human race is available at your fingertips. I found a whole graduate course in physics available on the Web and have been working my way through it.
Express: Do you play a musical instrument?
Dr. Shelton: Pretty much anything with keys or strings and frets. The summer after I lost my eyesight, my mom pulled me in from playing baseball and *made* me take piano lessons, over my strenuous objections. It was a wonderful gift.
" I would advise young people to think about things that they get genuinely excited over. Things that they dream about. Find one of those dreams and follow it."
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Express: As a successful professional, what advice do you have for our readers on finding a career that is enjoyable and rewarding?
Dr. Shelton: A wise person once advised me to pick something as a career that I had to be pulled away from rather than something I had to force myself to do. I was lucky because there were several things that I had a passion for - music, math, science and later computing. I would advise young people to think about things that they get genuinely excited over. Things that they dream about. Find one of those dreams and follow it.
