In my thirty years of teaching mathematics at the high school level and the university level, there are those select few students that stand out above the rest. These are the students who are the inventers, the individuals who achieve scientific breakthroughs and the individuals who find a solution to a previously unsolvable problem. Dan Ha is one of these students. Dan has all the characteristics and abilities of an individual who will exceed all expectations. He has an excellent knowledge base, tremendous organizational skills, great work ethic, and a creative touch to problem solving. I first met Dan Ha four years ago in Math club. The following year, Dan enrolled in AP Calculus AB and last school year, as a senior, he enrolled in AP Calculus BC. In both AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC, Dan scored the highest possible on both exams. Dan is a tremendous asset to any team. He has a pleasant personality and keen intellect. He breaks problems into easily understandable portions. Dan provides concise explanations of his thinking process to his peers, providing multiple discussion points for the group. Dan was a member of Engineering Design Challenge sponsored by Georgia Southern University and NASA since its inception three years ago. I had the pleasure of being the team’s teacher mentor- sponsor. The first year, students were tasked with designing and building a hook which could pick up a payload and deliver the payload to a specified destination. Halfway through the building process, the competition became virtual due to Covid. Dan’s group communicated via Discord, zoom meetings, and emails. They successfully submitted design drawings for their drone hook, presenting their work in a video. The team won first place overall, in addition to most innovative design. The second year of the competition, we were able to meet in person on a limited basis. Dan’s team was challenged with designing a payload container attachment. The design had to allow the drone to attach the container while in flight, scoop up a payload and depot the same payload in another location. Students had to consider weight, instability of the payload, ease of attachment and production cost. The team placed second and won most innovative design. As leader of the team, Dan faced many challenges. Most of the design team meetings were virtual due to the pandemic. Dan effectively led the team using tools such as, adobe premiere, Autodesk inventor, and google sheets. He kept the team focused and on schedule, while providing design ideas to correct problems discovered during testing. The third year, the competition problem was reverse engineering. Students assembled a 3D printer, and after choosing an object, recreating that object through 3D printing. The team chose a cylindrical Bento box. Their 3D printed pieces were interchangeable with the original. Dan did an incredible job modifying the software to accurately print the pieces. The team presented at Georgia Southern University, winning second place and most innovative design. In addition to Drone Team, Dan participated in Math team as an officer for two years. During the weekly meetings, members solved past competition problems and delved into mathematical topics not usually covered in traditional math classes. It was a delight to watch the mathematical discussions between Dan and the other team members. Dan has a definite propensity for engineering. When you speak with Dan, his passions are apparent. He speaks of his love of creating programs, apps, and mechatronics engineering. He has exceptional design capabilities as evidenced by his drone attachment system and reversed engineering project, combined with a writing ability that is concise and eloquent. Dan’s intellect, dedication, perseverance, attention to detail, and problem-solving capabilities are exceptional and beyond those of his peers. His organizational skills are enviable. Dan Ha is a valuable addition to any team, and he has my highest recommendation. Sincerely, Elizabeth Ewbank School of Engineering AP Calculus AB, BC
In my thirty years of teaching mathematics at the high school level and the university level, there are those select few students that stand out above the rest. These are the students who are the inventers, the individuals who achieve scientific breakthroughs and the individuals who find a solution to a previously unsolvable problem. Dan Ha is one of these students. Dan has all the characteristics and abilities of an individual who will exceed all expectations. He has an excellent knowledge base, tremendous organizational skills, great work ethic, and a creative touch to problem solving. I first met Dan Ha four years ago in Math club. The following year, Dan enrolled in AP Calculus AB and last school year, as a senior, he enrolled in AP Calculus BC. In both AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC, Dan scored the highest possible on both exams. Dan is a tremendous asset to any team. He has a pleasant personality and keen intellect. He breaks problems into easily understandable portions. Dan provides concise explanations of his thinking process to his peers, providing multiple discussion points for the group. Dan was a member of Engineering Design Challenge sponsored by Georgia Southern University and NASA since its inception three years ago. I had the pleasure of being the team’s teacher mentor- sponsor. The first year, students were tasked with designing and building a hook which could pick up a payload and deliver the payload to a specified destination. Halfway through the building process, the competition became virtual due to Covid. Dan’s group communicated via Discord, zoom meetings, and emails. They successfully submitted design drawings for their drone hook, presenting their work in a video. The team won first place overall, in addition to most innovative design. The second year of the competition, we were able to meet in person on a limited basis. Dan’s team was challenged with designing a payload container attachment. The design had to allow the drone to attach the container while in flight, scoop up a payload and depot the same payload in another location. Students had to consider weight, instability of the payload, ease of attachment and production cost. The team placed second and won most innovative design. As leader of the team, Dan faced many challenges. Most of the design team meetings were virtual due to the pandemic. Dan effectively led the team using tools such as, adobe premiere, Autodesk inventor, and google sheets. He kept the team focused and on schedule, while providing design ideas to correct problems discovered during testing. The third year, the competition problem was reverse engineering. Students assembled a 3D printer, and after choosing an object, recreating that object through 3D printing. The team chose a cylindrical Bento box. Their 3D printed pieces were interchangeable with the original. Dan did an incredible job modifying the software to accurately print the pieces. The team presented at Georgia Southern University, winning second place and most innovative design. In addition to Drone Team, Dan participated in Math team as an officer for two years. During the weekly meetings, members solved past competition problems and delved into mathematical topics not usually covered in traditional math classes. It was a delight to watch the mathematical discussions between Dan and the other team members. Dan has a definite propensity for engineering. When you speak with Dan, his passions are apparent. He speaks of his love of creating programs, apps, and mechatronics engineering. He has exceptional design capabilities as evidenced by his drone attachment system and reversed engineering project, combined with a writing ability that is concise and eloquent. Dan’s intellect, dedication, perseverance, attention to detail, and problem-solving capabilities are exceptional and beyond those of his peers. His organizational skills are enviable. Dan Ha is a valuable addition to any team, and he has my highest recommendation. Sincerely, Elizabeth Ewbank School of Engineering AP Calculus AB, BC
In my thirty years of teaching mathematics at the high school level and the university level, there are those select few students that stand out above the rest. These are the students who are the inventers, the individuals who achieve scientific breakthroughs and the individuals who find a solution to a previously unsolvable problem. Dan Ha is one of these students. Dan has all the characteristics and abilities of an individual who will exceed all expectations. He has an excellent knowledge base, tremendous organizational skills, great work ethic, and a creative touch to problem solving. I first met Dan Ha four years ago in Math club. The following year, Dan enrolled in AP Calculus AB and last school year, as a senior, he enrolled in AP Calculus BC. In both AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC, Dan scored the highest possible on both exams. Dan is a tremendous asset to any team. He has a pleasant personality and keen intellect. He breaks problems into easily understandable portions. Dan provides concise explanations of his thinking process to his peers, providing multiple discussion points for the group. Dan was a member of Engineering Design Challenge sponsored by Georgia Southern University and NASA since its inception three years ago. I had the pleasure of being the team’s teacher mentor- sponsor. The first year, students were tasked with designing and building a hook which could pick up a payload and deliver the payload to a specified destination. Halfway through the building process, the competition became virtual due to Covid. Dan’s group communicated via Discord, zoom meetings, and emails. They successfully submitted design drawings for their drone hook, presenting their work in a video. The team won first place overall, in addition to most innovative design. The second year of the competition, we were able to meet in person on a limited basis. Dan’s team was challenged with designing a payload container attachment. The design had to allow the drone to attach the container while in flight, scoop up a payload and depot the same payload in another location. Students had to consider weight, instability of the payload, ease of attachment and production cost. The team placed second and won most innovative design. As leader of the team, Dan faced many challenges. Most of the design team meetings were virtual due to the pandemic. Dan effectively led the team using tools such as, adobe premiere, Autodesk inventor, and google sheets. He kept the team focused and on schedule, while providing design ideas to correct problems discovered during testing. The third year, the competition problem was reverse engineering. Students assembled a 3D printer, and after choosing an object, recreating that object through 3D printing. The team chose a cylindrical Bento box. Their 3D printed pieces were interchangeable with the original. Dan did an incredible job modifying the software to accurately print the pieces. The team presented at Georgia Southern University, winning second place and most innovative design. In addition to Drone Team, Dan participated in Math team as an officer for two years. During the weekly meetings, members solved past competition problems and delved into mathematical topics not usually covered in traditional math classes. It was a delight to watch the mathematical discussions between Dan and the other team members. Dan has a definite propensity for engineering. When you speak with Dan, his passions are apparent. He speaks of his love of creating programs, apps, and mechatronics engineering. He has exceptional design capabilities as evidenced by his drone attachment system and reversed engineering project, combined with a writing ability that is concise and eloquent. Dan’s intellect, dedication, perseverance, attention to detail, and problem-solving capabilities are exceptional and beyond those of his peers. His organizational skills are enviable. Dan Ha is a valuable addition to any team, and he has my highest recommendation. Sincerely, Elizabeth Ewbank School of Engineering AP Calculus AB, BC