Math way and the highway

Deirdre Newman

Students at Costa Mesa High School worked on designing freeway

ramps Wednesday without leaving their classroom.

The students, members of the schools’ Academic Decathlon, helped

the California Department of Transportation kick off its first

“Construction Challenge.”

The challenge pitted the Costa Mesa High students against Estancia

High students. Whoever scored higher on a 30-minute test won the

privilege of visiting Caltrans’ San Diego and Corona del Mar freeways

improvement project in Costa Mesa.

“The point of the test is to demonstrate, in our daily activities,

how often we use math,” said Chris Mockus, Caltrans’ office chief of

field construction for Orange County. “I remember sitting there in

algebra, thinking, ‘I’m never going to use this,’ but you use it a

lot as an engineer.”

Academic decathlon teacher Joe Havens said the material covered on

the test is not something the students are ultra-familiar with, even

in the intellectually challenging world of the decathlon.

“They don’t train in engineering or physics, so this is new for

these kids,” Havens said. “I hope it improves their problem-solving

skills.”

The students did not seem deterred by the test’s complexity, as

they worked together in groups, calculators in hand.

“I think it’s kind of difficult, but it’s a challenge,” said

senior Averie Huffine, 17. “I’m discovering how much more I need to

learn about math.”

And many said they had gained newfound respect for engineers.

“They seem to be able to work such hard problems out,” said

freshman Huy Dang, 14. “They must know a lot.”