Math, in Practice

Mathematics is the language I teach, but it's also the language I use to build, model, and decide. My graduate work in mechanical engineering and data analytics directly informs how I teach — especially the precision habits, modeling skills, and quantitative reasoning that show up on the AP Precalculus and AP Calculus exams.

This page collects the engineering research and data work I've done outside the classroom, plus the analyses I run on my own student data each year to figure out what's actually working.

Degrees & Programs

M.S.
Mechanical Engineering
Texas Tech · in progress
M.S.
Applied Mathematics
WTAMU
PGP
Data Analytics
UT Austin
B.S.
Mathematics
WTAMU

Selected Papers & Projects

Graduate-level work from my M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Texas Tech. The full set lives on GitHub.

Research integrity

Cross-Impact Analysis of Engineering Ethics

Applies cross-impact analysis methodology to identify cascading factors in engineering research-integrity case studies. Builds out a quantitative framework for reasoning about how decisions interact.

Ethics Cross-Impact LaTeX
Fluid & thermal

Dimensionless Numbers in Engineering Modeling

A reference and analytical exploration of dimensionless quantities (Reynolds, Nusselt, Prandtl, etc.) used to scale and compare physical systems. Includes worked examples and modeling implications.

Fluid Mechanics Heat Transfer Modeling
Case studies

Engineering Ethics Case Library

A collection of case studies analyzing real-world engineering decisions through a research-integrity and ethics lens — with ties back to the engineering education curriculum.

Ethics Case Studies Texas Tech

Python, Statistics & Student Outcomes

I run my own statistical analysis in Python because the data tells me where to push, who is two points away from clearing TSI, and which interventions are actually working. Same techniques I learned in the UT Austin Data Analytics PGP, applied to a live classroom of 147 students.

April 2026 SAT — on-level cohort. My on-level Algebra 2 students outperformed comparison sections by an average of +28 points, statistically significant at p = 0.013. Python analysis traced the advantage to a structured prep week I had built and tested.
+28
SAT-point advantage
(April 2026)
p = 0.013
Statistical significance
of prep-week effect
3
Tiered TSI tracks
retake / support / enrichment
147
Algebra 2 students
across honors & on-level
UT Austin PGP

Data Analytics Projects

Coursework and capstone projects from the UT Austin Post Graduate Program in Data Analytics. Python, Jupyter, statistical inference, and data visualization.

Python Jupyter Statistics Data Viz
View on GitHub
Authoring

LaTeX Templates

Reusable LaTeX and Overleaf source for unit assessments, worksheets, and curriculum handouts — the typesetting backbone of materials I share department-wide.

LaTeX Overleaf Templates
View on GitHub
All public work

GitHub: happypurple1

The full collection of repositories — Algebra 2 curriculum, TSI Strategy Trainer, Inverse Function Transformations, data analytics projects, engineering papers, and more.

Curriculum Tools Open
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How This Shows Up Every Day

The bridge between graduate-level STEM work and a high school classroom isn't decorative — it shapes the way I teach.

Precision

AP-Style Decimal Discipline

Engineering and statistics both teach you that precision matters and that where you round changes the answer. Students practice carrying full precision and rounding to three decimals only at the final step — the AP Precalculus convention.

Justification

Sentence-Stem Reasoning

Research writing and engineering ethics both demand that conclusions be defended in clear, structured prose. The same habit shows up in my classroom as sentence stems for AP free-response justification.

Modeling

Real Data, Real Decisions

Modeling is more than fitting a curve. Students see real datasets, choose appropriate models, evaluate fit, and interpret results in context — the way an engineer or analyst actually uses precalculus.

Curious about the broader portfolio? My professional site at cynthiagoforth.com covers the online-instruction and curriculum-design side of my work in more detail.