Thinking on Paper

So last class I made a plan to do some word vomiting to figure out where my project is headed, and I think it worked. I didn't know where to start writing, so I looked at my application for independent study. There is a section for the proposal and in the directions it tells you what needs to be included in the proposal. Those parts include rationale, scope, plan of study, procedure of evaluation, and plan for conferences with faculty instructor. I'm not sure about those last two parts yet, but the first three helped my organize my thinking process.

I had been torn between two paths - looking at thinking process through college students or memory capabilities and elderly people with memory disabilities, such as Alzheimer's and dementia. For each of these ideas, I started jotting down notes that would correspond to each of the sections of the proposal. At first I had only done it for the college pool because it seemed like the more reasonable option being on a college campus. However, this morning I realized that that's not what I want to do. After having it sit in my brain for a few days, I realized that I am more interested in the long-term effects and memory loss.

My only concern right now with this path is that there is not enough math involved. I want to look at mathematical procedures to maybe see if there is any relation to the way we process information into our memory. Math is repetitious and is always building on previous knowledge, so I thought that could play a role in the way we remember things, too. I also want to see what parts of the brain are working when we "use math" and then compare it to the parts of the brain where memory loss occurs.

My project is going to be very different from other math projects done in the past. Most projects use mathematical concepts in order to derive a solution to a particular, mathematical involved problem. However, mine is looking at the impact of mathematics and the long-term effects it can have on memory capabilities. I'm just worried that this isn't the type of project that the department is looking for, but it is something I have been dreaming of doing.