Photos courtesy of Will Matthews
Will Mathews’ interest in computer science began during his freshman year at Columbus Academy. Computer science was new to him; it wasn’t something he planned on taking or even had much background in before then.
“I got involved simply because the class sounded cool and I had some room in my schedule,” he explains.
Four years and many classes later, Mathews is graduating from Columbus Academy as an accomplished computer science and robotics student with many notable projects under his belt, including one that was on display at the COSI Science Festival this past May.
Mathews, who has lived in New Albany his entire life, created a glove that could control a small car wirelessly using motion and gesture controls. This was his final project for his Physics 2: Electronics and Sensors class this year, taught by Mr. Tom DeVore.
“This particular project involves using radio frequency chips to communicate wirelessly from some form of sensor to some form of actuator,” DeVore explains. “In this case (Mathews) selected to use a three-axis gyro to determine the tilt in the x, y, and z directions in order to control the motors on a cardboard car.”
The project was a challenge, and it forced Mathews to call on everything he had learned so far.
“When Mr. DeVore first mentioned the project, I thought it sounded impossible, so it was pretty cool that I was able to eventually get it working,” Mathews says.
It wasn’t only Mathews who thought it was cool. When he got to show-off his impressive project at the COSI Science Festival, it was received with great enthusiasm by the attendees.
“It was really cool to see little kids have their minds blown by my robot,” Mathews says.
When he’s not shocking crowds, Mathews finds other, more practical uses for his skills. As a member of the Tour Guides Club, Mathews gives tours to show off Columbus Academy to new and prospective students and their families. When the old scheduling system for tours was not working well last year, Mathews used his computer science knowledge to jump in and solve the problem by creating a new app that the school now uses.
“I like how (my classes) give me the means to address a problem when I see one,” he says.
Mathews’ academic interests are not limited to computer science. He also excels in Latin and biology. This year, his honors Latin 5 class placed first in the state at the Ohio Junior Classical League Convention for performing a Lion King-themed skit; and Mathews’ senior project, titled Freshwater Fishing and Ecology, studied biology and community ecology here in Ohio by cataloging the types of species that live in local waters, the water quality, and the general health of various ecosystems.
In addition to his academic success, Mathews stays quite active outside of the classroom. He was a member of the Columbus Academy tennis team for his first three years of high school and joined the bowling team during his senior year, an experience that he says, “became one of my best high school memories, teaching me to always try new things.”
This year, Mathews will ride in Pelotonia for the fourth time.
“I would strongly recommend (Pelotonia) to anyone interested, as it has definitely been one of the most rewarding things I have ever been a part of,” he says.
Mathews has ridden over 200 total miles so far in the first three years, and, in the spirit of trying new things, plans to ride 100 miles this year.
College will be another new aspect for Mathews this year, but his choice comes with echoes of his hometown. In the fall, Mathews will attend the University of Virginia, and plans to major in business and minor in computer science. New Albany’s architectural ties to the UVA campus in Charlottesville are well documented, and Mathews took notice of the familiar feeling.
“It probably isn’t a coincidence that I really felt comfortable when I visited UVA because in a lot of ways it is very similar to New Albany,” he says. “New Albany has just always been home.”
Bob Valasek is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
