Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Journal of Materials Education, cilt.42, sa.5, ss.257-276, 2020 (Hakemli Dergi)
areas of expertise. In addition to the courses related to their areas of expertise, especially in the fields
of applied engineering, taking math-based statistics or artificial intelligence courses improves students'
analytical thinking skills significantly. For this reason, new perspectives for teaching in engineering
education are required. In this study, the importance of teaching mathematically based statistical
optimization techniques in engineering education has been discussed through an experimental case
study. Within the study, the disposal of Drinking Water Treatment Sludge (DWTS) through its use in
sandy soil improvement was studied experimentally and it was discussed whether the sludge usage
improves the engineering properties of sandy soils. Besides, the experimental process of this research
was supported by a Response Surface Methodology (RSM) analysis, thanks to the knowledge of a
Ph.D. student.
The RSM studied by Ph.D. students aims to suggest a useful approach to decrease laboratory efforts
considering the difficulties of laboratory studies. It has been observed that the results found
experimentally and calculated by a Ph.D. student are very close to each other, and the approach
suggested by a Ph.D. student can be a useful way to decrease laboratory experiments. It can be
concluded from this applied research that statistical knowledge gives strong advantages to engineers
for reducing labor efforts, gaining time and having economic advantages. As a result, teaching some
statistical approaches to engineering students is very useful for their professional lives.