In spring 2011 the Pi Mu Epsilon Journal, a publication “dedicated to the promotion of mathematics and recognition of students who successfully pursue mathematical understanding,” announced an art contest calling for images or photographs based on calculus concepts. Aquinas mathematics professor Dr. Michael McDaniel and student Joe Carlton submitted the image that won - a pair of stereoscopic images that when viewed properly create a 3-dimensional effect.

The inspiration for the entry dates back to 1997, when McDaniel was thinking of a “volume problem” on the flight to his interview at Aquinas. When he heard of the contest, McDaniel took the idea to his calculus class, where Carlton volunteered to work on the project. McDaniel described the creative process as being fairly simple: “I used 3D Studio to make our images; Joe and I tweaked the figures and the text. Joe and I did the work in our free moments over the space of a month. Making images which were clear and popped off the page took surprisingly little time because I know a trick.”

Both McDaniel and Carlton enjoyed delving into the project. “I'm sure Joe would agree that this wasn't much work because it was fun,” said McDaniel. “Once we married the stereoscopic idea to the revolution solids idea, we knew we had a clever entry. I remember giving Joe a print of the images with some stereoscopic lenses and he confirmed that the picture popped right off the page; we were jazzed.” The final image (pictured at right) consists of two spider web-like images with graph axes, labeled x and y in purple font, running through them.

The Pi Mu Epsilon Journal is hailed by McDaniel as "one of the two best undergrad math journals in the USA," which makes the fact that he and Carlton won the contest even more noteworthy. McDaniel estimates that “50 student names per year, nationwide” is the number of undergraduates lucky enough to be published in journals dedicated to their work.

When asked what the importance the win had in the "math world," McDaniel said bluntly: "None. Our problem is like a clever homework problem in a textbook, not a theorem." Aquinas is nevertheless a hit with the Pi Mu Epsilon Journal. "They've done 2 contests in two years. Aquinas won both: 100th anniversary button design last year, Calculus Art Contest this year," said McDaniel. The wins, even if tricky rather than groundbreaking, mean good things for Aquinas. McDaniel described the wins as significant because "Aquinas gets its name out there. I like going to conferences and my friends tease me with, 'I saw you in PME. Again. Did you bribe the editor?' I also get strangers who stop me because they recognize the name of my school on my nametag. THAT is always cool."

The winning submission appears in the fall 2011 edition of the journal, published and distributed worldwide January 2, 2012 on page 268. The images are viewable on the math club webpage, with instructions on how to experience the 3-D effect.