Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Quadratic Neural Network Architecture As Evaluated Relative To Conventional Neural Network Architecture, Reid Taylor

Senior Theses

Current work in the field of deep learning and neural networks revolves around several variations of the same mathematical model for associative learning. These variations, while significant and exceptionally applicable in the real world, fail to push the limits of modern computational prowess. This research does just that: by leveraging high order tensors in place of 2nd order tensors, quadratic neural networks can be developed and can allow for substantially more complex machine learning models which allow for self-interactions of collected and analyzed data. This research shows the theorization and development of mathematical model necessary for such an idea to …

Improved Filtering Of Electron Tomography Edx Data, Kelsey M. Larkin

Senior Theses

Electron microscopy is a very exciting field, which has shown huge developments in the last few decades. There is a continuous development of new methods which feature atomic level resolution. One of these methods is the energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, which allows the researchers to understand the chemical make-up of the sample. It is particularly exciting that we are able to make EDX tomographic reconstructions and view the 3D structure of a nano-object.

This thesis is focused on developing a new methodology for EDX tomography. In a typical EDX set-up, one detects X-rays from the sample with different energies, …

Preparing For The Future: The Effects Of Financial Literacy On Financial Planning For Young Professionals, Tanay Singh

Senior Theses

Purpose – Many people between the age of 20 and 34 have not considered planning financially for the future in any significant capacity and in doing so, they limit their potential savings. The purpose of this study is to examine what financial expectations are for people in the early stages of their career and determine if improving financial literacy and revealing financial realities helps to produce more accurate or realistic expectations. Ultimately, the goal is to better prepare participants in the study for the working world and increased responsibilities outside of the college/university environment by getting them to start thinking …

Building And Validating A Model For Investigating The Dynamics Of Isolated Water Molecules, Grant Cates

Senior Theses

Understanding how water molecules behave in isolation is vital to understand many fundamental processes in nature. To that end, scientists have begun studying crystals in which single water molecules become trapped in regularly occurring cavities in the crystal structure. As part of that investigation, numerical models used to investigate the dynamics of isolated water molecules are sought to help bolster our fundamental understanding of how these systems behave. To that end, the efficacy of three computational methods—the Euler Method, the Euler-Aspel Method and the Beeman Method—is compared using a newly defined parameter, called the predictive stability coefficient ρ. This …