Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Improving Our Understanding Of Ocean Circulation: A Modeling Study, Nicole M. Flecchia

Senior Honors Projects

The Gulf Stream is not a rigidly contained ocean current; it curves and meanders in a manner that causes portions of it to go unstable, breaking off to form warm core rings. These rings travel west – due to the earth’s rotation - through the Slope Sea and onto the southern New England shelfbreak, affecting various physical parameters of our coastal waters as well as the biogeochemical and ecological properties (i.e. the ‘health’) of the those waters. Where a warm core ring lands along the east coast and the time of year it appears varies with each ring, causing each …

Quantum Dot Band Gap Measurements, John Ryan Peterson

Student Works

This presentation was given during the summer of 2016 as part of the BYU REU program funded by the NSF. Here I give a brief explanation of our quantum dot synthesis as well as explain the use of absorption spectroscopy to measure indirect band gap energies of semiconductors. Our experimental setup is shown and recent improvements are explained. We report indirect band gaps of quantum dots containing varying amounts of cobalt oxide and manganese oxide and synthesized in the protein ferritin. The data show that the band gap can be tuned arbitrarily in a certain range by varying the concentrations …

Direct Band Gap Measurements, John Ryan Peterson

Student Works

This presentation was given during the summer of 2016 as part of the BYU REU program funded by the NSF. Here I give a brief explanation of our quantum dot synthesis and then explain the mechanism of photoluminsecence used to measure indirect band gap energies of semiconductors. Our experimental setup is shown. Direct band gaps of lead sulfide quantum dots synthesized in ferritin are reported. The data show that the band gap can be tuned arbitrarily in a certain range by varying the concentrations of the reactants. We compare stability of quantum dots in ferritin to quantum dots synthesized without …

Using Fundamental Chemistry To Make Functional Materials For Solar Energy Conversion Applications, Kylie N. Heupel, Haley M. Sizemore, Judith L. Jenkins

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Population growth and rapidly increasing energy consumption necessitate innovative materials for energy conversion and storage. Gains in solar electricity and battery technologies are evidenced by the availability of commercial products. However viable solar fuel platforms—where the energy in sunlight is used to form storable fuels such as hydrogen gas—have not yet been realized, motivating the work presented here. In order to produce hydrogen gas from sunlight and water, a photocatalyst is required. The ideal photocatalyst for hydrogen gas generation absorbs solar photons (sunlight), producing high-energy electrons necessary for the reduction of hydrogen ions in water. The host nanocrystal studied here, …

Street-Level Inundation Modeling Of Hurricanes Matthew And Hermine And Emerging Flood Monitoring Methods In Hampton Roads, Jon Derek Loftis, H. V. Wang, D R. Forrest

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Validation Of Orion Cockpit Displays Using Eggplant Functional And Python Programming, M. A. Rafe Biswas

M. A. Rafe Biswas

No abstract provided.

Securing Mobile Applications Based On Ntru, Hanqing Zhao, Vikram Hegde, Kefeng Shi, Yi Yang

ASA Multidisciplinary Research Symposium

Modern mobile devices have an urgent need for a new-generation public-key cryptographic system, which should provide sufficient security for mobile devices without degrading their performance due to limited resources. NTRU is an ideal model for this. We validate it through experimental studies. We apply NTRU to protect an Android mobile app.

Managing A Large Scale Project: Using Strengthsfinder In The Website Redesign, Laura Edwards, Cristina Tofan

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

After doing a library-wide StrengthsFinder assessment that highlighted the strengths of its individuals, EKU Libraries decided to put this strategy into practice by applying it to one of the most complex projects in the life of an academic library: the website redesign. This decentralized approach allowed project managers to align strengths-based teams with phases of the redesign that would most benefit from that team’s unique strengths.

Preliminary Results From A Ground Based Magnetometer Rotation Table, Rachel Newman, April Gross, Jolene Johnson, Kaye Smith, Erick Agrimson, James Flaten

2017 Academic High Altitude Conference

Understanding high altitude balloon rotation is important for many types of scientific measurements, therefore, balloon and payload rotation is a continuing area of interest and research. In this work, we present results obtained from an Arduino logged magnetometer rotated on a ground based rotation table. This table allowed us to precisely rotate and locate the Arduino logged magnetometer. We compare the Arduino logged results with “known magnetic field orientation” using an AIM rocketry altimeter. This comparison allowed us to test the accuracy of our Arduino logged results and the sampling capabilities of our magnetometer system using different rotational speeds.

High Altitude Cosmic Ray Detection, Jordan D. Van Nest

2017 Academic High Altitude Conference

Cosmic rays are high energy atomic nuclei travelling near the speed of light that collide with atoms and molecules in Earth’s upper atmosphere (primarily with nitrogen and oxygen), breaking down into a shower of particles of various energies in the stratosphere. As they travel earthward, these particles continue to break down and lose energy which results in relatively little ionizing radiation reaching the surface. Due to the scattering of cosmic rays, the angle at which the rays enter the atmosphere can affect the number and energies of ionizing particles detected at various altitudes. When using a standard Geiger counter on …

Assessing The Association Between Quantitative Maturity And Student Performance In Simulation-Based And Non-Simulation Based Introductory Statistics, Nathan L. Tintle

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

The recent simulation-based inference movement in algebra-based introductory statistics courses has provided preliminary evidence of improved student conceptual understanding and retention of key statistical concepts. However, little is known about whether these positive effects in courses using simulation-based inference are preferentially distributed across different types of students. Recent studies investigating predictors of student performance in traditional, algebra-based introductory statistics courses (Stat 101) have focused primarily on mathematical achievement or competencies in high school and early college. Little consideration has been given to how prior experience and competency with statistical thinking may be associated with student performance in college-level courses. In …

Low-Cost Hab Platform To Measure Particulate Matter In The Troposphere, Mark J. Potosnak, Bernhard Beck-Winchatz, Paul Ritter

2017 Academic High Altitude Conference

High-altitude balloons (HABs) are an engaging platform for formal and informal STEM education. However, the logistics of launching, chasing and recovering a payload on a 1200 g or 1500 g balloon can be daunting for many novice school groups and citizen scientists, and the cost can be prohibitive. In addition, there are many interesting scientific applications that do not require reaching the stratosphere. In this poster presentation we discuss a novel approach based on small (30 g) balloons that are cheap and easy to handle, and low-cost tracking devices (SPOT and 900 MHz spread spectrum) that do not require a …

Automated Detection Of Deep-Sea Animals, Dallas J. Hollis, Duane Edgington, Danelle Cline

STAR Program Research Presentations

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute routinely deploys remotely operated underwater vehicles equipped with high definition cameras for use in scientific studies. Utilizing a video collection of over 22,000 hours and the Video Annotation and Reference System, we have set out to automate the detection and classification of deep-sea animals. This paper serves to explore the pitfalls of automation and suggest possible solutions to automated detection in diverse ecosystems with varying field conditions. Detection was tested using a saliency-based neuromorphic selective attention algorithm. The animals that were not detected were then used to tune saliency parameters. Once objects are detected, …

Thermal Analysis Of Borosilicate Glass For Its Biological Applications, Gregory Humble

Symposium of Student Scholars

Borosilicate glass doped with varying wt% of cerium oxide is investigated for biological applications. Thermal studies of each formulation were conducted using an SDT Q600 differential scanning calorimeter. 30mg samples of 350 - 425 μm particle size of each type of glass were heated to 1200°C in order to obtain the glass transition, crystallization, and melting temperatures. Samples were then heated to 900°C at several heating rates, ranging from 2°C/min to 100°C/min, then compared against each other as well as against an undoped borosilicate glass.

Modulated Hydrothermal Synthesis And Optimization Of Hf/Zr-Fumarate Metal-Organic Frameworks, Ioannina Castano

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

Water-stable Hf/Zr-Fumarate (FMA) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are highly promising for gas separation because of their postulated small pore size compared to other UiO-66-type MOFs and the low cost of fumaric acid. However, the efficient synthesis of these MOFs remains a big challenge. A mild, green, scalable modulated hydrothermal (MHT) method was applied for the synthesis of these MOFs. Specifically, acetic acid (AA), formic acid (FA), and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) were used as the modulators. Various water to modulator solvent ratios were studied to investigate the effects of modulators on surface area and gas uptake properties. The MHT synthesized Hf/Zr-FMA MOFs …

The Effect Of Nitrate On The Release Of Glucose Into The Hemolymph Of Crayfish, Procambarus Clarkii, Alec R. Flores, Lee Kats, David Green, Gary Bucciarelli

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Pollutants can change the behaviors of invertebrate stream animals. The level of one common pollutant, nitrate (NO3), has been rising in many local rivers and streams throughout the United States due to increases in anthropogenic sources. Nitrate, heavily regulated for its toxic effects to human health, namely the aiding in the development of cancer, also dangerously affects aquatic species by converting oxygen-carrying pigments to forms that are incapable of carrying oxygen. To understand the stress effects of ambient nitrate exposure on P. clarkii, we collected hemolymph samples from red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) over a 48-hour period after exposure to …

The Reliability Of Crowdsourcing: Latent Trait Modeling With Mechanical Turk, Matt Baucum, Steven Rouse Dr., Cindy Miller-Perrin, Elizabeth Mancuso Dr.

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Mechanical Turk, an online crowdsourcing platform, has recently received increased attention in the social sciences as studies continue to suggest its viability as a source for reliable experimental data. Given the ease with which large samples can be quickly and inexpensively gathered, it is worth examining whether Mechanical Turk can provide accurate experimental data for methodologies requiring such large samples. One such methodology is Item Response Theory, a psychometric paradigm that defines test items by a mathematical relationship between a respondent’s ability and the probability of item endorsement. To test whether Mechanical Turk can serve as a reliable source of …

Managing Your Professional Identity: Leveraging Social Media And Emerging Metrics To Demonstrate Professional Impact, Megan R. Sapp Nelson

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This session will assist graduate students to deliberately develop an online professional identity that will uniquely identify them as an academic as well as positively highlight their personal strengths.

Students will walk away with a plan to create a unique professional identifier and an understanding of how to measure the impact of online scholarly communication.

Topics included are:

ORCID ID

social media, such as LinkedIn & ResearchGate

Alternative Metrics (Altmetrics), such has Kudos, ImpactStory, & AltMetric

Data repositories, such as GitHub & FigShare

Super-Oceanic Winds Over A Narrow Coastal Estuary In Onshore Flow Events, Michael Splitt, Steven M. Lazarus, Jeff Colvin, Bryan P. Holman

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Indian River Lagoon Winds -- Shallow water estuary -- Average depth ~ 1 m -- Fetch limited except NNW/SSE -- Stretches 150 miles north/south -- Limited exchange with ocean via inlets -- Improvement of wind forcing -- Wind set-up and surge forecasting -- Significant wave height forecasting -- “cheaper” solutions for ensemble forecasts -- Protection of life & property (NWS) -- Ecological system impacts (local science)

Forecasting Significant Wave Height In A Coastal Estuary, Steven M. Lazarus, Michael Splitt, Jeff Colvin, Bryan Holman, Robert Weaver, Peyman Taeb, Atousa Saberi

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Would like to ‘extend’ the Nearshore Wave Prediction System (NWPS, Van Der Westhuysen et al. 2013) into a large narrow estuary (Indian River Lagoon, IRL). Full-blown hydrodynamic simulations

Committing To The Non-Traditional: The Path To The Incorporation Of 3d Models In An Online Journal, Dillon Mark Wackerman, Robert Z. Selden Jr.

Fondren Library Research

In 2013 Dr. Robert Selden approached the Center for Digital Scholarship (CDS) at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) inquiring about the possibility of including interactive 3D models in a digital collection. Working with Dr. Selden, the CDS found a platform to which these models could be deposited and displayed. Concurrently, the CDS was actively promoting SFA’s institutional repository, SFA ScholarWorks. One guiding idea behind these IR-focused activities was the emphasis of the legitimacy of non-traditional works in respect to SFA ScholarWorks and the academic community as a whole. This idea and acceptance of the non-traditional was maintained as the …

Movements Of Sub-Adult Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha) In Puget Sound, Washington, As Indicated By Hydroacoustic Tracking, Anna Kagley, Joseph Smith, Kurt L. Fresh, Kinsey Frick, Thomas P. (Thomas Peter) Quinn

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Alternative forms of migratory behavior can have substantial consequences for the growth, survival, and fitness of the individuals involved. Salmonids vary in the tendency of individuals to migrate to marine waters (anadromy) or remain in freshwater habitats. In addition, substantial variation in migratory patterns can exist among anadromous and resident species. This talk summarizes our use of hydroacoustic telemetry to investigate the movement patterns of anadromous Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha remaining in the marine waters of Puget Sound after ocean entry rather than continuing out to the coastal waters of the North Pacific Ocean, as is typical of the species. …

Variable Marsh Resilience To Stress Offers Clues To Climate Change Adaptive Management, Roger Nathan Fuller, Katrina L. Poppe, John M. Rybczyk, Eric Grossman, Chad Stellern

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

In Puget Sound’s Stillaguamish estuary, tidal marshes exhibit evidence of multiple stressors that affect their vulnerability and provide insight into adaptive management opportunities to enhance their resilience. Despite high accretion rates, some marsh areas have receded by 10m/yr since 1964. Sources of stress include overgrazing by snow geese, high soil salinities, insect attacks, and changes in flow and inundation patterns. These interact with winter vegetation structure, sediment composition, and wave exposure to result in spatially variable marsh resilience. Some marshes are receding quickly, some slowly, and others are minimally affected. In the context of climate change, with potentially substantial near-term …

An Inventory Of Environmental Governance In The Salish Sea, Laurie D. Trautman

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

How is the natural environment of the Salish Sea governed? The fact that the Salish Sea is bifurcated by a national border has inhibited our ability to answer this question. Indeed, the Salish Sea involves not only two national governments, but also a multitude of both state and non-state actors, which exist across scales, and interact in different frameworks (i.e. First Nations/tribes often seek only to negotiate with federal, rather than state/provincial governments). Environmental governance in the Salish Sea also encompasses informal modes of interaction involving public and private interest groups, social movements and community stakeholders, in addition to traditional …

A Long-Term Phytoplankton Monitoring Program For Central Puget Sound Using Particle Imaging, Gabriela Hannach, Lyndsey M. Swanson

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Puget Sound is a large and highly productive estuarine system that is vulnerable to climate change and anthropogenic impacts from a growing population. King County operates an exceptionally comprehensive, long-running monitoring program designed to assess water quality in the Puget Sound Central Basin. Data are collected year-round for a suite of physical, chemical, and biological parameters. Phyoplankton monitoring using traditional methods was added to the program in 2008 to address a significant biological data gap at the lower trophic level. Since acquisition of a FlowCAM particle imaging system in 2014 the program is generating a more extensive and robust dataset …

Skagit Climate Science Consortium: Using Local Polling To Provide Relevant Science, Carol B. Macilroy, Larry Wasserman

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Skagit Climate Science Consortium (SC²) and the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication partnered to conduct a public opinion poll in the spring of 2015 regarding Skagit County resident’s attitudes and perceptions regarding global warming. The effort, part of Yale’s renown 6 America’s Project, also is providing SC² critical information to help understand local concerns and beliefs about climate change in order to better provide relevant and timely climate science to a broader Skagit community. This presentation will provide an overview of SC²’s theory of change regarding the role of climate science in supporting …

Virtual Simulations Of Potential Vessel Discharges In Puget Sound And The Puget Sound No Discharge Zone, Teizeen Mohamedali, Mindy Roberts, Amy Jankowiak

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) evaluated the potential transport, dispersion and dilution of potential vessel sewer discharges within the draft proposed Puget Sound No Discharge Zone (NDZ). These model simulations included potential vessel sewer discharges at six locations in Puget Sound along major shipping routes. Results are presented as virtual animations of surface concentrations, allowing us to visualize the transport, circulation, and dilution of these discharges over the course of several days.

Ecology and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory jointly developed a three-dimensional hydrodynamic FVCOM (Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model) computer model of the Salish Sea. This model is …

Volunteer-Assisted Monitoring Of A Significant Private Bulkhead Removal, Jeffrey Adams, Brenda Padgham, Jason David Toft, Kyra O'Neil, Kate Litle

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Monitoring efforts to restore physical and biological functions along developed shorelines can take many forms and be influenced by monitoring goals, the scope and scale of the project, and available resources. The Powel project in Port Madison on Bainbridge Island, Washington, had regional significance because of its scale (removing 1544 lineal feet of armor), the diversity of types of armor and shoreline, and its private ownership, but it lacked the funding to support a broad, long-term monitoring program. Not willing to let the opportunity pass without some effort to gather as much appropriate information as possible about the impact and …