Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Student Publications

2019

Articles 1 - 12 of 12

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Changes In The Greenland Ice Sheet Of The Southeastern Maniitsoq Coast From 1994-2004 And 2009-2019, Alyssa J. Kaewwilai, Charlie E. Reisman Oct 2019

Changes In The Greenland Ice Sheet Of The Southeastern Maniitsoq Coast From 1994-2004 And 2009-2019, Alyssa J. Kaewwilai, Charlie E. Reisman

Student Publications

Remote sensing mechanisms through the use of technology like the Landsat 5-7 Land Manager satellites are commonly used in conjunction with multispectral methods such as unsupervised classification to record and analyze changes in snow and ice over time in areas such as the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS). Unsupervised classification is a method of identifying, grouping, and labeling features in an image according to their spectral values and is therefore a good method of classifying snow and ice in areas such as Greenland. The goal of unsupervised classifications is to assign pixels into potentially meaningful subsurface classes based on similarities of …

Go to article

Campus-Based Agriculture: The Future Of Food At Gettysburg College, Bryn K. Werley Oct 2019

Campus-Based Agriculture: The Future Of Food At Gettysburg College, Bryn K. Werley

Student Publications

This research investigates various methods for producing food on the campus of Gettysburg College in order to improve food sustainability. The transportation of food contributes to the increased use of fossil fuels, which in turn leads to global warming and climate change. By producing a larger portion of its food on-campus, Gettysburg College could reduce the amount of food transported to the school, thereby lessening the College’s environmental impact. Urban farming techniques, hydroponics, aquaponics, and greenhouse-based agriculture are explored as viable methods for achieving this goal. Examples of the use of these techniques on college campuses are drawn from Allegheny …

Go to article

Designing Women: Essentializing Femininity In Ai Linguistics, Ellianie S. Vega Oct 2019

Designing Women: Essentializing Femininity In Ai Linguistics, Ellianie S. Vega

Student Publications

Since the eighties, feminists have considered technology a force capable of subverting sexism because of technology’s ability to produce unbiased logic. Most famously, Donna Haraway’s “A Cyborg Manifesto” posits that the cyborg has the inherent capability to transcend gender because of its removal from social construct and lack of loyalty to the natural world. But while humanoids and artificial intelligence have been imagined as inherently subversive to gender, current artificial intelligence perpetuates gender divides in labor and language as their programmers imbue them with traits considered “feminine.” A majority of 21st century AI and humanoids are programmed to fit female …

Go to article

Clearcutting In Appalachia: Impacts On Stream Water Quality In An Appalachian Watershed, Alyssa J. Kaewwilai, Hannah R. Peterson, Abigail F. Rec Oct 2019

Clearcutting In Appalachia: Impacts On Stream Water Quality In An Appalachian Watershed, Alyssa J. Kaewwilai, Hannah R. Peterson, Abigail F. Rec

Student Publications

Clearcutting forests has the potential to impact the water quality of high water headwater streams. In this study, we measured the effect of forest clearcut events on parameters of stream water quality within Michaux State Forest. The watershed of two streams included 2.1% and 11.6% of the total catchment in clearcuts, while the other 4 watersheds had no clearcuts. We measured pH, electrical conductivity, total suspended solids, and nitrate (ppm) and phosphate (ppm) concentrations from six different tributary streams. Mann-Whitney U tests maintain no statistical difference observed between pH (U= 4.00, p= 1.00), temperature (U=1.00, p=0.165), electrical conductivity (U=2.00, p=0.355), …

Go to article

Secrecy In The American Revolution, Abigail N. Minzer Oct 2019

Secrecy In The American Revolution, Abigail N. Minzer

Student Publications

This paper analyzes how the use of various cryptographic and cryptanalytic techniques affected the American Revolution. By examining specific instances of and each country's general approaches to cryptography and cryptanalysis, it is determined that America's use of these techniques provided the rising nation with a critical advantage over Great Britain that assisted in its victory.

Go to article

Building A Green Dorm: How Colleges And Universities Across America Have Embraced Sustainable Communal Living, Theresa M. Blickenstaff Oct 2019

Building A Green Dorm: How Colleges And Universities Across America Have Embraced Sustainable Communal Living, Theresa M. Blickenstaff

Student Publications

Building a dorm is hard work. Building a green, sustainable dorm is doubly so. With their extensive lighting, appliances, heating and cooling needs, fans, and laundry machines, traditional college residence halls are notorious for their large energy footprints. Particularly for colleges such as Gettysburg where dorm living is mandatory for some or all four years, the environmental impact of residence halls is particularly large. As leaders with long histories of inspiring change, colleges and universities in the United States have an obligation to promote sustainable practices. Gettysburg College has announced that in the next few years, it is planning to …

Go to article

Analysis Of Flood Patterns In Adams County, Pennsylvania Utilizing Drone Technology And Computer Simulations, Alyssa J. Kaewwilai Jul 2019

Analysis Of Flood Patterns In Adams County, Pennsylvania Utilizing Drone Technology And Computer Simulations, Alyssa J. Kaewwilai

Student Publications

Drone imagery and photogrammetry models of the Gettysburg College campus and the terrain at Boyer Nurseries and Orchards were utilized to study flood patterns in Adams County, Pennsylvania. Gettysburg College has lower-sloped land and moderately built infrastructure while Boyer Orchards has drastically sloped land with many patches of abundant vegetation. The two locations were selected due to the fact that they have starkly different surface features, while the bedrock geology of the areas are very similar. The terrain of the models was isolated before a 3D carver and 3D printer were used to construct physical models to further analyze potential …

Go to article

Life Without The Beach: Projected Sea Level Rise And Its Impact On Barrier Islands Along The East Coast, Usa, Cara Johnson, Gabrielle N. Kase, Samantha B. Pfeffer Apr 2019

Life Without The Beach: Projected Sea Level Rise And Its Impact On Barrier Islands Along The East Coast, Usa, Cara Johnson, Gabrielle N. Kase, Samantha B. Pfeffer

Student Publications

As climate change is becoming a global issue, the impact of sea level rise is increasingly becoming a threat to humans, wildlife, infrastructure, and ecosystems. To evaluate the effects of sea level rise on barrier islands and coastal regions, we studied future projections of sea level rise at Ocean City and Assateague Island, Maryland. We hypothesize that the sea levels at Assateague and Ocean City will have different beach profiles, and will show different levels of flooding through the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) simulations. We measured beach profiles at four locations, two at Ocean City and two at Assateague Island, …

Go to article

Wolves Are Wild: A Collection Of Narratives About Rescued Wolves And Wolfdogs, Molly G. Vorhaus Apr 2019

Wolves Are Wild: A Collection Of Narratives About Rescued Wolves And Wolfdogs, Molly G. Vorhaus

Student Publications

Breeders across the country are creating wolfdogs by breeding dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) with wolves (Canis lupus) for a large profit. This project is a response to the growing exotic pet trade of wolves and wolfdogs. Through this project, I hope to bring awareness to the issues associated with these animals being raised in captivity. Recent research has shown that raising a wolf or wolfdog in captivity can lead to various negative psychological and physical effects on the animal, and can cause potential problems for humans as well. This practice is embedded in the concept of humans wanting to own …

Go to article

Disappearing Act(Ions): College Perceptions Of Climate Change And Its Impacts On Tourism, Natalie A. Kisak, Brianna M. Costira Apr 2019

Disappearing Act(Ions): College Perceptions Of Climate Change And Its Impacts On Tourism, Natalie A. Kisak, Brianna M. Costira

Student Publications

Various locations around the world are considered to be ‘disappearing’ due to the impacts of climate change on their natural attributes. This disappearance raises the question of how travel to those destinations will change in the future, and whether or not awareness of climate change might limit tourism. This study examines the presence of the last-chance tourism theory in college students, and hypothesizes that willingness to travel or engage in environmentally responsible behaviors will not change with increased awareness because of a desire to visit places before they disappear. A survey is used to gauge awareness and concern, as well …

Go to article

Blue Sky Olympics: Satellite Observations Of Air Quality During The 2008 Beijing Olympics, Lincoln M. Butcher Apr 2019

Blue Sky Olympics: Satellite Observations Of Air Quality During The 2008 Beijing Olympics, Lincoln M. Butcher

Student Publications

China has imposed short-term emission control regulations on industry and transportation to quickly improve air quality during certain events, including the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Previous research noted reductions in NO2 vertical column density, CO emissions, CO2 emissions, and Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD). NO2 and SO2 decreased in neighboring provinces, during this time period. Using MODIS level-2 atmospheric aerosol product (MYD04_L2) data, processed by the dark target algorithm, this study observes trends in regional AOD and temporal change in AOD during the Olympic emissions reduction program. 2008 observations are referenced against AOD observations from 2003 to 2013, within 9-day intervals …

Go to article

The Disparity Between Scientific Consensus And American Public Opinion Of Genetically Modified Organisms And Genetic Engineering, Matthew A. Cherubino Apr 2019

The Disparity Between Scientific Consensus And American Public Opinion Of Genetically Modified Organisms And Genetic Engineering, Matthew A. Cherubino

Student Publications

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and genetic engineering (GE) are accepted as safe and useful by the consensus of the scientific community. Their diverse utility has shown promise in addressing major challenges of the 21st century, including world hunger, global warming, and the prevalence of diet-related diseases (e.g. heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc.). A 2014 Pew Research Center survey revealed that while 88% of scientists agreed that GM foods were safe to eat, only 37% of American consumers agreed. Furthermore, only 35% of U.S. adults trusted scientists to accurately inform the public about GMOs. To explain this disparity, I synthesize information …

Go to article