Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Natural Resource Policy Analysis: Controversy Over Forest Management At Sparta Mountain Wildlife Management Area, James Bates

Environmental Science & Sustainable Development Student Projects

New Jersey contains the densest human population in the United States. As New York City to the east has grown, urban sprawl has reached much of the Garden State. For the natural environment, the impact of this sprawl is significant. The eastern deciduous forest that once covered the northern half of the state has been reduced to select areas where development is restricted. The remaining areas of protected forest are valuable to the public as natural gems amidst a world of modern infrastructure. Most of these protected forests are owned and managed by the state of New Jersey, by the …

Benford’S Law And Its Applications To Accounting, Lucy Wilson

Mathematics Student Projects

In this paper, we introduce the concept of Benford’s Law, which is the mathematical observation that in many naturally occurring numerical datasets, the leading digits are not evenly distributed. We actually find that smaller leading digits appear more often than larger ones. We will explore when and why this phenomenon occurs and how we can use statistical tests to determine how well a dataset conforms to Benford’s Law. We will also see how Benford’s Law can be used by auditors in the accounting field to catch potential fraud.

The Traveling Salesman Problem At Taylor University, Jonathan Jinoo Pawley

Mathematics Student Projects

What is the shortest route to walk to every residence hall on campus, beginning and ending with the same hall? This question can be considered by applying the Traveling Salesman Problem, an easy to understand yet hard to solve problem in the realm of discrete combinatorial optimization. The Traveling Salesman Problem is useful as an introduction to optimization problems, and it also has immensely practical applications. This paper will serve as an introduction to the computational difficulty of the Traveling Salesman Problem and will also explore various approximation algorithms. We will subsequently apply our new understanding of the theory to …

Numerical Range Of Strictly Triangular Matrices Over Finite Fields, Ariel Russell

Mathematics Student Projects

In this paper, we investigate the numerical range of matrices over finite fields, particularly triangular matrices. We conjecture that all strictly triangular matrices over finite fields of dimension 3 or greater have a numerical range encompassing the entirety of the finite field. We use both algebraic and computational methods to support this claim, making some concrete progress towards the algebraic proof. Further, we conjecture that all matrices over finite fields have a numerical range falling into one of five potential categories, providing an extensive appendix of randomly generated computational examples which seems to support this conjecture.

Comparing And Contrasting Therapeutic Drugs Vs. Lifestyle Changes That Combattype-Ii Diabetes, Alexander Cline Helmuth

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Projects

In this thesis, I will be presenting various preventive approaches to combat type-II diabetes. The focus of this paper will be comparing and contrasting therapeutic drug targets such as Metformin and Sulfonylureas that are prescribed for type-II diabetic patients versus taking preventative steps such as making lifestyle changes including weight management, physical activity, and having a balanced diet that prevents onset of type-II diabetes or helps patients manage type-II diabetes. From this paper, one will gain insight on how there are multiple approaches to combat type-II diabetes that are not in the form of the pill.

Microfluidic Paper Analytical Devices, Madison Page

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Projects

Microfluidic paper analytical devices (µPADs) are small, paper-based matrices similar to Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC). They are capable of semi-quantitative analysis, with applications ranging from medical to environmental to food and beverage testing. Important to improving point-of-care devices (POCs), various techniques have been integrated into µPADs to customize analysis and fit different clinical situations.

The Application Of Biological Processes To Increase Energy Potential In Landfills, Ashlyn Eisenhart

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Projects

There has been a dramatic increase in the amount of waste that we humans have created. This has been due to population growth, an increase in industrial manufacturing, along with urbanization and modernization.⁸ The number of tons of municipal solid waste entering landfills has increased from 82.5 million tons in 1960 to 146.1 million tons in 2018.¹⁷ However, thanks to recycling, composting, and energy recovery from combustion, the percentage of solid waste going to landfills has dramatically decreased, from around 93.6 to about 65.4 percent.¹⁷

Chemistry Of Toothpaste, Kayla Blanche Kirtley

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Projects

The chemistry of toothpaste is explained, with a description of the chemical components and their mode of action in the role of toothpaste.

Normality Properties Of Composition Matricies, Hallie Kaiser, Katy O'Malley, Grace Weeks

Mathematics Student Projects

We explore two main concepts in relation to truncated composition matrices: the conditions required for the binormal and commutative properties. Both of these topics are important in linear algebra due to their connection with diagonalization. We begin with the normal solution before moving onto the more complex binormal solutions. Then we cover conditions for the composition matrix to commute with a general matrix. Finally, we end with ongoing questions for future work.

Envisage Planner Archive, Tim Swanson

Computer Science & Engineering Student Projects

Envisage Planner is a web application designed to help students with all areas of academic planning. The developer started working on it several years ago (2020), and for the CS Senior project, he and several other CS students developed an update to it.

New Worlds Vr, Mitchell Toth, Wilson Secaur

Computer Science & Engineering Student Projects

Over the month of January, 2022, the developers built a 3D Virtual Reality (VR) game as part of the "New Worlds" engineering class project. New Worlds is a single-axis treadmill system designed for integration with VR. The goal is to immerse the user in a virtual world while walking on a physical track. As the engineers worked hard on the treadmill, the developers' task was to create this immersive VR world from scratch. They learned the necessary tools, decided on a theme, and built a cave featuring intense lighting, tunnels and caverns, and interactive elements that encourage single-axis exploration. They …

Panic Engine - A Game Engine, Zachary Winters

Computer Science & Engineering Student Projects

A poster about a 3D web-based game engine based on three.js and their WebGL tools created over J-Term 2022. See link in Notes field for more information.

Processing And Visualizing Satellite Data, Caleb Collier

Computer Science & Engineering Student Projects

Satellites are a useful way of gathering data at high altitudes. To be able to properly view the data, however, there are many important steps that one must take to ensure the data received is readable and usable. The data must be transmitted from the satellite to the ground, then must be decommuted and can then be used in various ways. This paper is an exploration of various ways of processing and visualizing data received from satellites, as well as various ways of using the data.

Psl-An Expert System To Evaluate Degree Plans, Robert Swanson

Computer Science & Engineering Student Projects

This paper describes a general-purpose expert system to evaluate degree plans according to the individual preferences of a college student. This system implements a preference specification language (PSL) on top of this expert system to allow for the textual expression of certain requirements and preferences that the system uses for evaluation. The PSL evaluator produces a single value to describe how well it meets the student’s preferences, which a plan generation system could use to create a degree plan optimized according to the specification.

3d-Printing Habitable Structures On Mars, Addison Johnson, John Pugsley, Andrew Scherer

Faculty-Mentored Undergraduate Scholarship

This project developed technology to 3D-print habitable structures on Mars from in-situ materials, as part of the push to create a self-sustaining colony on Mars. The team designed a next generation sulfur concrete printhead capable of extruding with greater efficiency and better quality than the previous design.

Developing Better Instruction, Better Instructors, And New Investigators, Clay Vander Kolk, Abigail Pyle

Celebration of Scholarship 2021

This research discusses how HAMTE and future educators collaborated to use the Principles to Action Professional Learning Toolkit in their classes and the tools they used to measure and gather conclusions about the development in the future teachers.

Normality Properties Of Composition Operators, Grace Weeks, Hallie Kaiser, Katy O'Malley

Celebration of Scholarship 2021

We explore two main concepts in relation to truncated composition matrices: the conditions required for the binormal and commutative properties. Both of these topics are important in linear algebra due to their connection with diagonalization.

We begin with the normal solution before moving onto the more complex binormal solutions. Then we cover conditions for the composition matrix to commute with the general matrix. Finally, we end with ongoing questions for future work.

Spectra Of Weighted Composition Operators With Quadratic Symbols, Derek Thompson, Jessica Doctor, Timothy Hodges, Alexander Mcfarland, Scott Kaschner

Mathematics Student Projects

Previously, spectra of certain weighted composition operators on the Hardy space were determined under one of two hypotheses: either the compositional symbol converges under iteration to the Denjoy-Wolff point uniformly on the entire open unit disk rather than simply on compact subsets, or it is “essentially linear fractional.” We show that if the compositional symbol is a quadratic self-map of the open disk of parabolic type, then the spectrum of associated weighted composition operators can be found when these maps exhibit both of the aforementioned properties, and we determine which symbols do so.

It's Elementary: A Review Of Forensic Analysis Techniques Of Inorganic Components Of Explosives, Sadie Schultz

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Projects

No abstract provided.

Antioxidants And Beta-Carotene: A General Overview, A Research History, And Modern Scholarship, James Joseph Dickman Iv

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Projects

This paper seeks to provide a cursory overview of oxidative stress and the accompanying biomolecules which are used to combat it. From there, the paper will provide a somewhat comprehensive list of major historical discoveries regarding antioxidant molecules, in particular beta-carotene. After this, an overview of more modern scholarship on the issue of these molecule’s antioxidant properties specific (from the 1970s onward) will be discussed up to modern times. The paper will conclude with an in depth look at the modern scholarship on beta-carotene that was performed here at Taylor University.

Bone Regeneration Via Inorganic/Organic Compatibility In A Newly Synthesized Hydrogel: Nhap-Bmp-2, Hannah Ewing

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Projects

In this paper, nHAp-BMP-2 hydrogel is carefully synthesized in order to optimize the organic and inorganic compatibility which induces osteogenesis—the formation of new bone. This new method is a novel development within the medical field, giving more hope to those suffering from traumatic bone injuries. A drawback with using hydrogels is the difficulty of controlling peptide release in the affected areas. Too quick of a release alarms the human inflammatory response resulting in more substantial injury and an even prolonged recovery time. On the other hand, if the peptides that promote bioactivity are released too slowly, the bone will not …

Quantum Chemical Methods: Its History And Future, Erica Mitchell

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Projects

No abstract provided.

Significance And Implications Of Vitamin B-12 Reaction Shema- Eth Zurich Variant: Mechanisms And Insights, David Joshua Ferguson

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Projects

This is an undergraduate chemistry thesis document. This involves a discussion of the mechanisms and overall reactions involved in the total synthesis of vitamin B-12.

The History And Development Of Identification: Rediscovery And Application Of Egyptian Blue, Bailee Allen

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Projects

The use of fingerprints as a form of identification in criminal cases has become a common method of conviction within the criminal justice system. However, with the recent rise in the number of people wrongly convicted, the typical sources of evidence have come into question about their reliability. Multiple common drawbacks found when using fingerprints dusting to obtain prints from crime scenes has led to researchers looking for more efficient ways to collect them that maintain high sensitivity and contrast. These are the two aspects that create the largest problem, especially on highly reflective and highly patterned surfaces. The discovery …

The Chemistry Of Jellybeans, Andrew Carter

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Projects

Jellybeans are an amazing work of chemistry. In my paper, I outline the history and science behind this little candy. My paper describes taste receptors, molecular structure, and the analytical chemistry that help to make flavor science an interesting field of work.

Metallodrugs And Their Various Impacts On Disorders And Diseases, Paige Wagner

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Projects

No abstract provided.

Closing Banquet Eulogies, Russell Howell, C. Ray Rosentrater

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2019

A tribute to David Lay; A tribute to John Roe

From Perfect Shuffles To Landau's Function, Brian D. Beasley

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2019

If we view a given shuffle of a deck of cards as a permutation, then repeatedly applying this same shuffle will eventually return the deck to its original order. In general, how many steps will that take? What happens in the case of so-called perfect shuffles? What type of shuffle will require the greatest number of applications before restoring the original deck? This talk will address those questions and provide a brief history of the work of Edmund Landau on the maximal order of a permutation in the symmetric group on n objects. It will also note some recent progress …

Developing Mathematicians: The Benefits Of Weaving Spiritual And Disciplinary Discipleship, Patrick Eggleton

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2019

Part of the goal of discipleship at the Christian university is for faith development to seep into the hearts of the students. Similarly, the goal of the development of future mathematicians is for the mathematical proficiencies, the practices like problem solving and analytical reasoning that permeate each of the courses, to seep into the hearts of our majors. This presentation shares how the weaving of our spiritual and disciplinary discipleship efforts benefits the faith development of our students while also helping them to think like a mathematician.

The Applicability Of Mathematics And The Naturalist Die, Ricardo J. Cordero-Soto

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2019

Philosopher and Christian apologist William Lane Craig has proposed a valid deductive argument for God’s existence that is rooted in the applicability of mathematics to the physical universe. This argument was presented by Craig during a debate with philosopher and atheist Alex Rosenberg. During the debate, Rosenberg presented a rebuttal to the soundness of this argument by appealing to chance as an explanation to the applicability of mathematics to the physical universe. In this talk, the presenter will discuss how the naturalist die is unable to produce “chance application” of mathematics while defending the soundness of the argument in light …