Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Reframing The Achievement Gap In Mathematics Education, Madeline Pavolovich '22

Posters

Much of math education research focuses on a so-called “achievement gap” measured by test scores and similar quantitative measures of “success.” By framing issues of equity in this way, methods to remedy the gap often require subordinated groups to become more like the “higher achieving” group. In other areas of study, we have been quicker to incorporate sociopolitical lenses into teaching and learning with an emphasis on identity and power. Such a sociopolitical turn could help us rethink what it means for math education to be truly equitable.

Bail Reform, Matthew Shang '22

Posters

The Public Safety Assessment (PSA) to assess the likelihood of pretrial risk. Then, the information is used to decide the conditions of release, including components like bail. The factors used are related only to age and criminal history. In short, the algorithm helps judges make more informed decisions.

Gender Discrimination In Ai, Nicole Papert '22

Posters

There are several studies revealing that AI tools used in job search applications and sites will promote different opportunities depending on the gender of the user. Specifically, men are typically shown more competitive job postings than women, given that the users have similar skills and qualifications. In this poster, I will closely examine why algorithms utilized for the job search process may present differently between men and women.

Tips For Success In Math Courses, Joshua Horowitz '22

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Five steps in the development process for succeeding in mathematics.

Belonging In Math And How It’S Affected By Groupwork, Kara Mathes '22

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Interactions in groups for class assignments are an important part of a student’s sense of belonging in mathematics and other academic disciplines. This sense of belonging has an impact on the student’s sense of self as well as their academic performance.

Cross-Sectoral Climate Change Modeling, Jeremy Gordon '22

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Although climate data originates from various integrated sectors, it continues to be evaluated in isolation. By using cross-sectoral modeling, climate change modeling can more effectively represent data, and the possible consequences of misjudging future models.

Ranked Choice Voting: Who’S The Real Winner?, Brendan Magill '23

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Ranked choice voting is a voting system in which voters rank candidates in order or preference. The winning candidate is determined by eliminating candidates and reassigning their votes until one has a majority. It provides solutions to some of the fundamental issues with traditional voting. But is it more fair? Should it be instituted in American democratic elections?

Racial Bias In Health Care Machine Learning Algorithms, Esther Akinpelu '22

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Machine learning algorithms in healthcare are racially biased, especially when diagnosing patients and choosing candidates for care management programs.

Is U.S. News College Ranking A Weapon Of Math Destruction?, Zhipeng Kui '22

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This poster presents Cathy O’Neil’s arguments from her book Weapons of Math Destruction and connects them with Columbia’s ongoing ranking scandal to show why we should view U.S. News college ranking as a WMD.

The Impossible Theorem Of Fairness, Man Nguyen '22

Posters

With the growth of machine learning, there has been an increase of machine biases that can cause wrongful discrimination. In the case of implementing “fairness,” several conceptions of bias were created to target a fair system. However, statisticians have found that these conceptions contradict one another. Thus, we run into an impossible conundrum of fairness in machine learning. In cases that high risk, we want to investigate the best fairness measures if one is possible. Moreover, we would like to determine when these fairness measures fail or what conditions must be met for them to succeed.

Accessible And Intuitive Mathematical Notation, Anthony Christiana '22

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For math learners with disabilities, engagement with traditional mathematical notation can be difficult or impossible. Here, we explore two examples of the ways that notation can fail disabled students. We also note how accommodating for these disabilities allows us to imagine better ways of serving all students through notational practices.

Bias In Mortgage Approval Algorithms, Carter Steckbeck '22

Posters

In recent years, financial institutions are using machine learning algorithms for the mortgage approval process. Utilizing hundreds of complex variables, they decide whether an applicant gets approved. Recent studies have shown that people of color are disproportionately denied at higher rates for mortgages compared to White individuals.

The Effect Of Social Media On Polarization, John Burt '22

Posters

This poster attempts to look at the impact of social media on political polarization in the United States. Since the 2016 elections, there has been a shift in the political parties and their constituencies away from the center. Some have argued that a large part of this is due to the algorithms that social media use.

Experiential Learning In Mathematics, Lara Speer '23

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The United States lags behind many other developed countries in math skills. The root of the problem lies not in mathematics itself, but in the way the United States approaches teaching math through memorization. One alternative pedagogical method to memorization is experiential learning, which is the process during which students acquire new knowledge through experience and is meant to reflect the way people learn in the real world.

Ethical Use Of Machine Learning In Higher Education Admission, Siqi Fang '23

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A machine learning model called GRADE was used for PhD admission at UT Austin from the year 2013-2020. The model was trained a small set of past admission decisions which are already bias and was used immediately without further tuning or human validation. The model will score all applicants and the decision is made without further human assessment for applicants with the highest and lowest score. Only 362/588 full human reviews are conducted with a few people admitted and the majority of the rest being rejected by algorithm.

How Does Fico Score Discriminates People?, Stephana Lim '22

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The FICO Score, the standard credit score, is used as a weapon of mathematical destruction as its algorithm creates a systematic discrimination against a disadvantaged racial group.

Tri-State Mining District, Ecological System, And Human Health: Systematic Literature Review Analysis, Jihyun Jane Min

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Objective: Although extensive research exists on corrosive environments in the Tri-State Mining District (TSMD), there has been a lack of research on how such harmful effects in the TSMD could affect residents living in those areas. However, quite recently, such research regarding relationships between the health conditions of low-income residents and toxic elements in TSDM began to grow. Therefore, the increase of empirical studies means greater complexity of the findings that require a more intricate understanding.

Methods: To meet the necessity of the study, this research was conducted by an extensive systematic review of the literature on the harmful effects …

Usu Materials Physics Group Nasa Missions, Jr Dennison

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No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Usability Research On The World Class Sports Website, Lydia Winters, Carter Bowman, Kaitlyn Campbell, Jason Reid

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User Interface Design (UI) and User Experience Design (UX) have become important parts of integrating the human experience into the design of digital products and services we use every day. Usability Research is the foundation of these two areas. It enables the research for improvement of quality interaction between a user and a company (UX) to be put into action by designing, prototyping and iterating the user interface (UI) before development. This project is a study of the effect that usability research has on the development of a new website for World Class Sports. It implements changes to the site …

Real-Time Video Processing Of Arcing Events To Determine Coincidence, Jr Dennison, Gregory Wilson, Jonh Mojica Decena, Brian Wood

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No abstract provided.

Real-Time Video Processing Of Arcing Events To Determine Coincidence, Jr Dennison, Gregory Wilson, Jonh Mojica Decena, Brian Wood

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A system has been developed and tested for real-time monitoring of environmentally-induced electrostatic discharge events to test spacecraft component and material survivability. Simultaneous detection by several parallel methods in coincidence, enhances event detection, minimizes false signals, and collects complementary information to determine arc location, intensity, and timing. This research focuses on four computer-interfaced video cameras which provide spatial and temporal detection of visual arcing from the surface of various elements. A real time processing solution was developed which can calculate integrated intensities, sensitively detect intensity threshold events, and store relevant video frames from these threshold events. Post processing of this …

Effects Of Radiation On The Electrostatic Discharge Of Polymers, Kip Quilter, Megan Loveland, Alexandra Hughlett, Jr Dennison

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No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of Variations In Published Secondary Electron Yield Measurements Of Copper, Phil Lundgreen, Jr Dennison

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No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of Variations In Published Secondary Electron Yield Measurements Of Copper, Phil Lundgreen, Jr Dennison

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No abstract provided.

Characterization Of The Effects Of Radiation On Skeletal And Smooth Muscle Cells, Lori Caldwell, Charles Harding, Jr Dennison, Elizabeth Vargis

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Muscular atrophy is a serious issue for extended spaceflight. Understanding and preventing the role of ionizing radiation in skeletal muscle loss would preserve the strength and endurance of astronauts and enable longer duration space travel and exploration. Irradiation was performed in the USU material physics group's Space Suvivability Test Chamber. C2C12 and CRL-1999 cells were exposed to dosages ranging from 0.5 - 36.8 Gy. Cell viability and growth rate were measured immediately following irradiation.

Secondary Electron Yield Measurements Of Carbon Nanotube Forests: Dependence On Morphology And Substrate, Brian Wood, Justin Christensen, Gregory Wilson, Jr Dennison, T. -C. Shen

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No abstract provided.

Parameterization Of Secondary And Backscattered Electron Yields For Spacecraft Charging, Justin Christensen, Phil Lundgreen, Jr Dennison

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No abstract provided.

Tests Of Radiation Damage Threshold Of Raspberry Pi Zerio In Leo Environment For Opal Cubesat Project, Jonh Mojica Decena, Jr Dennison, Brian Wood, Ryan J. Martineau, Michael J. Taylor

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No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Electron Yield Properties Of Low-Density Polyethylene, Jordan Lee, Jr Dennison

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No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Electron Yield Properties Of Low-Density Polyethylene, Jr Dennison, Jordan Lee

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At extremely high altitudes, spacecraft are submitted to solar radiation of varying charged-particle fluxes. This radiation can induce charging of the spacecraft itself, creating unwanted and disastrous effects on electrical components from electrostatic breakdown or arc-induced damage of structural or optical components. To prevent these effects, space-like environment tests are performed on materials to understand how they interact with the space plasma environment.