Analyzing Cie Texts Through History Using R, Rachel A. Hart, Aaron Ditto

Mathematics, Computer Science & Statistics Presentations

In this presentation, we analyzed three separate CIE texts from different time periods. First, “The Allegory of the Cave” from 380 BC, then “The Declaration of Independence” from 1776, and lastly “The Lottery” from 1948. We compared them using tidy text techniques like sentiment lexicons, creating word clouds, and bigram analysis to see if the types of words and sentiments used have changed over time in these short texts.

A Statistical Comparison Of Selected Old Testament And New Testament Books, Branden F. Stahl, Kevin Guan, Adam Denn

Mathematics, Computer Science & Statistics Presentations

The purpose of this project was to discover similarities between sentiments in Old Testament and New Testament books of the Bible, track emotional valence and find the most common words and sentiments in the books. Text analysis was performed on Genesis, Exodus, Matthew and Luke. Word clouds were also created for these texts.

Using Text Mining In R To Explore How Three Cie Related Texts Answer One Of Ursinus College’S Quest Curriculum Questions: “How Should We Live Together?”, Elizabeth Dill

Mathematics, Computer Science & Statistics Presentations

This presentation explores the application of text mining techniques using R programming to analyze literary text. In the process of this project, I performed data cleaning, tokenization, sentiment analysis, and frequency analysis on selected literary works. This study illustrates how R enables the transformation of unstructured textual data into meaningful insights through visualizations and statistical summaries. My presentation highlights both the technical process and the interpretive results, demonstrating how computational methods can be used to explore traditional literary analysis.

A Text Mining And Sentiment Analysis Of Valuable Cie Texts Using R, Eric Sugarman, Ethan Turber-Ortiz, Hannah Quinn

Mathematics, Computer Science & Statistics Presentations

The purpose of this project was to perform a sentiment analysis of three texts used in Ursinus College's Common Intellectual Experience (CIE) course: Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander and Discourse on Method by Rene Descartes. Word count and word cloud analysis were also performed on the texts as well as term frequency and bigram analysis.

The Significance Of Symmetry: Exploring T-Numbers And Their Role In Virus Survival And Behavior, Jenna Franco, Taylor Ligozio

Mathematics & Computer Science Student Scholarship

Jenna Franco ’25, Biology major

Taylor Ligozio ’25, Biology major

Faculty mentor: Dr. Su Jeong Kang, Mathematics and Computer Science

We studied the symmetry of different structures in common viruses and their T-numbers. We related these T-numbers with characteristics of the virus. Next we researched how the T-number of each virus was optimal for its survival and reproduction in its environment. We can use this information to infer or predict the behavior of viruses in the future based on their T-numbers.

Gnn Convergence And Accuracy Analysis On Contextual Stochastic Block Models, Trevor Garrity

Theses and Dissertations

Contextual Stochastic Block Models (cSBMs) are simple generative graph models commonly used to benchmark the performance of Graph Neural Networks (GNNs). In this thesis, I prove how inducing symmetries on general, nonlinear GNNs improves their cross entropy on cSBMs, and I derive the limiting accuracy of linear Graph Convolutional Networks (GCNs) on cSBMs. I use these results to derive the functional form of cross-entropy optimal GCNs on cSBMs and compare them to accuracy optimal GCNs.

Exploring Representations And Inductive Bias For Machine Learning Tasks In Knot Theory, Nathaniel Driggs

Theses and Dissertations

Knot theory is a branch of mathematics that studies embeddings of the circle in $\mathbb{R}^3$ that are equivalent up to ambient isotopy. A link is a knot with one or more component. Knots and links have invariants, or functions from each knot to a set such as the integers or a family of polynomials. Predicting invariants can help us approximate them, understand them better, and find useful ways of representing knots and useful models for other machine learning tasks in knot theory. I perform many supervised learning experiments, predicting signature on a large, wide-ranging dataset using 5 different models and …

Power Series Rings Over Noncommutative Rings: Symmetry, Reversibility, And Semicommutativity, Nolan Ison

Theses and Dissertations

Let R be an associative, unital ring. One topic of interest is to assert R has some property, then determine what properties the polynomial ring R[x] and the power series ring R[[x]] are guaranteed to have. There are many relaxations of commutativity in rings. For example, a ring is said to be symmetric if abc = 0 implies acb = 0 for all a, b, c ∈ R. We discuss a certain construction of symmetric rings that we hope will yield the existence of a symmetric ring R such that the set of nilpotent elements in the power series ring …

Exploring The Role Of Azoreductase Enzymes In Drug Metabolism: Implications For Personalized Medicine, Najoude Claude, Robert Ghergurovich

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Scholarship

Najoude Claude ’26, Biology major

Robert Ghergurovich ’26, Biochemistry major

Faculty mentor: Dr. Tyler Stack, Chemistry and Biochemistry

The gut microbiome hosts trillions of microorganisms that metabolize xenobiotics such as drugs and food dyes. Individual differences lead to variable drug metabolism. We studied two azoreductases: E. coli’s P41407 and Alistipes sp. CHKCL003’s A0A143XFE8. Enzyme P41407 acted on methyl red and ethyl red, while A0A143XFE8 acted on these and also on phenol blue, HMND, and sunset yellow. We propose these enzymes function as quinone reductases, requiring a quinone-like intermediate. Three synthesized compounds confirmed similar kinetics. In conclusion, these insights significantly advance …

Using Generative Artificial Intelligence To Improve Software-Defined Network Security: A Brief Survey, Anthony Smith

Honors Theses

This paper aims to explore various approaches to using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to improve network security in software-defined networking. While software-defined networks provide a more programmable infrastructure, they are not immune to network security threats. Through a combination of Software-Defined Networking (SDN) technologies and generative AI, it is possible to facilitate improved SDN security approaches that promise enhanced network efficiency and protection. Among these approaches, generative adversarial networks (GAN) based models can be employed to generate adversarial traffic samples to train the proposed AI engines proven to be effective in detecting malicious network traffic. Additionally, generative artificial intelligence can …

A Comparison And Investigation Of 2d Axisymmetric And 3d Models For The Wave Augmented Varicose Explosions Atomizer, Caleb Miller

Senior Honors Theses

Atomization of non-Newtonian, high-viscosity fluids is a challenging task with many applications. One method of atomizing these types of flows is the Wave Augmented Varicose Explosions (WAVE) atomizer. Using this framework, the study establishes an analysis methodology, investigates the relationship between 2D axisymmetric (2DA) and 3D models, and provides analysis of geometric, non-geometric, and non-dimensional parameter influences on the atomizer characterization in 2DA models. The study found that 2DA models can provide viable predictions of certain 3D model characteristics, established several mathematical models for parameter relationships among 2DA models, and identified certain metrics as inadequate predictors of atomizer characteristics in …

Volume 16, Maggie Duncan, Madeline Little, Alicia Hoffman, Megan Livesay, Gabrielle Quaresma, Serenity Allen, Laina Pfountz, Ainslie Allred, Sabrina Robles, Nicholas J. Duellman, Trinity L. Deguzman, Melissa H. Savage, Margaret Dudley, Jocelyn Escobar, Olivia Hildreth, Olivia Hopkins, Benjamin Gettier, Lee Kassay, Jade Riddle, Ashley Seiders

Incite: The Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Introduction Dr. Amorette Barber, Director, Office of Student Research

From the Editor Dr. Hannah Dudley-Shotwell

Artist’s Statement Maggie Duncan

On Mentoring Dr. Lee Millar Bidwell

The Hujum Campaign in Uzbekistan and its Consequences by Madeline Little

Wet Cupping Compared to Dry Needling for Treatment of Patients with Low Back Pain: A Critically Appraised Topic by Alicia Hoffman and Megan Livesay

Optimization of eDNA Air Sampling Via 3D Printed Fan by Gabrielle Quaresma

Beyond the Classroom: A Qualitative Study of Teacher Attrition and Retention by Serenity Allen and Laina Pfountz

The Treatment of Subacromial Impingement Syndrome with Platelet-Rich plasma Injections Verses …

Charging And Discharging Capacitors: Brightspace Package Of An Arithmetic Quiz, Vasiliy Znamenskiy

Open Educational Resources

Description:

This material is a quiz in the Brightspace Learning Management System (LMS). The quiz includes 10 physics problems on the topic of charging and discharging capacitors through a resistor.

The quiz assesses student understanding of key concepts, including voltage and charge of a capacitor, exponential functions, time constants, and dynamic changes in voltage and current.

Quiz problems are called in Brightspace LMS as arithmetic questions. The Problems give students random initial values to provide many quiz variants.

The quiz is appropriate for high school AP Physics or introductory college-level physics courses.

Key Features:

10-question quiz in Brightspace importable format …

Discovery, Purification And Annotation Of Four Novel Mycobacteriophages In New England, Mason Krawczynski

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Scholarship

Mason Krawczynski ’26, Biology and Psychology major

Faculty mentor: Dr. Kathleen Cornely, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Mycobacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria of the Mycobacterium genus. Several thousand mycobacteriophages have been discovered, isolated, and characterized to advance the current understanding of their genomic diversity. The mycobacterium phage selection proves valuable, as they have a broad host range and potential for therapeutic application to treat pathogenic and antibiotic-resistant mycobacteria, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis infection. Kraw was isolated from a soil sample collected in Oaks Bluff, Massachusetts, on the island of Martha’s Vineyard in July 2023. FairyPath, Calvinny, …

Tools For Harnessing Atropisomerism In 1-Aryl-Β-Carbolines, Cristina Díaz, Malaquias Loiza, Josef Crenshaw, Brian Ladino, Elizabeth Perda, Alma Martinez, Joseph Mazzucca, John Stathoulopoulos

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Scholarship

Cristina Díaz ’25, Chemistry major

Malaquias Loiza ’26, Biochemistry major

Josef Crenshaw ’28, Biochemistry major

Brian Ladino ’28, Biochemistry major

Elizabeth Perda ’26, Biochemistry major

Alma Martinez ’26, Biochemistry major

Joseph Mazzucca ’25, Biochemistry major

John Stathoulopoulos ’26, Chemistry major

Faculty mentor: Dr. Seann Mulcahy, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Axially chiral molecules with high barriers to rotation are becoming increasingly more prominent in drug discovery, chemical biology, and materials science. We have shown that 1-aryl-β-carbolines exhibit high configurationally stability, with barriers to rotation greater than 30 kcal/mol and have recently disclosed an asymmetric synthesis of these molecules. In this presentation, we …

Discovery, Purification And Annotation Of A Novel Mycobacteriophage Discovered On The Providence College Campus, Jenna Greene

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Scholarship

Jenna Greene ’26, Biochemistry major

Faculty mentor: Dr. Kathleen Cornely, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Bacteriophages—viruses that infect bacteria—offer a promising alternative to antibiotics in the face of rising antibiotic resistance. In this project, I isolated a novel phage from a soil sample collected in front of Raymond Dining Hall at Providence College. Using Mycobacterium smegmatis as the host, the sample underwent multiple rounds of purification until a single phage, named GMonster (a nod to my family nickname, “Greene Monster”), was isolated. GMonster was submitted to the PhagesDB database and confirmed through sequencing to belong to the A1 cluster—the first of its …

Exploring An Electron-Rich Iron Tricarbonyl Complex Containing An Α-Diimine Ligand, Joseph Maher

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Scholarship

Joseph Maher ’25, Chemistry major

Faculty mentor: Dr. Maria Carroll, Chemistry and Biochemistry

The combustion of fossil fuels increases atmospheric CO2, making hydrogen a promising cleaner energy alternative. Pt has been able to facilitate this reaction efficiently, however, it is expensive and scarce. Fe has shown promise in facilitating 2-electron transfers when bound to redox-active ligands. Reacting the redox-active CyDABMe with benzylidene acetone iron tricarbonyl (bdaFe(CO)3) forms Fe[CyDABMe](CO)3, with vCO values ~10 cm-1 lower than FeArDABMe(CO)3, indicating increased electron density. The reduction potential of CyDABMe was probed using Zn[CyDABMe]Cl2, showing a reduction at 200 mV more negative than Zn[ArDABMe]Cl2. X-ray …

Gerrymandering And How To Find It: A Mathematical Approach, Nicholas Small

Mathematics & Computer Science Student Scholarship

Nicholas Small ’25, Mathematics and Computer Science major

Faculty mentor: Dr. Liam Donohoe, Mathematics and Computer Science

Gerrymandering is a phenomenon that has plagued American politics for over 200 years. This process, which involves redrawing congressional and legislative district boundaries to favor one group over another, has become a fact of life in the past few decades. This project explores the history of gerrymandering and some of the algorithms proposed to combat it. The two main strategies of Gerrymandering are packing—or limiting the other group’s influence by making them the extreme majority in a few districts—and cracking—or splitting up a …

Sample Preparation And Acquisition Strategies To Improve Accessibility And Proteome Depth In Single-Cell And Low-Input Proteomics, Sara Madisyn Johnston

Theses and Dissertations

Proteins are responsible for important cellular functions and processes including regulation, structural integrity, signaling, transport, and immune functions. Proteomics directly identifies these proteins and enables deeper characterization of the dynamic cellular environment beyond the capabilities of genomics and transcriptomics. Single-cell proteomics further enhances this approach by capturing cellular heterogeneity, which bulk proteomics obscures due to averaging protein expression across large cell populations. Despite significant advances in single-cell proteomics, continued innovation is necessary to increase workflow accessibility and throughput, minimize peptide losses, and achieve comprehensive coverage of the proteome. This dissertation addresses these challenges by developing improved sample preparation methods, two-dimensional …

Analyzing Northwest Ohio Industries And Utilizing The Shape Program To Increase Sustainable Practices, Abigail Stucker

Honors Projects

The purpose of this project is to dive deeper into the corporate perspective on sustainability and why manufacturing companies should take action on such an important topic. Is there a true balance for businesses between increasing profits and reducing waste? Why should businesses care about being branded as a sustainable company? What efforts do companies need to take to truly be branded as “sustainable?” These are questions that drove the research and development of this project. After looking into these guiding questions, this project develops a program to help monitor and measure the successful sustainability practices that various Northwest Ohio …

Microwave Frequency Probes Of Graphene, Xinyi Du

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

We investigate high-frequency microwave spectroscopy as a probe of the electronic structure of graphene, focusing on compressibility, magnetic response, and the potential for detection applications. Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, exhibiting unique electronic properties due to its band structure and reduced dimensionality. While traditional compressibility measurements rely on low-frequency capacitance techniques, this thesis explores a high-frequency approach using superconducting resonators to probe the compressibility of graphene in the GHz regime. Originally conceived as a means to examine the diamagnetic response, the method faces fundamental limitations due to resistive losses, revealing key challenges …

Diversity And Habitat Use Of Bats In Modified Suburban Landscapes, Brittany Morgera

Biology Presentations

Bats occupy critical ecological niches and perform important ecosystem services like controlling insect populations. However, humans have altered bat habitat substantially, resulting in the reduction of bat populations. The goals of this research are to assess bat diversity and habitat use across different levels of suburban habitat modification. To accomplish this, we deployed passive acoustic recorders at twelve locations with varying human impact in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. In accordance with The North American Bat Monitoring Program’s standards, acoustic analysis software was used to identify bat species. Manual identification methods from The Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative were used to verify these …

Non-Destructive Testing Of Stressed Materials Using X-Ray Diffraction And Second-Harmonic Generation, Melissa Nguyen Lumogdang

Theses and Dissertations

A material in use, anywhere from a plastic bag to common infrastructure, will eventually fail from deformation. When strained, the material chemical structure can change, and that change is dependent on many factors, including the amount of strain and strain rate. Understanding the relationship between physical properties and structural changes due to deformation can allow structural manipulation to achieve the desired physical properties. Additionally, research into non-destructive testing (NDT) methods can be used as supporting evidence for replacing destructive testing methods and possible infield stress monitoring. In this dissertation, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and second-harmonic generation (SHG) are the main NDT …

Homomorphisms Of Peano Continua To Berbered Peano Continua, Logan Kennedy

Theses and Dissertations

The study of wild spaces, Peano continua that contain points that are not semi-locally simply connected, has been of integral importance in the study of low-dimensional wild topology. Mainly investigated from the view point of algebraic topology, the fundamental group has been found to be an indespensible tool in describing these spaces, and their local behavior. In particular, using methods developed by Cannon, Conner, Eda, and Kent demonstrated that all maps from Peano continua to planar or one-dimensional Peano continua are determined uniquely up to homotopy class by their induced homomorphisms on fundamental groups, and that fundamental groups are a …

Existence Of Maximal And Minimal Weak Solutions And Dinite Difference Approximations For Elliptic Systems With Nonlinear Boundary Conditions, S. Bandyopadhyay, T. Lewis, Nsoki Mavinga

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Works

We establish the existence of maximal and minimal weak solutions between ordered pairs of weak sub- and super-solutions for a coupled system of elliptic equations with quasimonotone nonlinearities on the boundary. We also formulate a finite difference method to approximate the solutions and establish the existence of maximal and minimal approximations between ordered pairs of discrete sub- and super-solutions. Monotone iterations are formulated for constructing the maximal and minimal solutions when the nonlinearity is monotone. Numerical simulations are used to explore existence, nonexistence, uniqueness and non-uniqueness properties of positive solutions. When the nonlinearities do not satisfy the monotonicity condition, we …

Innovations In Sample Handling Automation To Increase Accessibility Of Sample-Limited Proteomics, Nathaniel Ben Axtell

Theses and Dissertations

Innovation is the vehicle that drives scientific research forward in virtually every field. Advances in genome sequencing propelled the human genome project to completion in 2003 and set the stage for the era of proteomics. Now decades of innovation in liquid chromatography (LC) and mass spectrometry (MS) have improved sensitivity sufficiently to enable single-cell proteomics and other sample-limited studies. Single-cell proteomics reveal patterns of gene expression that are often obscured by bulk-scale proteomics, leading to the identification of new protein biomarker candidates. Sensitive targeted proteomics is the key to successful translation of low-abundance protein assays into clinical applications. With a …

Quantifying The Transfer Effectiveness Of An Artificial Intelligence-Based Simulator Pre-Training Program For Student Pilots, Ryan Guthridge

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Since the airline pilot shortage was initially studied in 2016, the pilot hiring model has been significantly impacted, with airlines hiring qualified pilots at unprecedented rates. The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed this hiring rate, however it is expected that airline hiring will soon increase to a rate higher than initially expected (Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2022). With this dynamic, certified flight instructors are often the most qualified recruits for airlines, due to the number of hours and experience they have gained in the flight training organization. In turn, certified flight instructors are in short supply for flight training organizations worldwide. …

Analysis Of Public Acceptance Of Urban Air Mobility (Uam) Based On Air Travel Frequency, Seuggyun Jin, Kim O. Chambers

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is an innovative air transportation system designed for efficient travel in urban and suburban areas, offering significant time saving compared to traditional ground transportation. However, concerns about UAM services, such as safety and noise, remain prominent. Understanding public acceptance of UAM is crucial to identifying potential customers and ensuring the sustainability of commercial UAM operations. This study utilizes an online survey from a total of 254 consumer attitudes on the scales of reliability, usefulness, behavioral intention, safety, and concerns to examine public acceptance of UAM based on people's air travel frequencies. Using a one-way ANOVA, the …

In Situ Synthesis Of Pbs Shell On Cspbbr3 Qd For Enhanced Stability And Photoluminescence, Noah Pitcher

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Halide perovskite quantum dots (HPQDs) have attracted considerable attention for optoelectronic applications due to their outstanding optical properties, including high photoluminescent quantum yield (PLQY), tunable band gap, high absorption coefficients, etc. However, their practical implementation is limited by poor stability under ambient conditions such as moisture, heat, and light. To overcome these challenges, surface passivation and shelling engineering have emerged as effective strategies to enhance HPQD stability by encapsulating their surface with a protective material. Conventional shelling techniques, however, often face limitations related to lattice mismatch and interfacial incompatibility. In this study, we report the successful synthesis of PbS@CsPbBr3 (shell@core) …

Influence Of The Duchesne Fault Zone On Oil Production In The Uinta Basin, Utah, Alan Matthew Ketring

Theses and Dissertations

The Duchesne Fault Zone (DFZ) is a series of east-west trending en echelon faults that developed synchronously above the neutral surface of the Duchesne Anticline during the Laramide Orogeny. The Duchesne Graben (DG) formed by decrease in displacement downward toward the neutral surface. Lake Canyon, a region that exposes the subsurface geology on the western portion of the DFZ, serves as an analog for fold formation within the saline facies of the lower Green River Formation, while Indian Canyon, an area created from the dip-slip faulting of the DG, provides clear exposures of the faulting within the sandstone-limestone facies of …