Other Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Results And Implications For Space Weather Forecasting Of Periodic Mesoscale Solar Wind Structures Responsible For Radiation Belt Particle Loss, Grace Gratton

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Highly dynamic and structured mesoscale solar wind continually buffets Earth's magnetosphere, the moon, and Mars. These mesoscale structures cause several significant risks to spacecraft and astronauts, including driving radiation belt depletion and amplifying the hazards of CMEs and SIRs through upstream solar wind preconditioning. Characterizing the solar origins and solar wind properties of geoeffective mesoscale structures is essential for eventually forecasting their arrival and space weather impact at various satellites. In this interdisciplinary work, we leverage modeling and data analysis to characterize a series of events observed by the Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses (BARREL) instrument – in …

Waiting For The Magic: A Historical And Mathematical Study Of Queues In Disney Theme Parks, Nina E. Becket

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This paper, written as part of an honors research project in high school, provides an introduction to the line and queuing systems at Disney theme parks. We begin with a brief history of Disney World and its creators. We then introduce the basics of queuing theory and queuing notation. Finally, we examine modern line systems at Disney (as of 2023) and the future of its different queue systems.

Reading The Martian Surface: Impact Crater Distributions And Geochemical Signatures In Gale Crater As Recorded By The Curiosity Rover, Megan E. Hoffman

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The Curiosity rover has been exploring Gale crater, a large impact basin near the Mars equator since 2012. This mission has greatly improved our ability to explore the surface of Mars with a suite of geologic tools and cameras and has revealed that Mars likely once resembled present-day Earth. In this dissertation, I utilize measurements and data taken by Curiosity to analyze the distribution and preservation of small impact craters at meter scales, I quantify the formation characteristics of a small impact crater cluster, and I examine the presence of barium in a geologic unit with high-Si to constrain sediment …

Surveying First-Year Stem Students’ Self-Reported Knowledge, Skills, And Attitudes Towards Teamwork, Gregory R. Goldsmith, Camilla Acosta

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The ability to work in a team is cited as a key outcome for many undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs, both as a method for improving learning and as a highly desired trait for employers. Despite a growing focus on teamwork, our ability to design appropriate teamwork curriculum is limited by our poor understanding of what students arriving at university know about teamwork, what teamwork skills they consider themselves to possess, and their attitudes towards teamwork. We delivered a mixed-methods survey to first-year STEM undergraduate students (n = 205) to benchmark knowledge, skills and attitudes towards …

(R2138) Analytical Approaches To Integral Equations In The Dynamics Of The Oblate Spheroidal: Earth-Sun-Satellite System, Kumari Ranjana, M. Shahbaz Ullah, M. Javed Idrisi

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

The deployment of artificial satellites in different gravitational environments has significantly impacted space exploration. We have introduced the study of artificial satellites under the influence of gravitational forces from oblate spheroids. To confront complex obstacles the myriads of both numerical and analytical techniques have been formulated. Among these methods, a new approach involving the integration of integral equations has been introduced. This innovative approach has been applied to study the trajectories of artificial satellites as they navigate the gravitational influence of oblate spheroids. Suitable kernels have been carefully chosen to solve the integral equations. The solutions have been found and …

(R2149) Heat, Hall, And Ion Slip Effects On Chemically Reacting Mhd Casson Flow Through Moving Surface, Gaurav Kumar, Vinod Kumar

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

The present investigation aims to analyze the combined effects of heat generation/absorption, Hall current, and ion slip on the flow of chemically reacting MHD Casson fluid over a moving vertical surface, considering ramped wall temperature and mass diffusion. The flow medium has been made porous. The analytical solution of the model's partial differential equations is derived using the Laplace transform technique aided by the Heaviside step function. The expressions for the Sherwood Number, Nusselt Number, and shear stress on the plate have been derived. The results obtained are found to be in outstanding agreement. The outcomes achieved are displayed through …

(R2161) Robust Optimization Of Industrial Hazardous Waste Location-Routing Problem Considering Response Actions To Environmental Risk, Sharareh Teimoori, Farhad Hosseinzadeh Lotfi, Seyyed Esmaeil Najafi, Navid Rafiei

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

The management of hazardous industrial waste has emerged as a significant global challenge due to rapid technological advancements. Industrial hazardous waste management systems must be designed not only to be cost-effective but also to minimize environmental risks. This study proposes a mixed-integer programming model for the location-routing of industrial hazardous waste that incorporates both primary and secondary environmental risks, along with suitable response actions. Furthermore, a scenario-based robust optimization model is developed to address uncertainties in the quantities of industrial hazardous waste. A case study is conducted to demonstrate the applicability and comparative performance of the nominal and robust models. …

An Analytical Framework For Quantifying Urban And Community Resilience To Natural Hazards From Cell-Phone Gps-Location And Traffic-Flow Data, Georgios Chatzikyriakidis

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Urban areas are increasingly exposed to natural hazards while accommodating a growing share of the global population, yet a consistent science-based framework for quantifying urban and community resilience remains lacking. This dissertation develops a physics-based analytical framework grounded in statistical mechanics and the quantitative theory of Brownian motion. A city is conceptualized as a complex medium in which citizens move analogously to Brownian particles within a viscoelastic environment, influenced by socioeconomic interactions and infrastructure functionality.

A central premise is that urban resilience, interpreted as engineering resilience (an outcome), can be quantified through a single metric: the mean-square displacement MSD=⟨r²(t)⟩, of …

A New Approach To Generate Combinatorial Patterns In Logical Analysis Of Data And Its Application To Predict College Retention, Salihah Ahmed E. Jaafari

Theses and Dissertations

Student retention and degree completion remain central challenges for higher-education institutions, with significant implications for student success, institutional effectiveness, and public accountability. While advances in predictive analytics have enabled earlier identification of students at risk of withdrawal, many commonly used machine learning approaches suffer from limited interpretability, constraining their practical usefulness for advising, intervention, and policy decision making. This dissertation addresses the problem of predicting student persistence by developing and evaluating optimization based, interpretable classification models within the Logical Analysis of Data (LAD) framework. Building on existing LAD formulations, this research introduces two novel pattern generation models, the Best Term …

Between Chronicle And Legend: A Two-Scene Environment And Visual Effects Examination Of Physical Accuracy And Emotional Exaggeration On The Honey Creek Bridge Collapse, Alison R. Gaddy

All Theses

This thesis explores how truth and dramatization intersect in digital storytelling by comparing realistic and stylized simulations of the Honey Creek bridge collapse within the context of the Kate Shelley animated short. At the core of storytelling lies a tension between factual accuracy and dramatic stylization. We investigate that tension by examining how narrative truth is conveyed, distorted, or enhanced through visual dramatization by focusing on the psychology of audience perception and the motivations behind creative embellishment. The practical contribution of this research is the development of two distinct digital scene setups depicting the same Honey Creek bridge collapse event. …

A Coupled Fractional Thermistor System Demonstrating Existence, Uniqueness, And Simulation Results With Two-Point Boundary Conditions, Yahia Awad, Angela Khattar, Hussein Fakih, Sami Hammoud, Karim Amin

Mathematical Modelling and Numerical Simulation with Applications

This paper studies a coupled system of Caputo fractional differential equations of orders $\alpha, \beta\in(1,2]$, subject to two-point boundary conditions. The model incorporates nonlinear nonlocal integral terms that capture the memory-dependent interactions between thermal and electrical dynamics in thermistor materials. We rigorously establish existence via Schaefer’s fixed-point theorem and uniqueness through Banach’s contraction principle in a Banach space of continuous and continuously differentiable functions. Additionally, we analyze Ulam–Hyers stability to quantify solution sensitivity to initial perturbations. A numerical example highlights the effects of fractional orders and nonlocal feedback on system behavior. This work generalizes classical thermistor models and provides a …

Machine Learning For Predicting Prosthetic Limb Movements, Jessica Alexandra Cegarra Arraiz

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis develops and evaluates a deep learning-based prediction model capable of identifying intended limb movement from surfaced electromyography (sEMG) signals using sequence learning techniques. sEMG signals change over time due to multiple factors such as muscle fatigue or user variability. Traditional prosthetics control methods rely on static feature extraction, ignoring how signals change over time, thereby limiting their ability to capture the temporal changes of muscle activity. As a result, these approaches often lead to poor accuracy, robustness, and generalization. Limited experimental validation has been conducted on sequence-based machine learning approaches using temporal sEMG data from publicly available datasets …

Spectral Analysis Of Traffic Accidents In New York's Capital Region, Michael Barr

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

In this paper we estimate the spectral density of traffic accident events in the Capital Distict, NY area using a band-pass filter known as the Kolmogorov-Zurbenko Fourier Transform (KZFT). The source data is provided by Moosavi, et al. (2019) and originally captured from various public entities and sensors in the road network. Spectral density estimation with KZFT suppresses noise to reveal the constituent frequencies embedded in the noisy signal. Signal reconstruction based on KZFT produces an approximate weekly accident arrivals for this noisy signal, or in other words a pattern which is proportionate to the event expectation viewed over a …

(R2150) Impact Of Specialist Predator Harvesting On The Stability Of A Three-Species Food Chain Model With A Generalist Predator, S. Ganga, S. Vijaya

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In this study, the stability of a three-species food chain model comprising a prey, an intermediate specialist predator, and a top predator exhibiting generalist behavior is examined, with harvesting applied to the intermediate predator. The main objective is to investigate how variations in the harvesting rate influence system stability and the coexistence of all three species. The positivity, boundedness, and equilibrium points of the model are analyzed to ensure biological feasibility. The equilibrium point involving the prey and the top predator satisfies the criteria for both local and global asymptotic stability. The coexistence equilibrium point attains local asymptotic stability based …

Improving The Electrochemical Properties Of Mno2 By Doping With Fe For Water Splitting And Supercapacitor Application, Joseph Okwe

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

An Abstract of the Thesis by

Joseph Okwe

These days when the issue of energy is talked about, it is usually more than just the usefulness of different types of energy. This topic now encompasses ways of generating and storing energy in the most efficient and sustainable way. For this reason, various research has shown that materials that are fabricated for the purpose of energy storage and conversion also find applications in other areas such as water splitting and supercapacitors. And so certain materials, when synthesized, can serve more than one purpose in either generating or storing energy. This project …

Modeling Flood Risks For Small-Scale Coastal Watershed Across Shared Socioeconomic Pathway Scenarios, Sebastian Loschner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Coastal flooding, driven by the mixture of natural processes and human activities such as precipitation, waves, sea level rise, and urbanization, remains a growing concern. While recent flood-risk studies use IPCC's Shared Socioeconomic Pathways with climate projections to assess future flood exposure, smaller coastal watersheds, < 120,000 acres, remain insufficiently studied. Projected sea level rise is expected to intensify these impacts in smaller systems, potentially causing more severe flooding than reported for larger watersheds. To address this gap, this study used the SRH-2D model integrated with Aquaveo's Surface-water Modeling System to simulate flooding in the lower Fish River basin, Alabama. A coastal watershed sensitive to both riverine and tidal influences. Simulations tested different sea levels based on SSP scenarios corresponding to low, moderate, and high emissions for the years 2050 and 2100. Results indicate that the midcentury scenarios remained even in inundation extent and volume, between 9.9-10.4% compared to the 2020 baseline, the latter scenarios had a wider range in results of between 25.9-50.3% compared to the same baseline. Across scenarios, the most vulnerable and inundated areas of the smaller coastal watershed were the narrow points where upstream flow convene with downstream backwater. These findings highlight the need for futuristic location-specific flood mitigation strategies.

Solution Of Fractional Order Diffusion Equations With Clique Neural Network, Merve Zeynep Kaya, Mesut Karabacak, Ercan Çelik

Mathematical Modelling and Numerical Simulation with Applications

In this paper, the clique artificial neural network method is used to solve the fractional diffusion equation, which is a subclass of partial differential equations. The clique neural network architecture is constructed using input, hidden, and output layers. Several degrees of clique polynomials were used as activation functions, and the output layer was obtained by multiplying them with weight coefficients. Subsequently, the optimization equation was derived, and the exact solution, numerical solution, and error function graphs were obtained using a specialized algorithm. Analysis of the results demonstrates that the clique artificial neural network method provides quicker and more accurate results …

Hindcasting The Occurrence Time Of Major Earthquakes Using Machine Learning And Time Series Analysis, Rubidha Devi D

Theses and Dissertations

An earthquake is an intense shaking of the ground that typically occurs when tectonic plates move beneath the surface of the Earth. Scientists analyze historical seismic records and geophysical and atmospheric signs to build models estimating the probability of major earthquakes by detecting patterns and anomalies in data such as ground deformation and seismic waves. This study would help in predicting earthquakes to minimize risks of people and buildings.

The present study investigates the devastating earthquakes along the Chilean subduction zone in South America, linking non-seismic data to machine learning predictions of Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR) and Relative Humidity (RH) …

Bridging Scales In Epidemic Modeling From Individuals To Networks And Ecosystems, Saiprasasd Vr

Theses and Dissertations

Epidemics have shaped the trajectory of human history, repeatedly exposing vulnerabilities in healthcare systems and influencing socio-economic dynamics on a global scale. The COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, underscored the pressing need for flexible and responsive modeling framework capable of adapting to dynamic and evolving epidemic scenarios. Motivated by these challenges, this thesis explores the development of innovative epidemic models that integrate classical mathematical modeling techniques, network-based frameworks, and modern data-driven approaches. Each chapter addresses a distinct dimension of epidemic spread, from vaccination dynamics and community coupling to ecological complexity and adaptive human behavior, culminating in a model-free paradigm suitable for …

An Exploration Of The Structure Of The Linear Algebraic Model Of Color, Isaac Martin

University Honors Theses

This thesis surveys the mathematical grounding of linear algebraic models of color. It aims to build from the ground up the framework by which additive color is broadly understood in the digital age. Primarily building on the work of Jozef Cohen, Eric Dubois, David H. Krantz, and Günter Wyszecki, it aims to chart the construction of a model of color that underpins most modern understandings of color. While the construction is certainly established in colorimetric circles, the construction is, in the thesis author's opinion, either obtuse or non-rigorous. Ideally, this thesis serves to make the construction accessible to an audience …

Writing Climate Change: Science Knowledge In Creative Forms; Part Two: From Reading To Writing, Lytton Smith

Climate Change and the Individual, 2025-26

This lesson explores how a short creative piece by Ada Limón, U.S. Poet Laureate, draws on climate science knowledge to engage readers informationally, imaginatively, and emotionally. Students will reflect through discussion and/or writing on both the scientific methodology and the questions of equity and justice her poem raises. Finally, students will engage in a guided writing prompt where they research science knowledge around climate change and use what they find to shape their own short creative pieces (100-300 words), based in that science.

Writing Climate Change: Science Knowledge In Creative Forms; Part One: Understanding Science Stories, Lytton Smith

Climate Change and the Individual, 2025-26

This lesson explores how a short creative piece by Ada Limón, U.S. Poet Laureate, draws on climate science knowledge to engage readers informationally, imaginatively, and emotionally. Students will reflect through discussion and/or writing on both the scientific methodology and the questions of equity and justice her poem raises. Finally, students will engage in a guided writing prompt where they research science knowledge around climate change and use what they find to shape their own short creative pieces (100-300 words), based in that science.

Benchtop-Scale High Temperature Molten Salt Electrochemical Reactors: Experimental Setup And Considerations, Haley Hoover, Ivy Wu, Oluwatamilore Olushina, Robert Bell, Kerry Rippy

Reviews, Analyses, and Instructional Studies in Electrochemistry (RAISE)

Molten salt electrochemical reduction (MSER) is the dominant production method for aluminum and titanium, and emerging technologies for producing other commodity metals with these highly electrified techniques have demonstrated promising results. However, the scale up of MSER of materials such as iron and silicon are limited by the challenging issues of materials compatibility and impurity control. This work describes an experimental MSER setup using both chloride and carbonate salts. This setup is designed for operations outside of a glovebox, which is practical from an industrial perspective, but creates unique challenges. This work serves as a practical guide to discuss some …

Factors Influencing Student Motivations And Experiences In Stem Course Office Hours, Gabriella R. Dauber, Jeremy L. Hsu

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Office hours are a part of nearly all science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses, with many academic and affective benefits for students who attend. However, despite their ubiquity, there has only been limited past work examining the sources of knowledge students draw from to shape their perceptions of office hours, as well as the factors that influence students' experiences in STEM course office hours. Here, we conducted semistructured interviews with 20 students enrolled in an introductory STEM course to investigate what motivates students to attend STEM course office hours, the factors that shape their experiences in office hours, and …

Towards The Signed Decomposition Of Young Quasisymmetric Schur Functions Into Dual Immaculate Quasisymmetric Functions, Gavin Butts, Joshua Hallam

Honors Thesis

We introduce a family of descent-preserving, sign-reversing involutions on encodings of standard immaculate tableaux which, in the two-row case, identifies pairs standard immaculate tableaux, leaving exactly those satisfying the conditions of standard Young composition tableaux fixed. Using this result, we derive the first explicit signed decomposition of the Young quasisymmetric Schur functions into dual immaculate quasisymmetric functions, confirming the conjectured decomposition, by Allen-Hallam-Mason, in the two-row setting. Along the way, considering the number of descent elements, we obtain counted refinements of standard immaculate tableaux and standard Young composition tableaux with shapes (n,n+1) and (n+1, …

The Impacts Of The Transfer Process Through The Eyes Of Stem Majors, Astrid Y. Lopez Matias

Honors Theses

This study explores the experiences of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) transfer students through the lens of Lily, a biology major who transferred from a large Midwestern university to a large Southeastern university. Employing a qualitative case study approach, data were collected via a semi-structured interview to delve into the complexities of her transfer journey. The analysis was guided by the Edalgo and High (2022) framework, which examines the interplay of personal, institutional, and social factors in shaping student experiences.

Lily's narrative highlights several challenges common among STEM transfer students, including unexpected personal and financial pressures, difficulties in navigating …

Representation And Formalization Of Relation Algebras, Pace S. Nelson, Peter Jipsen

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Abstract relation algebras were defined by Alfred Tarski in 1941 to capture the algebraic properties of binary relations. An interesting question is whether a given relation algebra is representable as an algebra of binary relations. Donald Monk proved in 1964 that the theory of representable relation algebras is not finitely based, and Robin Hirsch and Ian Hodkinson in 2001 showed that it is an undecidable problem whether a finite relation algebra is representable. However, Roger Maddux’s concept of n-dimensional bases and Steve Comer’s one-point extension method can prove (non)representability for various small algebras. Both methods are based on a two-player …

The Human Legacy: Agriculture, Civilizations, Strife, And Pandemics Changing Our Climate, Jacalyn M. Wittmer Malinowski

Climate Change and the Individual, 2025-26

For most of human history, climate has shaped our lives, while our influence on it remained minimal. However, the notion that early humans had no measurable impact on the climate before industrialization is inaccurate. Early in human history, activities – such as the rise of agriculture, the growth of civilizations, periods of conflict, and pandemics – altered greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere. These changes contributed to significant periods of climate change long before the burning of fossil fuels set us on the path to today’s global climate crisis.

The Role Of The Neutral Wind In Observations Of High-Latitude Ionospheric Energy Transfer, Andrew M. Pepper

All Dissertations

Joule heating results from the collisional interaction between ions and neutrals and serves as a crucial mechanism for energy transfer between Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere-thermosphere system, particularly at high latitudes. This dissertation investigates the modulation of Joule heating by altitude-resolved neutral winds, electric fields, and conductivity variations through multi-instrument observational analysis and modeling that incorporates both in-situ and ground-based sources to measure the main drivers of ion-neutral coupling. The observations presented consistently demonstrate a dual regulatory effect of the neutral wind on energy deposition that varies systematically with both geomagnetic activity level and proximity to auroral boundaries. In regions characterized …

The Petm: A Window Into Earth's Future Climate, Jacalyn M. Wittmer Malinowski

Climate Change and the Individual, 2025-26

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) is not just an event that occurred in Earth’s distant past (~55 million years ago) but is a crucial lesson for today’s meteoric climate change. The PETM offers a historical parallel of rapid flux of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere that caused global warming, ocean acidification, dramatic changes in weather, and extinctions. This global warming event was the result of 20,000 years of “rapid” warming (in geological terms) however, we are experiencing rates of warming that are 5-10x higher than PETM levels. We are not experiencing rapid warming today, in comparison to the past, we …