Harvey Mudd Presentation Days Program 2015

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A Celebration of Student Research

Presentation DaysMay 4 and 6, 2015

A Celebration of Student ResearchStudent research is an integral part of the Harvey Mudd College experience, and during Presentation Days each spring, the entire College community is invited to celebrate students’ original projects in design or research. Our students grapple with real-world problems through individual and group research projects across all disciplines. Our professors use research as a powerful teaching tool that promotes learning well beyond the classroom and the laboratory. For many Harvey Mudd students, these intense research opportunities spark a lifelong love for a previously unconsidered field, help them lead diverse teams from many varied disciplines and provide them with the flexibility to change careers over time. Each year, more than 200 students participate in Presentation Days, and every department at the College is well represented. From groundbreaking individual research done by graduating seniors to engaging and eye-opening design projects done by first-year students, the emphasis throughout Presentation Days is on student achievement. You’ll find the presentations listed by room and then by time. The 2015 Presentation Days Committee members are Eliot Bush, Mary Cardenas, Kash Gokli, Vivien Hamilton, Gregory Lyzenga ’75, Nick Pippenger, Chris Stone and Gerald Van Hecke ’61.

Kaitlyn Anderson, 16Sarah Anderson, 8Kate Arriola, 8Tasha Arvanitis, 18Akhil Bagaria, 19Hill Balliet, 22Achintaya Bansal, 16Alejandro Baptista, 22Savannah Baron, 20Allison Barry, 18Suzy Beeler, 10Emily Beese, 8Amanda Bennett, 18Brett W. Berger, 6, 25Viviana Bermudez, 21Thomas Berrueta, 8James Best, 24Victor Bhattacharyya, 24Andrew Bishop, 22Zane Bodenbender, 16, 18Louis Brann, 8Andrew Brockmann, 12Cassandra Burgess, 8Elijah Carbonaro, 22Michael Chaffee, 8Cherlyn Chan, 16Alana Chapko, 16Benjamin Chasnov, 19Bonny Chen, 16Austin Chun, 22Annie Thuy Chung, 18Alexander E. Cole, 14Jacey Coniff, 22Courtney Coyle, 16Cody Crosby, 8Duncan Crowley, 22Robert Cyprus, 8Philip Davis, 8Rupert Deese, 24Jessica De La Fuente, 8Samuel DeRose, 18Samuel Dietrich, 16, 23Andrew Donelick, 19Priya Donti, 20Kaitlyn A. Dwelle, 9 Kyle Fa, 8Aman Fatehpuria, 16Austin Fikes, 23Andrew Fishberg, 20Sabine Fontaine, 17Greta Gadbois, 11Eli Gadd, 22Shaan Gareeb, 16, 18Elizabeth T. Gibson, 8, 11Andrew Gibiansky, 19Eun Bin Go, 5Lisa Goeller, 21Jose Godinez, 22

Alex Goldstein, 22Nicholas Gonzalez, 8Alec Griffith, 8Alex Gruver, 20Christian Guerrero, 8, 16Deval Gupta, 16Kevin F. Hale, 6Taylor M. Hanley, 5Madison H. Hansen, 10Cherie Ho, 16Joanna Ho, 16Samantha Hoang, 16Tyler E. Holland-Ashford, 7Yeahmoon Hong, 19Jerry Hsiung, 23Crystal Hsu, 18Siyi Hu, 8Henry Huang, 23, 24Kevin Huang, 21Leonardo Huerta, 16, 18Lam Huynh, 21Paul Jolly, 23Kathryn Jones, 16Jesse Joseph, 8Senghor Joseph, 16Marisa Kager, 8Evan Kahn, 8Lucia Kaye, 16Elizabeth M. Kelley, 12Gourav Khadge, 23Hamza Khan, 22Solhee Kim, 16Marie C. Kirkegaard, 9Musa Kiyani, 11Ramita Kondepudi, 22Weimeng “Stephanie” Kong, 6Aishvarya Korde, 8Benjamin Kunst, 16, 18Joshua Lam, 8Matthew Lam, 12Michelle Lanterman, 22Kevin Lau, 18Alexa Le, 8Elizabeth Lee, 16Guillaume Legrain, 22Benjamin Lehman, 21Amanda Lemire, 5Faith Lemire-Baeten, 16Pichaya Lertvilai, 18Dustin Lewis, 22Lillian Liang, 22Kristin Lie, 22Huting Lin, 8Jonpaul Littleton, 19Richard Liu, 22Liam Lloyd, 21Zayra Lobo, 22Jonathan Lum, 8

Kyle Lund, 8Jessica Lupanow, 22Calvin J. Maldonado, 15Anjaneya Malpani, 21Andrew Marino, 16Danielle Marquis, 5Erica Martelly, 16Isabel Martos-Repath, 21Mary D. May, 4Daniel McCabe, 8Kelly McConnell, 8Patrick McKeen, 16Julio Medina, 21Emma Meersman, 20Bryan Mehall, 18Celeste L. Melamed, 7Nithya Menon, 8Bailey Meyer, 22Nathaniel Miller, 8Ryland Miller, 18Allison Mis, 18Demetri Monovoukas, 18Owen Morrison, 22Bryce Murley, 21Michael Muzio, 16Jeewan Naik, 16Amy Ngai, 23Daniel Nguyen, 8Huong Nguyen, 23Jacob Nguyen, 8Phuong Nguyen, 8Richard Ni, 22Lee Norgaard, 22Rachel O’Neill, 8Jackie Ong, 23Jose Orozco, 8Jazmin S. Ortiz, 12Erin Paeng, 16, 18Tae Ha Park, 16Leif Park Jordan, 23Taylor Peterson, 8Orpheas Petroulas, 16Samuel J. Pramodh, 14Michael Reeve, 8Paige Rinnert, 16Charlotte Robinson, 16Daniel Rodriguez, 16Jacob Rosalsky, 22Aaron Rosen, 18Jacob L. Rosenbloom, 20Aaron M. Rosenthal, 14, 24Fernando Salud, 16Abram Sanderson, 25Josh Sanz, 23Tamara Savage, 18Lydia Scharff, 8Olivia Schneble, 8Emily Schooley, 16

Joshua Sealand, 16Kofi Sekyi-Appiah, 22Apoorva Sharma, 19Yoo Jeong Shim, 16, 18Austin Shin, 21Sarah Silcox, 22Joseph Sinopoli, 8Paul Slaats, 16Tyler Smallwood, 8Ian Song, 16Siddarth Srinivasan, 17Colin Stanfill, 24Connor Stashko, 8Devon Stork, 4, 19, 24Eric Storm, 23, 24Eric Stucky, 13Ruth Sung, 8Emily Swindle, 21Aliceanne Szeliga, 20Mengyi Tao, 23Yossathorn Tawabutr, 17, 19David Tenorio, 8Avi Thaker, 23Christie J. Thompson, 7Kaew Tinyanont, 15, 19Charles Van EijkAndrea Vasquez, 22Jesus Villegas, 16Vaibhav Viswanathan, 8Mikhail Vysotskiy, 10Kamau Waller, 21Aaron Wang, 8, 17Sarah Wang, 16Zunyan Wang, 21Max Waugaman, 23Nancy Wei, 22Ivan Wong, 23Josephine Wong, 20Wai Sing Wong, 20Yantao Wu, 7Chen Jie Xin, 21Xinlei Xu, 16Michaela Yaman, 22Lingxiao (Bruce) Yan, 6Xinrui Yan, 17Katherine Yang, 23Yi Yang, 8Jiaxin Yu, 16, 17Ksenia V. Zakirova, 13Emma Zang-Schwartz, 9Sherry Zhang, 4Carmel Zhao, 8Tina Zhu, 22Hannah Zosman, 16Willie Zuniga, 17

Index of HMC Presenters

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Concert Hall Shanahan 1430 Shanahan B460 Shanahan 2421 Shanahan 2425 Shanahan 2461

9 a.m. Zhang

Engineering (E80) Engineering (E80) HSA (Phil 125)9:15 a.m. May

9:30 a.m. Stork

9:45 a.m. Hanley

10–10:30 a.m. BREAK

10:30 a.m. Bin Go Berger

Engineering (E80) Engineering (E80) HSA (Phil 125)

10:45 a.m. Lemire Hale

11 a.m. Marquis Holland-Ashford

11:15 a.m. Kong Melamed

11:30 a.m Yan Thompson

11:45 a.m Wu

12:30-1:30 p.m. LUNCH

1:30 p.m. Zang-Schwartz Brockmann Rosenthal

Engineering (E80) Engineering (E80) HSA (Phil 125)1:45 p.m. Kirkegaard Kelley Pramodh

2 p.m. Dwelle Lam Cole

2:15 p.m. Plassmeyer Ortiz Tinyanont

2:30-3 p.m. BREAK

3 p.m. Hansen Stucky Maldonado

Engineering(E80) Engineering(E80)

3:15 p.m. Beeler Zakirova

3:30 p.m. Visotskiy ICM/MCM

3:45 p.m. Gibson ICM/MCM

4 p.m. Kiyani

4:15 p.m. Gadbois

4:30 p.m.

4:45 p.m.

Monday, May 4

Biology Chemistry Computer Science Engineering

Mathematics PhysicsHumanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts

Concert Hall Shanahan 1430

Shanahan 2450

Shanahan 2454

Shanahan 2421

Parsons 1287 Shanahan 2461

8:30 a.m.

HSA10 Astronomy 62

8:45 a.m.

9 a.m.Engineering (E181)

Shanahan Project: Cloud Chamber

9:15 a.m.

9:30 a.m. Engineering (E182)

Shanahan Project: UAV Team9:45 a.m.

10–10:30 a.m. BREAK

10:30 a.m.

HSA10 Astronomy 62

Engineering (E182)

Shanahan Project: Hybrid Propulsion System10:45 a.m.

11 a.m. Shanahan Project: Photo Essay

11:15 a.m.

11:30 a.m.Shanahan Project: Turbidostat11:45 a.m.

Noon LUNCH

12:30 p.m.

Engineering (E4)

Engineering (E4)

1:30 p.m.

Engineering (E158)

Engineering (E182)

HSA (Phil125)1:45 p.m.

2 p.m.

2:15 p.m.

2:30–3 p.m. BREAK

3 p.m. Baron/Szeliga

Engineering (E4)

Engineering (E4)

Engineering (E158)

HSA (Phil125)

3:15 p.m.Donti/Gruver/Meersman/Rosenbloom

3:30 p.m Rosenbloom

3:45 p.m.

4 p.m.Fishberg, Wong, Posner, Russell4:15 p.m.

4:30 p.m.

4:45 p.m.

5 p.m.

6–7:30 p.m.Art Show in Art Gallery

8–10 p.m.

Jazz Concert in Concert Hall Music of Billy Strayhorn

Wednesday, May 6

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Monday, May 4 | Morning

Drinkward Recital Hall

Chemistry/Biology and Chemistry

9 a.m. Sherry Zhang: Regulation of Acid Resistance System 2 of Escherichia coliAdvisor: Daniel Stoebel, assistant professor of biology

Escherichia coli is diverse and can exist as harmless commensals or as life-threatening pathogens. To live inside of a host, E. coli needs to travel through the stomach and reach the bowel. The stomach is an acidic environment, but E. coli has acid resistance systems to help it survive. Acid resistance system 2 (AR2) provides the highest level of protection. Given the diversity of E. coli the question arises: Is AR2 conserved between different strains? If not, how do the differences in this system affect acid resistance? Gene alignments and phylogenetic trees reveal that not all strains of E. coli have the same genes involved in AR2. The results can be further validated using acid survival assays to determine to what extent the system functions.

9:15 a.m. Mary D. May: Elucidating the Molecular Mechanism Behind Lifespan Extension Due to Complex I Knockdown in Adult Drosophila IntestinesAdvisor: Jae Hur, visiting assistant professor of biology

Increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and, consequently, increased levels of misfolded proteins are associated with aging. Complex I is the first enzyme complex in the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC), possessing multiple vital functions while also occasionally producing ROS. To explore the role ETC stress response pathways play in aging in Drosophila melanogaster we have moderately knocked down an assembly factor for complex I, dCIA30, in an important gustatory and endocrine organ in adult flies, the intestines. Survivorship, stress resistance and in vitro enzyme activity assays show that intestinal complex I knockdown is indeed stressful in flies, triggering overcompensatory stress response pathways that in certain conditions significantly increase lifespan.

9:30 a.m Devon Stork: A Visible Sensor for E. coli Cell Phase DeterminationAdvisor: Karl Haushalter, associate professor of chemistry and biology

For biotechnical applications of prokaryotic cells it is necessary to know the cell stage to produce consistent, acceptable results for common procedures such as DNA amplification or protein over-expression. Standard practice involves indirectly determining cell phase by measuring light scattering via a spectrophotometer, which can be time consuming for repeated measurements. To address this issue, I have designed a genetic circuit that is sensitive to changes in cell phase and cellular stress. This system will indicate with a clearly visible color change when cells leave the optimal phase or are otherwise stressed. Incorporating this system in commonly used laboratory bacteria would streamline common procedures by allowing a quick visual observation of cell phase and stress levels.

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9:45 a.m. Taylor M. Hanley: Effect of Proteoglycan Integration on Collagen Matrices for Use in a Tissue-Engineered Cornea

Advisor: Elizabeth Orwin ’95, professor of engineering

One of the primary concerns in designing a tissue-engineered cornea is how to induce a transparent cell phenotype in the final product. One approach to tissue engineering a cornea is to engineer a collagen matrix as a scaffold for cells. Cornea cells are grown on the scaffolds and are influenced by the characteristics of the collagen fibers in the matrix. Human eyes naturally have proteoglycans that help regulate the fiber diameter and spacing of collagen fibers in the corneal extracellular matrix. This project looks at how integrating proteoglycans into the collagen matrix will affect the matrix characteristics with the goal of preparing a future scaffold that more closely mimics the human cornea and leads to a transparent cell phenotype.

10:30 a.m. Eun Bin Go: Synthesis of the Tetracyclic Scaffolds of the Endiandric Acids Through Iterative Cross-Coupling

Advisor: David Vosburg, associate professor of chemistry

A number of natural products isolated from plants in the Endiandra and Beilschmiedia genera contain complex tetracyclic scaffolds, which are believed to be made from linear polyene precursors that undergo electrocyclization cascades. This thesis describes a concise, biomimetic and modular synthetic route to the two types of tetracyclic scaffolds that are found in these natural products. Our strategy employs iterative cross-couplings for preparing a bicyclic intermediate, which can easily be converted into each tetracycle in two more steps. This work features a novel application of Marty Burke’s iterative Suzuki-coupling method for polyene synthesis, and it represents a significant improvement over previous syntheses of endiandric acid analogs.

10:45 a.m. Amanda Lemire: The Resistance of Chromophores to Photobleaching as a Function of Aging

Advisor: Lelia Hawkins, assistant professor of chemistry

Organic pollutants in the atmosphere have a poorly understood lifespan. Studies have proposed that oxidants in the atmosphere may break down large organic particles before they contribute significantly to light absorption in the atmosphere. I generated synthetic models of organic pollutants using reactants known to exist in the atmosphere and subjected them to evaporation and oxidation. My data shows that light-absorbing particles become resistant to oxidation after they have evaporated and redissolved.

11 a.m. Danielle Marquis: Green Cechlorination via Functional Models of Cyanocobalamin Advisor: Katherine Van Heuvelen, assistant professor of chemistry

Carcinogenic groundwater pollutants such as tetrachloroethylene and trichloroethylene pose a public health risk. Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin), being benign and operating under benign conditions, is a choice catalyst for dechlorinating these pollutants into ethylene and acetylene. However, the method by which vitamin B12 dechlorinates tetrachloro- and trichloroethylene is difficult to characterize. We are developing biomimetic catalysts that reproduce the dechlorination activity of vitamin B12. These catalysts employ cyclam ligands with appended functional groups to mimic the lower axial dimethylbenzimidazole ligand found in cobalamin. These cyclam derivatives will be tested for their reactivity in dechlorination and characterized using a variety of spectroscopic techniques.

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11:15 a.m Weimeng “Stephanie” Kong: Lab Scale Bioreactor Autosampling Enhancements Advisor: Elizabeth Orwin ’95, professor of engineering

Genentech employs sterile lab scale bioreactors to engineer drug-based medical solutions. Typically, bioreactors are manually sampled to monitor their internal conditions and to ensure cell culture integrity. An automated sampling system was introduced to increase sampling efficiency and to reduce ergonomic risk. However, foreign contaminants compromised the sterility of the system. The Genentech Clinic Team has designed, built and tested two distinct sterile barriers that will increase the reliability of the pre-existing automated sampling system.

11:30 a.m. Lingxiao (Bruce) Yan: Data Center Humidification System Overhaul and Redundancy Strategy Team members: Lingxiao (Bruce) Yan (team leader, spring), Tamara Savage (team leader, fall),

Ariel Willey, Julia Fox (fall), Daniel Lee (spring), Josephine Chen (spring), Rose Martin (fall) Advisor: Anthony Bright, John Leland Atwood Professor of Engineering Science Liaisons: Michael Ferguson (HPC-2 Data Center Specialist/LANL), David Walker (ES-UI Systems

Engineer/LANL), Cindy Martin (HPC-2 Group Leader/LANL)

The relative humidity of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s (LANL) supercomputing data center must remain within a specific range to prevent electrostatic discharge. The LANL Clinic Team evaluated LANL’s existing humidification system and investigated different options to provide a backup system. The team has made a recommendation to LANL for the best humidification option and developed a detailed plan for the implementation and maintenance of the new system, including its monitoring and alarm systems.

Noon- Lunch 1:30 p.m.

Shanahan B460 | Morning

Physics

10:30 a.m. Brett W. Berger: Building and Refining a Raman Spectrometer for Field Detection of Organic Compounds

Advisors: Gregory Lyzenga ’75, professor of physics; Michael Storrie-Lombardi, visiting professor of physics

A Raman spectrometer is designed and built using a Nd:YAG 532 nm laser excitation source. The device demonstrates a workable signal-to-noise ratio for calibration materials, is portable for use in the field and outputs sufficiently low power to gather molecular signatures from organic materials without damaging them. We demonstrate its successes and investigate various techniques to improve Raman signal throughput, including polarization subtraction, direct versus fiber-coupled collection and pulsed excitation.

10:45 a.m. Kevin F. Hale: Near-Earth Asteroid Detection Using Synthetic Tracking at the Table Mountain Observatory

Advisors: Ann Esin, associate professor of physics, Harvey Mudd College; Philip Choi, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, Pomona College

Synthetic tracking, a new technique for imaging astronomical moving targets, has been implemented by Claremont college students in collaboration with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the Table Mountain Observatory. Synthetic tracking makes it significantly easier to detect smaller, fainter near-Earth asteroids (NEAs). Using synthetic tracking, a 1-meter telescope can detect 18th magnitude NEAs, NEAs less than 100 meters in diameter. To perform NEA surveys using synthetic tracking at Table Mountain, new interfaces for automating the observatory had to be engineered, while at the same time preserving the site’s existing systems. The benefits of NEA detection by synthetic tracking, and the technological challenges of implementing it at a multipurpose observatory, are discussed.

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11 a.m. Tyler E. Holland-Ashford: Modeling the Rotational Evolution of T Tauri Stars Advisor: Ann Esin, associate professor of physics

T Tauri stars (TTSs) are young stars that have not yet started burning hydrogen. They are still contracting and accreting material, both of which affect stellar rotation. Therefore observations of stellar periods can place important constraints on the evolution of TTSs. Several clusters of young stars show bimodal period distributions. The conventional explanation relies on interactions between the stellar magnetic field and accretion disk. To test this theory, we created a model that simulates the evolution of TTSs and qualitatively reproduced the observations. Our results suggest that the division between fast and slow rotators cannot simply be explained by star-disk interactions at the time of observation. Instead, the full evolutionary history of the cluster is needed.

11:15 a.m. Celeste L. Melamed: Magneto-Transport Properties of Co/Ir Multilayers Advisor: James Eckert, professor of physics

Detailed magneto-transport measurements have been performed on synthetic antiferromagnetic (SAF) and synthetic ferrimagnetic (SFI) Co/Ir multilayer structures. Temperature and thickness dependence of the magnetization, the Extraordinary Hall Effect (EHE) and the anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) are studied. The magnitude of the EHE increases with Co thickness and temperature for all but the thinnest SAF sample. The AMR ranges from 0.01 percent to 0.25 percent at room temperature and exhibits dependence on temperature and Co thickness. The results for the SFI structures suggest a competing interaction of the anisotropy and coupling. Determining dependence on total sample thickness and number of interfaces will require additional investigation.

11:30 a.m. Christie J. Thompson: Temperature-dependent Hall and Resistivity Measurements of Co/Tb Multilayers

Advisors: James Eckert, professor of physics; Patricia Sparks, professor of physics

All optical switching (AOS) has been observed in rare earth/transition metal multilayers and heterostructures. Here, we measure the resistivity as a function of temperature and magnetic field for Co/Tb multilayers that show AOS. Previous Hall measurements determine the magnetic compensation temperatures for varied layer thickness. The samples exhibit a negative dR/dT at low temperatures and show a hysteretic effect with temperature. Upon applying a magnetic field, an additional peak appears at the compensation temperature in some samples. The resistance curves are further dependent on the maximum temperature reached and the time spent at that temperature, indicating structural changes with modest annealing. We discuss possible origins for the low-temperature hysteretic properties.

11:45 a.m. Yantao Wu: Automation of a DC Magnetron Sputtering System Advisor: Patricia Sparks, professor of physics

This reports summarizes our work on automating a DC magnetron sputtering system in the Eckert-Sparks lab at Harvey Mudd College. Prior to the work, the sputtering system was working, but its function was limited to sputter thin layers under manual control. To make the sputtering process timing more accurate and less prone to human error, we wrote a LabView interface program to control the power supplies and timing of the system. A circuit interface has been installed to connect the power supplies and the computer via data acquisition hardware. As a result of the work, we are now able to control the power supplies, and thus the sputtering system, through our control computer.

Noon- Lunch

1:30 p.m.

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Shanahan 2421 and 2425 | Morning

Engineering

E80 Experimental Engineering Advisors: Mary Cardenas, Anthony W. LaFetra Professor of Environmental Engineering; Chris

Clark, professor of engineering; Albert Dato, assistant professor of engineering; Angie Lee ’05, visiting assistant professor of engineering; Erik Spjut, professor of engineering and Union Oil Company Engineering Design Fellow

Teams of sophomores in the Experimental Engineering course engaged in hands-on laboratory work to fly instrumented model rockets and analyze and report on their data—all with the goal of learning fundamental principles applicable to multiple engineering disciplines. The students will report on their design process, their modeling and how the data from their flights compared with their expectations.

Room 24219–9:30 a.m. Aishvarya Korde, Kelly McConnell, Yi Yang, James Stevick, David Tenorio9:30–10 a.m. Marisa Kager, Nathaniel Miller, Emily Beese, Michael Reeve10:30–11 a.m. Michael Chaffee, Ruth Sung, Cassandra Burgess, Daniel Nguyen11–11:30 a.m. Andrea Lupini, Vaibhav Viswanathan, Huting Lin, Lydia Scharff11:30 a.m. Siyi Hu, Evan Kahn, Jonathan Lum, Tyler Smallwood–noon

Room 24259–9:30 a.m. Daniel McCabe, Carmel Zhao, Sarah Anderson, Olivia Schneble9:30–10 a.m. Nicholas Gonzalez, Jesse Joseph, Alec Griffith, Kyle Lund10:30–11 a.m. Robert Cyprus, Joseph Sinopoli, Joshua Lam, Jose Orozco11–11:30 a.m. Jessica De La Fuente, Connor Stashko, Jacob Nguyen, Phuong Nguyen11:30 a.m. Alexa Le, Rachel O’Neill, Thomas Berrueta, Aaron Wang–noon


Shanahan 2461 | Morning

Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts

9 a.m. Ethical Issues in Science and Engineering Advisor: Darryl Wright, professor of philosophy

Students will make a diverse set of presentations on ethical issues arising in the practice of engineering, the natural and formal sciences, and science-related professions such as medicine. Presentations will explore current work on these issues by philosophers and other scholars. Each presentation will be followed by a brief period for questions.

Presenters Christian Guerrero, Philip Davis, Kate Arriola, Cody Crosby, Louis Brann, Taylor Peterson, Nithya Menon, Elizabeth T. Gibson, Kyle Fa


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Monday, May 4 | Afternoon


Chemistry

1:30 p.m. Emma Zang-Schwartz: Motivations Both for and Against Vaccinations: A Case Study in Arica, Chile, and an In-depth Look at the United States

Advisors: Karl Haushalter, associate professor of chemistry and biology, Harvey Mudd College; Eva Ticona Choque, technical administrative coordinator, CESFAM Víctor Bertín Soto, Africa, Chile

Motivations for decisions about vaccines affect vaccination coverage rates around the world. Starting with the importance of vaccines and theories related to making health decisions, this project identifies what goes into the decision-making process when parents are considering whether to vaccinate their children. Using a two-part study, I compare the personal motivations of Chilean parents to the demographic features that underlie the decisions made by American parents. Through personal interviews in the northernmost region of Chile, it is clear that political structure and the public health system in Chile impact parent decisions most. In contrast, statistical analysis of education and income levels reveals a possible association with vaccination rates in the United States.

1:45 p.m. Marie C. Kirkegaard: Design and Construction of a Gadolinium-Doped Cherenkov Detector for Delayed Neutron Spectroscopy

Advisors: Robert Cave, professor of chemistry, Harvey Mudd College; A.J. Shaka ’80, professor of chemistry, University of California, Irvine

Neutron detectors are essential for nuclear security, as the active and passive detection of neutrons can identify special nuclear materials. While helium-3 gas detectors are currently widely used for neutron detection, a shortage of the isotope has recently made costs prohibitive. A new inexpensive technology is necessary to fill the need for neutron detectors both in laboratory settings and as radiation monitors at ports and border crossings. We present an alternative method of detecting delayed neutrons using a gadolinium-doped water Cherenkov detector. The viability of this detector design is assessed in terms of efficiency and sensitivity using both theoretical and experimental methods.

2 p.m. Kaitlyn A. Dwelle: Size-inconsistency Effects in Transition Moments for Quasi-degenerate Variational Perturbation Theory and Averaged Coupled-pair Functional Theory

Advisor: Robert Cave, professor of chemistry

Quasi-degenerate Variational Perturbation Theory and Averaged Coupled-Pair Functional Theory produce essentially size-consistent energies but yield transition moments that are size-inconsistent due to wavefunction normalization. We explore a variety of methods for restoring size-consistency to transition moments including application of a Block Diagonalization approach. We discuss results and possible applications to coupled-cluster transition moments.

2:30-3 p.m. Break

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Biology

3 p.m. Madison H. Hansen: Reconstructing Historical Horizontal Transfer Events in E. coli Genome Evolution

Advisor: Eliot Bush, associate professor of biology

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a common event in the evolution of bacterial genomes. Previous studies have found that 58 percent of the genes in Escherichia coli may have a history of being horizontally transferred and that horizontally transferred genes now confer important phenotypes related to cell surface proteins, DNA binding and pathogenicity. However, the history of HGT in the E. coli genome has yet to be comprehensively reconstructed. As a first step in developing an algorithm to do this, I have created a dataset that represents the homologies between the genes of roughly 100 strains of E. coli. I have also proposed a data structure for representing sets of HGT events on a phylogenetic tree and described an iterative method for comparing and selecting the best sets.

3:15 p.m. Suzy Beeler: Investigating the RpoS-dependent Expression Profiles of Genes in Escherichia coli

Advisor: Daniel Stoebel, assistant professor of biology

In Escherichia coli, RpoS is a protein responsible for regulating genes that help the cell handle a multitude of stressors. While previous studies of the RpoS regulon have primarily looked at gene expression differences between strains with 0 percent and 100 percent RpoS, a more recent experiment has now included an intermediate concentration of 20 percent RpoS. These three levels of RpoS allow genes to now be classified not only as positively or negatively regulated by RpoS, but also as “sensitive” or “insensitive” to RpoS—a metric of how responsive a gene is to increasing levels of RpoS. As the molecular basis of sensitivity and insensitivity is unknown, I have created mutant strains to investigate what components are needed to drive these recently discovered expression profiles.

3:30 p.m. Mikhail Vysotskiy: A State Machine Model of the Motor Protein Kinesin Advisor: Graham Johnson, faculty fellow, bioengineering and therapeutic sciences, University

of California, San Francisco On-campus liaison: Eliot Bush, associate professor of biology, Harvey Mudd College

Kinesin is a processive microtubule-based molecular motor involved in transport of organelles in the cytoskeleton. The “step” of Kinesin-1 is governed by the conversion of ATP energy into motion through a well-defined sequence of events, which can be modeled by a finite state machine. In our model, the transitions between kinesin states are governed by stochastic motion in space, constrained by the mechanics and geometry of the molecule. Here, we present a proof of concept for an interactive simulation of the kinesin dimer motion. This simulation can be used to predict the effects of mutations and changes in environmental conditions without costly and time-consuming experiments. It can also be a useful tool in cell biology education.

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3:45 p.m. Elizabeth T. Gibson: Population Connectivity Under Landscape Transience Advisor: Lauren M. Chan, visiting assistant professor of biology, Keck Science Department On-campus liaison: Stephen C. Adolph, Stuart Mudd Professor of Biology, Harvey Mudd

College

Ecological specialists can rely on patchy, non-contiguous landscapes. If these landscapes are spatially transient, the specialist’s geographic distribution changes to follow the landscape. Metapopulation models used to describe connectivity among patches assume a static landscape. This study develops expectations for population connectivity under various landscape transience regimes. Simulations under various demographic and landscape movement parameters provide genetic expectations which can be compared to empirical data for organisms inhabiting dynamic, heterogeneous landscapes (e.g. frogs breeding in ponds, lizards living on dunes). Establishing connectivity expectations for such systems has conservation implications for threatened habitats and the species that rely on them.

4 p.m. Musa Kiyani: Effects of Cultural Priming and Stress on the Social Affective N400 in East Asians

Advisor: R. Lewis, Richard Lewis, professor of neuroscience and psychology, Pomona College

On-campus liaison: Anna Ahn, associate professor of biology, Harvey Mudd College

On average, East Asians and Asian-Americans assign comparatively greater attention to contextual information than European Americans across several cognitive and neural measures. A distinctive component of electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns, called the N400, is sensitive to these cultural differences, being negatively associated with semantic congruity in facial expressions and other social stimuli. I used a combination of cortisol assays, self-construal scales and EEG to understand the effects of stress and a momentary increase in the awareness of independent and interdependent cultural schemas (known as cultural priming) on the N400. Subjects were drawn from cultural/ethnic groups from East Asia with minimal experience of living and studying in the United States.

4:15 Greta Gadbois Advisor: Matina Donaldson-Matasci

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Shanahan Auditorium | Afternoon

Mathematics

1:30 p.m. Andrew Brockmann: Plausibly Deniable Encryption for Personal Data Storage Advisor: Talithia Williams, associate professor of mathematics

A plausibly deniable encryption scheme with several advantages over existing schemes is developed. Two primary methods are employed. The first is to compress data before applying a simple cipher, allowing most useful messages of fixed length to be encrypted to any of a large set of other sensible messages. The other approach is more algebraic and aims to independently encrypt different messages to the same encrypted text.

1:45 p.m. Elizabeth M. Kelley: When Does a Curve Inscribe a Square? Advisor: Francis Su, Benediktsson-Karwa Professor of Mathematics

We review the historical development of the inscribed square problem, a conjecture which claims that every continuous closed curve in the plane admits an inscribed square. This has been an open problem in geometry for over a hundred years. We particularly focus on the two weakest classes of curves for which the conjecture admits an affirmative solution: curves that are locally monotone and curves that admit a special trapezoid. We then verify the conjecture for the Koch snowflake and develop techniques for exploring the conjecture in the context of similar fractal curves.

2 p.m. Matthew Lam: Elliptic Curves and Generalized Wheel Graphs Advisors: Nicholas Pippenger, professor of mathematics; Michael Orrison, professor of

mathematics

Elliptic curves are a type of algebraic curve that naturally arise in number theory and algebraic geometry, and wheel graphs are simple objects of combinatorial origin. Gregg Musiker recently discovered that these two classes of objects exhibit a surprising degree of structural similarity. For instance, the number of points on an elliptic curve equals the number of spanning trees of the associated generalized wheel graph. Deeper results comparing certain group structures and enumerative polynomials are explored in detail.

2:15 p.m. Jazmin S. Ortiz: Chromatic Polynomials, Orbital Chromatic Polynomials and Their Roots Advisor: Mohamed Omar, assistant professor of mathematics

The chromatic polynomial, PΓ(x) of a graph Γ, is a polynomial that when evaluated at a positive integer k, is the number of proper k colorings of the graph Γ. We can then find the orbital chromatic polynomial OPΓ,G(x) of a graph Γ and a group G of automorphisms of Γ, as a polynomial whose value at some positive integer k is the number of orbits of k-colorings of a graph Γ when acted upon by the group G. By considering the roots of the orbital chromatic and chromatic polynomials, the similarities and differences of these polynomials are studied. Specifically we shall work toward proving a conjecture concerning roots of the chromatic polynomial being bounded above by the roots of the orbital chromatic polynomial.

2:30-3 p.m. Break

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3 p.m. Eric Stucky: An Exposition of Kasteleyn’s Solution to the Dimer Model Advisor: Art Benjamin, professor of mathematics

In 1961, Pieter Kasteleyn discovered an exact solution for the number of ways to tile a rectangle with dominos. The form of the solution is rather surprising; in particular, it is not clear that it even outputs integer values. We give a derivation of the same result that follows Kasteleyn’s ideas, but which assumes less background knowledge and stays away from the heavier machinery he occasionally employs.

3:15 p.m. Ksenia V. Zakirova: Inextensible Chain Dynamics Advisors: Andrew Bernoff, Diana and Kenneth Jonsson Professor of Mathematics; Rob

Thompson, teaching and research postdoctoral fellow

Problems in inextensible chain dynamics have recently gained renewed interest. While chains represent an extensively studied subject in physics, recent work in the field shows that there still exists unexplained behavior. We analytically derive the steady state solutions for the time-invariant shape of the chain and analyze the behavior of perturbations through the master wave equation. Perturbing the solution introduces moving waves along the steady-state shape with components that propagate along and against the direction of travel of the chain. These results are corroborated by numerical simulations created in MATLAB.

3:30 p.m. Selected Presentations From the Mathematical and Interdisciplinary Contests in Modeling

Advisor: Susan Martonosi, associate professor of mathematics

This year’s Mathematical and Interdisciplinary Contests in Modeling (MCM/ICM) took place Thursday, Feb. 5–Monday, Feb. 9. During this competition, thousands of teams worldwide work around the clock to solve one of four modeling problems. The problems are generally open ended and do not have a unique solution. The teams’ solutions are judged on their mathematical content, creativity, appropriateness and written style. Eight teams from HMC participated in this year’s competition. In this session, participating students will present their proposed solution to a problem chosen from one of the following: eradicating Ebola, searching for a lost plane, managing human capital in organizations and modeling sustainable development.

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Shanahan B460 | Afternoon

Physics

1:30 p.m. Aaron M. Rosenthal: Experimental Examination of Multipass Stochastic Heating as Mechanism for Electron Heating in a Strong Laser Field

Advisor: Tom Donnelly, professor of physics

Multipass stochastic heating has been proposed as a mechanism by which electrons in the vicinity of a micron-scale plasma can gain energy from a strong laser field. Direct experimental evidence of multipass stochastic heating requires the irradiation of micron-scale particles by a high-power laser pulse. Characterization of the time of flight and ejection mechanism of particles from laser heating was performed to properly time the ultrafast laser system at the University of Texas, Austin (UT). Preliminary data from experiments examining the production of hot electrons performed at UT will be presented.

1:45 p.m. Samuel J. Pramodh: Scrambling in Black Holes: Matrix Theory and Open Systems Advisors: Vatche Sahakian, associate professor of physics; Andrew Bernoff, Diana and

Kenneth Jonsson Professor of Mathematics

We examine a conjecture (the “fast scrambling conjecture”) by Sekino and Susskind, regarding the information paradox in black holes. Namely, that black holes scramble in-falling information faster than all other physical systems. This result would indicate a solution to the paradox. We prove the result for a model of black holes from string theory. To do so, we first examined results from previous research by Brady and Sahakian on the structure of the (Matrix Theory) Lagrangian. Then we applied various methods of open quantum systems and finite temperature QFT to analytically compute to 1-loop the entanglement entropy of in-falling data, which leads to a scrambling rate consistent with the fast scrambling conjecture.

2 p.m. Alexander E. Cole: The Geometry of Matrix Black Holes and Information Scrambling Advisor: Vatche Sahakian, associate professor of physics

In recent years, many have studied the relationship between information and black holes. Proposed mechanisms avoiding information loss require that infalling information be scrambled and then emitted as Hawking radiation. Sekino and Susskind conjectured that black holes are fast scramblers, generating entanglement at an efficiency that saturates the bound given by the no-cloning theorem. We set up a scheme to test this conjecture for black holes in Matrix theory—M-theory in the light-cone frame—using highly-parallelizable Runge-Kutta evolution. Previous examination of this system considered only fermionic degrees of freedom and did not find fast scrambling. We include the coupling between fermionic and bosonic degrees of freedom (i.e. black hole geometry) in our simulation.

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2:15 p.m. Kaew Tinyanont: Dust Emission From Core-Collapse Supernovae Advisors: Ann Esin, associate professor of physics, Harvey Mudd College; Mansi Kasliwal,

Hubble Fellow and Carnegie-Princeton Fellow, Carnegie Observatories

Core-collapse supernovae are considered to be major producers of cosmic dust. Formation of these carbon and silicon-based particles requires extreme temperatures and pressures present during the explosive deaths of massive stars. However, recent observations suggest that core-collapsed supernovae do not produce enough dust to account for the observed abundance in the universe. Our work aims to study properties of dust produced during supernova events. Because dust associated with supernovae is typically warm (T~1000 K), it is best observed in mid-infrared. We compiled Spitzer Space Telescope mid-infrared observations of 37 core-collapse supernovae and found that some supernovae show evidence of dust emission more than three decades after the explosion, suggesting ongoing dust formation.

2:30-3 p.m. Break

3 p.m. Calvin J. Maldonado: A Computational Search for Linear Evolution and Local Measurement Devices to Maximally Distinguish Hyperentangled Qudits

Advisor: Theresa Lynn, associate professor of physics

Measuring entangled states, or Bell states, between two identical particles is vital in quantum information protocols like teleportation and dense coding. Linear evolution and local measurement (LELM) devices offer simple but limited measurement of Bell states. Upper bounds have been established on how many Bell states are distinguishable by such devices, though in the case of general qudit hyperentanglement the realizability of these bounds is unknown. We have written software to take in specifications of arbitrary LELM devices and return their responses to sets of Bell states. By automatically generating and testing suitable detector configurations, promising devices may be investigated. Such a search could also shed light on assumptions made in the derivation of these upper bounds.

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Shanahan 2421 and 2425 | Afternoon

Engineering

E80 Experimental Engineering Advisors: Mary Cardenas, Anthony W. LaFetra Professor of Environmental Engineering; Chris

Clark, professor of engineering; Albert Dato, assistant professor of engineering; Angie Lee ’05, visiting assistant professor of engineering; Erik Spjut, professor of engineering and Union Oil Company Engineering Design Fellow

Teams of sophomores in the Experimental Engineering course engaged in hands-on laboratory work to fly instrumented model rockets and analyze and report on their data—all with the goal of learning fundamental principles applicable to multiple engineering disciplines. The students will report on their design process, their modeling and how the data from their flights compared with their expectations.

Room 24211:30–2 p.m. Leonardo Huerta, Ian Song, Achintaya Bansal, Erin Paeng2–2:30 p.m. Cherie Ho, Faith Lemire-Baeten, Deval Gupta, Jeewan Naik3–3:30 p.m. Senghor Joseph, Patrick McKeen, Orpheas Petroulas, Charlotte Robinson3:30–4 p.m. Bonny Chen, Paige Rinnert, Zane Bodenbender, Tae Ha Park 4–4:30 p.m. Kathryn Jones, Benjamin Kunst, Jesus Villegas, Shaan Gareeb, Yoo Jeong Shim

Room 24251:30–2 p.m. Cherlyn Chan, Elizabeth Lee, Daniel Rodriguez, Alana Chapko, Michael Muzio2–2:30 p.m. Courtney Coyle, Fernando Salud, Emily Schooley, Samuel Dietrich, Joshua Sealand3–3:30 p.m. Aman Fatehpuria, Sarah Wang, Christian Guerrero, Hannah Zosman3:30–4 p.m. Joanna Ho, Samantha Hoang, Lucia Kaye, Solhee Kim4–4:30 p.m, Andrew Marino, Jiaxin Yu, Erica Martelly, Paul Slaats

Shanahan 2461 | Afternoon


1:30 p.m. Ethical Issues in Science and Engineering Advisor: Darryl Wright, professor of philosophy


Presenters: Kaitlyn Anderson, Sanders Windham, Xinlei Xu

2:30-3 p.m. Break

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Wednesday, May 6 | Morning

Shanahan Auditorium


8:30 a.m. HSA10 Critical Inquiry–noon Faculty: Bill Alves, Isabel Balseiro, Hal Barron, Ambereen Dadabhoy, Marianne de Laet, Erika

Dyson, Ken Fandell, Vivien Hamilton, Rachel Mayeri, Paul Steinberg, David Wirthlin, Darryl Wright

Critical Inquiry is a topical seminar in the humanities, social sciences and the arts required of all second-semester students. As part of a research project undertaken in the second half of the semester, all students give formal research presentations. The participants in each of the 13 sections then choose one of those presentations to represent their section during Presentation Days. The presentations in this session cover a wide range of topics, from political analysis to graphic novels.


Shanahan 2454

Physics | Morning

8:30 a.m. Astrophysics 62-noon Advisor: Gregory Lyzenga ’75, professor of physics

Students give presentations of contemporary topics in astronomy and astrophysics research.

Scheduled presenters: Yvonne Ban, Alexander Cole (POM), Sabine Fontaine, Franklin Marsh (POM), Nathan Sandford (POM), Siddarth Srinivasan, Yossathorn Tawabutr, Aaron Wang, Xinrui Yan, Jiaxin Yu, Greta Zhong (POM), Willie Zuniga


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Parsons 1287 | Morning

Engineering

9 a.m. Samuel DeRose, Bryan Mehall, Demetri Monovoukas: E181 New Product Development Advisor: Gordon Krauss, Fletcher Jones Professor of Engineering Design

Engineers change the world through their designs. This course introduces the theory and practice of a process used for new product development that considers design, management and manufacturing. Students find the problem, understand the need, establish a business case, develop the solution and launch a product. Product ideas come from many sources. Students identify needs (market or humanitarian) amenable to an engineered product solution. Teams select and scope the project need, quantify the impact of a solution through a business case, design and develop multiple prototype solutions, validate the resulting product and consider ways to solicit funding for a launch. The resulting products from this term will be presented with a description of the process and information supporting the product’s launch.

9:30 a.m. E182 Transformation of a Manufacturing Company Advisor: Kash Gokli, professor of manufacturing practice

The Manufacturing Planning and Execution course provides tools and techniques for shop floor, quality and supply chain management. By using these tools and techniques, students will transform an unprofitable manufacturing company into a successful, profitable company. Students will present their findings and plan of action for this transformation.

Presenters: Allison Barry, Amanda Bennett, Zane Bodenbender, Annie Thuy Chung, Shaan Gareeb, Crystal Hsu, Leonardo Huerta, Rhea Jain, Benjamin Kunst, Kevin Lau, Pichaya Lertvilai, Jinbin Liang, Suikai Lin, Sara Linssen, Bailey Masullo, Ryland Miller, Erin Paeng, Julian Perez, Aaron Rosen, Tamara Savage, Chong Shen, Yoo Jeong Shim



Shanahan Projects

9 a.m. Tasha Arvanitis, Allison Mis: It’s Raining Radiation, Hallelujah! The Quest for a Perpetual Cloud Chamber

Advisor: Tom Donnelly, professor of physics

A cloud chamber allows viewers to observe the paths taken by charged particles passing through it. It consists of a box filled with vapor that condenses around ions left behind by charged particles. In particular, cloud chambers are typically used to detect cosmic rays, high-energy charged particles that rain down on the Earth at a rate of thousands per square meter per second. These chambers provide a beautiful blend of art and science and pose some unique and challenging design constraints. We set out to construct a cloud chamber large enough for group demonstrations that can run safely for long periods of time with minimal maintenance and without requiring constant replenishment of supplies such as dry ice or water.


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Shanahan Projects, continued

9:30 a.m. Akhil Bagaria, Benjamin Chasnov, Apoorva Sharma: Mudd Aerial Systems Team Advisor: Christopher Clark, associate professor of engineering

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is an aircraft that has the capability to fly without a pilot in control. Usually the UAV is controlled manually by radio control at takeoff and landing and switched into GPS-guided autonomous mode once it reaches a stable altitude. This proposal however, is about a project which would involve building an entirely autonomous plane. This team is developing an autonomous fixed wing plane that can successfully complete the tasks set forth by the SUAS competition in Maryland. The tasks for the competition include autonomous takeoff and landing, as well as autonomous target search and classification. Creating a system that can accomplish these tasks is a very challenging and exciting, with components encompassing several fields of study at Harvey Mudd.

10:30 a.m. Andrew Donelick, Jonpaul Littleton, Yeahmoon Hong: Developing an Experimental Hybrid Propulsion System

Advisor: Gregory Lyzenga ’75, professor of physics

A hybrid rocket motor is a rocket propulsion system that burns a solid fuel and a liquid oxidizer to achieve thrust. The Experimental Hybrid Propulsion System is a student driven research project that aims to design, build and test a throttleable hybrid rocket motor. The ultimate goal is to control the thrust of the motor at any point in time, so that it can be programmed to follow variable thrust curves. This year, team members manufactured the motor’s components, evaluated motor performance through static tests and implemented the throttling control system. We will review the progress and results of the design and experimental testing.

11 a.m. Kaew Tinyanont and Yossathorn Tawabutr: Photo Essay: Remembering the 2010 Massacre in Bangkok

Advisor: Ken Fandell, associate professor of art

In 2010, the political conflict between the elite and the lower class majority in Thailand was at its zenith. Two consecutive elected governments were ousted by the partisan judiciary. The military secretly intervened to set up a government led by the pro-elite (and ironically named) Democratic Party. The Red Shirt, consisting mostly of rural voters, marched to Bangkok and demanded dissolution of parliament. After all negotiations failed, the authority ordered the troops to open fire. A riot then ensued, leaving at least 90 civilians dead. This photography project explores the streets of Bangkok nearly five years after the massacre. It seeks to expose how quickly the bloodshed has been forgotten and how Bangkok has lapsed back into apathy toward the less fortunate fellow countrymen.

11:30 a.m. Devon Stork and Andrew Gibiansky: An “Evolvinator”: Building a Turbidostat Advisor: Daniel Stoebel, assistant professor of biology

As part of a student-driven project, we built, calibrated and tested a turbidostat, which is a device that allows a bacterial cell culture to be supplied with an inflow and outflow of medium, with the rate of inflow and outflow being dependent on the concentration of the culture. This can be an incredibly useful tool for molecular biologists studying synthetic biology, genetic circuits and directed evolution, and can be used to create reproducible experiments with bacterial cultures. We based our design off one pioneered by other labs and then tested it with several of our own experiments.


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Wednesday, May 6 | Afternoon


Computer Science

3 p.m. Savannah Baron and Aliceanne Szeliga: Learning Concurrent Programming: Locks vs. OCM

Advisors: Christopher Stone, professor of computer science; Melissa O’Neill, professor of computer science

Taking full advantage of modern multicore computers is difficult but increasingly important. We asked introductory students (in CS 5) and more experienced students (in CS 105) to learn and use one of two approaches to concurrent programming: locks or Observationally Cooperative Multithreading (OCM). In this talk, we discuss what the user studies taught us about learning these two approaches and using them correctly.

3:15 p.m. Priya Donti, Alex Gruver, Emma Meersman, Jacob Rosenbloom: Predicting the Quality of User Experiences to Improve Productivity and Wellness

Advisor: Jim Boerkoel, assistant professor of computer science

We’ve all been in that situation where we simply cannot focus on what we’ve set out to do, be it work, socializing or relaxing. The Productivity and Wellness Pal (PaWPal) project aims to help students use their time more effectively by predicting when they will achieve flow, a state of complete immersion in their chosen activity. PaWPal is currently an Android app that gathers experiential data about users to understand what conditions may lead to flow and then uses AI classification techniques to predict when during the day a particular user may achieve flow. In this talk, we will present the design of our application as well as some results from a user study we conducted this past semester.


3:30 p.m. Jacob L. Rosenbloom: Self-representation in Virtual Spaces Advisors: Marianne de Laet, associate professor of anthropology and science, technology

and society; Zachary Dodds, professor of computer science

This study looks at how people’s chosen representation in various online spaces relates to their identity in the physical world. Using data gathered from Mudd students and from Amazon.com’s MTurk, I analyze motivations and reasons behind why people choose to represent themselves in the way they do across Facebook, blogs, forums and online games. Hopefully, this research will be a step toward understanding more about the interplay between virtual worlds and their user community as well as constructing online spaces that are safe for a variety of selected user representation.

Computer Science

4 p.m. Andrew Fishberg, Wai Sing Wong, Sam Posner, Andy Russell: Augmented Reality and Autonomous Navigation

Advisor: Zachary Dodds, professor of computer science

Four students explored Augmented Reality and Autonomous Navigation. Projects involved image processing, mobile development, hardware interfacing, robotics and algorithm design. Projects were directed and funded by a private contractor, Applied Communication Sciences.

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Shanahan 2450 and 2454 | Afternoon

Engineering

12:30-4 p.m. E4: Introduction to Engineering Design and Manufacturing Advisors: Gordon Krauss, Nancy Lape, Pat Little, Tanja Srebotnjak

Students work in small teams applying techniques for solving design problems that are, normally, posed by not-for-profit clients. Presentations will take place in both rooms throughout the afternoon at times to be determined for each team.

Oil Tank Fill Measurement The sponsor requires a solution to measure the volume of liquid in an oil and gas condensate

tank. The system must be designed to reduce or eliminate worker exposure during measurements and be safe and accurate for making the required measurements.

Section 1 Team: Emily Swindle, Josephine Wong, Chen Jie Xin Section 2 Team: Isabel Martos-Repath, Lily Soule, Kamau Waller

Solar Simulator Redesign The sponsor has a solar simulator that works with frontside illumination (only). The challenge

is to redesign the optical layout of the solar simulator to accommodate simultaneous frontside illumination and backside electrical contact on a test cell. Furthermore, they would like to retain the ability to test cells in the “normal” (frontside illumination, frontside electrical contact) configuration. To achieve maximum utility, we would like to change rapidly from frontside to backside illumination and back again. Furthermore, the sampling stage for use in backside electrical contact should incorporate micro manipulators to allow for rapid sampling of multiple cells mounted on the same substrate.

Section 1 Team: Benjamin Lehman, Liam Lloyd, Anjaneya Malpani Section 3 Team: Lisa Goeller, Julio Medina, Reid Meyer, Bryce Murley

Cheap Charger The sponsors seek a very low-cost and environmentally friendly solution to charge small

electronic devices such as laptops, tablets or cellphones. The device should be producible and work in resource limited settings such as the rural developing world as well as being attractive to recreational backpackers or others who are off the grid.

Section 1 Team: Teresa Despres, Christopher Kotcherha, Marissa Lee, Michael Anthony Scarlett

Section 2 Team: Collin Blinder, Wenkai Chin, Austin Shin, Zunyan Wang Section 3 Team: Aaron Bagheri, Viviana Bermudez, Kevin Huang, Lam Huynh

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12:30-4 p.m. E4: Introduction to Engineering Design and Manufacturing, continued Star Tracking Tripod The sponsor seeks a portable, star-tracking tripod built for taking long-exposure

astrophotography pictures. The idea is to design and build a platform that can mount a camera and then be mounted on a standard (store bought) tripod. The platform is then pointed at the north star and made to rotate at exactly the same rate as the earth. In this way, the camera can “chase” stars as the move across the night sky and avoid star-tracks in long-exposure shots. The device should be battery driven. Commercially available star trackers are many hundreds to thousands of dollars. The idea is that camera hobbyists can make their own star tracker for less than $100. This will create the possibility of night-sky photography, and exposure to our beautiful universe, to many people.

Section 1 Team: Alex Goldstein, Richard Liu, Zayra Lobo, Richard Ni Section 2 Team: Andrew Bishop, Dominique Chua, Nina Vincent, Tina Zhu Section 3 Team: Hill Balliet, Austin Chun, Dustin Lewis, Owen Morrison,

Squirrel Scarer The sponsor seeks a non-lethal/non-harmful device that will prevent squirrels from eating the

fruit from his fruit trees. This project is open to many types of solutions but should not involve the use of firearms of any type. It is likely that such a device could be commercialized with a large potential user base.

Section 1 Team: Jackson Dulla, Brina Jablonski, Jacob Rosalsky, Charles Van Eijk Section 2 Team: Kristen Lie, Kofi Sekyi-Appiah, Michaela Yaman Section 3 Team: Sloan Cinelli, Lucas Littlejohn, Bailey Meyer, Andrea Vasquez

Sleep Apnea Device The sponsor seeks a device that is able to treat sleep apnea by adjusting the position of the

tongue. The adjustment must be made so that the tongue position does not interfere with breathing while sleeping (as it does in the case of sleep apnea) and so that the device user is able to comfortably wear it while sleeping.

Section 2 Team: Alejandro Baptista, David Cervantes, Qianti Min Section 3 Team: Duncan Crowley, Ramita Kondepudi, Jessica Lupanow, Hayley Peterson

Kinetic Sculpture Toy The sponsor seeks a toy that will encourage teens and under to have an interest in STEM.

This toy would focus on building kinetic sculpture through an adaptable construction set approach. The materials used should focus on ease of use and creation as well as environmental sustainability. The kinetic sculpture kit should permit the user to develop many different types of sculptures that they can imagine (that is, it is not just a kit to build one thing but a system to build what they can think of building).

Section 1 Team: Jacey Coniff, Michelle Lanterman, Antonio Leon de la Barra, Natalie Mark Section 2 Team: Hamza Khan, Lillian Liang, Lee Norgaard, Sarah Silcox Section 3 Team: Elijah Carbonaro, Jose Godinez, Nancy Wei

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Engineering

1:30–4 p.m. E158 CMOS VLSI Design Final Projects Advisor: David Money Harris, Harvey S. Mudd Professor of Engineering

Teams of students design their own digital integrated circuits for the E158 final project.

RNG: Huong Nguyen, Henry Huang Tic-Tac-Toe: Josh Sanz, Eli Gadd Tic-Tac-Toe: Katherine Yang, Guillaume Legrain Serial Multiplier: Mengyi Tao, Tiencheng Yan, Jackie Ong Multiplier: Amy Ngai, Paul Jolly FIR Filter: Max Waugaman, Jerry Hsiung Collatz Processor: Eric Storm E155 ASIC: Leif Park Jordan, Gourav Khadge FPGA: Avi Thaker, Ivan Wong Chopsticks: Austin Fikes, Samuel Dietrich

Parsons 1287 | Afternoon

Engineering

1:30-2 p.m. E182 Transformation of a Manufacturing Company Advisor: Kash Gokli, professor of manufacturing practice

The Manufacturing Planning and Execution course provides tools and techniques for shop floor, quality and supply chain management. By using these tools and techniques, students will transform an unprofitable manufacturing company into a successful, profitable company. Students will present their findings and a plan of action for this transformation.

Presenters Allison Barry, Amanda Bennett, Zane Bodenbender, Annie Thuy Chung, Nabeel Gareeb,

Crystal Hsu, Leonardo Huerta, Rhea Jain, Benjamin Kunst, Kevin Lau, Pichaya Lertvilai, Jinbin Liang, Suikai Lin, Sara Linssen, Bailey Masullo, Ryland Miller, Erin Paeng, Julian Perez, Aaron Rosen, Tamara Savage, Chong Shen, Yoo Jeong Shim

2:30-3 p.m. Break

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1:30– Ethical Issues in Science and Engineering5:15 p.m. Advisor: Darryl Wright, professor of philosophy


Devon Stork, Aaron M. Rosenthal, Eric Storm, Henry Huang, Colin Stanfill, Victor Bhattacharyya, James Best

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Wednesday, May 6 | Evening

Caryll Mudd and Norman F. Sprague, Jr. Gallery


6–7:30 p.m. Art Show in Art Gallery

Drinkward Recital Hall | Evening

8–10 p.m. Jazz Concert: Music of Billy Strayhorn Advisor: Robert Keller, professor of computer science

Students and guest pianist Barb Catlin will perform tunes written by Billy Strayhorn (1915–1967), prolific American composer noted for tunes such as “Take the ‘A’ Train,” “Satin Doll” and “Isfahan,” which were popularized by Duke Ellington.

Performers

Barb Catlin, piano, Pomona jazz instructor

Christian Ayala, guitar, CMC

Matthew Bae, piano, HMC

Brett W. Berger, HMC

Justin Cappuccilli, drums, Pomona

Rupert Deese, chromatic harmonica, HMC

John Denvir, guitar, Pomona

Abram Sanderson, trumpet, HMC

Daniel Tan, alto saxophone, Pomona

John Tyndall, tenor saxophone, Pitzer

Cameron Whiting, electric bass, CMC

Robert Keller, trumpet, HMC instructor

Harvey Mudd College301 Platt Boulevard | Claremont, CA 91711

hmc.edu

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F.W. Olin Science Center

Kingston Hall

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Joseph B. Platt Campus Center

North HallSouth Hall/MarksResidence Hall

Ronald and Maxine LindeActivities Center

Case Residence Hall

Ronald and Maxine LindeResidence Hall

J.L. AtwoodResidence HallGarrett

House

East Hall/Mildred E. Mudd Hall

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W.M. KeckLaboratories

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Caryll Mudd and Norman F. Sprague, Jr. Gallery

Parsons 1287

HMC community parking only. Public parking available on Platt Blvd. and Foothill Blvd.


R. Michael Shanahan Center for Teaching and Learning

Documents

Harvey Mudd Presentation Days Program 2015