Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 62 Number 2, Fall 2021, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

18 - WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS The pandemic stole an entire year of games from them. But this team still won it all. Written by Harold Gutmann. Illustrated by Liam Eisenberg.

26 - INFORMED BY STRUGGLE. How hardship forged a sense of gratitude in SCU finance professor Meir Statman and his wife, Navah. Written by Deborah Lohse.

30 - TWEETING GOOD There’s a Bronco who finds hope, God, and cat pictures online. We talk with @padreSJ. Interviewed by Leslie Griffy. Illustrated by Kyle Hilton.

34 - SIGNALS FROM A CHANGING PLANET. The imprints of humans on the environment spell a …

2021 Celebration Of Scholarship, Creativity, And Engagement, Todd Bruns, Beth Heldebrandt

Programs

At this annual celebration, we, as a shared community, are pleased that the important work of faculty continues and evolves as faculty have broadened and redefined the boundaries of scholarship, creativity, and innovation throughout the COVID, late-COVID, and soon-to-be post-COVID eras. While we are pleased to return to more familiar campus-based traditions, functions, and activities, the experiences of 2020-2021 have contributed to the development of new forms and strategies for scholarship and creativity that reflect the core principles of faculty life and ensure that student learning remains central to the mission of Eastern Illinois University.

For that reason, our faculty, …

Building A More Sustainable And Accessible Internet: Lightweight Web Design With Html And Css, Chelsea Thompto

Assignment Prompts

While the internet has great potential to bring people together, if the internet was a country, it would be the 7th largest energy consumer on the planet. This is set to increase in years to come moving the internet even higher on this list to become the 4th largest energy consumer if it were to be a country. So, as artists and digital citizens it is imperative that we understand how to create and display the content we produce online in ways that are sustainable and accessible.
This assignment, while slated for Art 109, may be slotted into an earlier …

Soil Not Oil: An Assessment Of The Role Of Earth Jurisprudence In Restoring Biodiversity Conservation In The Indigenous Bagungu Community, In Uganda, Joslyn Primicias

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

An Earth-centered way of living is essential in Western Uganda, along with many more repressed regions affected by giant corporate evils. The purpose of this study was to assess the contribution of Earth Jurisprudence in the restoration of conservation in the Indigenous Bagungu community. More specifically, this study examines the customary laws and rituals used by the Bagungu, the strategies used to decolonize their culture, and their perspectives on foreign influence and globalization. Key-informant interviews were conducted with seven custodians and questionnaire-led interviews were administered to thirty-one clan members from the districts of Buliisa and Hoima. The study sample size …

Development-Induced Displacement In Kiryandongo District: A Case Study Of The Karuma Hydroelectric Power Plant, Remington Fritz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper assesses the effects of the development induced displacement due to the Karuma Hydroelectric Power Plant on the Awoo village and surrounding areas in Karuma Town. Recently, Uganda has pursued several large-scale development projects that have repeatedly displaced people. Despite having strong displacement and resettlement framework, there is a continued pattern of failing to implement such framework, threatening the livelihood and well-being of those displaced.

Interview with key informants from several government agencies, such as the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development the National Environmental Management Authority and Ugandan Generation Electricity Company Ltd have illustrated the political framework and …

Letters To A Glacier; An Experiment And Critique Of M. Jackson’S Glacier-Ruins Narrative, Lily Fife Schaeufele

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

“Words are events, they do things, change things. They transform both speaker and hearer; they feed energy back and forth and amplify it. They feed understanding or emotion back and forth and amplify it.” —Ursula K. Le Guin

Letters to a Glacier; The Buoy Project Isafjordur is an ongoing invitation to the people of Isafjordur to write a letter to a specific glacier in Iceland onto a collection of discarded buoys gathered from the Isafjorudur and Bolungarvik junk yards. Over a period of two days on November 9th and 10th, I actively invited customers in the local cafe Heimabyggð to …

Political Processes Of Displacement In Infrastructure Development: The Case Of Aldeia Da Luz And The Alqueva Dam, Cordelia Walz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In 2002, the residents of Aldeia da Luz left their village for the final time, displaced to make room for the Alqueva Dam, a massive regional hydropower and irrigation project almost half a century in the making. The Alqueva Multipurpose Project was marketed by the Portuguese government as a way to develop the impoverished region of the Alentejo and bring innovation to the agricultural sector. The village of Luz was the only physical obstacle to this goal and, therefore, its residents were dispossessed, sacrificed for the development of the greater Alentejo region. However, unlike many other large-scale infrastructure projects that …

Taking The Waste Out Of Wastewater: Evaluation And Implementation Of Sustainability Measures At Base Aérea N.°5’S Wastewater Treatment Plant, Abigail Monahan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Wastewater treatment is a critical process by which the concentration of pollutants in wastewater are reduced to minimize the resulting effluent’s impact on human health and the environment. Base Aérea N.°5, an airbase located in Monte Real, Portugal, is striving to enhance their wastewater treatment methods to decrease the impact of the treated effluent on the environment. They can reduce the effluent’s impact by implementing more advanced wastewater treatment to decrease the concentration of micropollutants and pathogens in the effluent, and they can reuse the treated effluent to decrease the volume of freshwater they extract. This work seeks to evaluate …

Public Perception Of Forest And Fire Management Policy In Portugal, Jensen Rocha

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The impacts of forest fires are growing as climate change creates more frequent ideal temperature conditions for extreme wildfires. With the devastating fires it experienced in 2017, Portugal stands as an example of the impacts of dangerous wildfires and is working on developing a plan to protect its country from this rising threat. Important in the plan development is the opinion of the many stakeholders involved and the public whom the fires impact. Using an interview and survey approach, this study gathers public and stakeholder opinion on the forest and fire management policy in Portugal to understand what issues in …

The Role Of Public And Private Sectors: How To Promote National Cybersecurity Strategies And Critical Infrastructure Protection In Southeastern Europe, Larry Cruz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper seeks to address the important role of public and private interests in protecting critical infrastructure in Southeastern Europe, providing examples from Serbia. While the public sector does have a role in protecting critical infrastructure needs, it is the private sector which holds major oversight of the critical infrastructures of the region, therefore having an important role in maintaining their functionality and protection. The literature in this field argues for more collaboration and information sharing between the public and private sectors of the region, though the task is not as simple as it appears given the varying aspirations of …

Man V.S. Wild: An Analysis Of Language Used Regarding Human-Wildlife Conflict In The Kibale National Park Community, Western Region, Uganda, Sophie Perfetto

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

If humans are to live sustainably and in harmony with wildlife in the vicinity of Protected Areas, policy makers, and government authorities need to make informed decisions with consideration to the needs of local communities. For this to happen, policy makers must understand the perceptions of local communities and take local perspectives into account. As language is at the root of perception, language was studied in the context of its role in shaping local perceptions of human-wildlife conflict and consequential conflict mitigation strategies. Six communities around the Northern region of Kibale National Park, Uganda, were studied, with sites located in …

Dr. Adam Daigneault Testimony To The House Committee On Small Business Subcommittee On Underserved, Agricultural, And Rural Development Hearing On “Sustainable Forestry’S Role In Climate Solutions”, Adam Daigneault

General University of Maine Publications

Adam Daigneault, University of Maine E.L. Giddings Associate Professor of Forest Policy and Economics, testified Sept. 29 before a U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Underserved, Agricultural, and Rural Development, chaired by Maine Rep. Jared Golden.

A focus of the hearing was the role of sustainable forestry and how small businesses across this sector are helping to address climate change. Daigneault, whose research focuses on modelling economic impacts of environmental policy on the forestry and agricultural sectors, spoke about how we can manage U.S. forests for carbon, timber and other ecosystem services, and how we can …

Comparing Leibniz With Newton, Peter C. Kaemingk

Agora

This essay attempts to analyze the differences between the calculus systems of Newton and Leibniz, mainly regarding the foundations and justifications of their art of calculus.

Artificial Intelligence In Cyber Security, University Of Maine Artificial Intelligence Initiative

General University of Maine Publications

UMaine AI draws top talent and leverages a distinctive set of capabilities from the University of Maine and other collaborating institutions from across Maine and beyond, while it also recruits world-class talent from across the nation and the world. It is centered at the University of Maine, leveraging the university’s strengths across disciplines, including computing and information sciences, engineering, health and life sciences, business, education, social sciences, and more.

A History Of Physics At Otterbein University, David G. Robertson

Faculty Books

This is an informal history of the Physics Department at Otterbein, including the story of the natural sciences prior to the founding of the department in 1908.

Expansion Of The Department Of Mathematics At Princeton University And The Founding Of The School Of Mathematics At The Institute For Advanced Study: 1900-1950, Andrew Beman-Cavallaro

Graduate Review

From 1900 to 1950 Princeton, New Jersey, hosted two of the most prestigious institutions and provided a location for the expansive mathematical investigations taking place just before, during, and immediately after the Second World War. Princeton University and the Institute for Advanced Study housed, fed, and provided workspaces for an array of Mathematicians uncovering new research methodologies (resulting in the defeat of both the Nazi Party and the Empire of Nippon), the foundation for modern experimental Mathematics, and expansions of Theoretical and Applied Physics.

The View From Ventress - 2020-21 Academic Year, University Of Mississippi, College Of Liberal Arts

Liberal Arts Newsletters

News from the College of Liberal Arts

Making Space For Unquantifiable Data: Hand-Drawn Data Visualization, Eva Sibinga

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This project makes space for personal “data” around labor and care, prompting users to consider the concrete and abstract (quantifiable and unquantifiable) forms labor and care take in their lives. The interactive, subjective data visualization uses hand-drawn visual elements to foreground that data about care and human interaction will always be ambiguous and complex, that they may never be satisfactorily or universally quantified, and that they will always be out of reach of perfect categorization.

The project provides an alternative to prescriptive truth-telling with data. Instead of using a dataset to provide data-driven answers and insights to users, the interactive …

Incomplete? Or Indefinite? Intuitionism On Gödel’S First Incompleteness Theorem, Quinn Crawford

The Yale Undergraduate Research Journal

This paper analyzes two natural-looking arguments that seek to leverage Gödel’s first incompleteness theorem for and against intuitionism, concluding in both cases that the argument is unsound because it equivocates on the meaning of “proof,” which differs between formalism and intuitionism. I argue that this difference explains why “proof” has definite extension for the formalist but not for the intuitionist. Sections 1-3 summarize various philosophies of mathematics and Gödel’s result. Section 4 argues that, because the Gödel sentence of a formal system is provable to the intuitionist, they are neither aided nor attacked by Gödel’s first incompleteness theorem. Section 5 …

Modeling Weather Vulnerability Dynamically: Applications Of Multiple Linear Regression To Weather Index Microinsurance, Sophie Wu

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

This paper offers a broad overview of the philanthropic goals of microinsurance — namely, to provide vulnerable populations with more self-sufficient and sustainable methods of coping with risk — and through this lens, analyses the applications of multiple linear regression in developing dynamic models for microinsurance. We explain the foundations of MLR (multiple linear regression), and then give two examples for how a simple multiple linear regression model can be adapted with a novel outcome variable (famine) and dependent variables (climate change related costs). Overall, a better understanding of MLR can lend to a better understanding of how microinsurance can …

To Know The Land With Hands And Minds: Negotiating Agricultural Knowledge In Late-Nineteenth-Century New England And Westphalia, Justus Hillebrand

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ever since the eighteenth century, experts have tried to tell farmers how to farm. The agricultural enlightenment in Europe marked the beginning of a long arc of new experts aiming to change agricultural knowledge and practice. This dissertation analyzes the pivotal period in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in Germany and the United States when scientists, improvers, and market agents began to develop comprehensive ways to communicate agricultural innovation to farmers. In a functional approach to analyzing the negotiation of agricultural knowledge through its communication in things, words, and practices, this dissertation argues that the process of change …

The “East Side” Of Las Vegas: A Latinx Historical Framework, Nathalie Martinez

Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal

Spanish heritage speakers in the United States are a reflection of everchanging linguistic and sociolinguistic pressures that result in myriad varieties across generations. This paper provides a preliminary historical framework to fill this gap of linguistic knowledge in the Spanish-speaking community of Las Vegas, Nevada. The goals were two-fold: (1) highlight the largest Spanish-speaking communities in Las Vegas and (2) explore the significance of the East Side in the history of the Latinx population of Las Vegas. Through the analysis of oral histories and historical works, the investigation highlights the Mexican, Salvadoran, and Cuban populations of Las Vegas and their …

Qualitative Review Of Educational Interventions For Improving Physical Activity Behaviors In Older Asian Americans In The United States, Raisa Kabir, Manoj Sharma, Sayeda Tazim Zaidi, Chia-Liang Dai

Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal

Physical activity (PA) provides numerous health benefits and minimizes chronic diseases and mental health issues, especially in older adults. The national survey data indicated that only 27.3% to 44.3% of older adults meet the recommended PA guidelines of 150 to 300 minutes/ week. There is limited data on PA behavior among older Asian American (AA) adults as very few to no local/national surveys have targeted these marginalized subgroups. This comprehensive review aims to identify existing PA intervention strategies and to update current knowledge on the effectiveness of these interventions to improve PA behavior among aging AA in the US. The …

The Future Of The Live Entertainment Tax In Southern Nevada, Katie M. Gilbertson

Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal

The Live Entertainment Tax (LET) in Nevada generated nearly one billion dollars during the 2019-2020 fiscal year. LET revenue all goes to the State General Fund, even though 97 percent of LET revenue is generated in Clark County. Nevada is experiencing an economic crisis, particularly in the tourism industry. Solutions from various fields suggest the best way to boost the local economy is to reinvest revenue in its original county. One policy solution Nevada policymakers should consider is to carve out a percentage of revenue generated by the LET to return directly back to Clark County to revitalize tourism.

Diabetes Mellitus Affects Working Memory, Dylone C. Braganza, Emmanuel Flores, Lauren A. Crew, Ryan A. Wirt, Andrew A. Ortiz, Adam M. Mcneela, Jefferson W. Kinney, James M. Hyman

Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) degrades the brain’s ability to remember, think, and carry out tasks. The exact cause is not known, but several risk factors have been identified, including diabetes mellitus (DM). DM causes elevated blood sugar levels due to reduced insulin production in the pancreas. The linkage between elevated glucose levels and the behavioral impairments are not fully understood, which was the focus of this study. Rats were trained to alternate directions in a maze to receive a reward on consecutive trials. After training, five rats were injected with streptozotocin (STZ), which induces hyperglycemia by injuring pancreatic beta cells. Three …

A Timeline Of Discovery And Current Research On Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma And Emergence Of Potentially Permanent Treatment Solutions, Yonosuke Dejesus, Guadalupe Moreno Ceballos

Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal

This research examines the timeline of the discovery and research of Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma (POAG). By reviewing the literature on genetic and molecular mechanisms, we aim to emphasize a long-term treatment solution (iSTENT) to mitigate intraocular pressure (IOP) related to POAG etiology and disease progression. POAG is a multifactorial, autosomal dominant, adult-onset eye disease wherein the optic nerve cells become damaged due to a buildup of excess aqueous humor, resulting in increased IOP. Consequently, POAG leads to progressive loss of peripheral vision and is the leading cause of blindness in the US. Due to the multifactorial nature of glaucoma’s inheritance …

Racial Profiling: Understanding The Practice Of Stop-And-Frisk In New York City, Lisa Ly

Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal

Racial profiling has become a prominent issue in modern policing today. Instead of being based on individual suspicion, racial profiling embodies a belief that people of color are continuously singled out by the police for scrutiny and harassment. Policies and procedures make the Black community vulnerable to police discrimination and racial profiling. Floyd et al. v. City of New York et al. (2013) declared that the New York Police Department’s (NYPD) practice of stop-and-frisk was racially profiling Black civilians. This study sought (1) to determine if the NYPD post-Floyd is still engaging in racial profiling towards Black civilians; and (2) …

Ronald E. Mcnair Scholars Program Profiles And Abstracts 2021, Mcnair Scholars Program

McNair Symposium

This is the complete event program and provides presentation abstracts and biographies of McNair scholars and their mentors.

Investigating Provenance And Authenticity Using Icp-Ms In The University Of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Art Collection: A Case Study Of Luristan Bronzes, Hannah Rillie

Theses and Dissertations

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Art Collection (UWMAC) holds a group of supposed Luristan bronzes with limited provenances. The lack of provenance, archaeological or otherwise, coupled with the prevalence of forged Luristan bronzes across private and public collections introduced questions of authenticity regarding the UWMAC’s collection of bronzes. To address these questions, the typical art historical and visual analyses were conducted to supplement the chemical compositional analysis done using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Of the three artifacts successfully sampled and tested, the Ibex Whetstone Handle (1985.002.38) was determined to be iron while the Master of Animals Finial for Standard (1985.002.48) and …

Rotten With Prediction, Serena Raquel Hicks

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This project focuses on the relationship between religion and technology as it is portrayed in Science Fiction (SF). This thesis explores the SF genre rhetorically by examining the 2002 movie Minority Report (MR), which signaled the importance of surveillance and the need to predict future crimes following 9/11. The events of 9/11 played a significant role in post 9/11 SF films, which reflect and critique our communal and cultural values. 9/11 created a new relationship between the U.S justice system, predictive technologies (PTs), and data gathering. Through the Bush Doctrine of “preemptive action,” the U.S government attempted to use Dataism, …