Interdisciplinary – Page 7 – UROP Spring Symposium 2021

Interdisciplinary

3d Online Body Shape Model Development

In the automotive industry, there have been an increasing number of fatalities, easily preventable by building safer vehicles. In the medical field, it is almost impossible to thoroughly test accuracy of medical technology without using a physical model, which are oftentimes very expensive. This study involves the development of realistic user-manipulated 3D body models for usage in the medical, automotive, and engineering fields. Along with my mentor and fellow researcher, we have been building a nuanced body model application using Unity to be put out on the apple store and google play store. While results are inconclusive so far, as the application has not been released yet, it hopefully will facilitate the lives of engineers, researchers, and manufacturers working in a number of industries.

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Dark Matter searches with LZ

After observing that the expected velocities of stars in the outer parts of galaxies is much faster than expected, scientists conclude that in order for stars in all locations of galaxies to move at the same velocity, another force must be present. This invisible matter, which does not exist with electromagnetic forces or gravitational forces, was named Dark Matter. The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment, located at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in South Dakota, uses a time projection chamber (TCP) filled with several tons of liquified Xenon in order to directly detect dark matter particles. Surrounding the Xenon chamber is a second chamber containing thousands of gallons of water, ensuring that the experiment reaches maximum sensitivity. Ultimately, it is expected that dark matter will interact with the Xenon particles through WIMPs (weakly interacting massive particles). As this experiment progresses, we expect to collect large amounts of data regarding interactions between dark matter particles and Xenon particles. Though dark matter makes up almost one-third of all the matter in the universe, scientists have yet to directly detect it. Through graphically analyzing LZ’s data, we hope to detect and document dark matter’s direct interactions with Xenon. Furthermore, we hope to expand our understanding of dark matter’s properties, and to use them to explain both the development and the functionality of our universe as a whole.

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Empirical modeling of the solar wind

Though the phenomenon of solar wind has been studied for years and we have data regarding its composition, velocity, and temperature, among other things, there is still much to learn about its evolution and how its internal forces interact. Our team aimed to create an empirical model that can accurately predict the behaviour of variables such as temperature and velocity in the solar wind as a function of distance. We created two different models, one using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo system, and another using gradient descent. By repetition and comparing results against a database of previously recorded solar wind measurements, parameters in a starting equation are allowed to randomly change, and the best fitting model is iteratively chosen. These results will not only give insight into the evolution of solar wind, but they will pave the way for other, more advanced techniques to produce more accurate models. Additionally, understanding the evolution of solar wind will provide guidance on the design of instrumentation to be launched aboard Solar Orbiter satellites.

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Empirical modeling of the solar wind

Though the phenomenon of solar wind has been studied for years and we have data regarding its composition, velocity, and temperature, among other things, there is still much to learn about its evolution and how its internal forces interact. Our team aimed to create an empirical model that can accurately predict the behavior of variables such as plasma density, temperature and velocity in the solar wind as a function of distance from the Sun. We created two different models, one using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo system, and another using gradient descent. By comparing results against a database of previously recorded solar wind measurements, parameters in a starting equation are allowed to randomly change, and the best fitting model is iteratively chosen. These results will not only give insight into the evolution of solar wind, but they will pave the way for other, more advanced techniques to produce more accurate models. Additionally, understanding the evolution of solar wind will provide guidance on the design of instrumentation to be launched in future space missions.

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Antarctic Atmospheric Rivers

Atmospheric Rivers (ARs) are long and narrow areas of concentrated moisture found within the first few kilometers of the atmosphere. When they make landfall, this moisture is released in the form of rain or snow, at times transporting moisture from the tropics or subtropics. Due to their impacts at landfall, there has been an explosion of interest in characterizing ARs. However, the AR definition is largely qualitative and relies on regionally specific case studies from the North Pacific, therefore, a number of AR detection algorithms exist. I will be focusing on the region of Antarctica because there is little studied from that region, and there are large differences between algorithms when applied to that region. The Atmospheric River Tracking Method Intercomparison Project (ARTMIP) aims to identify and quantify the uncertainty in AR science due to algorithm choice. The focus of this project is on a set of AR catalogues from ten algorithms run on MERRA-2 reanalysis (1 hour time intervals and 0.5 degree latitude and longitude intervals). This project seeks to understand and quantify the differences between regional and global algorithms when applied to the region of Antarctica by examining how the number of AR events changes with algorithm and comparing algorithms along transects in Antarctica. We can cross analyze the output of each of the detection algorithms to identify areas of inconsistency in atmospheric river detection and understand the nature and source of those inconsistencies, which is the goal of this UROP project.

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Research Database Design and Implementation

Research efforts are extremely important. However, many times researchers lack a database that is easy to control and understand. Through a well-designed, relational database, researchers will be able to better understand and connect to their data. I particularly hope to utilize meta-data from their data to further researchers’ understanding of the information they store. I plan to implement such a database, and discover its effectiveness when applied to a research project.

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Testing a New Search Engine for Class Videos

The current research project investigates the relationship between a new search engine for instructional videos and the academic performance of university-level students and instructors. During the new-age of virtual learning, the hindrance of social interaction combined with the sudden increase in digital screen time has negatively impacted the mental health and in turn, the academic performance of many students because they are not being able to focus or concentrate on their work. A study proposed to determine if a new academic tool provides help for students academically utilized participants, who were recruited through email communication to various universities across America, to use the engine and record their grades on academic assignments and poll their opinions on the product. Currently, the research is still in progress and has no definite conclusion.

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Testing a New Search Engine for Class Videos

The current research project investigates the relationship between a new search engine for instructional videos and the academic performance of university-level students and instructors. During the new-age of virtual learning, the hindrance of social interaction combined with the sudden increase in digital screen time has negatively impacted the mental health and in turn, the academic performance of many students because they are not being able to focus or concentrate on their work. A study proposed to determine if a new academic tool provides help for students academically utilized participants, who were recruited through email communication to various universities across America, to use the engine and record their grades on academic assignments and poll their opinions on the product. Currently, the research is still in progress and has no definite conclusion.

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Cannabis Legalization and Familial Factors Effects on Usage in Children and Parents

In November 2018, a bill was passed to legalize recreational cannabis usage. In response, FYI-3 (Flint Youth Injury Study 3) decided to study how parenting attitudes and behaviors can affect children’s usage of cannabis. The study included attitudes and perceptions towards the new bill. FYI-3 used a past cohort of participants from a previous study, (Flint Youth Injury 1) and conducted live interviews as well as surveys from both parents and their children from the pool of participants. Risk factors and promotive factors will then be predicted and assessed, based on survey answers and both parental and child responses during interviews, using a codebook. Although the study is not yet completed, these risk factors will show how parental attitudes and usage of cannabis can affect children’s behavior around and toward cannabis. This study will serve to provide insight on familial attitudes and behaviors towards cannabis, in hopes that future states that pass legalization bills will see the effects on families and youth.

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FYI-3

Despite the recent increase in US states where recreational marijuana is legal, little is known about how these policies affect low-income communities and families in difficult circumstances. The overall idea is that recreational marijuana usage is a double edged sword; helping people overcome mental health obstacles or eating disorders in some situations, but creating more dangerous neighborhood environments in others. This study analyzes the perspectives of families in Flint, Michigan on the state’s marijuana policy through qualitative interviews with over 100 clients in the Genesee County Area. An analysis of these interviews yields the clients’ own personal experiences with recreational marijuana; how it has influenced their past and now currently affects their children. Depending on the client, interviews may either certify or challenge the following arguments about legal recreational marijuana: 1) recreational marijuana disparages communities and contributes to an addiction cycle that increases life’s challenges; 2) recreational marijuana helps relieve stress, anxiety and other domestic problems; 3) legal marijuana has little effect on day-to-day life because it is still primarily sold on the streets without tax. The stories add nuance to our understanding of the positive and negative consequences of legal marijuana in lower income communities in the Genesee County area. This study, titled FYI-3, is the third stage of a longitudinal interview collection of Flint residents and their personal experiences with marijuana. In using a frequently underrepresented sector of the American population”” truths from low income and minority communities””this project will contribute to future research on similar topics and influence future policy decisions.

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