SOFIA

Faculty Lead: Art professor Ashwani Kumar (Physics)

Exploring the Metaverse: virtual worlds and the future of the reality

Metaverse is our new digital world, a virtual-reality space in which users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users. True virtual reality creates the illusion of being in a difference space. It can be used for training, treatment, and communication. In fact, on campus we use VR for the study of human anatomy. In this project you will learn to create digital assets, in a virtual-world of your own or in an avatar to explore the existing worlds. An ideal student for this project will be a creative student with some exposure to digital arts (photo/video editing), knowledge of any computer programing (e.g., Python, C#, JAVA, HTML, Kotlin) language is a bonus.

Faculty: James Godde (Biology)

Lichen Biodiversity as a Measure of the Effects of Climate Change

While it is clear that climate change is having a diverse effect on biodiversity, this fact is not always immediately apparent in the Midwest, where agricultural monoculture predominates. Lichens, a symbiotic relationship between a fungi and an alga, are particularly susceptible to changes in climate and decreases in air quality. During the first week of SOfIA, we will travel to Porcupine Mountains State Park in Michigan to take a survey of this diversity. Last year, we did some baseline studies in the eastern part of the upper peninsula of Michigan, this time we will move 200 miles west to the western part of this peninsula to gather some comparative data. We will use traditional morphological identification techniques in the field, but also bring back samples for molecular analysis in the laboratory during the final two weeks of SOfIA.

Faculty: Janet Ugolino (Biology & Neuroscience)

Worm Hunting: Investigating Nematode Diversity at Monmouth College

Nematodes, or roundworms, are one of the most abundant animals on the planet. One species of soil nematode, C. elegans, has been used in the laboratory for over 50 years to study a wide variety of biological process. Although this organism’s behavior is well-characterized in a laboratory setting, less is known about C. elegans in their natural habitats. During this SOfIA project, we will examine soil samples from around the Monmouth College campus in an effort to isolate wild C. elegans and/or other related nematodes. Students will then identify the species of their isolated nematode using molecular techniques and examine the behavior of their isolated nematode using various assays. Students interested in neuroscience, biology, or environmental studies are encouraged to apply.

Faculty: Laura Moore (Chemistry)

The Chemistry of Baking

How are pizza dough and bread dough different? Why is a cupcake soft and tender whereas a pound cake is moist and dense? How does yeast affect the flavor and aroma of bread? What microbes are present in different types of dough. In this SOfIA project, we will spend a significant amount of our time in the “food chemistry lab,” also known as the nutrition lab, exploring these questions. We will make different recipes and adapt some to become our own. We will also examine different components of foods (starch, proteins, fats, and molecules that produce specific flavors) in the chemistry laboratory. All of our experiments (both edible and non-edible) will provide a basis of how scientific research is conducted.

Students should have an interest in chemistry or biochemistry. Additionally, they should be interested in working in the lab and trying new things.

Faculty: Bob Simmons (Classics)

Ancient Technology and Engineering

How did ancient people DO that? The “that” in this circumstance could be any number of feats of technology and engineering—the creation of concrete that grew STRONGER over time; catapults that could heave stones as heavy as 350 pounds further than 300 feet; or even everyday technological accomplishments like paper construction from papyrus, timekeeping through sundials, and elaborate feats of hairdressing. Students in “Ancient Technology and Engineering” will work with written and visual sources from the ancient Mediterranean world and modern analyses of ancient products to try to understand how various achievements like those above, and many others, came about in a world far more technologically primitive than our own. To help us learn these things, we will DO many of them—we will decide which projects to undertake, based on reading we do; we will order materials that we need for our projects; and we will become engineers and technological practitioners in the ancient style.

Students who will be successful on this project can visualize physical products in their heads based on reading about them, enjoy putting their hands to projects to bring them about, and are eager to transport themselves into distant times and places in their imaginations and through their actions.

Faculty: Brad Sturgeon (Computer Science)

Build a 6502 Computer

How do computers actually work? Students in this project will find out by building a computer by hand. The core of this computer will be an 8-bit microprocessor known as the 6502. This chip was used in the original Nintendo, Atari 2600, Apple II, Commodore 64, and many other game consoles and computers of the 1980s. We will wire up the 6502 along with several other parts and an LCD display on an electronics “breadboard,” gaining hands-on experience in computer architecture, digital logic, and circuits. Once the hardware is assembled, we will program the computer using the 6502’s assembly language.

Students considering any STEM field, especially computer science or electrical engineering, will find this project of most interest. No experience necessary; we will learn as we go.

Faculty: (Educational Studies)

Timeless Typewriters: Community Engagement with Vintage Machines

Some people say that typewriters are obsolete. Then why do some of the most successful and popular contemporary artists — like Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga — use and feature typewriters in their work? This project explores the uses and benefits of using manual typewriters in the digital age, with an emphasis on how typewriters can bring people together in community. In addition to doing some historical research about the evolution of the typewriter and other writing technologies, students will be learning the mechanics and functions of these timeless machines. As such, students will have their own mid-20^th century typewriter that will be theirs to work on to learn to repair, service, and write with. The project will culminate with two social events, which will bring individuals on campus and in the broader Monmouth community together to share the joys of typewriters in the digital age.

This project would appeal to students who are interested in history, creative writing, education, community engagement, or anyone who simply wants to apply their creative energy to discover new purposes for old technologies.

Faculty: John Iselin (Engineering)

Beyond the Basics

Students will investigate several techniques in 3D printing. By varying the material type, infill patterns and densities, and nozzle sizes among other parameters, the part properties can be varied. Experience with these different techniques allows us to engineer better parts and devices. No prior experience with 3D printing is required. Students will learn the basics of 3D printing including the adjustment of the printer, use of slicing software, and perhaps the modification of gcode.

 

Faculty: Shahed Quadir (Engineering)

Counterfeit electronic components detection using a simple circuit

Counterfeit parts are penetrating the electronic supply chain significantly nowadays. The electronic components are taken from the scrapped boards and then cleaned, remarked, and sold in the open market. They are of great concern to US government because equipment failures or malfunctions can result in mission failures, health, and safety concerns, and could jeopardize national security. This SOfIA project will explore counterfeit electronic component detection based on physical inspection and simple electrical tests. We will also implement the circuit setup in a protoboard to detect counterfeit products. In this project, students will learn to read research articles, how to implement digital circuits in a Protoboard, and finally, physical inspection using an Inspex 3 Microscope.

Students interested in science, physics, engineering, chemistry, or biology are encouraged to apply

Faculty: David Wright (English)

The Generative Muse

How do writers and artists generate their work? Do we wait for inspiration? Or do we deliberately need to seek out the muse? This project will not only study how others have answered these questions, but under the guidance of poet and English professor David Wright we will undertake two weeks worth of excursions that can generate new poems, prose, and multi-genre work. With these new works in hand, we will spend our third week workshopping and shaping those raw drafts into forms can be shared with others (and we’ll decide together what venues might be best for making our work public). Come prepared for excursions—both on campus and off—that will spark your creativity and generate exciting work you might never have created before.

Faculty: Jen Braun and Sean Schumm (Kinesiology)

Investigating Metabolic and Fitness Testing

The Kinesiology Department faculty will work with students on metabolic and fitness testing to assess the aerobic capacity of college students. We will investigate the relationship between physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness. Students will become familiar with cardiorespiratory fitness testing and the equipment involved.

Faculty: Michael Sostarecz (Mathematics)

An Intersection of Mathematics, Photography, and Archaeology

Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) is an imaging technique used in archaeology. After taking multiple pictures of the same object under different lighting conditions, a program uses a combination of physics and data science to makes high-resolution predictions about the artifact’s surface. By adjusting the balance between light and shadow, hidden details on the artifact can be unveiled. Besides archaeology, this technique also gets used to non-invasively investigate fossils and forensic evidence.

Students participating within the project will learn how to take the pictures for the data set, be introduced to the physics of how the light bounces off a surface and use the programs that bring out the artifact’s hidden details.

Students interested in a STEM major (mathematics/computer science/physics/engineering) and students interested in one of the application areas (art/history/classics/biology/forensic science).

Faculty: Michael Solontoi (Physics)

Searching for Alien Worlds

Space is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. For countless generations humans have looked up at the night sky and wondered if they were alone in the universe. Now, with the discovery of thousands of planets orbiting other stars this question has only deepened as can detect more and more other worlds. We will engage in the rapidly growing science of exoplanet studies in the following ways:

• Learn the methods of detecting exoplanets

– how can you study something you can’t see?

• Make our own measurements of the Jupiter-sized planet orbiting the star HD189733A

–how can you personally observe and study an alien planet?

• Delve into the existing data on exoplanets

– how can you do science from a highly biased sample?

• Visualize exoplanet data in interesting and novel ways

– how do you present data in a useful and interesting way?

Students who are generally interested in space-stuff and are willing to work at night on occasion are encouraged to apply.

Faculty: Andre Audette (Political Science)

Monmouth Constitutional Convention

Gather your powdered wigs and quills: it’s time for a constitutional convention! If we re-wrote a constitution for the United States, would it look like the current copy? In this project, we’ll research the features of not only the U.S. Constitution but constitutions from around the world to determine how constitutionalism affects quality of life. Using a data-informed approach, the project will conclude by making recommendations for how We the People can form a more perfect Union.

Students interested in law, politics, history, or international affairs will enjoy this project the most.

Faculty: Ryan Colclasure and Sydney Greenwalt (Psychology)

Can Other-Dimensional Experiences Lead to Meaningful Personal Change?

 

Virtual reality platforms aren’t just for gaming and socializing but offer other experiences ranging from at-home relaxation and meditation to highly structured clinical therapies. Through these three weeks, we will explore a wide range of VR applications, learn about psychology and physiological research that has been done before us, and design our own experiments to test the usefulness of these programs. Selected SOfIA students will get hands-on training using several VR apps, then learn to record data to measure improvements in mood, physical effects, indicies of relaxation, and self-report measures.

 

This will be a great experience for those interested in technology, psychology, physiological response and experimental design. No experience necessary.