LEAPS (Laser electro-optical alignment pole for surveying)

Azimuthal bearing between two obscured points is measured by placing laser beam at one of the points. Beam is directed straight up into the air so that some part of it may be detected from any position a reasonable distance away

Long range laser traversing system

The relative azimuth bearing between first and second spaced terrestrial points which may be obscured from each other by intervening terrain is measured by placing at one of the points a laser source for projecting a collimated beam upwardly in the vertical plane. The collimated laser beam is detected at the second point by positioning the optical axis of a receiving instrument for the laser beam in such a manner that the beam intercepts the optical axis. In response to the optical axis intercepting the beam, the beam is deflected into two different ray paths by a beam splitter having an apex located on the optical axis. The energy in the ray paths is detected by separate photoresponsive elements that drive logic networks for proving indications of: (1) the optical axis intercepting the beam; (2) the beam being on the left of the optical axis and (3) the beam being on the right side of the optical axis

Long range laser traversing system

A study was carried out to determine the feasibility of a man-portable receiver system for land survey, which would be capable of detecting the optical scatter due to molecular and aerosol constituents of the atmosphere from a vertical laser beam. Tests were run with a beacon and receiver separated by approximately one mile. The system was consistently able to detect the laser signal regardless of background conditions

The Virago, Hermaphrodite, and Jan Gossaert: A Metamorphosis in Netherlandish Art

In this paper, I examine the origins of the 1516 painting The Metamorphosis of Hermaphroditus and the Nymph Salmacis by the artist Jan Gossaert. Because there are no known representations of the myth in post-classical European art before Gossaert’s version, the existence of the painting provokes questions about its patronage, background, and possible implications. Derived from the myth of Salmacis and Hermaphroditus in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the focus of the work is on the physical struggle between a male and female figure. The artist casts these individuals into the roles of victim and aggressor, with the female as the dominant character. This depiction reflects common attitudes at the time toward women and their scorned position in a male-dominated society. I suggest that the subject of Gossaert’s painting is related to themes found in the popular art of Northern Europe, which focused on the reversal of traditional gender-roles and often acted as warnings to men about women with too much freedom and power. Proposing that The Metamorphosis could be viewed as a satirical representation of women having political power, I argue that there is more to the painting than what appears on the surface

The Missing Baryon Problem via Cosmological Zoom-in Simulations

This thesis explores the missing baryon problem in a computational context. An overview of the problem is given, along with a discussion regarding the relevance of the Circumgalactic Medium (CMG) and cosmological Zoom-in simulations. The mechanisms underlying the N-body code ChaNGa (H. Menon, et al., Computational Astrophysics and Cosmology 2, 1 (2015), arXiv:1409.1929), as well as the data visualization and analysis tools yt (M. J. Turk, et al., 192, 9 (2011), arXiv:1011.3514) and trident (Hummels, et al., 847, 59 (2017), arXiv:1612.03935) are presented at a conceptual level. Finally, a series of synthetic quasar absorption spectra produced by using trident on a ChaNGa dataset from (S. Roca-Fabrega, et al., 917, 64 (2021), arXiv:2106.09738) at redshift of $z\sim4$ are shown. The low relative flux exhibited by these spectra render absorption features indistinguishable from background noise, and possible explanations for this phenomena such as high redshift are discussed. Though the resulting spectra exhibit serious obstacles for both qualitative and quantitative interpretation, they provide a "proof-of-concept" for future work, demonstrating trident's compatibility with ChaNGa's data format. Future prospects for using trident to analyze the CGM as simulated by ChaNGa are discussed, as well as possible extensions of this project.Comment: Written as part of the undergraduate program at Reed Colleg

The Growth of m-Learning and the Growth of Mobile Computing: Parallel developments

m-Learning is made possible by the existence and application of mobile hardware and networking technology. By exploring the capabilities of these technologies, it is possible to construct a picture of how different components of m-Learning can be implemented. This paper will explore the major technologies currently in use: portable digital assistants (PDAs), Short Message Service (SMS) messaging via mobile phone, and podcasts via MP3 players