Arts - Buffalo State College

spending to stay within the budget. Using linear programming, it is
possible to construct a mathematical model that will minimize the
cost of all the components needed to make a series of meal plans for
a given day, as well as maintain the required nutrition guidelines. We
anticipate that this model could potentially be used to help schools
better plan their meals to satisfy budget constraints in the future.
Presentation Type and Session: Oral – Science, Mathematics
and Technology
Optimizing Check Digit Systems
Joshua Terhaar, HON 400: All College Honors Program
Faculty Mentors: Professor Andrea Guiati, Director, All College
Honors Program and Professor Peter Mercer, Mathematics
The check digit system that UPC uses involves taking the modulo
of a series derived from the digits themselves. While this system can
detect some errors, it isn’t perfect. For instance, the transposition
error from 0-50000-30042-6 to 0-05000-30042-6 would not
be caught since both strings satisfy the check digit calculation.
Creating a check digit system involves a trade-off between efficiency
and the scope of errors detected. There are two types of errors
considered in this analysis. A substitution error occurs when one
digit is entered wrong. A transposition error swaps two digits. A
good check digit system should try to eliminate both errors with
relatively few operations. I will explain the mathematics behind
check digit efficiency and error correction and examine alternative
mathematical approaches (i.e. Gumm’s group theoretical method
using the D-5 group) and summarize their costs and benefits.
Coding the check digit error detection systems in C++ will aid me
in assessing their complexity and speed. Using probability I will be
able to assess the scope and pitfalls of their error detection. Upon
completion I should be able to provide an analysis of optimal routes
for check digit error detection.
Presentation Type and Session: Poster VIII
Petrographic Analysis of the “Log-Jam”
Schist, Connecticut
Kelsey Murphy, Geology
Faculty Mentor: Professor Gary Solar, Earth Sciences and Science
Education
Western Connecticut’s “log-jam” schist is a unique rock
unit of the Rowe schist. It is dominantly a granitic gneiss after
metamorphism from a granitic protolith. The unit is famous by
its very large crystals of the metamorphic mineral kyanite that are
observed up to 1 meter in length. Surrounding matrix rock minerals
include quartz, feldspars, chlorite and biotite micas, amphiboles,
and sillimanite. The kyanite crystals are “porphyroblasts” because
they are much larger relative to the matrix. They are the usual focus
of study prior to the work done by students in our lab (starting
in 2001). Studies of the matrix minerals and textures before then
did not exist, so matrix mineral textures were not documented.
Physical Geography, Sciences, and Mathematics
My study builds on the work of 3 previous undergraduate student
projects from our lab. The rock samples studied were collected
previously, and prepared for microscopy. I studied 16 thin sections
cut from these specimens because although they were analyzed
for mineral composition, they have not been described at depth
for mineral patterns between the kyanite and the matrix (the
“fabric”). In my work, I documented grain size, arrangement of
grains (texture), orientation of grains, grain boundary geometry,
evidence of retrograde mineral growth (at lower temperature), and
mineral defects (such as crytallographic folds). Using these detailed
descriptions, we learn more about geologic history such as the
pressure-temperature range in which the rock was formed and its
tectonic history. Results show foliation patterns throughout the thin
sections defined by the mineral muscovite. Kyanite porphyroblasts,
cleavage and fracturing are all oriented similarly, and there is
evidence of retrograded staurolite to biotite in most slides. Many
biotite crystals are partly altered to chlorite (further retrogradation).
The matrix is seen to drape around larger minerals. Overgrowth of
quartz and micas are common, and quartz and amphibole crystals
are typically undulose extinct indicating high-temperature strain
after metamorphism.
Presentation Type and Session: Poster VIII
Preliminary Findings On the Correlation of
Volcanic Ash, Santa Ana Volcano,
El Salvador
Mark Tate, Earth Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Professor Bettina Martinez-Hackert, Earth
Sciences and Science Education
Recently, volcanic ash samples representing historical eruptions
(that potentially represent the last 500 years) were collected and
analyzed for their grain morphology, geochemistry, grain size and
location within the stratigraphic column. This project focuses on the
preliminary findings from field work conducted in March 2012 to
find equivalent layers at other locations of the volcano and to trace
and map their distribution and thickness. This project focuses on
the already described layers (most recent four eruptions) to identify
other potential field locations by using the now known characteristics
of these eruptive products. Correlation of these volcanic deposits
across the Santa Ana volcano is imperative to produce isopach
maps (maps which describe variations in layer thicknesses) of ash
distributions. These maps tell us much about paleowind directions
and eruptions on the flanks of the volcano (lateral blasts). Samples
from the new field locations will be analyzed for identity and
compared to already analyzed ones. Identifying, tracing, and
understanding these layers will give insight to the changes the
volcano underwent throughout recent history, and allow us to better
determine the future of the volcano’s dangers.
Presentation Type and Session: Poster VIII
101