A group of Saint Michael's students were chosen to participate in a variety of mathematics research programs on and off campus over the summer of 2009. Learn more about their projects below.
Brittany was selected to take part in a competitive research program on "The Mathematics of Paper Folding" at the University of Georgia during June 8-July 24, 2009. Origami, the art of paper folding, has deep geometric roots. However, the mathematical theory behind origami has really only been developed within the past twenty years. This program will focus on learning, applying, and extending that theory. More information is available on the University of Georgia Web site.
Erika and Emily Pratt were selected to participate in a competitive research program on "Signal and Image Analysis" at Texas A & M University during June 29-July 31, 2009. As technology becomes more sophisticated, the need for efficiently handling vast amounts of data has grown tremendously. This program will introduce the basic ideas behind Fourier analysis and wavelets, the two main tools used to analyze signals and images. As time goes on, the students will break up into groups and work on projects involving real-world examples. More information is available on the research program Web site.
Andrew, Jacob and Dan were selected to work with Professor Joanna Ellis-Monaghan doing mathematics research at Saint Michael’s College. The three students will be developing strategies for self-assembling DNA nanostructures with rigidity constraints. Dan Lewis will be supported by a NASA-EPSCoR mentoring grant, while Andrew Gilbert and Jacob Girard will be supported a Vermont Genetics Network grant awarded to Professor Ellis-Monaghan.