By creating complex powerful computerized models of how molecules are likely to change, predictions can be made in numerous areas of research, such as how genes mutate into cancer cells and at what rate they might spread, or when the fire-fighters' foam might turn to a slippery goo that impedes fighting the fire.
Patrick Redmond, a junior computer science major at Saint Michael's College, received a $3,500 NASA-VT Space Grant with continued support through the fall to carry out a study entitled "Monte Carlo Simulations and the Potts Model." Redmond, the son of Wen and Patrick Redmond of Strafford, N.H., graduated from St. Thomas Acquinas High School in Dover, N.H., in 2006, before coming to Saint Michael's.
Collaborating with his professor, Dr. Greta Pangborn, Redmond received the grant as part of NASA's Vermont Space Grant Consortium in support of mentored undergraduate research. Working all day every day this summer Redmond is getting closer to completion of a simulated computer model using statistical mechanics to show how "micro-scale nearest-neighbor energy interactions in a complex system determine the macro-scale behavior of the system."
Such models of micro-scale interactions in various scenarios can show, for-instance, how temperature change affects the magnetism of a solid or when a tumor will take off and spread in the human body. A simulation could show what will happen if an electric motor overheats or how rapidly a tumor might spread. Redmond's work will use graphs to demonstrate patterns of change in micro systems that reflect macro systems of all kinds.
"A Challenging Puzzle"
"I find the challenge of programming very exciting," Redmond said. "There are so many variables and it's such a terrific puzzle to try to solve. This has been a wonderful opportunity to learn a lot and make something functional and beautifully complex," he said.
"You can put all the small parts together and make something that does not behave as expected," Professor Pangborn said, indicating that this was an applied math and computer science problem. In the end, Redmond will have created an educational tool to teach people about the Potts Model.
Redmond and his professor, Dr. Pangborn, expect to present the results of their work to NASA sometime during the coming year.
A computer science major and East Asian Studies minor, with a focus on Japanese language, Redmond plans to study abroad in Japan in the spring semester, and eventually perhaps to study in Japan. That's where some of the most the cutting-edge work is being done, he said. He plans to go to graduate school in computer science in the future. "If there was a sport for computer programming, I'd do that in my spare time," the eager scientist said.
"I've had Patrick in two classes," said Dr. Pangborn, assistant professor of computer science. "and he is a terrific student; but I've always been particularly impressed by the fact that his interest in the subject so clearly extends beyond what is required for his classes, that he spends time working on independent projects-this type of enthusiasm is vital for research."
In his spare time this summer Redmond created a gravitational simulation design to use as a screen saver.
Saint Michael's College, founded in 1904 by the Society of St. Edmund and headed by President John J. Neuhauser, is identified by the Princeton Review as one of the nation's Best 368 Colleges. A liberal arts, residential, Catholic college, Saint Michael's is located just outside of Burlington, Vermont, one of America's top college towns and less than two hours from Montreal. As one of only 270 institutions nationwide with a prestigious Phi Beta Kappa chapter on campus, Saint Michael's has 2,000 full-time undergraduate students, some 500 graduate students and 200 international students. In recent years Saint Michael's students and professors have received Rhodes, Woodrow Wilson, Guggenheim, Fulbright, National Science Foundation and other grants, and Saint Michael's professors have been named Vermont Professor of the Year in four of the last eight years. The college is currently listed as one of the nation's Best Liberal Arts Colleges in the 2009 U.S. News & World Report rankings.