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Correspondence: Finding Physicality in The Collaboration Between Printmaking and Digital Art
No full textInspired by Jennifer L. Roberts’ book, Contact: Art and the Pull of Print, Correspondence brings analog techniques of printmaking in collaboration with contemporary digital art practices. Through my research and experimentation with both methods, I came to understand the complicated relationship these art forms share with physical contact and communication.
My prints investigate the relationship between the artist and the physical processes of printmaking and digital art. In her book, Roberts introduces six maneuvers of print that act as bridges between types of making. Each of the prints in this series was inspired by one of the six maneuvers which are: pressure; reversal; interference; separation; strain; and alienation
The Art of Going Wrong
No full textThis thesis is a reflective analysis of my performance as Sandra in The Play That Goes Wrong. Combining practical experience with academic inquiry, it examines the genre of farce, tracing its historical roots to contextualize the physical comedy and exaggerated characters central to the play. The thesis includes a performance overview and supporting materials such as the script, notes, and production photos, which offer further insight into the collaborative and technical demands of staging this complex comedy
Measuring the Similarity Between Trees of Different Order
Get PDFGraphs encode relationships between data. However, due to their versatility, it is often difficult to generalize the notion of similarity between two graphs using a distance function. Since graphs can represent various data sets, specific distance metrics need to be tailored for questions we are interested in answering or the data set we are working with. This project is motivated by ongoing investigations into the evolution of female gender representation in mathematics. By building off previous work that has taken data from the Mathematics Genealogy Project and modeled this evolution of representation via a tree, we would like to develop a metric that compares different branches of a genealogy tree. The goal is to determine whether increased female gender representation in mathematics increases the likelihood of seeing more female-identifying mathematicians. In doing so, we hope to address the benefit of representation in mathematics and other STEM fields as student populations in these institutions grow more diverse
Mathematics and Determinism: Chaos, Quantum Mechanics, and the Limits of Predictive Structure
Get PDFThis thesis examines the relationship between mathematics and determinism by analyzing how chaos theory, quantum mechanics, and formal mathematical limits challenge traditional conceptions of predictability and causal structure. Chaos theory shows that deterministic systems can exhibit practical unpredictability due to sensitivity to initial conditions. Quantum mechanics introduces probabilistic outcomes that complicate deterministic interpretation, though alternative frameworks such as Bohmian mechanics and superdeterminism attempt to restore determinism at conceptual cost. Additionally, results from mathematical logic, including Gödel’s incompleteness theorems and Turing’s undecidability, demonstrate intrinsic limitations on what can be deduced or computed, even in fully deterministic systems. By synthesizing these areas, this thesis develops a mathematical perspective on how determinism can coexist with unpredictability, uncertainty, and epistemic boundaries
Monoclonal Antibody Platform Process Optimization
No full textAs the demand for monoclonal antibodies (mAb) therapeutics continues to rise, it becomes essential to ensure scalability, consistency, and cost-efficiency. I worked alongside a team of KGI graduate students, in collaboration with Abzena, a biopharmaceutical company, to evaluate their current mAb platform processes. We looked to optimize their key upstream and downstream processes in mAb production.
For upstream studies, we focused on comparing liquid cell-growth media (current platform)m with powdered media, in order to save cost storage on refrigeration of liquid media. The powder media demonstrated consistent growth and high viability, showing comparable results with the liquid media. Moreover, in down streaming processing we first looked at depth filtration experiments testing whether new filter systems, which were more cost-effective, were comparable to the current depth filter used. Results depth filter B filter outperformed traditional depth filter A in mass yield, which could potentially reduce the burden on subsequent purification steps.
Continuing in downstream procedures, Protein A chromatography studies evaluated three resins, resin A (current platform), resin B, and resin C, in dynamic binding capacity, pH elution, and host cell protein clearance experiments. Results found Resin B and Resin C showed improved performance and cost-effectiveness. Moreover, Resin C, could elute proteins at a higher pH allowing, making it a more stable option for pH sensitive proteins. Anion exchange (AEX) membrane screening is ongoing, with early indications that Membrane B and Membrane C may eliminate the need for salt dilution.
By integrating experimental findings with Abzena’s bill of materials, the team redesigned the platform to reduce Protein A purification cycles from four to one. This optimization led to a total cost reduction of up to 56%, representing a significant advancement toward more efficient and accessible mAb manufacturing
Alliance Building in Chinese Foreign Policy: Strategies from the 1950s, 1980s, and the 2010s
No full textWhile the People’s Republic of China (PRC) claims to reframe from engaging in alliances, its ability to become an international superpower has not been accomplished without the assistance of strong strategic relationships with other nations. The role of alliances in Chinese foreign policy deserves further analysis. This research intends to answer the question: What strategies does the People’s Republic of China implement to build alliances with other nations? Through utilizing a series of primary and secondary sources within three time-specific case studies, seven strategies are identified to showcase how alliances have assisted the PRC in the pursuit of its international ambitions. The strategies generally suggest that the PRC will align with nations it shares a rival with, in a manner that is reflective of the positions of each period’s Chinese Communist Party leadership. This work also highlights the importance of the American alliance system when facing the PRC and its network of informal alliances
Selective Scrutiny: Evidence from FIRRMA and Cross-Border Tech M&A
No full textThis paper examines the effects of the 2018 Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA) on global cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the technology sector. Using an event study framework and firm-level data from 2013 to 2023, it analyzes whether the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States\u27 (CFIUS) expanded regulatory authority disproportionately deterred investment from strategic competitors like China while leaving U.S. allies relatively unaffected. The findings suggest that FIRRMA had a highly selective impact: Chinese firms sharply reduced their U.S. tech-sector acquisitions post-FIRRMA, while firms from allied countries in the Five Eyes and Fourteen Eyes alliances maintained or even increased their M&A activity. These results imply that FIRRMA functioned as a targeted national security tool rather than a broad protectionist barrier, though the contraction in Chinese investment raises questions about the long-term innovation costs of selective deterrence
The Effect of Long-Term Contracts in MLB on Individual and Organizational Performance
No full textThis thesis investigates the impact of long-term contracts in Major League Baseball on performance of the individual player and organizational success from the seasons 2000-2024. This paper uses data from the sources fangraphs.com, baseballreference.com, and spotrac.com, focusing on specific player performance statistics for both position players and pitchers along with their annual salary both before and after signing their contract. Using the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression model, this thesis measures the relationship between a production dropoff after the financial stability of a long-term contract is earned as well as, the organizational impact through team success from giving out such contracts. The initial regressions measure the impact of signing a long-term contract on performance statistics OPS and WAR for position players and WHIP, ERA, and WAR for pitchers. It is found that these statistics all regress, except for ERA, after signing a long-term contract, showing an individual decline in performance. On the other hand, I am looking at how to pay for these long-term contracts from an organizational standpoint. The regressions measure the impact of spending large sums of money, payroll being my independent variable, on the impact of win percentage, playoffs percentage, and overall team WAR, as my dependent variables. The regression analysis implies there is no significant impact on payroll to win percentage and playoff appearances but it does on WAR. Translating to spending money doesn’t guarantee wins or playoff appearances, it only helps if it results in more productive players
Language and Perception in Conflict Resolution and Communication Styles
No full textConflict is a part of everyday life—but how we communicate during a conflict can change everything. This thesis explores how collaborative and competitive communication styles shape the way people perceive conflict resolution. Using cognitive science and sociolinguistics, I designed a study where participants read fictional conflict scenarios with various communication styles and rated their effectiveness, ability to understand each party’s view, and framing. The results show a clear pattern: collaborative communication tends to be perceived as more effective and empathetic, helping people take each other’s perspectives and work toward mutual understanding. In contrast, competitive communication, while more assertive, often falls short in building connection or resolving tension
Powering Understanding: Cultural Underpinnings of U.S.-China Competition in the Green Energy Transition
Get PDFRejecting the structural determinism of contemporary IR theories that neglect diverging epistemic predispositions in different states, this paper traces the cultural rationalization of green transition policies in the U.S. and China, thereby paving a way towards a positive understanding of how bilateral climate diplomacy can be better adapted for cooperation, rather than antagonistic competition, on an issue that transcends borders