PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY

High School

The Effect of Simulated Microgravity on the Degradation of Chondrocytes
Olivia Askowitz, American Heritage School Boca Delray

This presentation used a cell rocker and fluid shear tension to simulate microgravity, to monitor specific cartilage cells and how they were affected by microgravity.

Gamma Ray Analysis of the Most Energetic Blazars to Probe the Cosmos
Yashika Batra, Nathan Nguyen, Je-Won Im; Evergreen Valley High School

If we can compare the luminosity of a flashlight before we shine it through fog to its luminosity through the fog, can we measure the density of the fog? Yes! Measuring the Extragalactic Background Light, the radiation field capturing all light emitted in the universe from the emergence of the first stars to modern time, with gamma-ray sources is quite similar. By comparing the flux of sources observed on Earth with what we predict was emitted, we can estimate the density of EBL photons between the source and Earth. Looking at EBL density is important because it will not only help us discover the past, but also find empirical evidence for theories about the Universe after the Big Bang that exist today. While EBL research is currently in very preliminary stages, its development is likely to be sped up with tools of the future, like Artificial Intelligence and more. It’s not far that researchers will have the tools to approximate EBL density for every point on the extragalactic night sky!

Analysis of GBNCC Survey Data for Radio Pulsar Candidate Detection: Distinguishing Pulsar, RFI, and Noise Signals
Yu-Ting Chang, Henry M. Gunn High School

Pulsar search is a difficult, yet important, task with great potential yields for the advancement of astrophysics. This study investigated different features and criteria to distinguish pulsar, RFI, and noise plots from 127,000 pulsar candidates collected through the GBNCC Survey. The most efficacious method is the Max-Ratio algorithm applied to the Phase-Frequency subplot, with 70% of the top N scoring plots being strong candidates (N is the estimated number of pulsars out of M plots); it is an effective filter, greatly reducing the amount of data for manual review.

Quantifying the Effects of Geometry on Friction Coefficients
Harys Dalvi, American Heritage School Boca/Delray

The purpose of my experiment is to determine the effects of geometry on friction both experimentally and through theoretical modeling.

Effects of Lunar Regolith on Material Degradation
Samer Elhoushy, American Heritage School Boca/Delray

The purpose of this experimentation was to analyze the physical properties of a lunar regolith simulant, observe the effects of this regolith on different polymers and electronic hardware over time, and to determine if lunar conditions with that regolith simulant carry long-term impacts on the sustainability of lunar colonization.

Planetary Environments for Habitable Kepler Small Planet Candidates
Amanda Hao, Aragon High School and Justin Hou, Henry M. Gunn High School

We examined spectral energy distribution for 47 Kepler Objects of Interest (KOI) host star candidates published previously by Susan Thompson to determine habitable extrasolar environments.

An Accessible, Low Cost Tool for Citizen Scientists: Using Remote Sensing Techniques to Predict Fire Damage Propensity
Vedant Janapaty, Silver Creek High School

Increased wildfire incidents with limited resources pose a challenge to fire agencies . This project uses freely available remote sensing technologies combined with machine learning tools to predict the extent of fire damage. The easily accessible information can be used by citizen scientists & volunteers to develop preemptive strategies to reduce the impact of a fire in a region identified as high risk, reducing the strain on fire agencies.

The Effect of Orbital Resonance on the Stability of a Planetary System
Christopher Lee, Seoul International School

This research uses computer programming to create simulations of planetary systems in order to determine whether the existence of orbital resonance affects the stability of the planetary systems. This is especially crucial when trying to understand how our Solar System has lasted for billions of years.

Computing the Atmospheric Mass Loss of Exoplanets From Stellar Wind of Main Sequence Stars
Ashini Modi, Caddo Parish Magnet High School

The atmosphere of a planet is the main requirement for the development of life. However, this atmosphere can be slowly stripped away by stellar winds, streams of charged particles released from the upper atmosphere of a star, its corona. In this project, the main goal is to determine the effects that stellar winds will have on the atmospheres of GJ 1132b, Kepler-138d, K2-3d, GJ 3053b, K2-3c, 55 Cnc e, GJ 9827d, K2-18b, GJ 97658b, and GJ 1241b. These planets were selected because they have known atmospheres. However, it is not known whether these atmospheres are primordial or secondary. With this model, stellar wind was sufficient to strip the primordial envelope of GJ-1132b and GJ-1214b. Due to the presence of an atmosphere as detected by the Hubble Space Telescope, it is likely that GJ-1132b and GJ-1214b currently have a secondary atmosphere. These findings can help scientists interpret the atmospheres of exoplanets and understand their habitability without direct spectroscopic observations.

Accurately Modeling Blood Flow in the Carotid Artery Using A Fluid Simulation
William Rhodes, American Heritage School Boca/Delray

In this experiment, I used principles of fluid mechanics to produce a model that predicts where along the internal carotid artery (ICA) a blood clot will be located in a patient.

A Novel Computer Simulation of a Deployable Parachute System with Aerial Detachment of the Cabin for Commercial Airplane Crashes
Vivek Sandrapaty, West Port High School

This project aimed to determine the viability of a novel, active parachute-cabin system to prevent airplane crashes. A computer simulation was designed using the differential equations governing the 6 degrees of freedom motion of the airplane cabin.

A Computational Approach to Examine the Dielectric Properties of Novel Dielectric Fe₂TiO₅
Gurpreet Singh, The Bronx High School of Science

Research in dielectrics are crucial towards thrusts within prospects of energy storage and energy distribution to create more efficient capacitors, which are virtually present in every electronic device, among advancements in piezoelectric devices and other integrated components. My research, under the guidance of my mentor Maverick McLanahan at UCSC, examines the dielectric properties of novel dielectric Fe₂TiO₅, a material with promising dielectric properties but is limited by literature that only examines the properties of polycrystalline, asymmetrical samples. This project paves the way for research of single, pure Fe₂TiO₅ crystals with a computational approach that streamlines research of dielectrics general and conserves a substantial amount of time through a user interface that is able to read raw data from a LCR meter, and convert it into organized files by choice of dielectric constant, modulus, conductivity, or impedance in functions of both temperature and frequency. Further, dielectric properties were examined through graphs of dielectric constants, and by creating Arrhenius fits in the peaks of the dissipation factor, this project serves as the framework for studying the transport dynamics of Fe₂TiO₅ that can potentially point to a correlated barrier hopping mechanism.

Searching for Rare Quasar C I and Ca II Absorbers in the Early Universe Using Deep Neural Networks
Sally Zhu, The Harker School and Iona Xia, Monta Vista High School

Our project uses deep neural networks to detect C I and Ca II quasar absorbers in the universe. Our novel methods are much faster, more accurate, and require less human interference than the previous traditional approach. Using our new discoveries, we can analyze more about galaxy and star formation and evolution and study our own Milky Way galaxy. This research is very important because it opens up new doors for discovery in the future to learn more about the mysteries of our universe.

Undergraduate

Roadblocks to Observing Continuous Gravitational Waves
Nathan June, University of Washington - Bothell

My presentation provides light background on gravitational waves, the continuous waveform, and what is thought to cause it. I then talk about the persistent noise artifacts LIGO is susceptible to that mimic these waveforms and the work to which I am contributing to mitigate these noises.

PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY

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