Understanding the structure of data allows for many aspects of data analysis. Data ordering, otherwise known as data seriation, is a useful tool that helps to understand the data structure better. For example, one can use an ordering of data obtained by a seriation method to reorder the rows and columns of the distance matrix. Then visualize the data structures using heat maps of the matrix to understand the data structure. Obtaining a good ordering is crucial in this process.

In this study, we try to improve a seriation method, called Tree-penalized Path Length (tpPL), which was shown to produce orderings that keep clusters of data together and have short path length, along with other merits. We introduce a new dissimilarity measure, Average Repelling Distance (ARD), and use it to construct two new distance matrices. We use the matrices and tpPL to produce orderings of 39 datasets and visualize them via heat maps of reordered distance matrices. We then compare the obtained orderings with those of tpPL, Optimal Leaf Order (OLO), and Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP) seriation methods using two numerical criteria. Although our work is contained within the field of data seriation, our new distance matrices may potentially be useful to other fields that use distance matrices in data analysis. 

The immune system is pivotal in combating viral infections, particularly during the annual flu season. Influenza A, commonly known as the flu, is a highly contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza A virus, primarily transmitted through droplet transmission (Dhand 2020). Its rapid spread poses a significant global health threat, impacting human health and the economy. Current research has sparked interest in understanding the contribution of natural killer (NK) cells and their role in the resolution of viral infections, including influenza infections. Despite their significance, NK cells' precise mechanisms, immune functions, and their correlation with cytokines like interferon gamma (IFNg) remain unclear. We aim to model immune dynamics and discover potential mechanisms underlying IFNg production during infections. Our study integrates immunology and mathematics to investigate the roles of NK cells, T cells, and IFNg in influenza infections by utilizing data from the University of Tennessee's Department of Pediatrics. This model will allow the exploration of possible mechanisms related to IFNg production during an infection. Our research aims to uncover how the immune system behaves during influenza infections, offering insights that may contribute to developing innovative strategies for improving public health.

Aggression is linked to the serotonin system, making aggression a visible proxy for study of the impact of different serotonin modulators on an animal’s behavior. Betta fish have both an aggressive phenotype and the same serotonin receptors as humans, making them a useful model organism for the study of serotonin modulating substances. Three serotonin modulators were studied: the antidepressant paroxetine (SSRI class), the antipsychotic clozapine (atypical class) and the psychedelic substance 25I-NBOMe, which acts as a serotonin agonist. To investigate this process, 59 male betta fish were divided into five treatment groups—control (n=12), antidepressant (n=12), antipsychotic (n=11), combination of antidepressants and antipsychotics (n=12), two doses (low and high) psychedelic (n=12). Behavior was recorded and analyzed before, during, and after dosage and both alone and paired with a conspecific. Specifically, type of swimming, periods of immobility, and aggressive displays were analyzed. Cortisol levels were also extracted from aquarium water and measured to determine the endocrine stress response in correlation to the serotonin modulators. Findings suggest a behavioral, but not endocrine, response that differs between the fish treated with 25I-NBOMe, the antidepressants and antipsychotics, and the controls.

The tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta lives in rat intestines and passes its eggs through the rat’s feces. The infected feces are then consumed by an intermediate host beetle to continue their life cycle. Previous studies revealed that the beetles Tenebrio molitor and Tribolium confusum exhibit attractive behavior towards H. diminuta infected feces, and that volatile chemicals from infected feces are also attractive to beetles. Our earlier research identified five volatile chemicals, small acids, present in infected rat feces but not in uninfected feces. Butyric acid was found in the greatest relative amount, but also found were 3-methylbutyric acid, 2-methylbutyric acid, pentanoic acid, and hexanoic acid. We then studied the attraction of T. molitor towards these acids. Each trial consisted of 10 beetles, starved for 24 or 48 hours, placed in the middle of a petri dish arena, and offered water (control) or one or more of the acids dried on clean glass microscope coverslips. We observed the beetles for 10 minutes and counted how many were near the control or acid at each minute. A related samples Wilcoxon signed rank test showed no significant attraction of both 24 (p=0.969) and 48 hour (p=1.0) starved beetles to a mixture of the 4 primary acids, but a significant (p=0.017) attraction to 3-methylbutyric acid and butyric acid (p=0.036). This study is the first to identify volatile chemicals from a tapeworm-infected host and show beetle attraction to particular acids that may enhance the likelihood of lifecycle completion.

This paper presents the results of the deflection tests carried out on a pedestrian bridge on the Chessie Nature Trail in Lexington, Va. Vertical and lateral deflections caused by live loads crossing the bridge were analyzed. Areas of interest are at the midspan as well as quarter span of the bridge. Results show that the largest deflections were located at midspan. The vertical deflections passed AASHTO LRFD deflection limits. Lateral deflections were larger than the vertical deflections, and the lateral deflections did not pass AASHTO LRFD guidelines but were nearly double the limits. It is recommended to construct a support at midspan to reduce the clear span length and reduce lateral deflections. Future research should use larger loads to further test vertical deflections.

The typical commercial production of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) has a high cost. There is a need for cost-effective solutions in the manufacturing processes and design solutions that minimize its usage. The scope of this project includes the development of a nonproprietary UHPC mixture and testing the bond strength between a UHPC overlay and a normal strength concrete substrate. Various curing methods were considered to optimize the hardened properties of UHPC. Curing methods included a simulated steam room, submerging the hardened UHPC in heated water, wet burlap, and plastic coverings. Applying the optimal mix design and curing method, the bond strength between the UHPC and a normal strength concrete is investigated using a push-off shear test. Multiple roughening techniques were employed to achieve varying surface roughness values based on the ICRI surface profile chips. Moreover, petrographic analysis will be used in characterizing the different mixtures used throughout the project. The characteristics investigated include the minerology of the aggregate, the particle size distribution, and the packing density of the aggregate. Those characteristics will then be compared to commercially available UHPC mixtures.

Our oral presentation will be on our work done in Capstone for the 2023-2024 AY (CIS 480 & 490). The Capstone in question is a proof-of-concept that aims at leveraging everyday drones into capable tools. More specifically, looking into how drones can be used to detect threats in a cost efficient and effective manner. Relevant to our Capstone, we chose a use case of Search and Rescue and how our project could be applied in rural areas similar to Lexington (VA). Our current system consists of DJI’s Educational Tello drone, Python, and YOLOv8 by Ultralytics. YOLOv8 utilizes Convolutional Neural Networks to classify, detect, and track numerous object classes. Our proposed project implements YOLOv8 into a Python that interfaces with DJI’s Educational drone (DJI Tello) and does object detection on whatever the DJI Tello camera picks up. As a result of our project, we currently have a relatively cheap drone ($100) that can be controlled from any computer or python-enabled device and accurately pick up, detect, and track pre-specified object classes. Our Capstone goal is to provide this proof-of-concept to local organizations and potentially secure funding for a modular system that can utilize sensors to pick up more than just optical images. For future works, we see this project blossom into a standalone modular system where organizations, agencies, and individuals can leverage our product to best fit their needs (classifying agriculture, pest surveillance, search and rescue, etc.).

As children use the Internet more frequently and freely, they are more likely to come across inappropriate content while searching for information. To prevent the younger generations from being exposed to inappropriate content, this research has explored the potential of an ontological modeling approach to create effective algorithms for future safe search engines. Other researchers have proposed different safe search approaches to deny inappropriate content to children. However, during our study of more than 225 research articles, no research has explored the properties and usages of ontological approaches in this particular domain, i.e., safe search for children. This work summarizes the state-of-the-art research findings and presents a novel ontological model called risk ontology. The continuation of this research has the potential to create more efficient, child-friendly, safe search engines. 

Over 9000 children are born in the U.S. each year with hearing impairments, the vast majority to parents with normotypic hearing. These parents are presented with an audiogram that scientifically describes the degree of their child’s hearing loss at various frequencies, but most parents have no context to interpret the audiogram. They struggle to understand the world that their child experiences. I propose to create a free program that will allow parents to intuitively understand and experience their child’s hearing impairment. This is the final phase of a project that has been worked on by several ECE students for 8 years. I took the core of the last student, a published peer-reviewed, open-source, frequency-sampling filter design, and I embedded it into a graphical user interface, while collaborating with an audiologist at the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind to make the program useful for parents of hearing-impaired children. This project is available for anyone who wants to know how a person with a specific audiogram experiences sound. Working on this project has required me to learn a new programming language, develop collaboration skills with people outside VMI, and learn how to apply project management to complex projects involving multiple people over many years. This project will improve the ability of others to understand and empathize with the hearing impaired.

Steganography is the art of hiding messages in files of various formats. The goal of this effort is to hide a message containing medical data in a medical image so that the inclusion of the data is undetectable in the resultant image. In addition, the concealing/hiding process must be robust and not easily reversed by unauthorized users who want access to the hidden data. A program implementing the least significant bit (LSB) steganography technique for grayscale and colored images was developed. The program was tested on publicly available medical image datasets and publicly available medical test results. A metric for measuring the difference between the source / original image and the image containing encoded messages was analyzed. The results from the exercise show that there are positive correlations between the size of the input message and the MSE and PSNR. It also shows that as more images are made, the time per image to encode the messages is effectively constant. The program is proven to be an effective method at hiding medical data inside medical images. Future efforts will continue towards creating a steganography and encryption application for protecting and packaging medical data and images that can be used by medical professionals, confidently and commonly. 

Cultural moral relativism is a normative approach to morality derived from the principles of the larger philosophical school, moral relativism. The theory argues that morality is the product of social convention, and good and bad are meaningful distinctions only relative to a cultural framework. Tracing its origins back to anthropological discoveries of the 19th and 20th centuries, cultural moral relativism asserts that all cultural values are equal in moral worth. Because of its position against moral superiority and social judgement, cultural moral relativism is often regarded as a tolerant moral theory and is growing in popularity and acceptance. 

This essay details the claims of cultural moral relativism and argues that the theory has negative implications associated with its acceptance. These implications, derived from James Rachels’ “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism,” reveal that cultural moral relativism's increasing prominence is problematic, as the theory is derived from an invalid argument and asserts claims discrepant to our moral intuition. Furthermore, I argue that all moral theories should be able to perform two essential functions: First, the ability to make moral determinations, which primarily regards the theory’s value in asserting what we ought to do. Second, the ability to evaluate adopted values. I argue that cultural moral relativism poorly provides the first function and cannot perform the second function. Thus, I conclude that cultural moral relativism is a flawed theory that is unable to provide the essential elements that should be expected from a moral theory.

This paper surveys the experience of Mexican American and other Latino servicemen who served the United States of America during the Second World War. Although legally classified as “white,” Latinos in all branches of the military experienced different levels of discrimination. Thus, this paper seeks to uncover when and under what circumstances the merits of Latinos were acknowledged and celebrated, as well as when the same groups faced discrimination. It includes an analysis that quantifies and compares the number of Latinos who received merits for committing acts of gallantry at various stages of their lives. To facilitate this survey, this paper extensively utilizes primary sources, such as interviews with WWII Latino veterans conducted by the “Voces Oral History Project” at the University of Texas at Austin. In these interviews, service members tell their stories of overcoming biases abroad and at home as they fulfilled their patriotic duty. To augment the findings therein, the findings from other archival sources and secondary literature were likewise consulted.

In 1754, the British and French Empires were drawn into the French and Indian War over the Ohio River Valley that sat between their North American colonial holdings. However, in the years leading up to that, they were already engaged in a sort of cold war in the Ohio River Valley. The various Native American tribes there were caught in between the European Rivals and found themselves supporting the side that offered them the best conditions, and often fought to preserve their independence. One such tribe, the Twightwees, provides an interesting case for understanding European interactions with Native Americans and the intentions of both seeking alliance. The Twightwees were a relatively new player in the Ohio River Valley in the years before the war began, and quickly drew the ire of the French and friendship with the British. The colonial governments of Virginia and Pennsylvania sought alliance with the Twightwees and devoted a great amount of attention and resources to this end. The Treaties of Winchester and Carlisle in 1753, which have often been overlooked by historians examining the period, served as the culminating point of the British-Native American alliances, which ultimately proved ineffective at uniting against the French in the early years of the conflict. Analysis of archival documents revealed a new understanding of the implications of those treaties, the importance of the Twightwees in colonial diplomatic strategy, and the actions of both sides in bridging the cultural and political divide.

The First Amendment is one of the most fundamental rights in America, and any attempt to take that right away has been met with extreme backlash. However, there is a sizable portion of the population that has the first amendment denied to them: the United States Military. The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and its predecessor has restricted servicemembers ability to engage in political discussion and critique of the government. The Supreme Court has mostly stayed out of this area and instead allowed the military to regulate itself. This has led to a system of uneven and biased enforcement of obscure regulations that many servicemembers are not properly educated on. The original intent of rules such as Article 88 of the UCMJ, which prohibits officers from criticizing superiors and elected officials, was to prevent a potential Caesar from turning the military against the government. In practice, article 88 and its companion Article 134, which is for offenses not listed elsewhere, have been used not against high-ranking officials’ intent on taking control of the government, but low ranking enlisted and junior officers, who simply voice their opinions on political and administration decisions. Junior servicemember’s perhaps have the greatest stake in American politics, decisions by elected officials on matters such as war are often executed by them, at great personnel risk. Throughout research, case reports from both military and civilian courts were examined alongside original military and civilian newspapers to ascertain the opinion and enforcement caused by these laws and interpretations. 

My paper looks at the history of the Know-Nothing movement in America during the late 1840s through 1856 and explores how the movement and subsequent political party shaped the political landscape of America during the antebellum and led to the collapse of the second party system in the United States. My thesis states that without the nativist movement of the Know-Nothings, this collapse of the two-party system could not have happened, contradicting the idea that slavery alone brought about the rise of the Republican Party.

Since the Eurasian collapse of communism from 1989 to 1991, each state that has been affected by a revolution, coup, or party collapse that ended the communist monopoly of power, has seen some kind of communist successor party. Often times, these parties find some success, but not typically in democracy. Successful successor parties are typically either a rebranding of the old party, having never lost power, a puppet party used by authoritarians to claim either opposition or bipartisan support, or a center-left social democratic party. It is this paper’s purpose to find out why bans on communist parties have led to both healthy democratic systems and instable authoritarian regimes, while also to determine if the bans on communism were simply used to protect the state’s sovereignty from threatening neighbor. This will be done by analyzing data from Variants of Democracy (VDEM), along with examining election results since the communist collapse in the Baltic States, Mongolia, Montenegro, Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Russia, and Belarus.

Nation building can take many forms broken down into accommodation, exclusion, and assimilation. This paper examines how a singular state may engage in nation building minority policies within distinct ethnic groups. This is important because China continues to become a major world superpower and their minority policy may transfer to other states under their sphere of influence. This paper helps to introduce the question why there is variation in their policies of colonization/exclusion or assimilation.

Going to the moon and building a colony is the next step in space exploration. Before colonization can begin many technical challenges need to be solved here on Earth. One of those challenges is power generation for a lunar colony. It is proposed that the colony will rely on photovoltaic arrays to power the colony. To find an effective site to put the arrays illumination conditions at each proposed site need to be examined. The purpose of this study is to find the average illumination fraction, longest darkness period, and longest illumination period of each site. The study made use of a NASA developed program to look at each site at different altitudes off the moon's surface. The program used Digital Elevation Maps to visualize the lunar terrain around the site and to find when shadows produced by the sun were on the site. Results of the study showed that of the 63 sites examined 9 sites had an illumination fraction over 90%, 29 from 80%-90%, 15 from 70% to 80%, and 10 from 50%-70%. The study also showed that 7 sites had maximum darkness period of over 300 hours, 26 sites had a darkness period of 200 hours to 300 hours, 17 sites had from 100 hours to 200 hours, and 13 sites had under 100 hours of maximum darkness. The study also showed 12 sites are illuminated continuously for over 200 days, 23 sites from 100 days to 200 days, and 28 sites under 100 days.

According to BAJA SAE rules, all vehicles wanting to compete must have a braking system that locks all four wheels instantaneously. This research focuses on analyzing and optimizing a BAJA SAE braking system, which includes calipers, master cylinders, rotors, and the brake pedal. Solidworks was used to make assemblies and designs of all parts, and then all the analysis will be done on Ansys to test max stress and deformation. A basic analysis of two potential front and rear rotors will be used to see which of the two will be better. Once the front and rear rotor is chosen, a complete transient analysis will be done, which includes an entire rotor and caliper assembly in Ansys. The results will give us a more accurate max stress, deformation, heat flux, and temperature on the brake rotor. Values needed for the analysis, such as brake line pressure, tire torque, and clamping force, are gathered from dynamic brake calculations. For the calculations, Wilwood PS-1 calipers were used in the front and rear of the vehicle with a 600 series Tilton bias bar and Tilton 78 series master cylinders. The vehicle also uses two 7in diameter front rotors and a single 6in rotor to reduce the vehicle's total weight and optimize space inside the rim. The results of the calculations give us a factor of safety of 1.23 with respect to torque in the front and 1.27 factor of safety in the rear. The factor of safety with respect to brake line pressure in the front is 1.23, and the factor of safety for the rear is 1.27.

Various satellites nowadays are critical technologies localized beyond the Earth’s atmosphere. Many possible phenomena may occur in that space environment and damage those satellites. The problem in this research focuses on the burst region called “X-ray fireball” with nuclear denotations that are more than 100 km altitude. The objective of the research is the use of Molecular Dynamics (MD) with the Momentum Scaling Method (MSM) approach to simulate the blackbody X-rays interacting with the surface of Germanium (Ge) and Silicon (Si) material. The research simulates the model and collects the data using a software called LAMMPS to predict the effect of high-intensive X-rays on the desired surface materials. The MSM-MD method implemented in LAMMPS can simulate the blow-off of germanium and silicon material into a vacuum due to the X-ray irradiation. The model can provide the data of 10 picosecond interactions, including coordinates of atoms, density, stress, and temperature.

The purpose of this study is to simulate the effects of lunar dust on a horizontal flat panel radiator in support of NASA’s Vertical Solar Array Technology (VSAT) program. An analysis was performed using a one-dimensional, transient, implicit finite difference model that was implemented using MATLAB. The model simulated the transfer of heat through a layer of dust on the surface of a constant temperature radiator in order to find the steady-state temperature gradient through the dust as well as the heat transfer from the radiator. This analysis was repeated for a range of dust layer thicknesses and radiator surface temperatures, and it was found that radiators can tolerate a thin layer of dust without a performance penalty. In fact, the heat transfer may be enhanced by a very thin dust layer. This layer’s thickness is dependent on the surface temperature of the radiator, and ranges between 20 to 30 microns for surface temperatures between 300K and 350K. A one-micron dust layer increases performance by approximately 50 W/m2. This study may influence design practices as well as cleaning and maintenance procedures for radiators for lunar use.

There are various issues within Chinese society which are pertinent to China itself as well as the rest of the world. This panel will address corruption and its effects on the Chinese population, standardized testing, as well as censorship of protests and speech. Many avenues of research were utilized including film, documented Chinese policies, and statistics relating to the effects of standardized testing. The findings by this panel are various; however, collectively they highlight many of the issues currently experienced by the Chinese populace and what solutions may exist.

Please Note: Due to the panel containing four presenters with three different subjects, Russell Crouch has written the brief abstract above in an attempt to highlight the three major issues addressed by the panel presenters' capstone papers.

In 2026, Jefferson Lab’s is running a series of hypernuclear experiments.  These experiments require a clean separation of K+ ions from the rest of the hadron (Proton, Pion, Positron) soup of sub-atomic particles. Because Aerogel Cherenkov (AC) detectors are the best tools for the job; in the summer of 2022, Dr. Pandey was working on 3 AC detectors, and working to assess their ‘health’. These detectors (AC1, AC2, and AC3) are intended to be used as the primary detectors in the future hyper nuclear experiments at Jefferson Labs. However, due to these detectors having not been used in over 10 years, calibration is necessary to determine their usability. Testing these detectors by collecting cosmic radiation data, and analyzing that data, we can determine which PMT’s are “out-of-tune” and need adjustment, as well as ones that are completely out-of-commission. After going through the data, a list of several adjustments to the High Voltage has been made, and in the interest of perfect operation, should be adopted. 

For the past two years VMI (Virginia Military Institute) has had a challenging time recruiting sufficient class sizes. In one year, the rat mass shrunk by 25%. This is a drop that affects the culture and the budgetary policy surrounding VMI. This in context with national demographic shifts spells a recipe for disaster. This paper sought to answer three important questions. 1, How cadets found out about VMI, 2 why cadets chose to come to VMI, and 3 How the cadets are doing once they get here. Cadets most commonly learned of VMI through their parents, came because they wanted the lifestyle VMI provides, and cadets who came primarily because their parents wanted it were significantly less satisfied with their experience at VMI. The results are far more complex and the suggestions for implementation to try and fix the recruiting issues are even more so. 

Prevalence of anxiety in college students has increased drastically over the past decade. Previous research has merely only looked at how to help students while they are at school, while mechanisms that could be factors playing into this prior to attending college serves as a gap in the literature. This study aimed to look at how family influence and athletic status play a role. Participants (N = 42) completed an anxiety symptoms inventory then disclosed how much their family influenced their decision to attend college. Statistical analysis indicated that neither athletic status nor degree of family influence had a significant influence on anxiety symptom scores. However, participants who had moderate anxiety scores indicated that they attended the Virginia Military Institute on an athletic scholarship. Additionally, over half of all participants indicated that their family had influenced their decision to attend college. Gender did have a statistically significant effect on anxiety scores with female participants (t =-4.084, p < .001) reporting higher scores. Results demonstrate that colleges should broaden their resources and cater services to each student, not to one specific group.

Technological innovations can be leveraged to gain a competitive advantage over opposing forces in defense applications. For instance, augmented vision technology can be harnessed to extend the visual line of sight (VLOS), increase survivability, and decrease workload of US Army soldiers when operating a variety of armored vehicles. Using the MATLAB Statistics toolbox, data analysis was conducted on experimental data from the Army Research Lab (ARL) to evaluate the effectiveness of different visualization configurations. Analyses revealed that improving the clarity, practicality, and acceptability of information presented will increase targeting distance, shorten LACE time and duration, and improve system usability. Additionally, this effective formatting of information in the use of the vitreous system configuration resulted in significant reductions in participant frustration levels as well as mental and physical workload when compared to the WMI system. Future research can be done to refine the current subject or in applying this concept to other military assets such as US Navy submarines or aircraft across all service branches in order to match rising threats and maintain competitive technological advantages.

ChatGPT is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) large language model released by the company OpenAI in November 2022. Its use by students has recently become a controversial topic due to concerns over academic integrity and hindrance to critical thinking. This study looks to determine how ChatGPT can be used by undergraduate students in physics and math while addressing these concerns. In particular, it aims to answer three research questions: 1. How can ChatGPT enhance learning without hindering critical thinking and problem-solving skills? 2. Are there certain types of classwork for which ChatGPT is appropriate to use? 3. What kinds of citations are appropriate for assignments when using ChatGPT? These questions are answered using both survey and focus group data. Both sets of data are gathered from professors from Virginia Military Institute’s (VMI) Department of Physics and Astronomy and Department of Applied Mathematics. The survey provides quantitative statistical data, while the focus group provides qualitative data that is analyzed using a three-step qualitative coding process. Results show some inconclusive answers, as professors believe the technology is not in danger of hindering students at the moment because of its inaccuracy, but may become more of an issue as the technology advances.

The present study investigated constituents of United Way of Rockbridge to observe any trends contributing to the current decline in funds raised in each campaign year. A total of 446 constituents were included after filtering out prospective donors, deceased donors, and workplace donors. Data was collected on the first, second, and latest transaction amounts, along with descriptive information such as Virginia residency, Lexington residence, and email address presence in the system. The generated models revealed that constituents with an email in Bloomerang and residing in Lexington were significant factors for the 2022 campaign year. The Year of First Transaction histogram displayed a bimodal distribution, with spikes observed in 2007 (N=90) and a smaller spike in 2017 (N=23). Furthermore, whether the spike in first-time donors in 2007 is valid is still under determination. After analyzing the first and second transaction amounts, four donor recognition tiers were established at $500+, $1000+, $2500+, and $5000+

In data visualization, there exists a challenge to imagine any data’s representations in more than three dimensions. However, real-world data often consists of several features, most likely higher than three. The purpose of this research is to explore higher dimensional datasets in the content of science and commerce, along with the utilization of visualization techniques used by practitioners. In particular, we use dendrograms produced by hierarchical clustering methods for the tree diagram. Additionally, we introduce a supplementary technique known as the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) to create temperature-based visual heatmaps of reordered dissimilarity matrices to produce visualizations of high dimensional data and analyze their ability to communicate the structure of the data in a clear and easy-understanding manner. The principal component analysis (PCA) and t-SNE are other optional methods to reduce the higher dimensional data to lower dimensional, facilitated using the “R” programming tool. These dimensional-reducing tools are reliable for datasets with several attributes. However, it is significant to recognize that they still can perform visualizations of each dataset while losing some information, but we experiment to minimize the missing detail of the data. The primary source of study takes away from the dissertation document focusing on seriation methodology. The dataset used in this study ranges from two to over sixty dimensions including both numerical and categorical types of data points with the label column. After the analysis, the expected result should provide a clear example of when and how each technique can appropriately apply to different dimensional datasets. The ability to convert computing numbers of the dataset into meaningful insight is what we anticipate in the performance evaluation.

Presentation of using Python and the StreamLit cloud to create an online database to analyze data taken throughout different air force bases. How we created the database and how it interacts with the data given.

Efficient food production is vital within farming. Out of the many crops made not only in America, but in the world, soybeans pose many benefits in terms of consumption. Soybeans have a vascular system that causes production and analyzing could help us alter growth yield for the better. During research we examined cross sections of vascular bundles and wanted to focus our study on fiber cells; strength fibers that help with structure of branches to produce high fruit yield within the plant. We found that through image analysis, strength fibers do not correlate with increased seed production, but other tissues within the plant may such as water conducting xylem or turgor producing pith. This is important because we will be able to research what exactly increases growth yield and in the long run help soybean producers as well.

Green space interaction is a term used to signify the encounters one has with nature in their everyday life. While green space is thought to lower stress levels in humans, more data needs to be collected to support this thinking. This study was conducted to determine the presence of stress hormones such as corticosterone in R. norvegicus living in rural locations across Rockbridge County, Virginia. The assessed levels were then viewed in comparison to hormone levels of R. norvegicus in urban environments such as Richmond, Virginia. In this research, we report levels of corticosterone levels in (n=8) rats captured over a ten-week process during the summer of 2023. The protocol for specimen processing used in this study was adopted from the study by Jacob et al. (2022), which surveyed rats in Richmond, Virginia and was used as an example of hormone levels present in an urban setting. Body weight (to the nearest 0.01 g), tail length (tip of tail to base of tail: mm), and body length (base of tail to snout: mm) were measured. Biological samples were also taken from each rat, consisting of liver sections, both adrenal glands, the entire spleen, hair samples, and fecal matter from the large intestine. Additionally, samples of blood were taken and the brain was removed and stored for later sectioning. Average male corticosterone was 5360 ± 2431 pg/mL, while average female corticosterone was 8380 ± 4437 pg/mL. An independent sample t-test showed there to be no significant difference in corticosterone between males and females trapped in Rockbridge County (t = 0.595, p = 0.578). However, males in Richmond were found to be significantly smaller in size than those captured in Rockbridge County (p = 0.04). Lastly, Richmond rats averaged a significant increase in spleen size compared to those trapped in Rockbridge County (p = 0.0005). This study is crucial to understanding the dynamics of environment and hormone release in the body. If rats in urban environments are encountering higher corticosterone levels due to limited green space interaction, it may be plausible to investigate the same occurrence in humans. Accordingly, the study by Roe et al. in 2013 showed that self-perceived stress in humans was significantly higher for those who had less neighborhood green space interaction, compared to those who had higher interactions with green space.

One example of human interaction with wild animals is with raccoons (Procyon lotor), which have been able to adapt and even thrive in urban-suburban areas. Raccoons carry many diseases that can be transmitted to humans, such as Leptospirosis (bacterial), parasitic diseases, such as Toxoplasmi gondii and Trypanosoms cruzi, or gastrointestinal diseases (Baylisascaris procyonis). For my research, I took a deeper look into Baylisascaris procyonis, nicknamed raccoon roundworm, one of the more serious diseases that raccoons can transmit to humans and our pets. Raccoon roundworms are especially deadly because the roundworm larva spread to human organs, tissues, and parts of the brain, severely impairing humans and in some cases causing death. Throughout the duration of my research, I collected fecal samples from raccoons across Rockbridge County, Virginia to test for the presence of B. procyonis and other parasitic nematodes. Using 10 Tomahawk and 3 Havahart traps, I placed 12 traps along Kerrs Creek and 1 trap along a creek below the VMI aquatic center in Lexington, Virginia. A total of 12 fecal samples were collected, with 9 out of the 12 testing positive for parasitic nematode eggs. Of the parasitic nematode eggs observed, we determined that the eggs were likely that of B. procyonis (raccoon roundworm), Capillaria procyonis (raccoon hairworms), and Uncinaria stenocephala (northern hookworm of dogs).

Stress levels are increasingly being used for wild populations to identify species at risk or those that have been impacted by human activity. The stress level of a species can help identify aquatic populations that are at high-risk or identify how human activity has biologically affected a certain area. Stress is measured through the release of hormones. The main stress hormone in fish is cortisol. Collecting stress hormones in aquatic species traditionally used water or blood samples which is not suitable for field use. This study examined the efficiency of dermal swabs to detect cortisol in Betta fish (Betta splendens) following acute stress. I first tested the effectiveness of three different extraction protocols: 50/50 ratio of deionized water and 70% ethanol, 70% ethanol, and Diethyl ether, using a cortisol ELISA kit and procedure from Enzo Scientific. The ethanol only protocol adapted from Santymire R.M. et al. 2022 was chosen based on retrieving the highest average values (84.6 pg/ml), compared to the 50/50 ratio (58.25 pg/ml) and diethyl ether (53.9 pg/ml). After an extraction protocol was selected, samples were collected at baseline, immediately following the induced capture stress, then every 15 minutes for 1 hour, and then 2 hours after the stressor. Based on the average of all fish tested (n=5), cortisol levels were shown to reach their peak (234.97 pg/ml) at 15 minutes post stressor. Preliminary results show that dermal swabs utilizing the ethanol extraction protocol is an efficient and effective means of collecting and extracting cortisol from aquatic organisms. 

Nicotine use and depression oftentimes go hand in hand. Nicotine use commonly precipitates the onset of depression symptoms in many people, especially younger populations. Here, we assessed the impact of concurrent use of nicotine and a commonly prescribed antidepressant, fluoxetine on Betta splendens. Betta fish (n=30) were dosed with fluoxetine or nicotine only or a combination dose. Then, they underwent aggression testing in which a mirror was placed on one end of their tanks to simulate another fish for 5 minutes after the first aggressive display. This was video recorded. Those recordings were reviewed, and their aggressive displays were quantified and compared between groups. The aggression measures quantified were time in seconds with operculae (fin) flare, time in seconds in a broadside display, average distance from the mirror, time to first aggressive display (latency period), and number of 90-degree turns made over the course of a 5-minute testing period. The groups that received nicotine, whether in combination or alone, demonstrated significantly (p < 0.05) more time in seconds spent with their operculae fins flared (nicotine only = 204.1  108.6 seconds; combination = 203.9  109.3 seconds), more time in seconds spent in a broadside display (nicotine only = 115.6  65.6 seconds; combination = 112.6  63.3 seconds), and more 90-degree turns (nicotine only = 30.5  17.7 turns; combination = 27.7  15.3 turns) over the course of a 5-minute test, relative to control (plain water) and fluoxetine only treatments. This indicates that while fluoxetine tends to decrease aggressive displays (confirmed by our data), nicotine increases aggressive displays in betta fish, regardless of fluoxetine intake. Cortisol did not prove to be significantly correlated with the treatments or aggressive behaviors. Therefore, changes in aggression with fluoxetine and/or nicotine could likely be attributed to the serotonergic pathway, which has been shown to be influential in the resultant decrease in aggression with fluoxetine treatments. 

During the pandemic lockdown, water pipes in buildings worldwide remained stagnant, creating a breeding ground for the harmful and potentially lethal Legionella, a waterborne pathogen often tied to respiratory disease. Adjusted work-from-home policies continue to shift water quality and create the need for water flushing protocols and systematic water testing. Water testing protocols were tested at two locations under stagnation times ranging from 10 minutes to five weeks. Overall, water quality and flushing depended on location rather than stagnation time, illustrated by water quality deterioration differing by sink location. In the future, implementing sensors, auto-flushing devices, and machine learning technology may provide the solution to optimize water quality at each point of use.

Chemical methodology refers to the methods used for chemical synthesis. First, the discovery of a synthesis of a compound is made, followed by observation of that discovery. After observing the new compound and the synthesis, experimentation involving making minor changes to the synthesis is conducted. The discovery that led to my project in Dr. Cartwright's lab was that when an allylic cobaloxime was exposed to silica, a novel rearrangement occurred. My research has been focused on studying this observation to understand the new reactivity and leverage it in the synthesis of new molecules. In my research, I have successfully reproduced the rearrangement with two crotyl cobaloxime complexes. Apart from evidence that points to the arrangement of the crotyl fragment, we do not yet know the molecular structure. Based on data obtained thus far, we believe the crotyl is undergoing a 3,3-sigmatropic rearrangement with the oxime ligands. . To understand how the system works and characterize the final products forming, I am configuring a ligand removal synthesis.

Developing optimized systems to minimizing energy input for electrocatalytically driven artificial photosynthetic processes is a key consideration in moving to a carbon neutral economy; coupling cathodic and anodic processes rationally designed to minimize wasted energy (i.e. overpotential), select for desired products, and maximize synthetic output are key objective in electrocatalytic conversions that are hampered by inherent high kinetic barriers, particularly the cathodic reaction involving carbon dioxide reduction. Reports from Fontecave have highlighted that large anodic shifts in metal- and ligand-based reduction potentials can be achieved by modifying the terminal pyridine units of 2,2’:6′,2″-terpyridine (terpy) coordinated to cobalt. Additionally, recently published work highlighting the use of functionalized aryl substituents at the 4’-position of terpy provides smaller adjustments to metal- and ligand-based reduction potentials, which correlate strongly to the Hammett parameter of the aryl-substituents’ functional group. Here we will present our preliminary findings analyzing the electrochemical and electrocatalytic reduction behavior of homoleptic complexes containing a new tridentate meridional ligand series derived from quinoline, which incorporates the design principles described above to fine-tune the complexes’ reduction potentials and will ultimately provide a template to optimizing electrocatalytic substrate reduction with these complexes.

Cybersecurity is an increasingly important component of daily life with more and more of people’s daily needs being dependent on devices susceptible to cyber-attack. As these cybersecurity threats are becoming more dynamic researchers are beginning to use artificial intelligence (AI) to create a dynamic solution to combat the new threats. One of these solutions is the automatic classification of malware within a system. In this project the Malimg dataset was utilized, it is a dataset of twenty-five different classes of malware that have been turned into images. The use of the VGG16 deep learning (DL) algorithm to classify malware images was investigated as compared to a baseline GoogleNet model. The baseline GoogleNet model had a 93% accuracy compared to the developed VGG16 model’s 97% accuracy. 

BACKGROUND: Tactical, firefighter, and search and rescue occupations demand heavy load carriage in harsh environmental conditions, which increase physiological strain. This study investigates the effects of load carriage on the cardiovascular response to exercise in normoxic and hypoxic environments. 

METHODS: Healthy male subjects (n=12) performed 3 exercise tests on a treadmill consisting of the following conditions: 1) unloaded normoxic (UN: FiO2=20.93%), 2) unloaded hypoxic stimulating 3,650 m (LH: FiO2=~13%), and 3) loaded (~65 lb) hypoxic (LH). Exercise consisted of 45-min of treadmill walking (~2-4 mph; 8% treadmill grade) with stages matched with the UN condition for absolute VO2 (2.0 L/min). 

RESULTS: Q increased with UH relative to UN conditions (p<0.05) but was reduced in LH relative to UH conditions. HR increased with LH relative to the unloaded conditions (p<0.05). At 5 minutes of exercise, muscle O2HHB is reduced in UH versus LH, and both UH and LH are reduced compared to UN (p<0.05). Cerebral O2HHb was increased in LH and UH compared to UN (p<0.05). Additionally, starting at 15 minutes, cerebral O2HHb was increased in LH versus UH. Also starting at 15 minutes, cerebral tHHB increased in UH relative to LH (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Load carriage at altitude reduces cardiac output, thus reducing brain and muscle oxygenation during exercise. However, when comparing loaded to unloaded exercise conditions at hypoxia, oxygenated hemoglobin in the muscles and brain are increased during load carriage. This likely compensatory mechanism might decrease cardiovascular efficiency and harm the performance of tactical, firefighter, and search and rescue personnel.

Since its inception, Power Transition Theory (PTT) has become a prominent, albeit controversial, theory on interstate relations and war under the International Relations (IR) branch. Though PTT has gained traction in recent years as being a viable theory on war due to the relatively recent increase in scholarly attention and work it has garnered, the theory still lacks consensus on the state-leader decsions-making that drives towards war and when said war along the PTT timeline is most likely to be initiated. My current work aims to answer the question of timing. I argue that, of phases 1-5 of the PTT timeline, war is most likely to occur at phase 4 (immediately post-transition) due to (1) the objectively recognizable occurrence of the transition and (2) the increased resolve the rising power will have to forcefully achieve its revisionist aims. Within my theory, I attribute state time horizons and state perceptions/misperceptions of one another as the causal mechanisms driving the identified independent variables above that lead to war. I am currently working on a quantitative aspect to my research, compiling my own dataset identifying dyadic satisfaction (based on UNGA voting similarity), dyadic power share (based on aggregate GDP*state capacity to extract from TransResearch Consortium database), and dyadic war (labeled a 4 or higher on COW’s dyadic MIDB dataset under highest hostility). I will also add a qualitative aspect to my research in the spring semester to identify the applications of the causal mechanisms.

Engineered tissue vascular grafts (ETVGs) offer a compelling alternative to autologous grafting. These synthetic grafts are made of biodegradable polymers with high mechanical strength that can be used “in conjunction with the ability of endothelial cells to modulate the vascular response to injury” (Soares). There are two common grafts patented as Dacron and ePTFE that are instrumental in vascular surgery of large arteries. However, more research needs to be done on the subject.

The focus of this research is on a 3cm long 3mm diameter scaffold made of polycaprolactone (PCL) with applications in small diameter arteries (<6mm). This scaffold will be seeded with smooth muscle cells by restricting fluid flow on one end. The fluid will then flow through the porous scaffold, depositing smooth muscle cells on the walls (Soares). This research will develop employ a Finite Element Method to simulate the aforementioned phenomena using an extensive data collection of microstructural and mechanical properties of unseeded scaffolds.

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is a condition where plaque consisting of calcium, fat, cholesterol, and other substances build up inside arteries, reducing the transport of oxygen-rich blood to the heart. The damaged vessels are repaired with the patients' own vein or synthetic grafts. However, many people have too small a vein to be usable and the synthetic graft tends to fail and cause blood clots. New blood vessels can be created using scaffolds that are seeded with extracellular matrix and cells. Electrospinning is a process of dispensing synthetic material over a period of time using an electric field to weave the scaffold. The objective of this project is to evaluate different electrospinning production parameters of the Polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds to increase the efficiency of this process without compromising the scaffold's mechanical integrity. Using a custom-made electrospinning setup, grafts are created by altering the flowrate of dispensed PCL, total runtime, and/or total volume of PCL dispensed. Some samples produced were subjected to mechanical testing to determine their stiffness, while remaining samples were used to obtain Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) imaging for PCL fiber microstructure analysis. Results show that scaffolds made from 1-ml PCL volume but varying flowrates have statistically similar mass, thickness, and stiffness but different pore size and density. In addition, scaffolds that were produced with increasing PCL volume (up to 2-ml) at a constant 1.5-ml/hr flowrate have increasing mass, thickness, and stiffness. It is concluded that future study should focus on varying PCL volume at constant rate.

The BAJA SAE Completion is an extreme off-roading event that requires an effective suspension design to survive the many obstacles that make up the racecourses. Without an effective suspension the many participating teams will experience poor performance or even failure within their suspension. This research focuses on the development and optimization of a double wishbone suspension in both the front and rear. Additionally, the design and optimization of a sway bar attached to the rear suspension will be gone through. Both the front and rear suspension will be optimized through three simulations heave, roll, and steering through the use of Optimum Kinematics. The process for placing the coilovers to ensure they will move perpendicular to control arms throughout their travel and ensuring the coilovers length in fully compression and extension are not exceeded will be developed through the use of SolidWorks and Optimum Kinematics. An effective mounting location for the axles checking that the max plunge of 1 in. and bend angle of 45° is not exceeded will also be developed through the use of SolidWorks. A detailed description for determining the ride and roll characteristics of the suspension will also be worked through to determine the desired numerical characteristics for a rear sway bar. In addition, the process for determining a wall thickness of 0.12 in. and an outer diameter of 0.75 in. for the sway bar will be discussed. 

I researched two Spanish poets during the Generation of 1927, Federico García Lorca and Vicente Aleixandre. I analyzed their significant contributions to the poetic language in Spanish literature. Their innovative language and literary techniques capture the human experience in Spain. Aleixandre transformed surrealism and the visual arts. Lorca was able to use his love for music and the gypsy culture to animate the universe surrounding him. They used their personal experiences to write poems unlike anyone else. Throughout my research on Lorca, I focused on a series of ballands from, “Romancero gitano”, and “Poema del cante jondo” where he explored a marginalized group in society and shined a new light on them. For Aleixandre, I research his poems from, “La destrucción o el amor,” where he explores the power of love. Both Lorca and Aleixandre dealt with themes of love and death reflecting on the social and political issues of their time. The complexity and language of their poems created their unique styles. The poets of the Generation of 1927 changed Spanish literature, but in my opinion, Lorca and Aleixandre are the most prominent, resulting in them still studied today. I will present a select few of my favorite poems I read from their work along with an analysis of the literature and themes in the poems. 

Multiphysics computational software COMSOL was used to simulate a U-tube subsurface heat exchanger’s effect on soil temperature using a theorized equation solution for transient heat conduction. The importance behind U-Curved heat exchangers come from its abilities to adjust for varying heat pressures within itself and the ability to handle two output media at an extreme spectrum of temperature. This rids the concern of cost-to-efficiency ratio due to a make of single tube sheet material. Using environmental and natural input values, this study intends to prove an equation proposed by Tatasufumi Kusuda which predicts the output temperature of this specified model.

Quantum computing is regarded as the next significant technological advancement of recent memory, with its numerous applications for analytical and prompt capacity to solve problems; by exploiting the principles of quantum mechanics, such as superposition and entanglement, it can solve intricate problems faster than any standard classical computer. We intend to showcase such capacity, using a SpinQ Gemini, a commercially available quantum computing platform designed and manufactured by SpinQ Technology; demonstrating examples of performed quantum computing tasks.

We report numerical simulations of a trapped vortex under a strong RF field. We calculate field-dependent and frequency-dependent vortex residual resistance by taking into account vortex mass, Bardeen-Stephen viscous drag coefficients, and different distributions of pinning centers with varying strengths. The results show that the vortex residual resistance fluctuates significantly with different pinning potentials due to depinning jumps of a vortex segment as the magnetic field strength increases. However, the average vortex residual resistance over different pinning distributions increases smoothly with the field amplitude. On the other hand, the frequency-dependent vortex residual resistance shows a steep increase at low field amplitude but starts to decrease at higher field amplitudes due to the increase in effective vortex mass.

Fluid mechanics and aerodynamics are encountered in many different fields, including engineering, pure physics, aerospace, and mathematical modeling. Virginia Military Institute (VMI) physics majors could greatly benefit from a fluid mechanics and aerodynamics class offered by the VMI Department of Physics and Astronomy as similar classes offered by engineering departments at VMI are not easily accessible to non-engineering majors. The goal of this project is to design a 1-2 credit course in introductory fluid mechanics and aerodynamics. In the course’s design process, it was decided that two textbooks should be used, and that the best method for structuring course content was to take notes from the textbooks and organize them into PowerPoint presentations. In addition to these presentations, a course path line for a one-credit course was designed, although further work on this project in the spring may determine that the content would be better suited for a two-credit class. Further work on this project would include polishing course content and beginning an approval process through the VMI Dean’s office to turn this project into an official offered course.

Quantum cryptography deals with the use of quantum properties to send and receive coded messages. Using light, for example, a message, or “bit” of information, is coded on a single photon using the polarization in which the photon is both sent and received. For our project we used a quantum cryptography analogy experiment from Thorlabs to model a data transmission setup using the BB84 encryption protocol. In this encryption protocol, the sender and receiver generate an encryption key that is known only to them and that would allow them to detect an eavesdropper. We describe the experimental setup and how we performed encryption, transmission and decryption of messages.

Quantum mechanics describes the properties of light and matter. It also describes the behavior of objects at atomic and subatomic scales. One unique aspect in quantum theory is the concept of wave-particle duality; light being regarded as a wave and particle simultaneously. In this project, the quantum eraser experimental setup from Thorlabs was used to demonstrate the wave-particle duality of light. This project used the wave-particle duality and polarization of light to demonstrate the erasure of path information. The experiment was successful in producing these effects and provided photos and analysis of this quantum phenomena.

Ultrasound was first implemented medically in 1956 and since then has been used for many applications such as checking structural integrity of buildings, medical procedures, and military applications. Though all these are very different, the concept of each one is similar using high frequency sound to locate a non-visible target such as a tumor, hole in the wall or using sonar to locate submarines. When that target is found the reflected sound comes back and is used to then calculate the distance to the target or length of the target. Though technology now can visualize images for us, the procedures taken allow us to calculate the lengths and distances instead of seeing a three-dimensional image. For this project we set up the TeachSpin ultrasound system, we experimented on different objects and explored medical physics applications.

This study extends previous research on transformational leadership by providing preliminary evidence of motivation to lead and PsyCap as antecedents to transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is an effective leadership approach that inspires followers to engage in positive organizational change. (Bass & Avolio, 1994; Kirby, 1992).

The intervention known as Best Possible Self (BPS) is an activity that requires individuals to envision their future as if all their life goals have been achieved. The BPS prompt has been used in numerous studies since first being introduced by King (2001). In our study, we modified King’s prompt, which did not specify how far in the future to think and   gave participants different time frames about which to write. The four groups in our study were 10 years in the future, 50 years in, the original BPS prompt, which has no time frame, and the control group which was to write their plans for the next day. Participants were asked to complete the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS, Watson, Tellegen & Clark, 1988) and then they were directed to write continuously for 15 minutes about their given prompt. Once the 15 minutes are done the participants completed the PANAS a second time. Both the 10 years in the future group and the original BPS prompt showed significant increases in positive affect t(29) = 2.852, p = .008 and t(29) = -4.403, p = <.001 and significant decreases in negative affect t(29) = 2.227, p = .034 and t(29) = 2.587, p = .015. Interestingly, the 50-year group had an increase in positive affect t(29) = -3.407, p = .002 but no significant change in negative affect t(29) = -.700, p = .489. The control group showed no change in their positive affect t(25) = 1.643, p = .113 and no significant change in their negative affect t(25) = 1.074, p = .293. The purpose of this study is to test whether using different periods of time in the best possible writing prompt will affect changes in mood normally found when using the prompt.

Cultural moral relativism is a normative approach to morality derived from the principles of the larger philosophical school, moral relativism. The theory argues that morality is the product of social convention, and good and bad are meaningful distinctions only relative to a cultural framework. Tracing its origins back to anthropological discoveries of the 19th and 20th centuries, cultural moral relativism asserts that all cultural values are equal in moral worth. Because of its position against moral superiority and social judgement, cultural moral relativism is often regarded as a tolerant moral theory and is growing in popularity and acceptance.

This essay details the claims of cultural moral relativism and argues that the theory has negative implications associated with its acceptance. These implications, derived from James Rachels’ “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism,” reveal that cultural moral relativism's increasing prominence is problematic, as the theory is derived from an invalid argument and asserts claims discrepant to our moral intuition. Furthermore, I argue that all moral theories should be able to perform two essential functions: First, the ability to make moral determinations, which primarily regards the theory’s value in asserting what we ought to do. Second, the ability to evaluate adopted values. I argue that cultural moral relativism poorly provides the first function and cannot perform the second function. Thus, I conclude that cultural moral relativism is a flawed theory that is unable to provide the essential elements that should be expected from a moral theory.

For this panel, English majors participating in the ERH 411: the Rockbridge Memoir Fieldwork Project will present memoir as both community and personal research, offering readings, discoveries, arguments, and interactive writing lessons for participating audiences. For cadets in English, ERHS’ core course in Fieldwork fosters an ethics of community-based practice and service, providing real-world opportunities to conduct research and learn by doing while working with community constituents and contexts.

VMI has a long history of public service and giving back to the community. Here in VMI's Cyber Defense Laboratory, we embody the same spirit of giving. In a world where cyber knowledge is becoming a necessity, we are training the next generation of cyber experts. Through summer training camps and high school & middle school classes, we teach the importance of cyber security, broaden the scope of interest, and educate young minds about staying safe on the internet.

In the OSINT Cyber Captain team, I have been involved with Capture The Flags (CTFs) competitions, partnership training, and assisting new members in integrating into the program. We have been involved with several OSINT CTFs where the purpose of the activity is to utilize OSINT skills to find information publicly available. At the beginning of this year, we have also partnered with other Senior Military Colleges (SMCs) to create a group learning every week. The program has also allowed me to be invited to Texas at an event at the University of Texas to discuss Cyber Threat Casting.

My first encounter with the Cyber Program was attending the Cyber Summer Institute (CSI) Program at The Citadel. I had very little cybersecurity knowledge and felt overwhelmed by the various terms and concepts that other students at the Citadel were already familiar with. Since joining the Cyber Captain Program, I have achieved five professional cybersecurity certifications (and I am currently working towards my sixth), attended DEFCON, participated in various Capture The Flags (CTF) competitions, created my own CTF, tutored others in their pursuit of cybersecurity knowledge, and landed my dream job as a computer scientist. I fully credit the Cyber Defense Lab and the Cyber Captain program for not only funding all of this, but also supporting me in every way possible. I would not be in the position that I am today if not for the Cyber Defense Lab, and I cannot thank them enough for their support.