Daniel's Approach to STEM

  June 18th: Professor Catherine Schuman June 18, 2024 Today, Professor Catherine Schuman, a Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Tennessee, talked with the STEM Skills class about her research and her projects.  She currently specializes in the novel realms of artificial intelligence and computing in things like machine learning on high-performance computing (HPC). HPC systems consist of multiple powerful processors, large memory capacities, and fast interconnects, allowing them to handle large-scale computations and data-intensive tasks. Utilizing HPC for machine learning can significantly reduce training times, enable the processing of massive datasets, and improve the scalability and performance of machine learning algorithms. This approach is essential for advancing state-of-the-art models and for applications in areas such as scientific research, big data analytics, and real-time decision-making. Furthermore, she also worked in Neuromorphic Computing....

 

Op-Ed: Digital Divide In a world where information and opportunities are increasingly digital, millions of people in developing third-world countries need more access to the internet and modern technology. This digital divide hampers educational and economic opportunities, continuing inequality, and creating a barrier to progress that is becoming ever harder to overcome. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) , over 2.6 billion people still lack internet access, with the majority residing in developing nations ( https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx ). As the COVID-19 pandemic has largely shifted services and jobs to an online system, the urgency to bridge this digital divide has never been more critical. Furthermore, the divide is exemplified by the urgent need for targeted efforts to expand internet access in underserved regions. For example, in the African subcontinent, only 25% of the population uses the internet, compared to 80% in E...

   June 24th: Chatbot June 24, 2024 The STEM Skills class used Python code and flow programs to create and understand chatbots. Chatbots are software applications that are designed to create a conversation that seems like a natural human conversation through text. They can provide information, perform tasks, and engage in dialogue. There are many different types of chatbots with a multitude of purposes.  To start, I was given Python code that allowed me to input various different possible conversations between a user and my chatbot. The chatbot first asks the user's name and then a conversation proceeds. If the chatbot cannot answer the question, it accounts for the user input by producing a message that notifies the user that the chatbot cannot answer the question.  Here is an example chat: Other than Python, we also used Facebook's Chatfuel to understand chat flows and decision-making.  My Chatbot is a light conversation program that has basic conversation ope...

    June 21st: Observations at Ijams June 21, 2024 The STEM Society class went on a field trip to Ijams Nature Center to enjoy and observe the natural environment while taking notes and thinking about the happenings around us. Ijams had multiple trails that observed large bodies of water and other unique natural structures. Additionally, many different insects and animals were interacting and moving around in their smaller ecosystem. Walking through the river trail, I saw lots of very green nature, heard birds and insects chirping, and smelled a smoky and dirty-like scent in the air and surroundings. I spent most of my time at the lake. Here, as I sat down next to the quiet waters, I started to notice many small details in the surrounding environment. My feelings started to reflect the quiet scenery as I felt my body relaxing and calming down.  I was then given the assignment to observe a specific animal and an artifact of the animal. I decided to observe a spider. Occasi...

June 14th: Data Visualization June 14, 2024  Today, the STEM Skills class learned hands-on data visualization using Python code and the Replit program. There were many different ways to visualize data and today's introduction had many different types of visualization techniques through coding. Python Planets Using pre-downloaded code and data about planets, I was able to manipulate the Python code to transform the displays. By changing the size of planets and the shapes in the code, the output reflected my changes. This visualization helps with understanding basic Python and changing visual outputs. Travel and Maps Similar to the planets visualization, travel and maps used HTML and Python to create a visualizer of different cities in the world. It takes precise longitude and latitude from different locations and groups them together as shown in the circles. Once you click the circles, more detailed circles appear that eventually lead to the precise location. Temperature This data v...

   June 17th: AI and Visualization June 17, 2024 Python Planets Using pre-downloaded code and data about planets, I was able to manipulate the Python code to transform the displays. By changing the size of planets and the shapes in the code, the output reflected my changes. This visualization helps with understanding basic Python and changing visual outputs. Understanding AI Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, particularly computer systems. It is most commonly used in advanced machine learning systems and natural language processing systems.  There were many diverse individuals on the Titanic. For STEM Skills, I and my team were given details about individuals and guessed whether they survived or not. My team predicted who would survive the Titanic through mostly gender and age. Generally, women and children survived more often than older men.  Then, using machine learning and AI, I used a Kaggle tut...