John Samuel Apperson, Jr. (Apperson) (1878-1963), known to his friends as “Appy”, was born to Dr. John Samuel Apperson (1837-1908) and Ellen Victoria Hull Apperson (1840-1887) on April 6, 1878 in Chilhowie, Virginia. In 1900 Apperson left Virginia for Schenectady, New York, where he would live for the rest of his life. For his first four years in Schenectady Apperson worked as an electrician before being hired as an engineer by General Electric in 1904, despite his unfinished degree and lack of license. Apperson worked for General Electric until his retirement in 1947.
Apperson’s activities as an avid sportsman and fiery conservationist gathered together a large group of likeminded and influential men and women. His sphere included engineers, scientists, artists, authors, politicians, professors, lawyers, and many others. Apperson’s associates and close friends included Nobel Prize winner Irving Langmuir, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Eleanor Roosevelt.
It was Apperson’s outdoor recreation that lead to his fervent conservation activism. As early as 1907 Apperson fought to protect Lake George. First he personally evicted “island squatters” in a relentless battle to enforce the 1885 law limiting or abolishing the use of state land by squatters. These “island squatters” crossed all echelons of society from the poor mountain men in shacks to General Electric executives in stately homes. In 1909 Apperson began his fight to protect the fragile shorelines of Lake George’s islands by rip-rapping (placing rock barriers against) the shorelines. Apperson’s fight to protect the shorelines led to his popular and successful 1915 pamphlet which garnered state-funded aid in 1917 to continue the struggle to preserve the disappearing islands. Over the next 40 years Apperson continued to support rip-rapping on Lake George by gathering volunteers to carry boulders and topsoil across the lake year-round.
Over the next 50 years Apperson battled lumber and logging companies, paper mills, campers, New York State, and many others in the fight to protect Lake George and the Adirondacks from being exploited for commercial gain. His legacy contains a long list of achievements and victories, which include the fathering of multiple successful grass roots activism organizations; the inclusion of Lake George in the Adirondack State Park in 1931; multiple conservation pamphlets of national impact; a Supreme Court victory over International Paper Company removing control over the water levels in Lake George from the hands of industry; and the protection of Dome Island as “forever wild”.
On May 1, the Kelly Adirondack Center will host an opening for our new exhibition, Time and Place West and East. The show features poems and photographs taken from Jim and Carol McCord’s latest book. The photographs, many taken in the Capital Region, focus on their observations of the natural world.
The Kelly Adirondack Center 2024 Fall Newsletter features the new native and pollinator garden and their new art exhibition at Great Camp Sagamore. It also highlights the Adirondack Research Library research material available at the Center and online.
In my project, I constructed a particle detector in order to detect muons coming from cosmic rays. The detector was designed by MIT under the project called Cosmic Watch: Catch yourself a muon [1]. The assembly of the detector involved soldering various electronic components on the board circuits. In the end, I had a fully-assembled detector which was able to register events. While recording, the event rate was not constant and was not consistent with cosmic rays rates. Therefore, the detector needs further troubleshooting.
Electrical malfunctions are one of the leading causes of domestic fires in the United States. Between 2012 and 2016, electrical failures were responsible for 44,860 residential fires (Richard Campbell, "Home Electrical Fires"). All electrical circuits contain circuit breakers, which are used as safety mechanisms to interrupt current flow when a fault develops. It is not always possible to determine if an electrical fire resulted from a circuit breaker malfunction. Thus, it would be beneficial to have a cost-effective and user-friendly system that allows people to test the circuit breakers in their homes regardless of their technical background. The purpose of this capstone project is to develop a reliable and cost-effective automated system capable of testing multiple residential circuit breakers to determine their trip response in the event of a circuit fault. The automated system adopts the UL 489 test procedure fromUnderwriters Laboratories (UL) to test the circuit breakers. The system contains a computer-controlled power supply that outputs a variable current which generates enough heat to trigger the circuit breaker under test. Moreover, the system uses a solid-state bidirectional current controller known as a TRIAC to regulate the current delivered to the circuit breaker being tested. Overall, the automated system can be used to test new and currently installed circuit breakers to determine if they are capable of preventing electrical fires.
We examine at how hybrid images are created on a quantum computer. We wish to find how feasible it is to create a hybrid image, seeing if there are any difficulties in creating it. We start with a background of what hybrid images are and how a quantum computer works at a basic level. We then look at the possible image representations that are used, as well as different filtering algorithms to implement. An attempt is made to implement a filtering algorithm on a simulated quantum computer, but did not completely match the results of the earlier work.
https://prezi.com/view/m2LASWsobUH3adoNNszE/ With the rise in acceptance of LGBT rights, Western culture is slowly moving away from the idea that there are only two genders, male and female. While many people are still not accepting of non-binary identities, and the media likes to paint them as a new phenomenon, the reality is that third genders have been a respected and celebrated part of many non-Western and Indigenous cultures for centuries. The research for this project was done in two parts, with the first part looking into eight different third gender groups around the world: Muxes (Juchit√°n, Southern Mexico), Kathoey (Thailand), Hijra (India), Two-Spirit (Indigenous North America), Fa'afafine (Samoa), Waria (Indonesia), Calabai, Calalai, Bissu (South Sulawesi, Indonesia), and Mahu (Hawaii). The second part heard from non-binary students at Union College, about various topics such as their own identities, thoughts about current and future non-binary representation in the media, and what can be done to make Union College a more accepting place. The goal of this project is to educate people on and expose them to different ge
During the summer of 2019, Professor Francis Wilkin and I joined the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) Follow-up Program Working Grouptoanalyze planet candidates from NASA's TESS mission,launchedin 2017. The satellite views the sky in sectors for only 28 days per sector, requiring ground based follow-up observations to identify events on target or eliminate false positives. I have used the Union College Observatory in Schenectady, NY and El Sauce Observatory in Chile to obtain 21 observations during the duration of my thesis. Of these, 8 were submitted to the follow-up team in Sub-category 1, (seeing limited photometry). After Submitting my thesis, I have moved on to the Las Campanas Observatories(LCO) Key Data Group, as partof the follow-up team.
The field of printable electronics has been experiencing increased interest and growth to meet the demands of low-cost, flexible, and lightweight devices. From this subset of devices, graphene-based printable sensors are of specific interest due to their transparency, flexibility, biocompatibility, and high conductivity. In this research, a graphene-based ink is formulated and developed with the goal of having it exhibit characteristics that are suitable for a sensor, namely being electrically conductive, easily manufacturable, and printable through an inkjet-based printer. Based on the ink formulation methodologies presented in the journals Carbon and The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters by Parvez et al. and Secor et al., respectively, a new graphene-based conductive ink formula and process was developed in this project. To develop this ink, a water-based graphene solution was prepared with a sonication process that demonstrated stable graphene suspension and dispersion in deionized water for up to one month. Additionally, the ink was characterized by a statistical sample of particle height and particle lateral size distributions; surface tension; density; viscosity as a function of shear rate; conductivity; and theoretical inkjet printability using a variety of scientific equipment and procedures. The final product was an ink that could be easily manufactured with simple lab equipment and exhibited a desirable set of liquid properties that represent the ability to be theoretically printed but failed to reach an experimental conductivity on the scale that was achieved in the Parvez et al. and Secor et al. studies.
The Vietnam War was a defining moment in the 20th century and reshaped the landscape of global politics.In my thesis, the post-war period (1975-2020) is analyzed, noting the remarkable changes in relations between the US and Vietnam, from bitter enemies in a traumatizing and lengthy war to a process of reconciliation and normalization. During this period, Vietnam transforms from an isolated, repressive, and poverty-stricken communistnation to a dynamic economic actor with a more complicated political and economic system. The crucial shift occurred in 1986, with the doi moi reforms. At the same time, the US position toward Vietnam was also shifting, from bitterness and anger toward its defeat and concern about POW'sand MIA's, to a grappling with US responsibility toward Vietnam (as Agent Orange and various massacres), as well as concern about the geopolitical realities in Southeast Asia, and that US long-term interests require a more measured relationship with Vietnam as the US attempts to balance the growing power of China. I examine these issues at various levels, most importantly, through the career and shifting views of John McCain.McCain began as a committed military man, patriot, who was captured by the North Vietnamese, and harshly treated in a long captivity. And yet, after his release, and after becoming a powerful Senator in Congress, McCain led the way toward a changed relationship with Vietnam, from both a ethical and national interest perspective. While other Americans were fiercely divided on such issues, McCain courageously argued over the years for a step-by-step normalization policy. I also examine others individuals and groups that articulate various positions on this difficult issue that has continue to adapt to new circumstances over these last 35 years.I concludeby examining thecurrent implications ofcontinued normalization of relations with Vietnam in a world defined by the ongoing competition between the US and China. Even today Vietnam provokes strong feelings and debate, as the deep and nagging wounds inflicted upon one anotherbegin to wane as the years go by.
Follicle Stimulating Hormone, or FSH, is a critical hormone involved in reproduction. In men, FSH signaling in Sertoli cells triggers spermatogenesis, and in women, FSH signaling in the granulosa cells is responsible for follicular development. Current hormonal contraceptives have been found to have incredibly high effectiveness but can also carry multiple side effects. In addition, their effectiveness can be altered due to an individual’s FSH, estrogen, progesterone , or GnRH levels. All FSH signaling happens through the FSH receptor, a member of the G-protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR) family. This receptor is known to interact with many other proteins along its complicated signaling pathway, and there are still many more associated proteins yet to be discovered. Using the APEX technique, the proteins proximal to the FSH receptor were labelled and purified. In the future, these proteins could be analyzed using HPLC-MS, and identified using various computer software. Small proximal proteins, like those isolated in this study, have been shown to allow for receptor activation and function modulation. Thus, this study opens the doors for much more work in the field of contraceptives for both men and women. Another potential benefit from identifying FSHR associated proteins would be in developing new approaches for In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). To perform IVF, FSH is given to women to cause rapid follicle stimulation and maturation. This produces multiple ovulation events and allows for a higher chance of pregnancy. The problem, however, is that FSH alone is expensive, and the chance of multiple pregnancies is vastly increased. Targeting the pathways downstream of the FSH receptor could allow for more careful modulation of the follicle growth and could be much less expensive, vastly lowering the cost of IVF and making it a more viable option for those seeking infertility treatment.
This research paper aims to analyze the current US-China relationship in order to better understand whether China's rise to power will be achieved through military engagement or if it will come about in a peaceful manner. This paper argues that a multipolar world order is plausible, but what remains uncertain is the dynamics and future implications of these changes for global governance. Power transition and Institutional theory, along with Graham Alison's Thucydides Trap analysis, are highlighted to demonstrate the different schools of thought on the outcome of the US-China rivalry. Graham and Power transition theorists remain skeptical of a peaceful rise of China while Institutional theorists are more confident of the role international institutions will play in mediating conflict. Current events like disputes in the South China Sea, independence of Taiwan, role of multinational organizations and access to nuclear weapons are then analyzed through the lenses of these schools of thought. The paper emphasizes the possibility of military hostility between nations involved in the South China Sea dispute, because some of these nations are US allies, the US may engage in such a war with China in the region. Similarly if the Chinese desire for greater voting powers in current international institutions is not met, China may engage in creating alternative multinational organizations where it has greater influence, like the New Development Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. This will considerably undermine institutional theorists' claim that international institutions will be successful in preventing conflicts from escalating into war. The paper also discusses the role nuclear weapons play in deterring war. The difference in both nations' nuclear policy induces a competition between these countries to increase their nuclear capabilities, unlike the MAD doctrine adopted during the cold war.
Kirschner Pins, known as K-wires, are smooth sharp stainless steel pins used in the field of orthopedics to stabilize bone fracture fragments in their correct position until they have fully healed. K-wires are most commonly used for comminuted metaphyseal fractures of the long bones, and fractures of smaller bones such as the phalanges. The wires are inserted into bone via a drill and the ends of the wire are bent and left outside of the body for easy removal once the bone has healed. The surgeon uses x-ray images to guide K-wire insertion, ensure proper internal alignment, and determine if any adjustments need to be made. The identical and 2D appearance of the K-wires on x-ray images presents orthopedic surgeons with a challenge of identifying, within the surgical site, the correct K-wires to adjust during surgery. This leads to unnecessary radiation exposure for the patient and longer procedures. We are designing a K-wire attachment to be used by the surgeon that gives each K-wire a unique appearance on the x-ray so that each wire can be identified from different imaging angles. Overall our device will decrease the number of x-rays that need to be taken during surgery, thereby increasing the safety and efficiency of bone reconstruction surgeries. By creating a temporary attachment to be applied by the surgeon, both the number of x-rays and amount of time in surgery will be decreased.
Nymphettamine is a nonlinear creative narrative that combines poetry and prose to explore psychosis, grief, trauma, addiction, psychiatric asylum, and the healing properties of art and nature. This series of vignettes exists between the realms of fiction and nonfiction to translate the disorientation of navigating the dual realities that are characteristic of a manic episode to the reader. Nymphettamine is equal parts memoir, fictive depiction, and thought experiment, which, as a whole, becomes an echo of the processes that occur when one experiences psychosis. Told in scattered images to emulate intrusive thoughts, obtrusive hallucinations, shifting night terrors, and Rorschachian inkblots, Nymphettamine is carried by seemingly dissonant voices; spirits linked by ephemeral connecting threads mirroring the nature of the "looseness of associations" that informs the perceptions of psychotic individuals. This project was driven by a desire to explore queer identities, their relationships with psychiatric institutions, and the fictive visibility, or lack thereof, of individuals diagnosed with various psychiatric disorders. Nymphettamine attempts to confront and subvert archetypical characteristics of mentally ill women by delving into the infinite complexities of each character. The women in this collection are not defined by their psychiatric diagnoses, instead, they are characterized by the way that they interact with moments of dysfunction or function. They embark upon a lifelong pursuit of fulfillment, balance, and artistic creation while they rebel against the archaic psychiatric authorities that attempt to subdue or silence them. Instead of falling prey to the literary tropes of suicide or debilitating incompetence caused by "hysteria" that have been used for centuries to cut the fables of "madwomen" short, reducing their existence to cautionary tales or dramaticized plot twists, each woman outlives their psychotic breaks, sexual assaults, unpredictable erraticisms, and debilitating substance dependencies. Their lives are left ambiguous, given to the reader only in selective, vibrant, slivered glimpses that allow each woman to continue on even after the collection's closing. Thus, they become ethereal victors to pay homage to the strength--presented in opposition to the weakness of the dismantled mind outlined by both fictive and psychiatric texts--required to overcome the severity and the longevity of each psychotic disorder.
I report on a photometric analysis of three cataclysmic variables (HP Lib, NY Lup, and NR TrA) that we observed using the 0.6m-telescope in El Sauce Observatory in Chile and the 0.43m-telescope in Siding Spring Observatory in Australia from June 2020 to March 2021. We used 45s exposures and a 2 to 3 hour-long span. Our goal is to produce a light curve for each target star in order to observe the variation over the course of the observing period. Analyzing the light curve allows us to determine properties of the binary system, such as variations in the material flow rate between the two stars. For our analysis, we used the image processing software AstroImageJ to align our image ensembles and we chose from several field stars for our comparison and check stars for our targets. After performing a photometric analysis of our data with the same software, we observed a substantial variation in the light of each target for each night. Our data will be contributed to the data bases of the Center for Backyard Astrophysics, an amateur professional collaboration, and of the American Association of Variable Star Observers.
Analysis of Possible Hybrid Meson Decay - Jasper Bergh This research looked at data from the GlueX experiment at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility to search for evidence of the π1(1600) particle, an exotic hybrid meson, decaying to an eta' and π0. We specifically looked into decays of the eta' to an eta, π+, and π-, with the eta decaying to 3 πo's. We successfully reconstructed an eta from the 3 πo's, and an eta' from the eta, π+, and π-. However, we did not observe the π1(1600), but, a 6:1 ratio of signal to background in the eta' mass. With more statistics this would be a viable channel to search for hybrid mesons. PIXE Analysis of Soil Samples Near the George Washington Bridge - Helen Black Heavy metal pollution is being investigated near bridges in New York City as part of an ongoing environmental pollution project at Union College. Soils collected from around the George Washington Bridge, that crosses the Hudson River, between Washington Heights in Manhattan and northern New Jersey, were investigated for the presence of heavy metal pollution using Proton Induced X-Ray Emission (PIXE) Spectroscopy. 2.2 MeV proton beams were generated in the Union College Ion-Beam Analysis Laboratory and used to bombard 21, 1-g soil pellet targets. The collected soils were sifted and pressed into targets with 10 pellets prepared from the NY side and 11 pellets prepared from the NJ side. X-ray energy spectra were generated and the results of the PIXE analysis show considerable amounts of lead present in the soil at the base of the George Washington Bridge. The lead concentration tends to decrease as the distance from the bridge increases, and this trend is present on both sides of the bridge. The highest lead concentrations were determined to be directly under the span of the bridge with 1509 +/-253 ppm seen on the New York side of the bridge and 478 +/-108 ppm on the New Jersey side of the bridge. Electron Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy - Jacob Feinstein This poster presents an introduction to module theory,the purpose of which is to bring an advanced undergraduate student of mathematics to a level of understanding of modules and of tensor products.The thesis on which this poster is based was inspired by various resources written on each topic of interest and was written with the purpose of exploring the tensor product and some of its implications through the lens of introductory module theory. The goal of this poster isto provide a concise and clear introduction to modules and their properties, tensor products, and the dual space of a vector space. Dimensional Reduction on a Scalar Field - Daniel Resnick The introduction of a compact extra dimension into a scalar field theory introduces an infinite tower of increasing (3+1) dimensional masses, called a Kaluza-Klein tower. This process, known as "dimensional reduction,'' depends on the curvature of space-time. We present a very brief overview of the framework necessary to perform a dimensional reduction and an analysis of a trivially curved (4+1) dimensional space-time, followed by a brief discussion on more general curvature and its effects on a Kaluza-Klein tower.
Music production has a high bar of entry due to a multitude of reasons. This can be not only because of the expensive cost of hardware and software but also due to the immense amount of musical knowledge required across an array of disciplines, not limited to simply playing an instrument. In addition to the knowledge required simply to do this on paper, the difficulties are further exacerbated when adding the challenge of understanding current software solutions which often times have a high learning curve. As a revisitation of the initiative last year lead by Ian Krause & Raphael Sebastian II, the goal of this project is to design and implement a software system capable of transcribing music in real time. More generally, the purpose of this endeavor is to make the goal of independent music production easier and more assessable than it has ever been before to attain. With many of the individual pieces of the problem on their own solved, one strategy that has been carried throughout development of this project has been embracing open source implementations. With this, various libraries that pertained to different parts of this project have been found from utilizing signal processing techniques for assigning frequencies to notes, or parsing music notation files. This proved to be a success as currently, the software is effective in identifying various musical notes from audio as well as being capable writing them to the popular digital notation format MIDI which can then through various means be transposed to sheet music. While the current implementation has achieved much in what was aimed for, there is still much more to go from here. From a more verbose notation format to a more approachable user interface, this project has no shortage of possibilities with many of them being explored for the future.
During motor vehicle travel it is a near-universal practice to transport infants in a rear-facing car seat, formally known as a child restraint system (CRS). Car seats are subject to heavy regulations, extensive testing, and are safe, secure, and familiar environments for infants. The use of a CRS reduces fatalities associated with motor vehicle collisions by up to 71%. Current devices on the market for pre-hospital infant transport are harness-based and do not utilize these car seats. Aversion to use of these harnesses occurs for a variety of reasons. The device becomes visually unattractive after remaining in storage for long periods of time between uses. As a result, parents instinctually resist allowing emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to secure their children in these harnesses. Our product will fulfill the need for a universal device that can secure an infant in a rear-facing CRS to an ambulance's cot. It will work with the brands of stretchers commonly used within the Capital Region and take up minimal space in the passenger compartment of the ambulance. Additionally, the product will meet federal guidelines associated with CRS use and be intuitive for EMTs to implement correctly. Facilitating the use of the child's own car seat during transport will allow for the continued utilization of a familiar, safe environment.
A conjecture made in 1849 by French mathematician Alphonse de Polignac is that every odd number can be written as a power of 2 plus some odd prime. Although easily seen to be false with counterexamples 127 and 509 it was not so easily discarded and caused some further thought and discussion on the subject. In 1950 Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős introduced and developed the theory behind covering systems and proved that there are in fact infinitely many counterexamples to this conjecture of Polignac. In more recent years mathematicians have used covering systems to look at variations of the Polignac conjecture, some involving the Fibonacci numbers and the interesting properties they have as a whole. In this talk we will explore some of these variations.
This oral presentation is on my three weeks spent in Fiji completing the Klemm Fellowship on Nutrition and Chronic Diseases. Chronic disease is the primary cause of death in Fiji; about 80% of Fijians die of chronic diseases each year. My internship experience included conducting free health screenings in Native and Indo-Fijian villages, teaching health education at Dratabu summer school, and giving Zumba lessons at the community center for adults (including social workers, airport staff, and police officers). In addition, my team and I sought to bring social change in Nadi by spreading motivation and positivity during the intense dry heat period. We conducted a project in which we surprised strangers at the local market with inspirational quotes, and I designed a free personal food diary for patients to track their own health. My time in Fiji was also filled with Fijian language classes, hiking, traveling to the beautiful islands and beaches, and spending quality time with my loving host family.
The Albany Pine Bush Preserve, APBP, maintains a globally unique inland pine barrens ecosystem that houses many rare and endangered species. However, non-native black locust trees have invaded many pine barren sites, leading to a loss of biodiversity. The APBP commission staff have restored several of the invaded sites by removing black locust trees, replanting native vegetation, and introducing prescribed fire treatments. The restored areas have yet to match the original pine barrens habitat in plant species composition, but have a similar grassy, open habitat. The effects of restoration on local bee populations is unclear. The bee communities are extremely important to monitor as they are declining worldwide at an alarming rate. Bee decline is due to a variety of reasons including: habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change. To analyze the bee communities in restored and native sites, four survey plots of each were established. We utilized pan trapping and sweep netting methods six times between mid-June and late September resulting in 958 individuals, which are being identified and prepared for quantitative community analysis. Bee communities in the two habitat types will be analyzed by comparing species abundances and diversity indices. In addition, community composition will be evaluated using non-metric multidimensional scaling to summarize species distributions among sites. We have already analyzed the differences in the number of bees collected at each site and there was not a significant difference between the number of bees collected at restored sites versus native sites (p=0.62). However, finding distinct bee community compositions between different site types has been a common result in other studies. We hypothesize that we will find similar differences in community composition between native and restored sites due to greater number and abundance of specialist bees in the native habitats.
