Tag Archives: abstract

Group 9 Project Abstract

We wish to measure the amount of light that passes through various liquids in different states. For example water, orange juice, whiskey etc in their usual liquid states or when they are frozen (if we can freeze them). We intend to examine the differences in opacity among liquids, perhaps using water as a baseline. We would need a Sensor Drone or any other instrument that can measure luminosity.

The HAARP Ionospheric Research Facility

HAARP antennas

Antenna array at the HAARP facility in Alaska

HAARP (High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program) is a world-class ionospheric research facility that is dedicated to researching the physical and electrical properties of the Earth’s ionosphere. HAARP experiments involve high energy, high frequency radio transmitters used to stimulate small, well-defined volumes of ionosphere. These investigations focus on studying the properties and behavior of ionospheric plasma, which can lead to improved communications, navigation, and surveillance systems for both civilian and military use.

For our project, we would like to research results put out by the facility and physics of the electromagnetic waves that HAARP produce and the relationship between the ionosphere and Earth. We will investigate the conspiracy theories that suggest HAARP is being used by the Department of Defense to control the weather, and we will include home-made multimedia demonstrations of the effects of the high frequency waves and atmospheric plasma.

Power Consumption of Flash Drives

Our group will compare the power consumption of three different flash drives (all USB 2.0 drives) in uploading and downloading files. We plan on using the Watts Up pro power analyzer to carry out this task.  We will also investigate historical trends in memory costs as well as the role that lasers, light, and electricity play in flash drives.

Taken from Wikipedia

The science of mind-reading

girl wearing an EEG cap, with white electrodes in a hair-net-like cap over her head

Jackie, member of Group 13, in Vassar's EEG lab

Group 13: Project Abstract

Memory manipulation and the idea that one’s thoughts could be recorded and “read” by another person show up in many science fiction films, such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Inception, and Minority Report. These films inspire our project: We intend to explore the science of “mind-reading.” We will look at primary literature in the field to investigate how technology such as fMRI and electroencephalography (EEG) can be used to measure the electrical and magnetic activity of brains. Applications of such technology, if it works reliably to access people’s thoughts, memories, and dreams, would be widespread, from assessing psychological conditions to lie detection in criminal cases. We will present the results of our investigation in a poster.

My tuition: The costs to power my life

As one of the most expensive colleges in the nation, Vassar’s room and board fees are estimated at $10, 430 for the upcoming school year. Though this covers many services, one wonders what the actual cost of living at Vassar is. Using the Watts Up Pro, we will attempt to estimate the energy consumption of a typical Vassar student throughout the course of a school year and how much this costs the college.