Some Non-Environmental Research Projects Underway at Berry College

It’s a crowded world. (Dr. Elizabeth Shell)
I am interested in macromolecular crowding of proteins in biological systems. Proteins within cells are in a very specific environment where they are the most stable and active. When researchers study them in vitro (outside the cell) they control pH, temperature and salinity but they often don’t control how crowded the protein normally are when in the cell. Studies have shown that crowded proteins act differently than when they are in dilute solutions. My research group and I are studying stability changes upon crowding with a high molecular weight polyethylene glycol.

Synthesis of Highly Reactive Organic Compounds. (Dr. Gary Breton)
Carbon-based organic molecules are held together by chemical bonds between atoms. When these bonds are placed under strain by bending or stretching them beyond their normal bonding parameters, the molecules become highly reactive. Our research group searches for ways to synthesize molecules with particularly strained bonds. Such molecules have potential applications as synthetic fuels, explosives, and pharmaceuticals.  Our most recent efforts concern the synthesis and investigation of a series of strained organic molecules know as diazetine-1,2-dioxides.  These compounds thermally decompose to liberate nitric oxide (NO).  NO regulates many processes in the body such as blood pressure and blood coagulation.
  This project is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF # CHE-0405034).

Implementation of a Web-Based Machine Vision System. (Dr. Lee R. Clendenning)
Machine vision requires the automatic capture and storage of a camera image in digital form, the capability of making a logical decision based on analysis of the pixel data in a specific area of interest in the image, the control of an external system based on the decision, and a periodic repetition of the cycle without human intervention. Applications include assembly line product inspection, robotic control, security, and military targeting. Most applications are confined to a specific area. A web-based system would allow humans to monitor any system from practically any place on earth, and further allow wide separation between the camera-image location and the controlled system.

Experimental Charge Density Analyses of Substituted Phenolate Salts. (Dr. Kenneth L. Martin)
The kinetics studies of the reactions between phenolate ions and various "electron loving" ions revealed that when the phenolate has an electron withdrawing group the reaction is slower than when the phenolate has an electron donating group. Crystals of various phenolate salts are grown and X-ray diffraction data sets are collected at low temperature. The data are then used to determine the charges of the atoms. This study tests the hypothesis that the rate of reaction between the phenolate and electrophile is related to the magnitude of the negative charge on the phenolic oxygen atom.

Combining Mathematics and Writing Instruction. (Dr. Ron Taylor and Dr. Alvin H. F. Smith)
We are interested in the linkages between mathematical and rhetorical ways of thinking. Can the integration of mathematics and writing instruction make either one better? Will students learn more if they have the opportunity to see the interplay between critical thinking and learning in the disciplines? This project is an experimental two-course cluster modeled after a similar project at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY.

Quantum-Classical Correspondence in Periodically Driven Systems. (Dr. Todd Timberlake)
Periodically driven one-dimensional systems are the simplest physical models that exhibit chaotic motion in classical mechanics. Numerical simulations of both classical and quantum versions of the same system reveal connections between classical and quantum behavior in chaotic systems. We are particularly interested in the relationship between the stability of certain classical phase-space structures (such as periodic orbits) and the stability of quantum resonance states that decay over time.

Statistical Tests of Randomness in the Primes (Dr. Todd Timberlake) The normalized spacings between consecutive prime numbers are statiscally similar to the spacings between random numbers. However, stringent tests of the randomness of the prime numbers have not been performed. Our goal is to apply certain statistical measures, originally developed to study quantum eigenvalue sequences, to the sequence of prime numbers. We also plan to study the statistical properties of random primes (such as Hawkins primes and Cramer primes). The goal is to provide solid numerical evidence (although not proof) that the primes are randomly spaced, which would indicate that prime numbers might be eigenvalues of a quantum system with regular classical dynamics.

Quantum Revivals in the Asymmetric Infinite Square Well (Dr. Todd Timberlake) Quantum wave packets in the infinite square well system display perfect revivals, in which the wave packet reforms perfectly after first being dispersed, at well-defined times. The addition of an asymmetry in the bottom of the well disrupts this revival behavior. Our goal is to examine the revival properties of wave packets in the asymmetric infinite square well to determine under what conditions the system can undergo a near-perfect revival (in which the wave packet reforms into an almost identical copy of the original). More generally we seek to understand the role of asymmetries in altering the revival properties of wave packets in quantum wells.