Category: Oral Presentation
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Preserving Our Pastime: Historic Preservation and Baseball
By Drew Meisenheimer Faculty Mentor: DKC Fellowship, Cartland Berge, Shannon Houser, Dr. Katherine Parker Abstract The world has a lot of good, but there are some events to learn from in our history. Some of these events are seen in baseball and become more evident in the spaces in which baseball has been played. The…
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Reinforcement Learning AI for Self Driving in TORCS
By Victor Rahman Faculty Mentor: Evan Coleman Abstract This project explores the application of reinforcement learning techniques to autonomous driving using The Open Racing Car Simulator (TORCS). We develop an agent that learns to drive by interacting with the environment and improving its driving policy over time. Over time we discover setbacks and new improvements…
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Micro-Knight
By Jayden Wynes Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Polack Abstract With the ever-rising video game industry, there exists an ever-growing opportunity to create educational games that still provide an entertaining experience for the user. Micro-Knight is a new attempt at creating an educational video game that focuses on the player experience, while integrating the educational material…
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Validating the geochemistry of large skeletal architectural corals from the central tropical Pacific as reliable climate archives
By Jessica Oberlies Faculty Mentor: Dr. Pamela Grothe Abstract The central tropical Pacific is a key region in modulating global climate changes, yet the lack of continuous long-term instrumental climate records from this area inhibits the robust evaluation of future climate impacts. In particular, the sensitivity of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) to a…
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José Donoso’s Life and Work. A Website for a Master of Latin American Literature.
By Noah Oltman Faculty Mentor: Maria Laura Bocaz Leiva Abstract In October of 2024, was the commemoration of Donoso’s centennial. The University of Mary Washington with Universidad Alberto Hurtado co-organized a symposium, “José Donoso: Lecturas, alcance y legado a cien años de su natalicio.” As part of this celebration professor Bocaz and I wanted to…
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The Cult of Gilgamesh: Evidence and analysis of cultic activities around the post-mortem deification of Gilgamesh in Ur III and the Early Dynastic Period
By Charlotte Niblett Faculty Mentor: Dr Nabil Al-Tikriti Abstract This project explores the archaeological and textual evidence and analysis of cultic activities around the post-mortem deification of Gilgamesh in Ur III and the Early Dynastic Period. The quasi-mythical king of ancient Uruk, Gilgamesh, is the subject of one of the world’s first epics and pieces…
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Galaxy Properties, Cross-comparisons, and Environmental Dependence
By Sean Swick Faculty Mentor: Dr. Matthew Fleenor Abstract Understanding the role that dynamics plays in galaxy evolution involves an account of both internal and environmental indicators. In addition, galaxy indicators are often derived from direct observational data that involves a multi-step process. We utilize the SDSS DR7 database for original photometric and spectroscopic properties,…
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Collecting Campus Culture: Engaging Student Organizations in University Archives and Special Collections
By Erica Berger Faculty Mentor: Dr. Cristina Turdean Abstract Many university archives and special collections were originally conceived to collect and preserve campus administrative records, but as such institutions have evolved, the importance of collecting student life related materials has gained more recognition. Preserving student life related materials is beneficial to students and universities in…
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African American property change in Fredericksburg over the 20th century
By Brendan O’Connell Faculty Mentor: Dr. Steve Hanna Abstract Over the last two semesters I have been working with Dr. Moon, Dr. Henry, and Dr. Hanna to map racially restricted covenants in the City of Fredericksburg. As an off shot of this, it was found that there were multiple segregated tax maps in the Fredericksburg…
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The Impact of Chinese Foreign Direct Investment on Freedom of Expression and Internet Freedom
By Christina Oswalt Faculty Mentor: Dr. Melissa Martinez Abstract Based on case studies of Zambia, Kenya, and Ghana, this thesis seeks to answer the question: How does Chinese FDI impact free speech, free press, and internet freedom in African countries? By analyzing legislation and Chinese FDI in these countries over a ten-year period, this study…
