James Skon, Hayes 310, 740-427-5369
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Location: Hybrid (Hayes 215), Time: 7:00-10:00 pm, Day: M, Zoom Link
Office hours: (Virtual only) MW 9-11, F 8-10, TH 1-2, Zoom Link
Reference Document: link
Student Information form link. Please fill out.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This capstone course is intended to provide an in-depth experience in computational approaches to an individual topic of choice. Students will also be exposed to a broad range of computational applications through peer presentations and discussions. Each student will give several presentations to the class throughout the semester. Permission of the instructor and program director required. This interdisciplinary course does not count toward the completion of any diversification requirement. Prerequisite: COMP 118 or PHYS 270, senior standing, completion of at least 0.5 units of an intermediate course and at least 0.5 units of a contributory course.
ENROLLMENT PROCEDURE
To enroll in this course, a student must declare a concentration in scientific computing, and obtain the permission of the instructor. The concentration declaration form can be found on the Registrar’s webpage. To enroll in the course, the student should contact the instructor to request to be enrolled and to obtain the COMP Advisor Agreement Form. After enrolling, the student should follow the directions on the form to: formulate initial ideas, approach potential project advisors, and decide on a project (see below, Project Expectations). Normally an acceptable advisor will be a faculty you have had substantial contact with prior to this semester, typically by having taken a course from them.
Submit the completed form on the first day of class. Concentrators who would like some advice on how to approach potential project advisors should contact the COMP director (Prof. Karen Hicks at hicksk@kenyon.edu).
PROJECT EXPECTATIONS
COMP 401 projects should
- Use computing to answer a question, to gain insight into a question of interest, or solve a problem in any discipline,
- Have the computational depth to require a semester of development, and
- Be advised or co-advised by a COMP faculty member.
In addition, we strive to deliberately consider any aspects of our projects that may have impacts on racial or gender equity, direct or indirect, for any stakeholder of the system We thus will explicitly address this in every stage of our projects:
- Understand and present the way in which the project engages with wider society; what benefits and dangers exist, and have existed, and how has the project worked to counteract — or not — the historical racial oppression that is so often overlooked in our field; and especially as it intersects with the roles of patriarchy and classism in oppression.
Project topics can either originate from the student or originate from a faculty advisor. Students are invited to approach the faculty on the list provided here based on alignment between the student’s interests and faculty research domains. Students are expected to initiate this conversation about project topics and to decide on a project and advisor well before the first day of class. Note that COMP faculty advise projects outside standard teaching loads and may not be able or available to advise students in any given semester and should normally advise no more than two student projects per semester. COMP 401 projects that have been deemed to meet the above criteria by the advising faculty member are considered acceptable.
PRESENTATIONS
There will be three presentations. The rubrics are seen below. Each presentation will be 30 minutes long, followed by 10 minutes of questions and discussion. The presentations should include slides. A form will be made available for each student to assess other students presentations.
POSTER SESSION
There will be a poster session during the final exam period. For in person students this will be a physical poster, where the students will be expected to stand by their poster for 1/2 of the presentation time, and the other 1/2 the presenters will visit other student’s posters. For online students the student will have a slide presentation, which we be set up on a laptop, with the student on zoom or google meet to answer questions. students will evaluation the other student’s posters.
GRADING
Grades in the class are based on the following elements:
- Project proposal (due Feb. 8th) – 10%
- Project design write up – 10%
- Evaluation of three class presentations – 30%
- Evaluation of final summary video – 10%
- Final Project with results – 25%
- Attendance – 25%
Rubrics for each assignment:
- Project Proposal
- Presentation Skills
- Proposal Presentation
- Design Presentation
- Final Results Presentation
- Final Summary Video
- Final Project Write up
Presentation evaluation forms:
The project proposal is due at the second class meeting (February 8th). An outline of what is expected as part of the proposal will be given out at the first class meeting.
Since active participation in presentations and their associated discussions is critical to the value of the class, attendance at every class meeting is important. The attendance grade will be an A if no more than one meeting is missed, B if two meetings are missed, and C if three meetings are missed. A student will be withdrawn from the class if a fourth meeting is missed for any reason (excused or not).
Schedule:
| Date | Activity | Video | Materials |
| Feb 1 | Introduction | Slides, Information Form | |
| Feb 8 | No Class – Proposals due (individual meetings with professor) | Project Proposal, Meeting Signup | |
| Feb 15 | Project Proposal Presentations: – Ryn Grutkoski | Presentation | Evaluation form Presentation Signup Presentation 1 Rubric |
| Feb 22 | Project Proposal Presentations: – Thomas Guidotti – Joe Lucaciconi – Cole McMahon-Gioeli – Kaitlyn Griffith | Presentations | Evaluation form |
| Mar 1 | Project Proposal Presentations – Amir Brivanlou – Angie Perkins – A. Shaikh – Maggie Bradley | Presentations | Evaluation form Slides |
| Mar 8 | Project Proposal Presentations: – Ryan Schultz – Tali Natan – Joshua Jones – Bryan Yoshino | Presentations | Evaluation form Slides |
| Mar 15 | Project Design Presentation – Joe Lucaccioni – Thomas Guidotti | Presentations | Design Evaluation Form Design Presentation Signup Presentation 2 Rubric Slides |
| Mar 22 | Project Design Presentation – Ryn Grutkoski – Bryan Yoshino – Cole McMahon-Gioeli | Presentations | Design Evaluation Form |
| Mar 29 | Project Design Presentation – Ryan Schultz – Kaitlyn Griffith – Tali Natan | Design Evaluation Form | |
| Apr 5 | Project Design Presentation – Amir Brivanlou – Angie Perkins – Maggie Bradley – Joshua Jones | Design Evaluation Form | |
| Apr 12 | No Class, individual meetings with professor | Meeting Signup Form | |
| Apr 19 | No Class, individual meetings with professor | Results Evaluation Form | |
| Apr 26 | Project Results Presentations – Ryan Schultz – Joe Lucaccioni | Presentations | Results Evaluation Form Results Presentation Signup Project results presentation 3 Rubric |
| May 3 | Project Results Presentations – Cole McMahon-Gioeli – Thomas Guidotti – Kaitlyn Griffith – Angie Perkins | Presentations | Results Evaluation Form |
| May 10 | Project Results Presentations: – Ryn Grutkoski – Maggie Bradley – Amir Brivanlou – Joshua Jones – Bryan Yoshino | Results Evaluation Form | |
| May 13 | Final 10 Minute Video | ||
| May 16 | Review all videos. – Ryn Grutkoski – Maggie Bradley – Amir Brivanlou – Joshua Jones – Bryan Yoshino – Cole McMahon-Gioeli – Thomas Guidotti – Kaitlyn Griffith – Angie Perkins – Ryan Schultz – Joe Lucaccioni – Ryan Schultz | Final Video Evaluation Form |
I want to do everything we can so that everyone is able to fully participate in class and has a successful experience in this course. Please contact me immediately if there is anything preventing your free and open participation in class. Additionally, if you have a learning or physical disability and need accommodation, we encourage you to contact me, but more importantly, to contact Erin Salva (x5453, salvae@kenyon.edu) in the Dean of Academic Advising office to determine appropriate and effective accommodation well before any such accommodations are needed.
I want you to know that I a available for you questions and concerns. Please do not hesitate to contact me for help. If you find yourself stuck, don’t hit your head against a wall for too long, come see me (also I enjoy getting to know each of you better). Please do not hesitate to take advantage of my office hours. If you have conflicts during all of my office hours, please email me to arrange an appointment. Or you can try just dropping by the office. I both spend a lot of time in our departments and, if my office door is open, I will be happy to see you.