Spring 2024
James Skon, Chalmers 428 740-427-5369
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Location: Hayes 203, Time: 1:10-2:30 pm, Day: TH
Office hours: Tuesday,Thursday 8-9, 10-11
Monday, Wednesday 9-11 (May be virtual)
Link to book appointment
Other times by request
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 (currently Prof. Maddie Wade at wadem@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%
- Final Project with results – 25%
- Attendance – 25%
Rubrics for each assignment:
- Project Proposal
- Presentation Skills
- Proposal Presentation
- Design Presentation
- Final Results Presentation
- Poster Show
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).
Projects:
| Student | Topic | Advisor | |
| Zachary Baker | baker5@kenyon.edu | Measuring Lumbriculus Regeneration | Kathy Gillen |
| Ben Gruodis-Gimbel | gruodisgimbel1@kenyon.edu | Modeling and Analyzing the Entire Corpus of Presidential Speeches | James Skon |
| Adrian Lee | lee8@kenyon.edu | Size & Shape Differences Between Male and Female Birds | Erin Leatherman Natalie Wright |
| Christopher Lee | lee11@kenyon.edu | Exploring Fluid Simulation | Erin Leatherman |
| Noah Hargrove | hargrove2@kenyon.edu | The Dessert Club | Nuh Aydin |
| Casey Watkins | watkins2@kenyon.edu | Analysis of College Ranking Using Supervised and Unsupervised Learning | Brad Hartlaub |
| Harshal Rukhaiyar | rukhaiyar1@kenyon.edu | Forex AlgoTrader: Integrating Computational Finance and Machine Learning | Nuh Aydin |
| Beshentseva, Irina | beshentseva2@kenyon.edu | Studying Financial Markets using agent-based Models. | Sarah Clifton |
| Dailey, Connor | dailey2@kenyon.edu | Belize Solar Project | James Skon |
| Fahim, Junaid | fahim1@kenyon.edu | GPT Agents | James Skon |
| Hajra, Vaughn | hajra1@kenyon.edu | Optimized Swim Training for Age Group Swimmers | Brad Hartlaub |
| Ramirez, Diego | ramirez4@kenyon.edu | Deciphering Archive Texts Using Machine Learning | Sara Clifton |
| Zeman, Braden | zeman1@kenyon.edu | Optimization Using Statistical/Mathematical Methods | Erin Leatherman |
| Asmod Khakurel | khakurel1@kenyon.edu | Optimal Portfolio Allocator | PJ Glandon |
| Tjandra, Isaac | tjandra1@kenyon.edu | ||
| Clinton Adu Gyamfi | adugyamfi1@kenyon.edu | Development and Implementation of an E-commerce Web Application for Kenyon College Students: A Platform for Buying and Selling | James Skon |
Schedule:
| Date | Activity | Materials/Due |
| Jan 16 | Introduction | Slides, Information Form Git and GitHub GitHub overview GetHub SetUp |
| Jan 18 | No class, work on proposals with advisor support | |
| Jan 23 | No Class – Proposals work (individual meetings with professor) | Github account Shared with Instructor and advisor(s) Meeting Signup |
| Jan 25 | No Class – Proposals due on Friday (individual meetings with professor) | Meeting Signup Project Proposal |
| Jan 30 | Project Proposal Presentations: | Slides Evaluation form Presentation Signup Presentation 1 Rubric Presentation Slides Turn in Link |
| Feb 1 | Project Proposal Presentations: | Evaluation form |
| Feb 6 | Project Proposal Presentations: | Evaluation form |
| Feb 8 | Project Proposal Presentations | Evaluation form |
| Feb 13 | Project Proposal Presentations: | Evaluation form |
| Feb 15 | Project Proposal Presentations: | Evaluation form |
| Feb 20 | Project Design Presentation Information | Design Slides Signup for Design Meeting |
| Feb 21-Mar 1 | No class. At least one meeting with professor. | Slides |
| Mar 19 | Project Design Presentation | Design Evaluation Form Design Presentation Signup Presentation 2 Rubric Design Presentation Slides turn in |
| Mar 21 | Project Design Presentation | Design Evaluation Form |
| Mar 26 | Project Design Presentation | Design Evaluation Form |
| Mar 28 | Project Design Presentation | Design Evaluation Form |
| Apr 2 | Project Design Presentation | Design Evaluation Form |
| Apr 4 | Project Design Presentation | Design Evaluation Form |
| Apr 9 | No Class, individual meetings with professor | Meeting Signup Form |
| Apr 11 | No Class, individual meetings with professor | Results Evaluation Form Results Presentation Signup |
| Apr 16 | Project Results Presentations | Results Evaluation Form Project results presentation 3 Rubric |
| Apr 18 | Project Results Presentations | Results Evaluation Form |
| Apr 23 | Project Results Presentations | Results Evaluation Form |
| Apr 25 | Project Results Presentations | Results Evaluation Form |
| Apr 30 | Project Results Presentations | Results Evaluation Form |
| May 2 | Project Results Presentations | Results Evaluation Form |
| May 5 at 1:30 p.m. | Make up presentations Optional for all students but those presenting. | |
| May 6 | 6:30-9:30 PM – Poster Show. Chalmers 4th floor or Chalmers 330 (if you will give demos) | Poster Template |
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 am 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.