Month: April 2019

ACCAD Open House

One of the STEM events I attended included the ACCAD open house. I had never heard of this resource at the university but I thought it was incredibly interesting. The Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design. The purpose of the center is to combine the arts with the sciences in order to focus on research in animation and interactive media.

The one of the projects I thought was most interesting was one I found of the ACCAD website titled “The Course of An Empire: A Digital Exploration” by Zach Winegardner. This project captured my attention because of it was able to tie in history, art,  mathematics, and programming which I all find interesting.

Winegardner created a tool that allowed him to overlay 5 oil painting along with lines representing the golden rule (splitting the canvas into three sections) and the Fibonacci swirl. His presentation included a video which involved overlay transitions which established a connection between the design of all of the paintings.The analysis of the connections between the paintings “leads to new questions asked about the paintings and a more directed review of its current information. These culminate in a greater understanding of the work in a personal, engaging, and contemporary setting” (Zach Winegardner).

The following link is Winegardner’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkjkdMnPAZc

I always think it is cool when STEM topics can be combined with the arts since they are usually seen as opposites. But the ACCAD shows the importance of interdisciplinary work and that it can be done. I look forward to the future projects students will create and hope to incorporate ideas from other disciplines in my work as I more into the future.

 

 

 

 

Current Event- First Image of a Black Hole

On April 10, 2019 astronomers announced that they were able to capture the image of a black hole. After two years of analysis using 6 telescopes, the image of a black hole in the Messier 87 galaxy was captured.

According to Eintsein’s theory, black holes are created when so much matter is in one place that the gravitational force becomes so strong that it beings to pull in everything else around it. The force is so strong that it even traps light which would cause it to look like a black hole in space.

What was once a theory is now reality. The image that was recently taken supports Einstein’s claim as it shows how as the matter gets pulled into the hole it creates a ring of light and then the actual black hole is a dark circle. This is an amazing achievement which I believe will then lead to better imaging and the possibility of taking images of things that are much farther from us on Earth.

 

 

More telescopes will be added to the network to continue analyzing the black hole to check for any changes and take images of other black holes.

Thanks to this image, astronomers are one step closer to understanding this phenomena. Yet along with this came the picture of  Katie Bouman, one of the members on the team who created the algorithm used to capture the photo. Her picture went viral on twitter which then lead to people applying the “lone genius” trope, thinking that she alone was able to program the algorithm , and others stating that she didn’t do it, but rather a man. Everyone on the team has stated that it was a group effort, and that everyone played a significant role.

This backlash against Bouman sheds a light on how woman in STEM are often looked down upon and are thought of as not being capable enough. I believe that it is important to point out that Bouman never claimed to be the one that came up with the algorithm and the team does not see one member being above the other. People need to recognize that ones gender does not affect what they are capable of and need to understand that more women in STEM need to be shown. Not because they are better than men, but because they need to see that it is possible.

Articles used:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/10/science/black-hole-picture.html

https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/4/16/18311194/black-hole-katie-bouman-trolls

 

Resume

Mariana Vinseiro Figueira

Solon, Ohio | (513)620-9826  |vinseirofigueira.1@buckeyemail.osu.edu

Education

The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio / May 2022

  • B.S. Chemical Engineering, Junior, GPA: 3.594

William Mason High School, Mason, Ohio / Aug 2014- May 2018

  • GPA: 4.45 WEIGHTED, Honors, SAT National Hispanic Recognition

Skills Summary

Software

  • Microsoft Office Products, AutoCAD, MATLAB, Adobe Photoshop, and Illustrator.

Language

  • English and Spanish, fluent

Activities

Ohio State STEM Scholar / 2018-present

  • Selected for competitive university program and collaborated with other high achieving STEM students to develop professionally and academically.
  • Group Leader / 2019: Mentored group of five first-year students in activities to foster community and provide support during their first semester of college.
  • Teaching Assistant / 2019: Organized and lead a group on professional and academic development. Created and presented PowerPoint on leadership and teamworking skills.
  • Service Committee Leader / 2018: Elected by peers to lead committee to organized three service opportunities for STEM Scholar group.

Morrill Scholar / 2018-2019

  • Discussed weekly with a diverse group of 40 students about creative expression and diversity in a safe and accepting environment.

Experience

OSU Nanotech West Lab Undergraduate Assistant, Columbus, Ohio/ September 2019- present

  • Maintained class 100 cleanroom laboratory by following procedures, keeping stock, and cleaning lab.
  • Balanced school and work effectively. Worked an average of 8 hours per week with 15 credit hours for school.
  • Trained on the processes and machinery used in nanofabrication including photolithography, etching, and vapor deposition.
  • Completed Coursera Nanotechnology: A Maker’s Course certification offered by Duke University, North Carolina State University, and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

STEM Second Year Capstone/August 2019-2020

  • Working with OSU nanotechnology lab, conducted experiment to determine etch rate ratio of silicon wafer verses photoresist. Capstone project will be presented to Scholar’s program August 2020.