february 2015 edition

The Scholar

Senior Editors: Photographers:

Sarah Holt Georgia Brown

Jeremy Greenburg Josh Diltz

Disclaimer: Any views or opinions herein

expressed are not representative of the University Scholars

Organization as a whole

February 2015

The Scholar February 2015 Edition

2 The University of Tennessee at Martin’s University Scholars Organization

Important Dates ................................................................................................................................................ 3

Sarah Miller—DJ Ragtastic............................................................................................................................ 4

Reily Wilson—Equestrian .............................................................................................................................. 4

Maghan Smith—Gatlinburg .......................................................................................................................... 5

Meredith Hinson—My “Not so Big” Big .................................................................................................... 6

J.D. Leavell—Life, Death, and Knowledge................................................................................................. 7

Josh Diltz—Poem............................................................................................................................................... 7

Jeremy Greenburg—Voracious Dreams ................................................................................................... 8

Junior/Senior Projects

May Wheeler .................................................................................................................................... 10

Luke Robinson ................................................................................................................................. 11

Kendall Oziminski .......................................................................................................................... 12

Robert Deyoso ................................................................................................................................. 12

Riley Rich ........................................................................................................................................... 13

Mary Clayton .................................................................................................................................... 14

Johnathan Hewlett ......................................................................................................................... 14

Mike Nolte ......................................................................................................................................... 15

Table of Contents

The University of Tennessee at Martin’s University Scholars Organization 3


Important Dates

Scholar Events— Spring Semester

Feb 14, Saturday: Fall in Love With Scholars

Feb 17: Sammies (7PM)

Feb 19-21: Prospect Weekend!

Feb 26: Higher Ground (5PM)

Mar 13: Karaoke All Nighter (7PM)

Mar 27-28: Coon Creek Retreat & Big-Little Olympics

April 14: Froyo Trip

April 18: Formal & All Nighter

April 24: Bonfire at Witmers

April 25: Movie Marathon

Academic Calendar— Spring Semester

Mar 2-8: Spring Break

April 3: Good Friday

April 24: Classes End

May 1: Finals End

May 2: Commencement

For more information, visit:

http://catalog.utm.edu/content.php?

catoid=8&navoid=476#Spring_Semester__2015



Sarah Miller DJ Ragtastic Many of us know only of Zachary Steele Ragland (aka “Raggy”) as the president of Scholars. But have we ever taken the time outside of Scholars to really get to know him? I had the pleasure of interviewing him and gaining some insight into our fun-loving president. Raggy grew up on a family farm in White House, Tennessee. He is an only child of an only child. His granddad was a farmer his whole life, while his dad was a high school teacher who is now retired. He worked hard from a young age, caring for cattle and chickens on 120 acres of land. His childhood shaped his passion for animals, as well as influencing his decision of which college to attend. Raggy’s parents met and fell in love at Tennessee Tech, which should be no surprise for us to hear that he was at first looking into going there instead of Martin. Both colleges have great agriculture programs and were willing to give him scholarships. Luckily, the Scholar’s program won him over with what Martin could offer him. Now he is a senior, just months away from graduating with a degree in animal science. His experiences at Martin have helped make him who he is today. It has been the place where he has grown and figured out who he is as an independent person. Friends, and the memories that go along with them, have made his college experience worthwhile. “People say Martin is boring, but I’ve spent the time of my life here.” There hasn’t really been a bad experience for him. You have the heartaches and breakups that happen to everyone, but overall, Martin has been like home to him. Looking to the future, Raggy is hoping to get into vet school at either Mississippi State or Knoxville. There he will spend the next four years working towards his DVM. Once out in the real world, Raggy hopes for the American dream. He wants to get married, have all his debts paid off, and either be traveling or settling down (it just depends on who he marries.) As his parting advice to his fellow Scholars starting their projects, he says, “smile and have fun with it.” This could be your opportunity to do an actual research project, since most of us are not going into research. And to everyone in college, his best advice is to travel during this time. See the world and meet all kinds of people. If you do that, he says will we find that, “people are all so different, yet we are all the same.”

“What’s Happening?” Freshmen News Reports

Reiley Wilson Equestrian On November 17th, 2014 the University of Tennessee at Martin officially announced in a press release that they would be dropping NCAA Equestrian as a sport after the 2015-2016 season. This decision was instigated months ago, when the NCAA proposed dropping Equestrian as one of their varsity sports. Equestrian is an emerging sport, which means that it was given 10 years to reach championship status. This means having 40 schools who have the sport in their program. Equestrian was overdue with only 23 schools after 13 years. The NCAA will officially decide whether they will be keeping the sport this spring, but UTM athletics doesn’t want to take the chance of losing their D1 status. In order to keep D1 a school must have 7 women’s teams and 7 men’s teams. UTM is planning to replace the Equestrian team and stay in compliance with Title 9 by adding a Women’s track team. As far as the horses and the equestrian program go, there are many unanswered questions. There is still the option of a club of IHSA equestrian team, but UTM is unsure of whether they will be able to continue funding for the horses kept at Graves Stables. Hopefully more information will be available soon enough.



Maghan Smith Gatlinburg During fall break I was given the opportunity to go on a trip to Gatlinburg with fellow Scholars. This trip consisted of only a few Scholars but we all enjoyed our time there and became closer throughout the few days. Our hotel was downtown so we were close to all of the shops and restaurants. We spent our time playing games in an arcade, walking through the shops downtown, making a day run to Pigeon Forge, and eating of course! One of my favorite aspects of the trip was the Ripley’s Aquarium. Not only was it fun because I love animals, but we dressed up in the children’s animal costumes and I got to touch an actual jellyfish! We also went into the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum where we saw a man taller than Lionel! After our long days we would grab some dinner and then head back to the room for some more fun. We would stay up late every night playing game such as trivial pursuit. On one of the last days of the trip we went into a China Bazaar store where we all spent hours looking at different knives and weapons. Every time that we would go somewhere in public we made it a point to call Lionel “dad”. At one point in the trip, he took my teddy bear (that I got for free after purchasing a pound of candy, oops), and I said “Dad, that wasn’t very nice.” The man that was sitting beside me got up and moved! The trip was an overall amazing experience; I got to spend quality time with some amazing people that I can all call my friends. There is also a picture of all of us in King Kong’s hand in the Honors Study now.

Photos curtesy of Maghan Smith



Merideth Hinson My “Not So Big” Big: Getting to Know Brooke Baker The idea of moving away from home made me nervous. I was going to be attending UT Martin where I knew very few people. When Scholars Prospect Weekend came around, I was even more terrified; What if I didn’t get in? I loved the weekend, and I even met a girl, a prospect like me, who I now call my best friend and roommate. I also met many current Scholars who reached out to me, were very kind to me, and made Martin not seem so scary. When I first met Brooke Baker, I knew she was someone I wanted to be friends with. Although she is very small, her personality is clearly the opposite - she was bubbly, friendly, and someone that everybody liked. At the time, she was the major that I intended to pursue in the fall. Although I didn’t really get to talk to her much during Scholars Prospect Weekend, I was still impressed by her. I spoke with her again at SOAR weekend. She was a PEP leader, and went out of her way to come speak to my family and me. It really made me feel welcome in University Scholars. Following the Scholars Events before school started, I started to think about Scholars “Bigs”. I knew I wanted Brooke, although I doubted she wanted me. We hadn't hung out a ton or even talked a lot, but I really felt we had a friendship forming. The week of Big/Little reveal had my stomach in knots. I wanted Brooke to be my big so badly, but I really had no way of knowing; When I turned around to see Brooke, I was so excited! I couldn’t wait to get to know her more and I loved the idea of having someone to go to for advice, help, and pretty much anything. Brooke is one of the sweetest people I know. She cares about her family and friends so much. She is always doing things for other people. She always made such an effort to text me with sweet messages, and making plans to hang out as much as our busy schedules allowed. She really helped me as I struggled with changing my major and the difficulty of my classes. Brooke Baker is someone who can put a smile on your face because no matter how bad your day is, she can always change your mood with her smile and asking how you are. I am very thankful to say that Brooke and I share a special bond and friendship. We are able to keep in touch and see each other frequently due to our involvement in Scholars and Greek Life. I am truly blessed to be surrounded by her influence and support. She has heavily impacted my experience in both Scholars and UT Martin in general. Her trustworthiness, friendship, and dependability is something that I will be forever grateful for.

“The scientific and scholarly community is marked by the

belief that the truth is to be found in all; none can claim it

as their monopoly.”

-John Charles Polanyi



“Creative Outlet” Sophomore Creative Pieces and Other Submissions

Poem by Josh Diltz

Intimate life we in nature find, Implicating the punity of humanity; Negating a notion of a hierarchy, we

Neglect inferiority gazing into its vast supremacy; Enraptured by the glinting globes above,

Encapsulated beneath or within their majesty? Finding solace in ocean’s misty gale,

Forward thrown, gasping for breath; Foraging for the harmony within the self-ambiguity

Flauntingly sung by the meadowlark; Attuned to the creaks of the oaks and the rustle of the willow’s leafy vines,

J.D. Leavell Life, Death, and Knowledge

Simplify simplify simplify and get straight to the heart.

Avoid misconstrued ideas, avoid unessential parts

The nature of the young is to stray from simple truths So stay the course of reason, avoid the pains of youth

Your future lies ahead, a dim light ever brightening to enhance

The clarity in which you see your future as, slowly, you advance

A calm demeanor and cool head are what you will require To reach the end of your journey and see the light, the flame that ever fires

A journey made through many years comes to its final stop

The light that's been growing brighter fades down into the backdrop

Suddenly a shock, cold reality chills the heart Life is vain and death its tart

Savor, savor while you can the nectar of your life

For one morning soon will come where all that's left is pain and strife

The good the bad the right the wrong What's left when life is over and nothing was coming all along?

Sorrow despair and gnashing of teeth

When death cuts deep and can't be sheathed



Jeremy Greenburg Voracious Dreams

Comforted by warmth and pleasure, You open your eyes to find yourself

In a lavish banquet hall Vibrant banners cover stone walls, lit by merry torch light

And what a feast! Spread before you on this magnificent table And what aromas! Wafting through the air Of glistening meats and delectable pastries

All ordained upon this table. You dig in, tearing into the greasy meats, the sugar candies And what tastes! Pleasures beyond your wildest fantasies!

You eat and reach, and before you know it A bare table lies before you, with but memories of your feast:

A few crumbs of bread and stains of honey. But something’s wrong, there’s a twinge in your stomach,

You’re still a little hungry. So you rise from your seat and walk towards the door

You pass through the heavy double doors to find yourself In a sanctuary, grandiose in stature.

Stained Glass Saints are embedded in cold stone walls And in the center, on an altar, you can see

A loaf of bread and a bejeweled goblet holding honeyed wine. Delighted, you tear into the loaf

And pour the goblet down your throat The rich, honey-sweetened wine is a delight

The aroma is intoxicating But your hunger is unsated

And you move beyond the double doors to find yourself In a pantry

But what’s this!? The cupboard’s bare!?

No no no no no! Your stomach howls in protest

A maddening cry! There must be something here

A morsel to consume… Aha!

Up in the corner, a molding sandwich That you don’t hesitate to dine upon.

And down there, a carton of milk! You tear the top open only to be Overwhelmed by the sour stench

But your hunger demands You tilt back your head

And let the chunky liquid slid down your throat The acrid taste burns your tongue And sates your hunger not at all.

Antiquity in their chests bursting forth unbridled pride; Belying a sense of knowing the secrets

Buried ‘neath the stones eroded by the falling sky. Leeching to life leagues from the lights and spray above and below,

Lost from the heavens and sea which Early on would once have strengthened me,

Early no more, have sunken into eternity.



Your stomach howls in protest A frightening roar!

There must be something here A morsel to consume…

Aha! Down in the corner Squeaking in terror

A gangly mouse quivers before you With nary a pause

You reach down and seize it. It squirms and it shrieks

But the hairy beast slides down in one You don’t even have to chew.

Back to church Driven by that need

You grip the Holy Book, you tear it asunder And you stuff page after dry page straight down your maw.

Parched parchment abrades your tongue While rich black ink bleeds down your throat

“For I was hungry, and ye fed me the flesh of a tree For I was thirsty, and ye gave me the blood of a pen.”

It fills you not at all. You weep. You’re so damn hungry.

You can hear your jaw cracking As you rip masonry from the wall

And cram bricks larger than your chest Straight into your gullet

Weeping Stained Glass Saints Lacerate your lips and tongue—A Glasgow feast!

Your engorged belly rumbles And your hunger grows and grows Till you consume the entire room.

You find yourself in darkness.

In a void, all alone. A sparkle of light catches your eye

You turn to see a mirror. And what is reflected in its frame

But a being of glistening meat and grease You shove your arm down your throat

As far As it

Will go

And you wake up sweating.



“Independent Studies” Junior & Senior Projects

May Wheeler The Magic Lives on The title of my project is: “The Magic Lives on: Fairy Tales' Unbroken Spell on the Elements of Modern Children's Literature.” My goal for the project is to determine how fairy tales have influenced the morality portrayed in modern children’s literature. Dr. Glass is my mentor and Dr. Merwin is my second reader. I’ve really enjoyed working on my project because I get to read, think, and write about fairy tales and children’s books! So far I’ve read several psychological interpretations of fairy tales and myths by Bettelheim, Cashdan, and Campbell as well as all of the Grimm’s fairy tales and about half of Hans Christian Andersen’s. I’ve written the first chapter of my project, where I define exactly what fairy tales are, compare them to other folk traditions, and describe their essential features. I define fairy tales as “folk tales where ordinary people solve incredibly serious yet ordinary problems in fantastic ways in order to live happily ever after”. By the end of the semester, I plan to write my second chapter, where I’ll interpret at least one, maybe two fairy tales. Dr. Glass and I have decided that Cinderella would be a great fairy tale to use. It’s one of the most popular fairy tales, there are over 700 versions of it, and many of its elements can be seen in children’s literature. Depending on how that goes, I might do the same with another less commonly known fairy tale like The Twelve Dancing Princesses, which is one of my favorites. Once that chapter is finished, it will be time to start reading a whole bunch of children’s books! Right now the children’s books we’ll analyze aren’t entirely clear. Some of the books Dr. Glass and I have talked about in our meetings include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Phantom Tollbooth, The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, and Superfudge. I think I would like to modify our list to encompass a greater variety of children’s literature genres.

Way Wheeler (left) and Dr. Glass (right)



Luke Robinson Knocking on Death’s Door My research project titled, “Knocking On Death’s Door,” is a qualitative study showing the background of ten death row inmates and the various sociological elements that contributed to the com-mission of their crime. The purpose of my research is to show that there are many outside factors that contribute to individuals committing crimes that lead to a sentence of death. Last semester, my goal was to interview ten randomly selected death row inmates at Riverbed Maximum-Security Penitentiary. Unfortunately, this did not work. Everything was going well and I was obtaining many of the permissions that I needed for my project, but then everything fell through. Almost immediately after I had received permission from the Unit Manager at Riverbend, I was denied by the Warden. I tried to rectify this decision multiple times, but the Warden would not listen to any of the complaints or concerns. After finally accepting that interviewing the inmates wasn’t going to hap-pen, my mentor and I devised a new plan. This spring my mentor and I developed a plan in which I would interview the defense attor-neys, prosecutors, and judges who worked on ten randomly selected death row inmates’ cases. So far, I have submitted the IRB and it is on its way through the expedited review process. After this process is concluded, I am going to randomly draw ten death row inmates’ names (excluding the one female on TN’s death row) out of a hat and begin trying to locate their defense attorneys, prosecutors, and judges. Because most of the records from their trials and appeals are public, it should be relatively easy to lo-cate each one of them. Next semester, my mentor and I will be going to present my findings at the Southern Criminal Justice Association Conference in Charleston, SC. I’m really excited about the opportunity to possibly help the juvenile justice system in regard to identifying risk factors earlier in juveniles in order to keep them from being career criminals. The goal of reducing recidivism has been a major problem within the criminal justice system, and hopefully my research will help guide the system as a whole. Overall, my project hasn’t worked out as well as I have wanted it to so far, however, I am thor-oughly excited about interviewing the attorneys that worked on the cases. Although they won’t know exactly what death row life is like, they should have somewhat of an idea to help me with my research. Along with this, they will have knowledge of their client’s educational and family background, which is exactly what my research is focusing on. Lastly, they will be able to shed some light on the confusing aspects of their client’s appeals history, and although it may seem kind of nerdy, I’m excited about the whole process.

Luke Robinson (left) and Dr. Massey (right)



Kendall Oziminski Mentor: Dr. Abigail Shelton Second Reader: Dr. Jason Roberts Use of Titanium Dioxide to Neutralize Gases When being around or working with many kinds of livestock, a common complaint can be odor. This problem is especially prevalent as farming practices migrate to those of more confinement within a building. Some techniques are currently employed by manufacturers and farmers to attempt to keep the areas well ventilated and thus less odorous. These improvements not only make the humans working in these conditions happier but also, no doubt, allow the animals a happier existence indoors. The research project I am working on would hopefully help in continuing to improve the lives of both humans and animals by further reducing the gasses present, both smelly and odorless, within a working animal build-ing. The compound that is under examination is titanium dioxide (TiO2). This compound has shown extraordinary abilities in the realm of air purification using photocatalytic oxidation of certain pollutants. So far with my research, various qualitative tests have been run with the TiO2 solution to see how well the liquid can be applied to certain surfaces, such as glass or metal, and if the compound will react with particular dyes, such as methylene blue or methyl red. The most promising of the tests was to see how gaseous NH3 and HCl would react with TiO2. Using two tubes of similar length, TiO2 was applied to the inside bottom of one tube and allowed to dry. Both tubes were then placed under a light source, in this case the fluorescent ceiling lights, and allowed to sit for 15 minutes in order for the TiO2 to be acti-vated. A cotton ball was then inserted into each end of the tube, one being soaked in concentrated NH3 and the other in concentrated HCl, and corks were inserted into each side. Without the presence of the TiO2, a white precipitate, NH4Cl, formed in a ring pattern close to the HCl side due to the meeting of the two gasses in the tube. In the TiO2 coated tube, no ring was found. This means that one or both gas-ses would have needed to react with the TiO2 before reaching the other gas in the tube. This is by no means a definite conclusion, but it does give us a place to start. This coming up semester of research will focus mostly on using the TiO2 to target specific gases that are more common in livestock farming. Specifically in the swine and poultry industries, methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and carbon dioxide (CO2) are the major greenhouse gases of concern. Ex-perimentation in order to see if these gases react with the TiO2 are being planned with the help of vari-ous resources within the chemistry department. Most likely, this will involve a piece of metal coated with TiO2 being placed within a sealed chamber that can be filled with the targeted gas. Ultimately, we hope this compound can be applied similarly within swine barns or chicken coups in order to reduce the amount of those particular gases and to positively affect the lives of both the animals living there and the humans working with them.

Robert L. DeYeso III Dr. Jason DeVito Manifolds which admit metrics of positive sectional curvature have been studied since the inception of Riemannian geometry, but very few examples are known. In order to better understand the di�erence between non-negatively curved and positively curved manifolds, attention has turned towards quasi-positively and almost positively curved Riemannian manifolds. A biquotient is any manifold which is di�eomorphic to the quotient of a homogeneous space G=H by an e�ectively free isometric action. Much is already known about curvature of biquotients of the form G==U with G of rank less than 3, so naturally we investigate among rank 3 Lie groups. We show there are precisely 13 inhomogeneous biquotients of the form Sp(3)==Sp(1)2 and show that at least 8 of them admit metrics of quasi-positive curvature. Starting with compact Lie groups U and G, we investigate which homomorphisms f : U ! G � G naturally give rise to e�ectively free U actions on G. The primary tool for constructing such homomorphisms comes from a theorem due to Mal'cev that connects



classifying conjugacy classes of images of homomorphisms from U into G�G and represen- tation theory. Finally, in examining curvature we use Cheeger deformations and Wilking's doubling trick to deform our non-negatively curved bi-invariant metric in the directions of choice subgroups of G to yield points of positive curvature. The combined paper of this work, entitled "The classication and curvature of biquotients of the form Sp(3)==Sp(1)2, has been published in the Annals of Global Analysis and Geometry. Further, we aim to provide a full classication of SU(2)2 biquotients of all compact, simply-connected rank 3 Lie groups, beyond just Sp(3). The biquotients obtained above satisfy the G = Sp(3) case, but there are precisely seven compact, simply-connected rank 3 Lie groups to examine. Dr. DeVito has already provided a classication for half of the remaining cases in his thesis, and I have completed the work for the G = Sp(3); SU(4) cases. Only the G = Spin(7);G2 cases remain.

Riley Rich Mentor: Dr. Chris Hill Second Reader: Dr. Nathan Howard Roman Virtues in Shakespearean Drama “How’s your project going?” It’s a rite of passage. An absolute terror. Culprit of near-constant hyperventilation. “Really well!” we say to nearly everyone, fake smile at the ready. But there are some - our kinfolk, the only ones who truly understand where we are in that moment - who do not even have to ask. It’s a look - homeless, caffeinated but exhausted - as we drag ourselves across campus to class after mind-numbing class. The process of our disenchantment with college life came full circle months ago. In short, the projects are hard. Extremely hard. Each time you believe you have a grip, there’s an inevita-ble, depressing realization that each facet has infinitely more facets to explore, write, build, toss. Check at the door any fantasies of knowledge on the subject. As a result of my profound underestimation of my project’s difficulty and depth, the last few semesters have been challenging. Using Shakespeare’s Roman plays (Antony and Cleopatra, Julius Cae-sar, Titus Andronicus, Coriolanus), I am analyzing connections between ancient Roman virtues and Elizabethan perceptions of both Rome and these virtues. For example, ancient Rome (and its citizens) focused a great deal of identity upon military force - a paradigm which clearly served them well. At its height, the Roman Empire was untouchable, in control of nearly half of the discovered world. As a re-sult, early modern England (16th-17th centuries), already interested in expanding its own “empire,” found itself enthralled with the political success of the Romans. Elizabethans felt politically and histori-cally connected to Rome, even claiming to be descended from powerful ancient Romans. All of these connections come to a head in Elizabethan theatre - a place of relatively free speech and action in which Shakespeare made poignant sociopolitical statements about England, Rome, and what the true relation-ship between them is. When I explain my long hours in the library, the agonizing revision process, the pressure - peo-ple inevitably ask if it’s worth the scholarship money. The answer comes easily: no. The five grand doesn’t look back and laugh at how terribly awkward we were as Freshmen. It doesn’t offer an outlet for my wild thoughts or thesis-driven breakdowns. The money won’t get into a serious argument about the Oxford comma, it doesn’t play the Animal Game for hours at a time, and it’s never had the emotional “Are we actually smart or just freaks?” debate. While I appreciate the financial incentive, I love the Uni-versity Scholars Organization for the incredible people I have found within it: brilliant, passionate, priceless individuals whose friendships will characterize my collegiate stories. We aren’t afraid to be ridiculous. We’re already weird, so who cares?



Mary Clayton Working Title: The Social Contamination Effect: Altering Perceptions of Police Officer Behavior Mentor: Dr. MacKewn Second Reader: Dr. Ostenson People have been stereotyping both for and against the police since the first officer was sworn in. Interactions with police help reinforce previous perceptions and solidify these stereotypes. Every person has interacted with the police, and there are certain factors that can affect those interactions, namely that person’s predisposition and previous environment. Their previous environment can include media, par-ents, music, movies, or other information and experiences. Demographics will also be included so that other natural and environmental factors can be analyzed. My project is based on the environmental and social contamination effects, as well as the alteration of perceptions and understanding how they are formed. The social contamination effect, in the simplest terms, is a phenomenon that occurs when two people collaborate on an idea and can alter not only per-ception but also memory. Both of those factors directly influence how the public interacts with officers and those who are agents of the government. It will focus somewhat on officer-involved shootings and how those are evaluated, simply because that is the most controversial event that can be displayed and discussed. It will also be focused on college-age students and might be useful to collegiate departments of public safety. The research is still in progress, with data collection occurring on qualtrics.com. I have been ac-cepted as a poster presenter for this topic for the Southeastern Psychological Conference student presen-tations in Hilton Head, South Carolina in March.

Determinants of Small Business Lending Decisions by Tennessee Commercial Banks Jonathan Hewlett Mentor: Dr. Timothy Perry Consultant: Dr. Thomas Payne Second Reader: Dr. Ashley Kilburn As a finance major, I feel that small businesses play a vital role in economic development and job creation in the state of Tennessee. In order to grow, most of these businesses need access to secondary financing. My Schol-ar’s project is investigating an important part of secondary capital acquisition: applying for a bank loan. Small busi-ness centers, financial advisors, and consultants often assist existing and prospective entrepreneurs in developing effective business and financial plans for the lending officer at the bank of their choosing. Unlike similar evaluations of larger enterprises, small business loan assessments are often global in nature as both the financial efficiency of the business AND of the borrower must be determined. For their part, bankers use supporting documents, statements and projections to analyze applicants’ net worth, credit history, cash flow, and other factors affecting creditworthiness. These, along with tax returns and a variety of other financial statements, provide information to capital providers. I’ve gotten the raw data from about 15% of the total banks by means of a survey of Tennessee bank chief lending officers, senior lending officers, and even a few bank presidents at over nine hundred Tennessee banks and a number of their branches in order to determine which factors are most important in their lending decision. I hope to publish my findings in a small business journal in hopes of getting this information to perspective entrepreneurs before they see a loan officer and make crucial mistakes that will make or break their capital acquisition process. I chose this project because it has a personal impact on me. My father is an entrepreneur and I’ve watched him go through this process time and time again, as he’s rejected for a loan every time due to insufficient book keeping of his finances, lack of secondary sources of income to repay a loan if his business goes under, and poor preparation before going to the bank to talk to a loan officer. I want to help entrepreneurs get the money they need to grow their businesses, take them to the next level, and to hire more people so more jobs are available. The econo-

15

my is slowly getting better and banks have more money than they know what to do with. It’s a buyers’ market to-day and banks need better informed and more qualified people to come through their doors and get some money.

Jonathan Hewlett (right) and Dr. Perry (left)

Mike Nolte My research project for USO is about Genetic Algorithms. Specifically, I aim to create a library of tools in the Python language for use in solving GAs in a number of different domains (a domain, in computer science, is a problem or group of problems that share a general form solution). Last fall, my first semester with the project, I approximated the Traveling Salesman problem using GAs. If you're not familiar with it, the Traveling Salesman problem states that a man is traveling to many different cities around the country. The number of cities doesn't matter, call it 20. He has to travel to each of these cities in any order, but take the shortest path between them, and arrive in the same city he started in. For a small number of cit-ies, this problem seems simple. Just try ever combination of paths. After all, with 3 cities, you only have 6 different options. However, due to the nature of the problem, the more cities you add, the faster the number of options ex-pands. For only 5 cities, you already have 120 possible paths, and for the 20 cities I mentioned before, you have 200 quadrillion (or 2*10^18) paths. Assuming that you have a 6 core, 5 GHz CPU with perfect parallelization, and



that each path took only one basic operation (all very unlikely assumptions), it would take a little more than 2.5 years to find the shortest path. My solution found an approximate answer to the 20 city problem in 12 seconds (with an 8 city approximation, and scaled down generations, populations, and mutation factors, I found the true minimum solution in more than 90% of all cases). This should illustrate the efficiency of Genetic Algorithms. This semester, I am beginning to solve the new problem of Hardware Approximation. Take a large amount of inputs, plug in the outputs that you want, and have the program design the scheme of logic gates that most efficiently and correctly suits your needs. Its a bit tougher of a problem, and truthfully I haven't made much headway yet. The obstacle that I am working on now is designing a regular expression that can determine whether or not a boolean string is syntactically correct, and if it is not, returning the number of errors. In this way, I can compare the randomly generated expres-sions to one another, and see which ones are closer to real solutions. For example, compare “A.B.C” to “A+.+C”. The first is a correct logic gate, and the second contains three consecutive operators without operands, making it invalid. The goal is to rank the population by feasibility so that fitness can be attained at each generation. After I am able to do that, I need to build the rest of the program around it, using the generic form that I also made last semester. Calculating the fitness should be easy for syntactically correct strings, simply plug in the truth tables and do a (% correct for each truth table)*(Efficiency of logic gate system). Higher fitness in this case is better, as it is closer to 100% correct and 100% efficient. Sadly, I'm not sure there is a way to brute force solutions to this problem, as there was with the Traveling Salesman, so determining true maximum efficiency may be impossible. If that is the case, I will simply say that 0 gates is 100% efficiency, and that the equa-tion for %eff is (1/(Ngates+1)). A more elegant solution may be necessary, as both the efficiency and rate of decay dwindle swiftly. Past a certain point, the number of gates will be far less signifi-cant than the truth table accuracy. I may add a weight factor to the GA library so that the user can determine how much more important accuracy is than cost, and the fitness will be scaled to compen-sate. If I am able to solve the hardware approximation domain for logic gates, I may expand to IIR filters, using real time illustration of the Biquad model. I don't look forward to porting my Py-thon software over to Matlab. After solving these three domains, I will spend my last semester per-fecting my generic form, compiling my library into a single, easy to use program, and writing the paper. Hopefully I will have the chance to present my software at a conference of some kind before I graduate, there is next to no open source research on hardware approximation, either gates or filters. The progress may be slow, but every advancement is extremely rewarding, and I can say that the individual research is easily teaching me as much as any of my other classes.

A graph of Distance vs Generations of an 8 city problem. You can see that the true solu-tion is found after app. 350 generations.

february 2015 edition

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