DOE FOSSIL ENERGY HBCU INTERNSHIP PROGRAM WEB DEVELOPMENT USING HOMESITE

Courtney Fields Computer Science and Mathematics, Department of Math and Computer Science, Elizabeth City State University


The first generation of static World Wide Web Pages is gradually giving way to dynamic sites with animation, backgrounds, images, and other applets which enhances an enjoyable homepage. There is also a steadily rising number of elements in which users can interact within their particiular creation of a homepage. This has become possible through new technologies which enables web browsers to create, implement, and product a homepage.

When it comes to technology, designing a homepage is time-consuming, requires sufficient planning, specialized knowledge, and patience. Most researchers learn how to create a homepage by using a software package called HTML. Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is a language that is used on the World Wide Wibe to create web pages. In conjuction with HTML is another package known as HomeSite. HomeSite is a development tool specialized for homepage beginners. HomeSite provides the user the ability to quickly learn, easily understand, and create a productive yet informative website. HomeSite also connects with HTML and the web through a special HTML device known as the CSE Validator. This allows developers to have a HTML syntax checker and and external/internal browser for the Internet.

BAMBOO: A PORTABLE SYSTEM FOR DYNAMICALLY EXTENSIBLE, REAL-TIME, NETWORKED, VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

Alicia Jones, Department of Math and Computer Science, Elizabeth City State University


One of the goals at the Naval Research Laboratory's Virtual Reality lab is to be able to have various people in a virtual environment and be able to have a system load and unload information upon demand. Bamboo has gained the interest of the VR Lab because they would like to use this software with one of their ongoing projects. As I continue my research in the department, I am expected to be able to use Bamboo and show all of its capabilities.

Bamboo is a distributed, dynamically extensible virtual reality toolkit that is being developed by Kent Watsen and Mike Zyda at the naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. It came out in May 1997. Bamboo is named after the plant which is compromised to many interwired shoots and roots. It is designed to facilitate the research and development of virtual environment applications of multiple platforms. Bamboo is to be able to access files on an as needed basis in a virtual environment. Bamboo supports callbacks, threads and event handling. All three mechanisms work together so modules can be loaded and unloaded upon demand. The callback is one of the most fundamental mechanisms in all of Bamboo.

OPTICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE ABSORPTION AND EMISSION PROPERTIES OF TM3+ DOPED FAP AND SFAP

Santiel Creekmore, Department of Physics, Elizabeth City State University


The optical characterization of a possible new laser material Tm doped fluorpatite and strontium fluorapatite has been performed. The absorption and emission properties of each material has been characterized using temperature dependent and polarization dependent absorption and emission spectroscopy. The energy levels of each crystal have been determined as well as the absorption and emission efficiency.

TEMPORAL RESPONSES OF THE MAIZE CATALASES TO LOW TEMPERATURE

Tanya Granger, Department of Biology, Elizabeth City State University



Catalase is a primary antioxidant enzyme that removes hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and prevents reactive oxygen species from forming. It is this enzyme that exhibits temporal differences in response to environmental factors. In this experiment the plant Zea mays(maize) was used. In maize, three unlinked structural catalse genes, Cat1, Cat2, and Cat3, encode a catalse isozyme(Cat-1, Cat-2, and Cat-3). The expression of specific catalase isozymes is important and critical against oxidative stress. Four maize lines(W64A, WA10B, WI9D, and WDN7-1) were observed to see if the catalase isozymes were induced or reduced in an environment of 4 degrees Celsius. W64A is the maize Standard inbread line which expresses all three cat genes. WA10B expresses Cat2 gene. WI9D maize line expresses Cat3 null and WDN7-1 a homozygous null line expresses Cat2 and Cat3.

Low temperature affects plants at all stages of their development. The chilling stress at 4 degrees Celsius helps detect changes in the pattern of catalse isozyme expression through the course of normal postgermination development. The four maize lines were post imbition at two and five dats. Due to the growth of the germinating seed, this helped the increase of catalase. This truly helped detect if chilling stress has an effect on catalase. The scutella and axes of germinated seeds were studied. The catalse genes were expressed primarily in these parts of the tissues. The effect of catalase to low temperatures also helped detect levels of RNA. This experiment determined if the chilling stress on catalase reduces or induces the catalase activity.

MULTIMEDIA AUTHORING WITH AUTHORWARE

J. Williams, J. Powell, and Angela Mizzele. Department of Math and Computer Science, Elizabeth City State University.


The N.E.R.T. Multimedia Group explored the world of interactive presentations through Authorware Software. First, the group learned Authorware basics by using the Macromedia Authorware 4 Authorized Hands-On Training Booklet. Once the students had mastered the basic concept of Authorware, they created their own story boards for an original presentation. The students presentation was called, "Authorware: From Us to You". With this presentation, the students explained what Authorware is and its educational value.

The primary audience was made up of fellow students who have not yet been exposed to this type of multimedia software. Students in the multimedia group also learned how to insert pictures, graphics, sounds and text into their original Authorware presentation. A field trip to the local United States Coast Guard Base allowed students to view several Authorware presentations created by staff at the USCG Media Center. While at the USCG, the students received other ideas and suggestions from Authorware uses that enchanced the presentation.

The second stage of this project will involve providing support for an Interactive Multimedia Physics Training Package under development by the University of Cairo in Egypt. The Egyptian PI will spend four weeks at Elizabeth City State University to train the team. Packages generated will be used by underclassman physics majors at the University of Cairo.

USING PHOTOREALISTIC RENDERMAN SOFTWARE TO RENDER IRIS EXPLORER GEOMETRIC MODELS

C. Fields, Math and Computer Science Department, Elizbeth City State University.



Advances in three-dimensional computer visualization has been a major factor in the dvelopment and production of high quality images. The use of three-dimensional viewing has become an essential issue in several academic sectors and the commercial product development. Advanced endeavors are worthless unless the results can be clearly communicated. Some type of verbal and/or visual medium should be used to interpret the data and to report the results to others. Computer Visualization gives one the opportunity of using photorealistic Renderman software to produce high quality images from IRIS Explorer geometric models and generate movies from these images by using an application known as Movie Maker. Visualization software is also used to generate these geometric models which are derived from NASA's Earth Radiation Budget Experiment or ERBE. The ERBE is a scanner instrument package which contains three instruments that are used to measure shortware, longwave, and total waveband radiation. It was decided to visualize the radiation data monthly over a period of four years.

The software package IRIS Explorer is a visual programming system for data visualization, maniplulation, and analysis. The software package IRIS Explorer is a visual programming system for data visualization, manipulation, and analysis. The system has a programming component which developers use for creating new applications and a user environment in which the application runs. IRIS Explorer runs all Silicon Graphics workstations and is available for other UNIX-based workstation and supercomputers.

THE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF CONSUMER'S COICE IN ATHELETIC FOOTWARE

Lakisha Mundon, Peter Ely, Charmaine Morgan, Tashia Tillet, Department of Math and Computer Science, Elizabeth City State University


This research involved conducting a study to determine which factors effect the way consumers purchase athletic footware. The most effective way to conduct this research was to create a specifically designed questionnaire. The data collected was analyzed statistically by using the techniques for categorical data. Cross-tabulation and chi-square procedures were used to determine the significant effects. The primary factors which influenced the consumer decision-making process were the type of shoe, the brand name, and the shoe price. Other variables that may have played a role in the selection process were race, age, salary, and sex. These were the independent variables. The dependant variable was the consumer's preference for the athletic footwear.

APACHE VS. NCSA HTTPD

Kuchumbi Hayden, Pamela Clanton, Marcia Granby, Department of Math and Computer Science, Elizabeth City State University


The purpose of this research project was to explain how to set up a World Wide Web Server using two different methods. The server is based on the HTTPd server developed by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications(NCSA) verses Apache 1.2.5.

The National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA was developed at the University fo Illinois at Urbana-Champain in 1985 with a grant from the National Science Foundation. NCSA is responsible for one of the most popular servers in this day and agte. The NCSA server will compile and run on most UNIX systems.

The Apache server is a freeware Web server written by the Apache Group, a non-profit organization of volunteer software developers. Apache is known to work with microcomputers and workstations running Solaris, SunOS, NeXT, HPUX, FreeBSD, BSDI, Irix, Linux, SCO, AUX, AIX, DEC Unix, Ultrix, and UnixWare variants.

This research involved studying all aspects of installing a server. This included understanding which configuration files are need and how they work.

The Unix workstation involved is named Sun17. Sun17 is a SPARC workstation machine located in Lester Hall at Elziabeth City State University(ECSU). The Apache web server is used as a backup for the ECSU NCSA webserver.

This research compared three security issues: 1. Login names and passwords needed to download certain documents. 2. Using proxies. 3. Using virtual hosts.

VRML 2.0-VIRTUAL MODELING LANGUAGE VERSION 2.0 DEVELOPMENT AND INTERACTIVITY

D. Charity. Department of Math and Computer Science, Elizabeth City State University


The purpose of my internship here at Naval Research Lab was to develop programs and script in VRML to make interactivity between the user and program more efficient. Also, to develop template programs to cut back length of scripted programming and time of production by inlining object files into the multipurpose event handling script generated in the template file.

The script developed will be used to inline multiple object files into real time battle situations with full versatility in movement in a Netscape browser. All template files have the option of moving an object in the XYZ plane of the virtual world. This is important in the development of real-time battle situations.

Another helpful tool is the capability of VRML and Javascript in creating Javascript, opens the world of highlighing, movement, and also mouse-over events. Used along with VRML, the programs developed become more powerful and user friendly. Another advantage in using the template files is that the programmer is able to switch in and out of objects he or she wants to see in full movability. VRML is becoming a broader research field at the Virtual Reality Lab because of its accessibility and viewability through Netscape.

DIFFERNTIAL EQUATIONS FROM A DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS POINT OF VIEW

Ayonda Moore, Arthur Fenner, Brian Jordan, Micheal Pugh, (Dr. Dipendra Seqngupta) Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Elizabeth City State University.


This research concerns the chaos involved in nonlinear dynamical systems. To gain some understanding of nonlinear dynamical systems we began our study with linear systems including homogeneous and non-homogeneous LRC (inductor-resistance-capacitor) circuits. In the latter case, we explored the phenomenon of resonance in a force system. We then used Mathematica to develop a complete classification including graphical representations of all possible dynamics to second order linear systems. With this information, we were able to depict the bifurcation diagram for these solutions. Then we moved on the LRC circuits including a semiconductor to add an element of nonlinearity. This closely modeled the Van der Pol equation. With the use of Jacobian and other methods we linearlized these systems near the equalibrium points to get a qualitative concept of the systems. The next nonlinear system that we explored was the force pendulum which has chaotic behavior in certain regions. We again used MATHEMATICA to understand the periodic and chaotic behavior of the system and find Lyapunov exponent. Our future research will involve methods of controlling the chaos by steering it into periodic orbits and use the model to control the noise of communitcation system. Thsi research is funded by NASA LEWIS CENTER.

ZERO-BASED RULEMAKING PROJECT

S. Joyner. Department of Math and Computer Science, Elizabeth City State University.


The ten-week internship at the Department of Transportation involves work with the Office of Moter Carriers. Currently, the Office of Motor Carriers is working on a project called the "Zero-Based Rulemaking Project". The "Zero-Based Rulemaking Project" was launched in 1992 to improve the organization, format and clarification of the FMCRs. The goal of this intership project was to establish a Web page for the public in which there are links between the FMCRs and various other web sites.

To complete this process, various software packages such as Frontpage and Microsoft Network Composer were utilized. Knowledge of the overall structure of the agency, and how various regulations become official was also a prerequistie.

During this project, the need to learn a new technical vocabulary used by the Office of Moter Carriers and the Plain English Movement was essential.

GENERATION OF TEST TOOLS TO EXERCISE TROUBLESHOOT NETWORK EQUIPMENT FOR REALTIME CLCS

K. Godwin. Deaprtment of Math and Computer Science, Elizabeth City State University.


The Checkout and Launch Control System(CLCS) mission is to replace the current Launch Procession Syste(LPS) with standard-based Commercial Off-The-Shelf(COTS) system and custom software. It will utilize multi-vender platforms tied together with standard Local Area Network(LAN) technology. A program mandate is to replace the exisitng LPS without causing changes to existing flight hardware or software and with no impact to the flight manifest.

Ultimately, these tools will mature into a deliverable suite of tools to be used by the Operations Engineers in their day-to-day activites, as well as generating data to be used in the vendor selection of various network components. The tools are generated in the "C" programming languate within the Unix environment and untilzied, at a minimum, the User Datagram Protocol(UDP) and the Internet Protocol(IP) via the use of Unix sockets.



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