This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only. The information is accurate as of the last page update.
For questions about page contents, contact the Communications Division.
Trustee Scholarship recipient Angela Coxe ’03 is participating in a study that some would find odd for the season. Using the mathematical concepts of Fuzzy Logic and Fuzzy Automata, Coxe is working to create models of snowflake growth at Lafayette this summer.
Selected from among Lafayette’s top applicants, Trustee Scholarship recipients have distinguished themselves through exceptional academic achievement in high school. They receive from Lafayette an annual minimum scholarship of $7,500 (totaling $30,000 over four years) or a grant in the full amount of their demonstrated need if the need is more than $7,500.
A participant in Lafayette’s distinctive EXCEL Scholars program, Coxe is working with Cliff Reiter, professor of mathematics. In EXCEL, students collaborate closely with faculty members on research projects while earning a stipend.
“We’re trying to understand the behavior of cellular automata by examining the pattern of evolution of an object that has the kind of symmetry and also diversity similar to snowflakes. Snowflakes serve as a good model for this project, because they maintain a constant shape in that they are six-sided, but there’s also an immense diversity of patterns,” says Reiter. “We’re using the concept of Fuzzy Logic, which uses intermediate values between true and false, so something is probably true, but could be false, to conduct this research.”
Coxe is assisting with the research, in part, by working with the programming language, J.
“I work with J to make pictures and explore Fuzzy Logic and Fuzzy Automata. Professor Reiter helps me with the programming and gives me ideas to start with, then I work from his ideas to explore them more,” says Coxe, a double major in mathematics and computer science.
Working on this project allows Coxe the opportunity to approach mathematics from a perspective different than the one encountered in the classroom. She credits the research with helping her “get a better understanding of mathematical concepts.”
“This EXCEL work also gives me more time to understand J, which is very complicated. The main reason EXCEL is very appealing to me is that it uses math, computer skills, and graphics, and it ties together both of my majors. In addition, it enables me to focus on one topic and lets me work on my own to learn instead of being lectured to,” she says.
Reiter considers EXCEL a great opportunity.
“EXCEL gives students a chance to build their self-confidence and make a real contribution beyond the normal curriculum,” he says.
Adds Coxe, “Lafayette provides good opportunities for projects like this, because a student can use the school and all the facilities to do their research.”
She particularly appreciates the chance to meet students from other institutions and exchange ideas.
Coxe also is enjoying the opportunity to interact with math students from around the country who are on campus for the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates.
Coxe participates in track and field and cheerleading, and is vice president of the Gymnastics Club. She is also involved with the Community Outreach Center, where she is director of the Pre-Orientation Habitat Camp program, which partners with the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate and the Wildlands Conservancy.
A National Leader in Undergraduate Research. Angela Coxe ’03 coauthored articles in Computer and Graphics and Vector with Clifford Reiter, professor of mathematics.