CEE Honors Thesis Defense Announcement: Duncan Turley

The CEE Department is pleased to announce Duncan Turley's Honors Thesis Defense: "Data Sonification of CAM Photosynthesis"

Date: Thursday, May 30th, 2024
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: online via zoom link pdx.zoom.us/j/84883538428
Advisor: Dr. Samantha Hartzell

Abstract: Sonification is a powerful tool that is harnessed by modern engineers and designers to bring information to users through audio; but to what extent can it simplify a researcher's ability to differentiate complex data sets is unknown. Sonification can be used to facilitate the listener's ability to grasp microscopic or complex changes in the state of a system. This study looks to use the assigning of sound patterns to model parameters that indicate chaotic or non-chaotic systems in Crassulacean acid metabolism photosynthesis. Using sound allows the understanding of chaotic data without the more time intensive process of fast fourier transformations. Based on past research, it is known what environmental conditions result in chaos for the photosynthesis model, Photo3. The goal of the agave script is to enable instantaneous understanding of the chaos state of the photosynthetic system. By changing model inputs using a musical instrument digital interface controller, model parameters for light intensity, light period, and temperature, can be manipulated in real time moving between chaotic or non-chaotic regimes. Changes in the audio pattern played back from the device illustrate when the model shifts from order to chaos. The results were successful in distinguishing chaotic regimes showing all three possibilities that exist in a dynamic system: periodic, chaotic, and a stable fixed point are seen.