2003
During the summer, Linda McGuire and Elyn Rykken jointly supervised Stephanie Hartman's '04 independent study on remote sensing and linear algebra. Through a NASA grant, Muhlenberg obtained the computer program ENVI (Environment for Visualizing Images), a powerful system for processing images. Remote sensing uses electromagnetic radiation to collect data about the surface of the Earth and the surrounding atmosphere. Agriculture, forestry, oceanography, meteorology, and urban planning regularly use remote sensing data. Despite modern-day security issues, large amounts of these data are available to the general public. Stephanie focused on how two processes from linear algebra, singular value decomposition and principal component analysis, are used to classify and interpret information obtained via remote sensing. Specifically, they are used to reduce "noise" and to enhance image categorization. This project greatly extended Stephanie's knowledge of linear algebra applications well beyond what was covered in our standard linear algebra course. She submitted a paper to the EPADEL undergraduate paper conference, she participated in the poster session for the inauguration of President Helm in October 2003, and she gave a talk at the Moravian College Student Mathematics Conference in February 2004. She also obtained funding to attend and give a talk at the Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics in spring 2004. Stephanie applied to graduate school in mathematics and is currently attending the University of Connecticut.