“We Do Journalism”
the Quadrangle
Visit Our Website mcquad.org
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MANHATTAN COLLEGE | SINCE 1924
Volume CVIII, Issue 10
FREE
NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 14, 2023
Bart Horn, Ph.D. Receives NSF grant to study Early Universe Cosmology Karen Flores
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Future Jaspers Honored at Game Two highschool seniors recieve scholarship from Manhattan College Air Force ROTC.
@MANHATTAN.EDU/COURTESY
Freshman Class Voice Concerns of Campus Life at Forum Event Mary Haley
Asst. Social Media Editor The class of 2027 vice presidents, Shu Amanuma and Ashely Zegler, held a freshman forum event where new students could voice their concerns about campus life and discuss how their first few weeks of college have progressed. Amanuma and Zegler presented slides of general topics of campus life, including public safety and academic transparency, and also topics that are more unique to Manhattan College life, such as involvement of commuters in campus events and different meal plans.
IN NEWS:
Freshman Class Voice Concerns on p. 3
The representatives opened the floor to record students discussing each topic and their own opinions and experiences with each aspect of campus life. The freshman representatives plan to present these concerns to the greater student government organization on campus to work together to hopefully find a solution to what was raised. One student, who chose to remain anonymous, shared their insight on the topics that were presented. Their concerns regarded the issue of academic transparency and the uncertainty of navigating that as a first-year student.
IN FEATURES: AI’s Use in Work Space on p. 4
The student raised their concerns about a three-hour night class that meets once a week, explaining how unclear the adjunct professor is with assignments of when they are due. They explained that this lack of communication interferes with how they learn the material and makes them uncertain if they are prepared for the class or not. “It is a problem with adjuncts,” the student said. “Due dates [will] come and she does not post a slot for it, so it’s kind of just very unorganized. I’m not learning anything.” __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Bart Horn, Ph.D., associate professor of physics at Manhattan College, received a $135,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support his research on early universe evolution and cosmology. According to manhattan. edu, the grant’s title is “Pion Lagrangian for Large Scale Structure in Cosmology” and it is part of the NSF’s Research at Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) program, which aims to aid research projects that involve undergraduate students. Horn is working alongside Bhavya Mishra, a junior computer science major with a minor in astronomy, and David Muqattash, a junior physics major. They hope to collect and analyze data for algorithms used to help create simulations of the evolution of large-scale structures (LSS), or the pattern of galaxies and clusters of galaxies, in the early universe. Horn explained to The Quadrangle that one of the goals of the research is to be able to develop new computational and theoretical techniques to make sense of the data collected from the largescale structure. “Before now, the sources of precision data have been looking at the cosmic microwave background, which is a very clean data source, but it’s only a two-dimensional map,” Horn explained. “With large-scale structure, we have a three-dimensional universe to look at. But the problem is messy. A lot has happened in the last few billion years and it takes a bit to sort it out.” Mishra began looking for research opportunities at the beginning of his freshman year and approached Horn during his physics 101 class to discuss ways in which he could do research with him. “He was actually more than eager to introduce me to this
IN A&E:
Book Nook: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan on p. 6
professional research field,” Mishra said. “It was a good coincidence I must say that he needed someone from computer science to work with the layout and designing of the simulations.” Mishra is interested in astrophysics and hopes that he can merge both computer science and physics in a way that connects with astronomy. He believes that being a part of this research has aided in the growth of his knowledge on both sides. “I’m trying to merge these two fields together. Astrophysics on its own is more theoretical,” Mishra said. “But when you want to implement them or experiment with them, you need some kind of simulation made through code so you can visualize a piece of the universe. I’m learning a lot about how to bring them closer day by day, it’s very interesting.” Muqattash found that being involved in this research has allowed him to gain skills outside of his major and strengthen his understanding of what he is taught in the classroom. “Coding is an amazing skill that I’ve begun to learn with this research,” Muqattash said. “On top of that, I’m having an early go at some of the more advanced topics and concepts in physics which will definitely help in the leap from classes to jobs or from classes to research. To be able to emulate this in a safe academic environment is very helpful.” Mishra and Muqattash have taken part in presenting the research to various audiences, including the Jasper Summer Research symposium and the 41 Rochester Society of Physics Students Zone 2 Conference. Muqattash recalled what it was like to present at the summer symposium and said that while daunting, it felt very good to present what he had __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
IN SPORTS:
Jasper Takes on G-League on p.8