Today’s music streaming services do not allow people to listen to music together. I often find myself working with peers in a library, coffee shop, or classroom, faced with the dilemma of whether to work together, and go through the awkward process of splitting headphones, or listening to different music and collaborating less. If you walk through any public workspace, you can observe people with headphones on, immersed in their own soundscapes. This project will study identify ways to split sound from one device into multiple headphones. This will allow multiple people to be engaged in the same auditory environment. Sharing the same music while working may increase collaboration and productivity, as well as bringing the communal and social aspect back into music...During the first phase of research, I will focus on programming the splitter. The project has already brought up some difficult problems that I’ll need to work with my mentor to solve. I’ll start by solidifying my minimum viable product (MVP), which in this case is a program that allows audio to be simultaneously played through to laptops. After I have a clear plan of exactly what I want to code, I’ll work with my mentor on researching more resources to build the application. I will be coding the app in Java. I’ll need to construct a media player interface, a server which relays the audio data, and code which manages the input of the code. One I have a functional project I’ll work on making it have an intuitive and aesthetically suitable user interface. Finally, I’ll work on making the app available for mobile...

How can audio signal analysis techniques be employed to synthesize realistic instrument sounds and performance of music? In this study, we will be focusing specifically on the violin. For the past century, much research has been done on the physics of stringed instruments, to the extent that almost every aspect of stringed instruments are very well understood. More recently, researchers and musicians alike have begun studying the synthesis of musical instruments. This research has also progressed tremendously, and various techniques have been developed for realistic computer synthesis of the sound of stringed instruments. However, while various techniques have been developed to synthesize highly realistic sounds, computer synthesis falls short to real performances in that it is unable to express emotion and feelings that a real performer would be able to present in a live performance...In this research project, we will be focusing specifically on the violin, and generating realistic violin sounds. We will begin with the analysis of violin samples in order to understand the fundamentals of sound synthesis. Next, we will study and employ sound synthesis techniques from past research to generate realistic violin sounds, and possibly improve upon or create a new technique in the process. Finally, we will build upon previous research on sound synthesis by developing a method to synthesize music with musicality, allowing a much more realistic computer rendition of music. The results of this research project are not limited to the violin, as they can be easily extrapolated to other stringed instruments, and instruments from other families as well...Research will be divided into several steps. The first step is to study the acoustics of the violin. This includes topics such as why the timbre of a violin is unique to the violin and how the violin makes sound. The second step is to analyze violin samples through audio analysis and research methods to synthesize sounds. These two steps should take around a month to complete. The third step is to synthesize an actual violin sound based on the conclusions of the analysis in the second step. This step should also take around a month to complete. Last, the fourth step, which should take around two months to complete, is to develop methods to synthesize more sophisticated violin sounds with various bowing techniques, dynamics, and tempo. Furthermore, if time permits, use machine learning to determine how a musical piece can be synthesized with musicality.

Each year, sports franchises waste millions of dollars signing players to huge contracts, betting on them to become their next franchise cornerstone lead the team to victory, but in the end, greatly disappointed. Other teams, however, salvage their franchise player in the 6th round of the draft, wasting little money for a player that brings home a championship, forever embedding the team in history. But how exactly does one find that franchise player who will lead the team to victory, and how exactly does one avoid drafting a bust? The answer lies in the ability to measure the intangible abilities...All legendary athletes possess a 6th sense for the game, the calmness during the biggest moment, the ability to perceive the game slower than it actually is; it is what sets the greatest players apart from the simply good players, and what sets good players apart from complete failures. Therefore, recognition of these intangible abilities is key to making the right draft choices, signing free agents, and giving players multi-million dollar, extensive contracts. However, by studying film, sports analytics, and trends, it is possible not only recognize intangible traits, but also develop models to calculate these intangibles. For this reason, sports analytics is the future of sports operations and management...Research, preparation, and execution of the project shall be divided into four parts: research on attributes and aesthetics that cause an app to appeal to the human eye; research on sports data and development of models to measure intangible abilities; familiarization with technology and tools necessary to create the app; and the development of the app itself...Research on attributes and aesthetics will be the first step in designing the app. When putting an app on the global market, one is competing with thousands of other developers who recently put their apps on the market as well...The next step in designing the app will involve research on sports data, noticing trends in the data, and utilizing that sports data to develop algorithms for calculating intangibles. This is arguably the most important step in the research project, as the algorithms and models developed are the basis of the app. Each intangible ability will be numerically measured, as if it were a normal statistic, and will be calculated via formulas, algorithms, and models...

How does a foreign perception of nations’ cultures compare with the reality of each respective culture? What traits of the culture and its perception are similar and different across the board, and how do these perceptions correlate with the state of relations between the nation with a distinct culture and another nation with a certain perception of that culture? When most people assess foreign relations, they usually focus on the governments in question and what images they project of themselves. However, I strongly believe that it is the people of that nation that have the most effect on the true culture of the nation...The new trend of news as portrayed in social media is a more personal, up close perspective of an issue, such as the personal stories of migrants posted daily by Brandon Stanton on his famous page, Humans of New York. Dealing with an issue at a personal level rather than making a blanket statement about a culture or government can ben important. However, the aforementioned media sources are heavily reliant on pathos to convey their messages, and unbiased yet genuine news is almost impossible to obtain through that medium. This project aims at not only to studying cultural relativism and the long-lasting effect of a misconception... I will be conducting a case study on United States relations Cuba. For the Cuba case study, I will use my field study in Cuba to observe the actual culture of Cuba, and compare it to the American perception of Cuban culture. The American perspective will be compiled from a variety of different sources that reflect the views of the American public rather than the media or government. Using these observations, I will assess the relations between Cuba and the United States and how cultural perception has played a role in them. I traveled to Cuba on a field study with the League of Creative Minds in order to study the effects of the embargo on Cuba...

We aim to define success at Paly and Gunn and compare the two to understand the different environments and cultures present at the campuses. We intend to gather information from students attending both Palo Alto High School (Paly) as well as Gunn High School (Gunn) through mass surveys and four smaller focus groups. Focus groups would contain students, parents, teachers, as well as administrators. These will provide a more thorough understanding of students’ perceptions of success through in-depth questions and conversations. We aim to discuss factors that contribute to their definition of success, including getting into a top-tier college, home life, peers, parents, teachers, and mental health.....Our goal is to understand Paly and Gunn students’ definitions of success. We intend to reference the ideas behind Carol Dweck’s Mindset as well as Angela Duckworth’s Grit. Dweck worked to compare students with fixed and growth mindsets. Dweck claims that praising intelligence or ability doesn’t foster self-esteem or lead to accomplishment, but may actually jeopardize success. Duckworth conducted experiments within the classroom setting to realize that intelligence wasn’t the only difference between the highest and lowest performing students. Duckworth expanded the reach of her experiment and used grit and tenacity to predict which employees would excel in professional settings....We intend to gather information from students attending both Palo Alto High School (Paly) as well as Gunn High School (Gunn) through mass surveys and four smaller focus groups. Two focus groups will be held at each school, each with six freshmen/sophomores or juniors/seniors. Various racial backgrounds, genders, and socioeconomic standings will be represented. Our aim is to begin the research process by developing our own survey instrument that will need to be approved by the Human and Animal Subject Research Review Committee....

What are the differences and similarities between Narcissistic Personality Disorder and the other Cluster B personality disorders (Antisocial, Borderline, and Histrionic) and how can we use those comparisons to better understand the clinical indications for those afflicted with personality disorders and those in the surrounding environment? Additionally, how can we use this information to increase our understanding of personality disorders as a whole? In our research, we have found that in general, personality disorders are not very well understood by the general public or even professionals. We would like to address this issue in our research by using more recent studies and literature to compare and contrast different Cluster B personality disorders. We hope that this process will give us a better understanding of personality disorders in general, as well as being able to distinguish the different Cluster B disorders. Specifically, we would like to focus on Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), which contains aspects from many other Cluster B disorders; therefore, looking at all four personality disorders will allow us to better understand the clinical implications that are associated with NPD. Personality disorder are defined as “an enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations of the individual’s culture, is pervasive and inflexible, has an onset in adolescence or early adulthood, is stable over time, and leads to distress or impairment” (Dobbert 1). Additionally, PDs are sorted into three groups: “Cluster A, the odd/eccentric personality disorders, Cluster B, the dramatic/emotional personality disorders, and Cluster C, the anxious/fearful personality disorders” (Roark, 12). Narcissistic personality disorder is a Cluster B personality disorder, and is defined as “a pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts” (DSM-V, 669). Our society seems to promote narcissism and throw its general definition around; however, little is understood about the personality disorder that is becoming increasingly prevalent in our everyday lives. Some professionals refuse to even acknowledge that personality disorders are a genuine condition. However, there is a fine line between narcissism and having NPD, and it is something that needs to be addressed. Narcissism can be beneficial, even healthy, because to some degree, we all have a sense of narcissism. However, NPD blows this inner selfishness out of proportion, with devastating effects on family members, friends, coworkers, and the general population. It has been observed that “narcissistic personality disorder runs in families but this does not mean there is genetic transmission. Being raised as a child of a parent with NPD could lead to the development of NPD through early relational trauma” (Goldner-Vukov, Moore). Personality disorders don’t just affect the afflicted individual. They affect everyone in contact with that person, and draw others into their trap of dysfunction; therefore, it would be a mistake to not acknowledge the existence of personality disorders. Our study will be built solely on the prior work of others, by looking at the latest research on Cluster B personality disorders, and drawing our own conclusions and analysis from various texts. We hope that our study can bring a better understanding to the public about an issue that has devastating effects on mental health, and hopefully provide some answers to a growing number of people desperate to understand why people with personality disorders behave the way they do...

When thinking of helping the environment we jump to the big things, such as solar panels and electric vehicles which are effective but expensive means to help the environment. People often believe that cars are the worst source of greenhouse gas pollution when it’s the big commercial buildings that are the number one cause of pollution. There admissions come from heating/air conditioning and wired lighting and also, technology. The most effective way to help cut down energy consumption is to limit these usages in any way possible, and finding effective ways to cut down energy consumption in a large building near you, can potentially make a big difference. In this project we will be focusing on the creating a baseline for consumption of energy in the Palo Alto High School Media Arts Center. Looking at the expenses of each piece of technology, we will test different variations to cut down usage. We will start by auditing the building to get inventory, than tracking those behaviors to see what people are leaving on, and what opportunities for reduction exist. By testing different methods, we can quantify the data by comparing the utility bills before and after our tested variations. Using the Media Arts Center as a test subject is one way of figuring out the most effective ways to conserve energy, once we figure this out we can replicate the process in different areas of the school; and cut down energy usage at Palo Alto High School as a whole.

Given the voice samples of a group of individuals, how can we program a computer using machine learning to identify each individual solely based on their voice? In this research question, we are exploring the area of voice recognition, the identification of a person from the characteristics of his or her voice. Voice recognition in this research project is distinguished from speech recognition in that it is the identification of who is speaking rather than what is speaking. This topic of voice recognition/speaker recognition has been studied for about four decades and has employed the acoustic features of speech that are found to be different between individuals. Speaker recognition consists of two parts. The first part of this process is “enrolling” the individual, which is typically done by obtaining samples of the individual’s speech and converting those samples into features that can be used to identify the speaker. The second part is the “verification” process, which compares a second sample of speech with the model produced in enrollment. By incorporating these two concepts in our project, we will attempt to create a speaker recognition system that reliably identifies speakers from their voice, regardless of the way they speak...In our research project, we will be approaching this problem of identification with the goal that we can find a uniquely determining factor in human voice that can reliably distinguish between individuals. As such, our speaker recognition model will be designed with emphasis on reliability and accuracy in identifying the speaker given voice samples that accurately depict the speaker’s voice...There are numerous resources that provide literature on this topic. Because of our use of machine learning to produce our system, we will be using material such as Machine Learning for Audio, Image and Video Analysis by Francesco Camastra and Alessandro Vinciarelli and the resources on Google’s open source software library, Tensor Flow, to research this subject...The research we are conducting will use voice samples gathered from a selected group of individuals who will record themselves reading large blocks of text. Although we could use online resources to acquire our voice samples, we chose to gather these voice samples ourselves so as to mitigate the errors involved in this step of our project by controlling variables such as background noise, relative volume of the voice samples, and speech being delivered by the group. This places a larger burden on ourselves that could otherwise be avoided by using voice samples from other sources. However, we feel that the benefits inherent in this course of action outweigh the drawback of the extra work it requires...After producing our voice samples, we will be converting the sounds from an audio sample into wave form, which will allow for easier analysis. After doing so, we will program machine learning into the computer to learn how to recognize the various acoustic features found in a human voice. During the first month of our project, we will be primarily focusing on computer recognition of these features, rather than the analysis thereof...In the next step of our project, we will shift our focus towards developing computer programs that will learn to both recognize the patterns of human voice and discern the distinguishing characteristics of each voice. We will identify the characteristics we want the computer to analyze and choose a machine learning algorithm to apply to our data set. We will spend time implementing this algorithm and modifying it to fit our project needs. By making sure that we have a wide variety of samples for each voice by providing the individuals with large blocks of text, we will attempt to ensure accuracy of the programs in identifying each of the individual voices by implementing this algorithm that we have selected. This step of the process will likely take the majority of our remaining time for this project...