STEM Visualization

Introduction to the Mountaintop Summer Project

Lehigh University's Mountaintop Summer Project is a unique program where students collaborate with faculty on diverse projects. Every summer, professors design the project details and select students to contribute. This program offers a hands-on experience, blending academic guidance with student innovation.

My Experience with the STEM Visualization Program

In the summer of 2021, I participated in the STEM Visualization program. We developed an interactive web application, now hosted on the university's server, aimed at addressing the high dropout rates in engineering programs. Recognizing that new students often feel overwhelmed by complex concepts, our web app was designed to simplify these ideas through graphical and video demonstrations, making them more approachable and understandable.

Developing Educational Tools with Chemistry and Machine Learning

Building on the work of previous years, our project, guided by a professor specializing in chemistry and machine learning, focused on introducing data science concepts to new engineering students. We used Python, a leading language in machine learning, and selected Bokeh for building our web application modules. Bokeh translates Python code into HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, ensuring seamless interactivity. For our machine learning tasks, we utilized Scikit-learn, known for its simplicity and effectiveness.

Interactive Learning through Data Science Techniques

Our approach involved basic data cleaning and segmentation into training and testing sets. We employed various algorithms, including regressions and classifications, allowing users to experiment with different attributes and observe the algorithm's performance. This interactive aspect aimed to demystify data science and make learning more engaging for engineering students.

Passing the Baton: Ongoing Development of the Web Application

Upon completion of our phase of the project, we handed it over to the next group of students for further development. This process ensures the continuous evolution of the web application, adding new modules and features, and keeping the tool relevant and effective for future engineering students.