Scientia, Volume 7 (2016)

From the Editors In the words of Sir Francis Bacon, *ipsa scientia potestas est*. That is to say, “knowledge itself is power.” Bacon understood that there exists a fundamental partnership between power and knowledge of the natural world, and it is from this idea that the name of our journal, *Scientia*, is derived. At Notre Dame, and especially in the College of Science, we strive to use knowledge and innovation as tools to benefit society, and *Scientia* works to showcase that pursuit at the undergraduate level. As such, we are pleased to present the seventh volume of *Scientia*, Notre Dame’s Undergraduate Journal of Scientific Research. In this 2016 edition of *Scientia*, you will find papers that represent only a portion of the research done by undergraduates across the College of Science, from an analysis of an exercise program for those with Parkinson’s disease to the evaluation of an algorithm to identify particle tracks in the Compact Muon Solenoid at the Large Hadron Collider. The mission of *Scientia* is rooted in its focus on promoting undergraduate research and promoting scientific discussion across the College of Science. We accomplish this through our publication process, run entirely by undergraduate students, and our monthly “Talk Science” seminars. These seminars, currently in their sixth year, provided undergraduate students with the opportunity to present their research in an informal setting and gave professors the chance to talk to students about their career in science and the importance of engaging undergraduates in research. We thank the students and faculty members who presented this year, whose names are listed on the final page of the journal. We would like to thank all the people who have supported *Scientia*. We would especially like to thank and welcome Mary Galvin, Dean of the College of Science, the staff of the dean’s office, and Professor Dom Chaloner, our faculty advisor. We appreciate the students who submitted their papers for review, as well as their faculty mentors who aided in this process. Finally, we thank all of our staff members, especially our section editors, for all of their work throughout the year. Without them, *Scientia* would not be possible. The thought of graduating from Notre Dame this year is bittersweet, but we hope that our work with *Scientia* will stand as a testament to the pride that we have in our University and its continued emphasis on undergraduate research experiences. As we look forward to the future, we are excited to announce *Scientia*’s next editors-in-chief as Luke Maillie and Daniel Pape. Both Luke and Daniel joined *Scientia* as first-year students and have gone above and beyond this year as managing editors in facilitating the organization of this journal. We know that *Scientia* is in good hands. In Notre Dame, Michael Dinh Kaitlin Jacobson *Scientia* Editors-in-Chief