andoverscienceandtechreview

Light Pollution: the Detrimental Effects of Sky Glow

1Dec

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Biology

Light Pollution: the Detrimental Effects of Sky Glow

By Nina Capaldi '27 Light pollution is the human-made change to outdoor light levels. Factories, streetlights, billboards, houses, parking lots, and satellites all contribute to light pollution. Light pollution is a serious concern as the brightened sky is detrimental to all life. Two-thirds of America and over a half of Europeans can no longer view the Milky Way with their naked eyes, and 63% of the world population and 99% of the E.U. and U.S. live under a night sky that is brighter than the threshold for light-pollution. According to the International Astronomical Union, the threshold for light pollution is if the artificial brightness of the sky is greater than 10% of the brightness of the natural sky. Light pollution has gone unchecked for years, and has increased by 10% every year...

1Dec

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Technology

Predictive Algorithms in Healthcare

By Saketh Lingisetty '27 Artificial intelligence (AI) has recently taken the world by storm, especially in the field of healthcare. Predictive algorithms powered by AI have been able to detect early signs of disease, improve patient behavior, and quickly process clinical data with precision, all while reducing the workload and resources required for these tasks. Companies like Johnson&Johnson have utilized AI to kickstart a new era for medical advancement. Predictive algorithms could make hosting clinical trials easier and more precise. A clinical trial is conducted with selected patients to evaluate the safety and efficiency of a medical treatment or procedure. A major challenge in this process is efficiently recruiting and enrolling patients who meet the trial’s criteria....

1Dec

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Technology

Students in CSC561: Machine Learning Reflect on Their Experience

By Patrick Xu ‘27 Given the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning is as relevant as ever in the real world—notably, in education. In the fall term of the 2024-2025 school year, Phillips Academy offers an advanced computer science (CS) course on Machine Learning, taught by Dr. Nicholas Zufelt. Offering a multifaceted curriculum and personalised assistance, students in this course work closely with artificial intelligence to understand how they operate. While this course is undoubtedly fascinating, the reasons students selected it varied. When Bill Ke ’27 describes his thought process, he reflects on previous CS courses he has taken at Phillips Academy: “I chose to take Machine Learning because in Scientific Computing last spring term, I did a bit of...

1Dec

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Technology

Artificial Intelligence Club Members Offer Nuanced Opinions on AI’s Place in Our Lives

By Zachary Yuan '27 As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes industries worldwide, students at Andover are exploring how it can impact their futures. The Andover AI Club provides a platform where students from diverse backgrounds can explore the transformative potential of AI through hands-on projects, ethical discussions, and real-world applications. Through their work in the club, Andover students are not only building technical skills but are also examining the broader implications of AI in fields like healthcare, education, creativity, and mental health—preparing to shape a future where AI plays an increasingly central role. The club’s board members are particularly passionate about AI's potential to reshape the world. Paige Zhu ’27 has “always been interested in the intersection...

Student Reflect on the Role of AI & ChatGPT in Their Learning

1Dec

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Technology

Student Reflect on the Role of AI & ChatGPT in Their Learning

By: Jay Jung ‘27 As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into daily life, generative AI tools like ChatGPT are rapidly making their way into classrooms, reshaping the landscape of traditional classrooms and learning environments. As a community with diverse outlooks on such pressing issues closely related to the lives of students on campus, this article captures the various opinions of Andover students on the rapid advancements in technology and AI, and their following consequences to Andover student body. Henry Zimmerman ‘27, a student very interested in the ethical dilemma of the advancement of technology, expressed his concerns about potential data breaches. He mentioned, "Technology takes ethical and moral violations and makes them much easier...

3Dec

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Publications

ASTR Issue 3, Fall 2024

Tech Review F2024 FinalDownload

18Jun

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Technology

Does Artificial Intelligence Have a Voice?

By: Alfonso Gonzalez-Cano ‘27 Artificial Intelligence has exploded in popularity in past years, bringing millions of users to different LLMs (Large Language Models) such as Snapchat’s My AI, Google’s Gemini, and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Part of AI’s appeal stems from its production of seemingly original text based on any prompt. However, does this text feature a unique voice? In this study, I prompted the three different LLMs — ChatGPT, Gemini, and Snapcaht’s My AI — with twelve complex topics and recorded each AI’s opinion. Topics included RAM, derivatives, constellations, programming, temperature, value, AI learning, global warming, copyright, entropy, chance of death, and nuclear weapons. After each LLM responded, I analyzed the transcripts and recorded the most common words, bigrams (tw...

18Jun

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Chemistry, Technology

The Future of Science: Nate Liang’s Research and Independent Project on Computational Chemistry

By: Patrick Xu ‘27 During the Spring term of the 2023-2024 school year, Nate Liang ’25 is doing an independent project (IP) relating to chemistry. Specifically, he is researching computational chemistry, which uses computers to model chemical reactions, different types of molecules, and more, which makes it easier to analyze reaction kinetics, thermodynamics, and molecule interactions. Liang remarks that his interest in this IP stems from the need for computational chemistry in the real world: “I think for our generation at least, it's becoming more important to utilize technology when studying and applying science. People are making different types of medicines or other things that will save the environment. Right now, that process is really expensive because you have to buy all the...

18Jun

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Physics, Technology

“Between the Heat Death of the Universe and Tomorrow” —An Intro to Conor Scheidt’s Post-Quantum Cryptography Project

By: Cleo Xu ‘26 CSC 600 is an independent study course offered at Phillips Academy Andover. This course allows students to design their own project by drawing skills learned from previous courses in both computer science and mathematics. Students spend a significant amount of time self-studying and reading through papers and documentations. At the end of the course, students turn in their final product either by making a presentation or writing a paper or blog, some of these papers have been published in scientific journals and presented at conferences. Have you ever thought about who or what might be looking at your personal information while you stare at the screen? Or what might be protecting you from those dangerous leaks? Probably not that often–to use Conor’s words: “We take secu...

18Jun

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Physics, Technology

The Future of Plasma Physics and Quantum Computing: An Interview with Michael May ‘11 (PAA)

By: Niki Tavakoli ‘27 Michael May ‘11 is a physicist currently working at the Plasma Physics Program in Princeton. He specializes in the use of quantum computers to simulate plasma behavior, and is currently working on a project aimed at rewriting fundamental equations in order to make quantum computer simulations of plasma more accurate in the hopes that they’d be an alternative to our current solutions. May joined Andover as a new upper from a rural town. Though he wasn’t able to take many higher-level math classes, he did take the Physics 400 sequence. However, it wasn’t until college that physics truly began to interest him. May elaborated further on his physics journey. “I was not particularly excited by [Physics 400], but I guess I was hoping that when I went to college that...