The Essence of Hemlocks

Poetry by Haley Huelsman

BU Libraries self-care "Take a coloring break" posters

These posters were created to encourage self-care and healthy habits during exam periods at BU

Adventures in Tena

Postcard from Haley Parson, during the Linfield College Semester Abroad Program at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuado

The Evolution of Language Groups among Cooperating Digital Predators

Many species of animals have evolved complex means for communicating with one another. Oftentimes, communication is essential for the execution of tasks that require cooperation between individuals, such as group hunting and mate selection. As a result, communication itself becomes essential for survival. While these facts are readily observed, the evolutionary processes underlying them are less understood, in large part because observational - much less controlled - studies of these processes are impossible. Both the timescales and population sizes required for such studies are simply too great. To address these problems, this thesis uses simulated predators to study the evolution of language in animals. These digital predators evolve to perform two cooperative tasks: hunting and mate selection. After the populations of predators have evolved to perform both tasks successfully, the population is decomposed into both language groups and cooperative groups. Spectral clustering identifies predators that speak similar languages, while merge clustering is used to find those groups of predators that are the most successful when working together. Analysis of the groups generated by these two different methods shows that the most successful pairings are not necessarily those in which the two individuals are speaking the same language. Rather, organisms can evolve to speak a different language than the one to which they respond. Moreover, even though one task -- mate selection -- evolves earlier in evolutionary history, the language diversity it produces counteracts any head-start provided for the evolution of the second task. Thus, not only is language important for the evolution of cooperative task success, but the appearance of language groups can also play a determinant role in the evolution of cooperation.Computer Science

Cavity radiometer Patent

Black body cavity radiometer with thermal resistance wire bridge circui

Convergence and generalization of a recursion equation for primes

The main result is a generalization of Keller's recursion equation for finding a prime number given the previous primes. We also examine the convergence of the limit in Keller's equation and the convergence of the limit in the general equation. The latter is dependent on the choice of L-function

Comment on Using Criminal Punishment to Serve Both Victim and Social Needs

Haley comments on the argument underlying the article by Erin Ann O\u27Hara and Maria Mayo Robbins, which emphasizes on victim-offender mediation (VOM). By expanding the frame of reference, restorative justice can be defined as a paradigm whose scope encompasses more than VOM and whose emphasis includes the needs of society and offenders as well as victims. Restorative justice involves a wide variety of processes and programs that are more apt to restore both those who commit and those who suffer wrongs. It includes children at risk programs, drug courts, violence-treatment programs, as well as VOM programs. It also includes efforts to assist former convicts returning to the community to engage in constructive lifestyles and sustainable roles in families, workplaces, and neighborhoods