Research Beyond the Lab

From exploring mathematical principles in tic-tac-toe to a summer data science fellowship in telehealth, Eric Burkholder ’22, a mathematics and data science double major, has applied classroom concepts to real-world research.

Eric has spent a large amount of his time at Valparaiso University conducting research, and he has shaped his projects around his interests. He has worked with various faculty members and the Valpo Math Club to apply mathematical theorems to popular games like ultimate tic-tac-toe and Chinese checkers.

“People like doing research if it doesn’t feel like a class, but like a game,” Eric says. “I like to solve games and puzzles, especially if they appear easy, and wanted to approach them through mathematically oriented questions.”

The question posed to the Math Club was how to maximize win probabilities in ultimate tic-tac-toe, a variation of the classic game where each of the nine squares contains another tic-tac-toe board.

“We tailored our research to the members of the club,” Eric says. “Some were interested in math and others in computer science, so we were able to create a computer algorithm that played through the games and analyzed those results.”

While the club hopes to publish their research findings in the next year, Eric continues to explore his research interests with Valpo faculty members.

“A lot of my professors are able to work closely with me,” Eric says. “I’ve been able to complete independent study projects because my professors know me and how hard I work in my academics.”

Eric previously completed a project with Mindy Capaldi, Ph.D., associate professor of mathematics and statistics, to determine how quickly players could win a game of Chinese checkers. He currently works with Zsuzsanna Szaniszlo, Ph.D., professor of mathematics and statistics, to explore the game of cycles, a game played with mathematical concepts.

“Eric has a great drive and energy to look for new connections and new ideas,” Professor Szaniszlo says. “He has already formulated conjectures and proved theorems about the topic we are investigating. I am sure he has a bright future in mathematics. His enthusiasm, strong work ethic, and good grasp of the subject matter will lead to many new discoveries in any research area he will choose.”

In the summer of 2020, Eric took a break from his normal research into game principles to complete a data science research fellowship at Marquette University. His project goal was to plot data points, such as heart rate and respiratory rate, using video from a person’s face.

“One obvious application of my research was telehealth,” Eric says. “If patients no longer need to visit a doctor for metrics such as blood pressure and heart rate, better health access can be provided from home.”

While the topic of research is largely applied to work completed in a laboratory, Valpo students and faculty understand that innovation and discovery come from every field.

“Mathematics is an ever-evolving field with applications to society’s big problems,” Professor Szaniszlo says. “Just like with any scientific discovery, finding and proving a new mathematical theorem requires creativity, a lot of hard work, and some luck. Being the first in the world to see a solution to a problem is an immensely satisfying experience; it is worth all the frustration one must endure along the way.”