About

Scott Zimmerman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics at The Ohio State University. His areas of expertise include analysis on metric spaces, geometric measure theory, geometric function theory, and harmonic analysis. His research primarily focuses on geometric function theory, geometric measure theory, and analysis in metric spaces, often within Carnot groups such as the Heisenberg group. Recently, his work has involved extension and embedding problems, contributing to the understanding of these complex mathematical areas.

Research topics

• Artificial Intelligence
• Computer Science
• Geology
• Biology
• Ecology
• Agronomy
• Acoustics
• Environmental science
• Materials science
• Remote sensing

Selected publications

• Sniffer position in an automated milking system affects the variability, repeatability, and consistent ranking of enteric methane emission measurements of dairy cows

  Journal of Dairy Science · 2026-01-02

  articleOpen access

  <h2>ABSTRACT</h2> Methane (CH₄) sniffers integrated into automated milking systems (AMS) are increasingly deployed to collect high-resolution, large-scale CH₄ emission data from dairy cows. The objective of this study was to assess how sniffer nozzle placement in AMS affects enteric CH₄ measurements in dairy cows. Nine CH₄ sniffer units (SimpleScan; C-Lock Inc.) were installed inside the AMS (DeLaval VMS) to measure enteric CH₄ concentration (ppm), with intake nozzles arranged in a 3 × 3, 15-cm grid above the feed bin. They were labeled from the top left to the bottom right position: upper left (UL), upper center (UC), upper right (UR), middle left (ML), middle center (MC), middle right (MR), lower left (LL), lower center (LC), and lower right (LR). Concurrently, a GreenFeed system (GF; C-Lock Inc.) was placed inside the freestall barn to measure enteric CH₄ production (g/d) from the same animals. Data from 107 cows were collected for 154 d. Visit-level data were aggregated by calculating mean values for each cow at the daily, weekly, and biweekly levels. Considerable variation in sniffer-based CH₄ concentration measurements was observed at the visit level, with mean (±SD) values ranging from 214 ± 102.5 ppm to 673 ± 239.9 ppm. The CV among sniffers ranged from 35.7% (LC) to 53.1% (MR) at the visit level and from 24.0% (UR) to 35.5% (LR) at the biweekly level. The Pearson correlation between each sniffer and the GF were moderate (<i>r_p</i> ranged from 0.25 [MR] to 0.49 [MC and LC]), with the central positions showing the strongest correlation. Stronger correlations (<i>r_p</i> >0.80) among sniffers were predominantly observed between sniffers positioned vertically. Visit-level CH₄ emission data were analyzed using generalized additive mixed-effects models. Aggregated data at daily, weekly, and biweekly levels of each cow were analyzed using a linear mixed-effects model. The variance components from these models were extracted to calculate repeatability. Repeatability estimates based on visit-level data were 0.19 for GF, with the values for individual sniffers ranging from 0.16 (UR) to 0.40 (LC). For both GF and sniffers, repeatability improved substantially when averaging weekly, with LC and MC achieving high repeatability (>0.70). To assess the potential of sniffers to rank cows as high or low emitters, estimated random cow effects of each sniffer position and the GF were used to calculate Spearman's rank correlation coefficients. Low to moderate correlations were observed (<i>r_s</i> ranged from 0.31 [MR] to 0.56 [MC]). The MC location showed the greatest potential to rank animals. Finally, the model-estimated systematic effects on CH₄ emission varied by sniffer locations, with LC and MC being able to consistently capture similar diurnal variations, as well as breed- and parity-specific effects on CH₄ emissions, comparable to those detected by the GF. In summary, the reliability, between-animal variability, and ranking correlations of CH₄ measurements vary between sniffer locations in AMS, with the sniffer positioned near the cow's muzzle being the most repeatable. Benchmarking on GreenFeed, sniffers exhibited differential uncertainty in ranking lactating dairy cows based on their CH₄ emissions, and require further investigations.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Directional pliability, Whitney extension, and Lusin approximation for curves in Carnot groups

  Annales Fennici Mathematici · 2025-10-24

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  We show that, in arbitrary Carnot groups, pliability in a subset of directions is sufficient to guarantee the existence of a Whitney-type extension and a Lusin approximation for curves with tangent vectors in the same set of directions. We apply this to show that every horizontal curve in the Engel group must intersect a \(C^{1}\) horizontal curve in a set of positive measure.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Sex-Specific Differential Gene Expression Following a Single Bout of Exercise in Mice

  Physiology · 2025-05-01

  articleSenior author

  Although many studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of chronic exercise on brain gene expression, the transcriptomic changes induced by acute exercise and their sex-specific mechanisms remain underexplored. This study investigated sex-specific exercise-induced gene expression changes in the hippocampus of male and female C57BL/6 mice following a single bout of exercise. Mice ran on a treadmill at 20 meters per minute for one hour and brain tissue was collected immediately afterward. Bulk RNA sequencing was performed, and differentially expressed genes and gene ontology pathways analyzed. The single bout of exercise significantly altered hippocampal gene expression in a sex-specific manner. In females, 70 genes were up-regulated while 2 were down-regulated. Eighteen genes were up-regulated in males. Gene ontology enrichment analysis identified shared pathways between sexes, including long-term memory, transcription regulation, and cell differentiation. Additionally, sex-specific pathways were amplified. For example, vasculogenesis was enriched in females, whereas the cellular response to calcium ion pathway was increased in males. These findings provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying exercise-induced neuroplasticity in a sex-specific manner. MSU Biomedical Sciences program This abstract was presented at the American Physiology Summit 2025 and is only available in HTML format. There is no downloadable file or PDF version. The Physiology editorial board was not involved in the peer review process.

  PublisherDOI

• On the equivalence of derivatives for maps between Carnot groups

  Communications on Pure &amp Applied Analysis · 2025-01-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  This paper gives an alternate, elementary proof of a result of Magnani: maps between Carnot groups that preserve horizontal curves and are continuously differential in horizontal directions in the Euclidean sense are continuously Pansu differentiable. This proof contains primarily Euclidean arguments and also reproves a version of Magnani's mean value estimate for continuously Pansu differentiable maps.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Relationship of bioelectrical impedance to organoleptic sensory data of farm-raised olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus

  Aquaculture International · 2025-02-08 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract There exists a need for simple, objective, noninvasive digital testing methods to ensure the quality of seafood products as they move from harvest sites to consumers. In this study, Paralichthys olivaceus sourced from a land-based aquaculture tank were harvested and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) scores and organoleptic sensory data were recorded for each fish. The Certified Quality Reader 3.0 BIA device (“CQR®;” CQ Foods Inc.) used BIA data to generate a certified quality number (CQN) that was used to objectively quantify results. Organoleptic scores were obtained by Safe Quality Seafood Associates (SQSA) using standard methods. Mean CQN increased from day 1 to day 5 post-harvest and then decreased from day 5 to day 20 post-harvest. There was strong correlation between BIA data and organoleptic data, indicating the usefulness of BIA for objectively quantifying levels of degradation in this species of fish. Mean CQN and mean organoleptic scores were inversely related in post rigor mortis fish. Notably, BIA was able to differentiate objectively between fresh versus frozen fish samples. This study suggests that BIA can be used for rapid, noninvasive quality assurance of the degradation state of fish, though individual variability is high for measurements which may be controlled by the development of a standardized sample location.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• 269 The relationship between metabolic gas emissions and performance in Angus Bulls and heifers.

  Journal of Animal Science · 2025-10-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Methane (CH₄) production is a moderately heritable trait. However, selection based on methane production may reduce economically relevant traits, which decreases methane intensity and overall profitability. The objective of this project was to evaluate the relationship between gas emissions and animal performance characteristics. Individual animal feed intake and body weights (BW) were recorded daily using SmartFeed and SmartScale (C-Lock Inc., USA) from 181 Angus bulls and 113 Angus heifers during a 64-d and 60-d performance test, respectively. Performance traits were composed of metabolic BW, average daily gain (ADG), dry matter intake (DMI), and residual feed intake (RFI). During the test period, 2 GreenFeeds (GF; C-Lock Inc.) were used to collect metabolic gas fluxes. Animals were rotated every 8 to 21 d through pens with the GF, so all animals were exposed to GF during the performance test. Only animals with at least 20 GF visits were included in the analysis, resulting from data from 127 bulls and 80 heifers. Daily averages (g/d) of CH₄, carbon dioxide (CO₂), and oxygen (O₂) were 167 ± 26.7, 7111 ± 638, and 5488 ± 483 for bulls; and 179 ± 22.7, 6681 ± 673, and 4282 ± 478 for heifers. In addition to CH₄ production, CH₄ intensity (g of CH₄ per kg of ADG), CH₄ yield (g of CH₄ per kg of DMI), and residual methane emissions (RME) were evaluated. RME was computed as the residuals from a regression of CH₄ production on DMI and metabolic BW. Individual metabolic heat production (HP; kcal) was also calculated using the Brouwer Equation. Average CH₄ intensity (CH4 g/kg ADG), CH₄ yield (CH4 g/kg DMI), and RME (g/d) were 110 ± 42, 21.1 ± 4.4, and 0 ± 26.6 for bulls; and 202 ± 1754, 17 ± 5.7, and 0 ± 18.1 for heifers. Gas fluxes were correlated with greater metabolic BW (from 0.10 to 0.63), ADG (from 0.03 to 0.61), DMI (from 0.07 to 0.60), and RFI (from 0.07 to 0.32). In bulls, CH₄ intensity was negatively correlated with BW (-0.35), ADG (-0.79) and DMI (-0.35), but not correlated with RFI. In both bulls and heifers, CH₄ yield was negatively correlated with BW (-0.28 and -0.39), ADG (-0.33 and -0.25), DMI (-0.61 and -0.92), and RFI (-0.47 and -0.83). RME was favorably correlated with RFI in heifers (0.41). For bulls and heifers, HP was positively correlated with BW (0.60 and 0.42), ADG (0.57 and 0.28), DMI (0.50 and 0.49), and RFI (0.13 and 0.28). The findings of this study suggest that selection for methane reduction may favor feed efficiency in Angus cattle.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Directional Pliability, Whitney Extension, and Lusin Approximation for Curves in Carnot Groups

  ArXiv.org · 2025-05-20

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  We show that, in arbitrary Carnot groups, pliability in a subset of directions is sufficient to guarantee the existence of a Whitney-type extension and a Lusin approximation for curves with tangent vectors in the same set of directions. We apply this to show that every horizontal curve in the Engel group must intersect a $C^{1}$ horizontal curve in a set of positive measure.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Effects of Active Learning in an Undergraduate Physiology Class Using Hands-On and Simulation Labs

  Physiology · 2025-05-01 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author

  Increasing student engagement has been shown to have positive effects on students and can be achieved by incorporating varied active learning strategies into the laboratory. Currently, the undergraduate human physiology lab at Missouri State University utilizes PhysioEx simulation labs to practice physiological concepts. Three simulations were replaced with hands-on labs using iWorx software to evaluate engagement and learning. Informed consent and IRB approval was obtained. Student engagement was assessed using a voluntary, anonymous survey on Qualtrics. This was a ten question Likert-scale survey gauging students perceived engagement, motivation, usability of software, and learning outcomes. If 80% of students complete the survey, the entire class will receive five bonus points towards their final grade. Exam average scores will be analyzed to assess changes in learning. Exams were organized using Bloom’s taxonomy levels to analyze lower-order and higher-order thinking skills. The proposed project aims to evaluate if incorporating hands-on labs would improve student learning and/or their engagement. The hypothesis is engagement will be increased in hands-on labs, but grades will not differ significantly, based on previous literature, and students will perform better on lower order thinking questions. Preliminary results show that engagement was increased when using hands-on labs. Students cited increased engagement due to the hands-on component compared to the simulation and the collaboration with their lab partners. Students who found engagement between lab modalities to be equal stated that the iWorx software was difficult to use, taking focus away from the lab content. Exam data is still under analysis. Missouri State University This abstract was presented at the American Physiology Summit 2025 and is only available in HTML format. There is no downloadable file or PDF version. The Physiology editorial board was not involved in the peer review process.

  PublisherDOI

• Europe Gas Tracker Report 2022

  Climate Change and Law Collection · 2025-09-30 · 4 citations

  datasetSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Higher order Whitney extension and Lusin approximation for horizontal curves in the Heisenberg group

  Journal de Mathématiques Pures et Appliquées · 2024-06-25

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  In the setting of horizontal curves in the Heisenberg group, we prove a Cm,ω finiteness principle, a Cm,ω Lusin approximation result, a C∞ Whitney extension result, and a C∞ Lusin approximation result. Combined with previous work, this completes the study of Whitney extension and Lusin approximation for horizontal curves of class Cm, Cm,ω, and C∞ in the Heisenberg group.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Benjamin F. Timson

  Missouri State University

  16 shared

• Piotr Hajłasz

  12 shared

• Richard J. McCormick

  University of Wyoming

  9 shared

• Vasileios Chousionis

  8 shared

• Carla M. Yuede

  Washington University in St. Louis

  7 shared

• Gareth Speight

  7 shared

• John R. Cirrito

  Washington University in St. Louis

  6 shared

• D. Paul Thomas

  University of Wyoming

  6 shared

Education

• PhD, Mathematics

  University of Pittsburgh

  2017