Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Multi-Type Assessment Of Global Droughts And Teleconnections, Zahir Nikraftar, Abdorrahman Mostafaie, Mojtaba Sadegh, Javad Hatami Afkueieh, Biswajeet Pradhan

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Several drought indices have been developed based on various processes (e.g., precipitation, soil moisture, vegetation health) that respond differently to modes of climate variability, shadowing their relatability to teleconnections, which in turn, limits drought forecasting. In this study, we advanced the multivariate analysis of droughts by using long-term Terrestrial Water Storage estimates, soil moisture and precipitation data along with normalized difference vegetation index. To this end, we employed a Vine copula approach using Archimedean and Elliptical copula families to generate two novel multivariate drought indices called Combined Standardized Drought Index (CSDI), based on agricultural, meteorological, hydrological and ecological univariate indices …

Slicing-Based Artificial Intelligence Service Provisioning On The Network Edge: Balancing Ai Service Performance And Resource Consumption Of Data Management, Mushu Li, Jie Gao, Conghao Zhou, Xuemin Shen, Weihua Zhuang

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Edge intelligence leverages computing resources on the network edge to provide artificial intelligence (AI) services close to network users. As it enables fast inference and distributed learning, edge intelligence is envisioned to be an important component of 6G networks. In this article, we investigate AI service provisioning for supporting edge intelligence. First, we present the features and requirements of AI services. Then we introduce AI service data management and customize network slicing for AI services. Specifically, we propose a novel resource-pooling method to regularize service data exchange within the network edge while allocating network resources for AI services. Using this …

Progress And Prospect Of Anodic Oxidation For The Remediation Of Perfluoroalkyl And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances In Water And Wastewater Using Diamond Electrodes, Sean T. Mcbeath, Adrián Serrano Mora, Fatemeh Asadi Zeidabadi, Brooke K. Mayer, Patrick J. Mcnamara, Madjid Mohseni, Michael R. Hoffman, Nigel J. D. Graham

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Although diamond electrodes are widely used in the field of electroanalysis and sensing, their application in the field of environmental engineering has yet to be fully realized. Many research studies have considered their potential application in water and wastewater treatment, where the in-situ electrochemical process can avoid the need for chemical additives by facilitating the oxidation of pollutants on the electrode surface or mediated by electrochemically synthesized oxidants in solution. Diamond-based electro-oxidation can effectively treat a number of organic micropollutants and is now being evaluated for the abatement of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which pose health concerns and are ubiquitous …

Active Transportation Routes Using Canal Corridors: Decision Tools In Creating Successful Canal Trail Projects, Matthew Scott Crump

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The state of Utah has many canal corridors that offer potential opportunities for establishing public trails.In the past, concerns such as public safety and canal companies’ abilities to perform maintenance have inhibited the construction of canal trails. Recently, local governments and canal companies have worked to overcome these challenges which has led to the establishment of some canal trails. The purpose of this study is to provide valuable insights and tools that can be used in developing future canal trails. In order to accomplish this, the study documents various case studies of completed canal trail projects, interviews stakeholders for future …

Analyzing The Gender Gap In Field Positions On Commercial Construction Projects, Adriana L. Frazier

Construction Management

The percentage of women working in the construction industry is on the rise. However, most women working in the construction industry often fill administrative roles, office positions, and project management roles rather than field positions such as tradeswomen, foremen, or superintendents. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of 2020, women constitute 10.9 percent of the entire construction industry. Specifically, 86.7 percent of those women are in office positions with only 3.5 percent of women in trade positions. Those numbers signify that the construction industry is not benefitting from women in field positions. That is due to …

Exploring The Relationships Between Gpa, Gender, Internship Participation, And Familial Influence In Salary And Salary Growth Of Construction Management Alumni, Kyra Leigh Glaus

Construction Management

College students seek to make themselves desirable to employers upon graduation, and employers use subjective and objective information to determine the best applicants. This study aims to survey the factors of college GPA, gender, internship experience, and familial influence and independently explore their relationship to career success as measured by starting salary and salary growth. A convenience sample was collected from construction management graduates from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. The data for this sample found higher starting salaries for respondents who reported having higher GPAs, being female, having completed more internships, and who had an immediate family …

Analysis Of Self-Consolidating Concrete In Architectural Shear Wall Applications: Case Study, Peter Finocchio

Construction Management

Architectural concrete surfaces have always been a point of focus for concrete contractors, architects, and owners, especially when consolidation poses risks due to a high density of reinforcement. Contractors have begun using self-consolidating concrete (SCC) in exposed vertical applications to combat the risk of poor consolidation. This paper investigates the characteristics of SCC and evaluates a case study of a recent project that was completed on the Central Coast of California. The study examines the cost variance between using SCC mix and a standard mix in architectural shear walls. The analysis is done by evaluating a multi-story Type 1A structure …

The Preconstruction Of Foundation For A Greenhouse, Alla I. Hashim

Construction Management

This project outlines the preconstruction process for building a concrete base for a prefabricated greenhouse unit. This project was initiated by the Cal Poly Garden Club so they could plan for the installation of a greenhouse at the Student Experimental Farm on Cal Poly’s campus. The members of the club currently share a greenhouse with another Cal Poly Club which restricts their ability to use the greenhouse freely. The initial goal of the project was to request a permit, however, that will be postponed until the specific location is determined. This project still provides the necessary elements for requesting a …

Caed Support Shop Concrete Slab, Nathan Horst, Steven Zheng

Construction Management

This senior project paper will explore the history, background, process, and challenges encountered while constructing a dream project for the Cal Poly CAED Support Shop during the Summer of 2021. From the initial site survey, through the design and permitting process and the physical construction, this project truly encapsulated the “learn-by-doing” philosophy. The project was successful in constructing a final product that enables ADA wheelchair access, creates more useable project work area, as well as addresses drainage issues and provides underground electrical conduits for future electrical upgrades.

Hybrid: The Future Of Construction Meetings In The Digital Age, Nicholas G. Orozco

Construction Management

Over the last few years, many construction companies have had to upheave traditional methods of construction meetings to adapt to rapidly changing COVID-19 safety and regulation protocols. For many, this has meant taking common in-person meetings (OAC, pre-construction, and design) and shifting them virtual. As companies continue to move forward in a post-pandemic climate, the question of whether they will continue with virtual meetings or revert to in-person meetings still lingers in the air. To get a better read on the future of construction meetings post-pandemic, a survey was sent to determine what most people prefer. A total of 21 …

Estimation Of High-Resolution Evapotranspiration In Heterogeneous Environments Using Drone-Based Remote Sensing, Ayman M. M. Nassar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Evapotranspiration (ET) is a key element of hydrological cycle analysis, irrigation demand, and for better allocation of water resources in the ecosystem. For successful water resources management activities, precise estimate of ET is necessary. Although several attempts have been made to achieve that, variation in temporal and spatial scales constitutes a major challenge, particularly in heterogeneous canopy environments such as vineyards, orchards, and natural areas. The advent of remote sensing information from different platforms, particularly the small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) technology with lightweight sensors allows users to capture high-resolution data faster than traditional methods, described …

Improvement Opportunities In The Two-Source Energy Balance Model For Et Using Uav Imagery And Point Cloud Information, Mahyar Aboutalebi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In recent years, satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provide enormous amounts of spatially-distributed information for monitoring crop conditions by measuring crop’s reflected and emitted radiation at a distance. However, applications of high-resolution UAV imagery and its intermediate products for improving crop water use estimates are not well studied. In other words, the available approaches, methods and algorithms for determining how much water to apply for irrigation using remotely sensed data have been mostly developed at satellite spatial resolutions. High-resolution imageries that have been achieved by small UAVs open new opportunities for revisiting, re-evaluating, and revising available crop water use …

New Innovations In Pavement Materials And Engineering: A Review On Pavement Engineering Research 2021, Jtte Editorial Office Chang’An Univeristy, Jiaqi Chen, Hancheng Dan, Yongjie Ding, Yangming Gao, Meng Guo, Zhanping You, Et. Al.

Michigan Tech Publications

Sustainable and resilient pavement infrastructure is critical for current economic and environmental challenges. In the past 10 years, the pavement infrastructure strongly supports the rapid development of the global social economy. New theories, new methods, new technologies and new materials related to pavement engineering are emerging. Deterioration of pavement infrastructure is a typical multi-physics problem. Because of actual coupled behaviors of traffic and environmental conditions, predictions of pavement service life become more and more complicated and require a deep knowledge of pavement material analysis. In order to summarize the current and determine the future research of pavement engineering, Journal of …

Measuring Foundation Course Modulus Using Falling Weight Deflectometer, Light Weight Deflectometer, And Dynamic Cone Penetration, Bruce Barrett, Kellie Troxel, Brady Dresselhaus, David Hansen

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Phase I results showed that FWD, LWD, and DCP provided valid results and trended with each other at the stations all three tests were run. This gives confidence that any test method is reliable when used on an exposed bituminous foundation course.

The results of Phase I and Phase II indicate that using FWD testing after concrete is built does not provide an accurate modulus of the foundation course. As demonstrated through the statistical analysis, foundation course moduli cannot be reliably calculated by using FWD on top of doweled concrete pavements and back-calculated using Darwin software or ME Design. Additionally, …

Developing Implementable Policies Targeting Sustainable Building Construction Through International Policy Diffusion, Melisa Ciara Hancock

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The buildings and construction sector is one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to vast list of negative impacts humans have on the environment through material production, natural resource usage, and waste. While many organizations like the United Nations (UN), OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), and Architecture 2030 have been advocating for a shift to sustainability within the sector for decades, there is still a major disconnect between countries that have and haven’t implemented sustainability into all practices. This research focuses on analyzing the content of national building codes for their level of sustainability …

Using Differential Shear Strain Measurements To Monitor Crosstie Support Conditions In Railroad Tracks, D. Kody Johnson

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This thesis details a comprehensive numerical analysis of load determination, and crosstie support assessment and monitoring using strain gauges to measure differential rail shear strain in ballasted railroad tracks due to applied railcar wheel loads. These differential shear strain measurements can be related to applied wheel loading and crosstie support reactions through the geometric and constitutive properties of a given rail section. The basic theory behind the measurement technique was reviewed and investigated using finite element models of varying complexity. The impact of field conditions such as differential ballast and subgrade support, track stiffness, crosstie spacing, gauge installation location, and …

Multi-Scale Hydrologic Evaluation Of The National Water Model Streamflow Data Assimilation, Bong Chul Seo, Witold F. Krajewski, Felipe Quintero

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Streamflow predictions derived from a hydrologic model are subjected to many sources of errors, including uncertainties in meteorological inputs, representation of physical processes, and model parameters. To reduce the effects of these uncertainties and thus improve the accuracy of model prediction, the United States (U.S.) National Water Model (NWM) incorporates streamflow observations in the modeling framework and updates model-simulated values using the observed ones. This updating procedure is called streamflow data assimilation (DA). This study evaluates the prediction performance of streamflow DA realized in the NWM. We implemented the model using WRF-Hydro® with the NWM modeling elements and assimilated 15-min …

What Is An Effective Way To Measure Arterial Demand When It Exceeds Capacity?, Mecit Cetin, Hong Yang, Kun Xie, Giridhar Kattepogu, Behrouz Salahshour

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This project focused on developing and evaluating methods for estimating demand volume for oversaturated corridors. Measuring demand directly with vehicle sensors is not possible when demand is larger than capacity for an extended period, as the queue grows beyond the sensor, and the flow measurements at a given point cannot exceed the capacity of the section. The main objective of the study was to identify and develop methods that could be implemented in practice based on readily available data. To this end, two methods were proposed: an innovative method based on shockwave theory; and the volume delay function adapted from …

Paso Robles Police Department Shooting Range Electrical Installation, Shelby I. Prosch

Construction Management

The Paso Police Department has a shooting range for police officers to practice and master using firearms. A shooting range is a crucial part of police officer training to ensure public safety and correct and accurate usage of safety weapons. The construction for the shooting range began in the spring of 2021 by Cal Poly students where they laid the foundation. I became involved to further the progress of the shooting range by installing an electrical system. For that phase to begin, I completed a pre-construction package that details the materials and steps for installation. The package includes a scope …

Bathroom Remodel For Son Care Foundation, Inc., Tae Hun Kwak

Construction Management

The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the process of remodeling a 42 SF bathroom for Son Care Foundation, Inc. The initial scope included the removal of an existing fiberglass bathtub, plumbing work, drywall installation, mudding, drywall texturing, new flooring, a new toilet, and a new sink. During construction, the owner requested that I add paint, an ADA-compliant sink, a new lighting fixture, a new vinyl baseboard, a new mirror, a new cabinet, new door trim, and new door hardware as part of my scope. I used what I learned in class to solve problems during the …