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Articles 31 - 38 of 38

Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Putting The Wind At Our Backs: Assessing U.S. Potential For 20% Wind Energy By 2030, Kevin T. Harnett Jun 2012

Putting The Wind At Our Backs: Assessing U.S. Potential For 20% Wind Energy By 2030, Kevin T. Harnett

Honors Theses

The discussion surrounding the future of energy, particularly in the United States, has gained significant momentum in recent years for an obvious reason — it’s daunting. Our dependence on fossil fuels has positioned our nation in an undesirable predicament with a questionable future. With the associated consequences, principally Climate Change, it is essential that energy be addressed as a primary national concern. Renewables need to flip the switch.


Investigating Potential Improvements To Enhance The Performance Of A Solar Thermal Collection System: Design Of The Dual Axis Tracking System, Eric Landry Jun 2012

Investigating Potential Improvements To Enhance The Performance Of A Solar Thermal Collection System: Design Of The Dual Axis Tracking System, Eric Landry

Honors Theses

Due to the current energy crisis, there are a large number of opportunities in the applications of renewable energy technologies. Specifically, my partner and I have explored those associated with a solar thermal collection dish. The sun, being a virtually limitless supply of energy, ought to be used to its fullest potential. This technology is designed to do just that. Using a concave reflective surface, the sun’s thermal energy is concentrated to a central location where it is then collected by a working fluid. This type of approach achieves very high temperatures and maximizes the effectiveness of the thermal energy …


Modeling Biofuel Production In Southern Pine Forests: The Effects On Soil Properties, Brittany L. Oakes Jun 2012

Modeling Biofuel Production In Southern Pine Forests: The Effects On Soil Properties, Brittany L. Oakes

Honors Theses

From consuming energy alone in 2009, the United States ranked second as a carbon emitter at 5,425 million metric tons annually; China was the leader at 7,706 million metric tons and India placed third at 1,591 million metric tons (EIA, 2010). Yet in 2009, the U.S. consumed more electricity than both China and India and was the leading importer of electricity (EIA, 2010). Incorporating more domestic sources of renewable energy can simultaneously alleviate two issues: mitigating climate change catastrophes and significantly reduce our dependence on foreign markets for electricity and other forms of energy. Additionally, evidence of dwindling international oil …


Coupling Of Audio Signals Into Afm Images, Matthew Manning Jun 2012

Coupling Of Audio Signals Into Afm Images, Matthew Manning

Honors Theses

It is well known that Atomic Force Microscopy imaging is capable of yielding high resolution results with of surfaces at the nanoscale. However, despite the device capabilities and vast applications, AFM microscopy is possibly the most prone to the creation of image artifacts. AFM imaging can easily, and is often, corrupted by various external forces. The most obvious and measurable form of external interference is of course the presence of ambient noise. Most AFM manufactures attempt to counter the effects of such noise on the imaging process through use of noise-proof or noise-resistant shields that cover the microscope aperture. Without …


A Gps Enabled Ipod Touch For Skiers, Camila Dorin Jun 2011

A Gps Enabled Ipod Touch For Skiers, Camila Dorin

Honors Theses

The purpose of my senior project was to design and build a system that provides GPS capabilities to the iPod touch. The system is used in conjunction with an iPod application, giving skiers the possibility to have access to the following outputs: graph of speed during run, distance skied, calories burned, and map of the slopes followed. The system consists of a GPS receiver, an Arduino microcontroller, a Wifi Shield, and iPod touch, and an iPod application. A central point during the development of the system was the transmission of data from one piece of hardware to the other and …


Redesigning The Keyfinder, Alexander Liu Jun 2011

Redesigning The Keyfinder, Alexander Liu

Honors Theses

This project takes a look at redesigning a helpful device called the Keyfinder. The device is used to locate small objects that are typically lost. Items such as keys, remotes, and wallets are some example items that tend to get lost frequently. However the current models of the Keyfinder generally receive poor reviews for subpar performance and lack of usability. In an effort to remedy the situation, I looked to redesign and improve the system so the device would be useful in households. The initial design of the system consisted of a base that could communicate with 5 different receiving …


Design And Implementation Of An Rf Data Communication System, Aung K. Soe Jun 2011

Design And Implementation Of An Rf Data Communication System, Aung K. Soe

Honors Theses

Located just 8 miles northeast of Union College is Ballston Lake, a unique lake, which offers excellent research opportunities for faculty and students. The south basin of the lake is permanently stratified, and there has been no intermixing between water layers for thousands of years. The lower water layers contain no oxygen (anoxic). The Union College Geology Department is interested in a ten year study of Ballston Lake. Currently, there is no commercially available automatic system for collecting and transmitting data from a sensor package at the bottom of the lake to the lake shore and finally to Union College …


A Biometric Fingerprint Scanner With A Locking Mechanism, Nathaniel Clark Jun 2011

A Biometric Fingerprint Scanner With A Locking Mechanism, Nathaniel Clark

Honors Theses

The purpose of this capstone project was to design, construct, and test a biometric fingerprint locking system to control access to a set of lockers. This system offers a convenient alternative to traditional locks and makes lockers easier to use. Traditional locks require some type of prior knowledge, like remembering the numbers and how to enter them for a combination lock. This can make it difficult and annoying to try and use a simple locker. Three main considerations were kept in mind during the design process to make this system more convenient than traditional locks: user friendliness, accuracy of identification, …