Engineering Commons^™

Using Modflow To Assess Groundwater Storage Enhancement Via A Floodplain Infiltration Basin, Lindsay Henning

All Master's Theses

Delaying groundwater discharge into rivers until it is critically needed during baseflow conditions provides promise for lowering elevated stream temperatures and improving habitat for aquatic species. Increasing groundwater storage may accomplish this in locations where excess spring runoff can be captured and allowed to infiltrate into the subsurface for later beneficial use, a process known as Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR). Here, MAR via an infiltration basin is considered at a site along the Teanaway River in central Washington State. The effects of simulated ephemeral ponds of sizes varying from 554 m³ to 2430 m³ (0.449 acre-feet to 1.97 …

Nasa Student Launch - Payload, Eli Kirk

All Undergraduate Projects

A team of mechanical engineering, physics, and computer science students from Central Washington University have constructed a fully functional subscale model rocket to be flown at the NASA Student Launch competition. The rocket’s payload was designed to open the nose cone and take a photo of the rocket’s surroundings after descending from the launch. Smaller parts were constructed through machining and 3D printing that will be added to the purchased major component, the linear actuator, in order to perform the required tasks. These tasks are signaled by an attached electronics board, which will receive an RF command remotely, execute code, …

Interactive Visual Self-Service Data Classification Approach To Democratize Machine Learning, Sridevi Narayana Wagle

All Master's Theses

Machine learning algorithms often produce models considered as complex black-box models by both end users and developers. Such algorithms fail to explain the model in terms of the domain they are designed for. The proposed Iterative Visual Logical Classifier (IVLC) is an interpretable machine learning algorithm that allows end users to design a model and classify data with more confidence and without having to compromise on the accuracy. Such technique is especially helpful when dealing with sensitive and crucial data like cancer data in the medical domain with high cost of errors. With the help of the proposed interactive and …

Visualization For Solving Non-Image Problems And Saliency Mapping, Divya Chandrika Kalla

All Master's Theses

High-dimensional data play an important role in knowledge discovery and data science. Integration of visualization, visual analytics, machine learning (ML), and data mining (DM) are the key aspects of data science research for high-dimensional data. This thesis is to explore the efficiency of a new algorithm to convert non-images data into raster images by visualizing data using heatmap in the collocated paired coordinates (CPC). These images are called the CPC-R images and the algorithm that produces them is called the CPC-R algorithm. Powerful deep learning methods open an opportunity to solve non-image ML/DM problems by transforming non-image ML problems into …

Dual-Axis Solar Tracker, Bryan Kennedy

All Undergraduate Projects

Renewable energies, and fuels that are not fossil fuel-based, are one of the prolific topics of debate in modern society. With climate change now becoming a primary focus for scientists and innovators of today, one of the areas for the largest amount of potential and growth is that of the capturing and utilization of Solar Energy. This method involves using a mechanical system to track the progression of the sun as it traverses the sky throughout the day. A dual-axis solar tracker such as the one designed and built for this project, can follow the sun both azimuthally and in …

Stair Climbing Hand Truck, James Mcpherson

All Undergraduate Projects

Abstract

Getting a heavy object up a flight of stairs usually requires a team of two or more people. Even with a team of people, the task is often still difficult, dangerous, and possibly insurmountable by one person. This problem is especially prevalent in for those who are moving into apartment complexes. Most apartment complexes have many buildings with two or more floors of living quarters, and elevators are often missing. This project sought to offer a solution to this problem. The solution in question; a motorized hand-truck with 2, trigonal planar pinwheels in place of the stock wheels. The …

Experiments To Measure The Effects Of Timber Harvesting Equipment On Surface Lithic Scatters, Douglas J. Baughman

All Master's Theses

The importance of cultural resource preservation cannot be overstated; however local economies are at least as important. Due to conservative archaeological site protection practices in Region 5 of the United States Forest Service, the economy of Northeastern California is being adversely affected. In an attempt to help the Forest Service make more informed management decisions and improve the Northeastern California economy, I undertook experiments on the effects of timber harvesting on lithic scatters on Modoc National Forest. The experiments involved placement of 225 glass tiles (proxy lithics) in each of three plots subject to vehicle traffic and log dragging by …

Water Resources Of Tacoma, Washington, Richard Martin Glaser

Graduate Student Research Papers

This study explores the fresh water and hydroelectricity resources of the City of Tacoma, Washington. The history and development of the water supply and hydroelectric facilities is examined. One can see that the development of the water resources has been directly affected by the growth in population and industry and that the nearness to the city of development sites has been an aid in this development. With the amount of water available at present and the increase in hydro-electric facilities during this decade, the future outlook for Tacoma in the field of water resources seems bright.