Engineering Commons^™

Impact Of Cannabinoids On Human Neural Differentiation And Oxidative Stress Response, Emily Brothersen, Dillon Weatherston, Ashton Young, Bryan Gustafson

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

Cannabinoids are a group of over 144 known compounds extracted from hemp species. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound in hemp, and the non-psychoactive cannabidiol (CBD) are the most commonly known and most well studied cannabinoids. As cannabinoids can be sold for medicinal or recreational purposes, it's important to understand the impact of these cannabinoids on the brain. To explore the effects of cannabinoids on neural development, undifferentiated SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells were used as a model of fetal neurons. SH-SY5Y cells were fully differentiated in the presence of no cannabinoids, THC, and/or CBD and analyzed for any developmental differences. In …

Developing A Test Method To Determine The Maximum Allowable Leakage Limit Of Microbial Ingress For Dialysis Films, Lexi Phillips

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

The purpose of this project is to design and develop a testing-apparatus and test-method to measure the maximum allowable leakage limit (MALL) for films used by Fresenius Medical Care (FMC). The MALL is the greatest leak size that does not pose a risk to the product. This is the first step in developing container closure integrity testing for sterile containers. This test is designed using guidance from USP 1207, a document detailing integrity assurance of packages holding sterile medical products, and 21 CFR 211. This test is focusing on microbial ingress rather than physical or chemical leakage. The test-method design …

Tissue Engineered Representation Of Human Blood Vessel Using Hagfish Protein, Parker Goldsberry, Hayden Johns, Jaden Storrer, Jessop Oliver

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

Scaffolds used in in vitro cellular growth are a common method of more accurately representing the structure and extracellular matrix of the tissue being grown. Tissue engineers are constantly testing novel biomaterials as scaffolds to determine their representativity of native tissue. One of these such biomaterials is hagfish protein, which when bound together or cross-linked has properties similar to many tissues found in the body. Specifically, there are some properties that could make it a viable option for human blood vessels. Being a simpler organ than most, comparatively, it is also a prime selection for in vitro studies attempting to …

Collagen And Pdms Scaffolds For C2c12 Muscle Tissue Cell Line, Alisa Dabb, Sariah Jardine, Clayton Lords

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

In tissue engineering, scaffolds are vital materials for cell growth. Scaffolds are used to provide the structural support for cell attachment and eventually tissue development. Although scaffold properties need to change to suit the nature and properties of the cells, most scaffolds need to simulate the extracellular matrix of the cells. Collagen is a major component of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in most tissues. Therefore, collagen is a favorable scaffold material for most tissues, including muscle tissue. However, collagen has poor mechanical properties; it is sometimes combined with synthetic polymers such as poly-Lactic Acid (PLA) for structural support. Furthermore, poly(dimethyl …

Women In The Aviation Community, Sarah Bass

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

The aviation community today has little diversity, women and women of color are under represented. Through this study I was hoping to discover the reasons for this gender gap and the lack of diversity in this community. Research was conducted using library and internet resources to locate both primary and secondary research. As well as personal experience within this community allowed me to review documents to find reasoning for this gender and diversity gap. This gender and diversity gap in the aviation community is due to the lack of role models and women being responsible for breaking through gender stereotypes …

Depression Provides Additional Obstacles/Barriers For College Students To Maintain A Healthy Mindset, Jake Cardon

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

This study reflects the answers that I have found to the question "How does depression affect the ability of college students to have and maintain a good mindset?" Research was conducted using library and internet resources to locate both primary and secondary research. Academic articles and extensive studies were reviewed and analyzed to better understand what mindset is, what depression is, what challenges college students face, and ultimately the barriers that students with depressive disorders face as they try to maintain a healthy mindset while attending college. Over the course of my research and studies I have gained a deeper …

Liquid Sandbox For Rapidly Optimizing The Thermal Management Of High-Power Wireless Charging Systems, Conner Sabin

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

Wireless charging is currently being researched as an alternative to plug in charging for electric vehicles. These systems are tested in concrete and asphalt highways. A current limitation in research is understanding how to manage the heat that these systems produce in the roadway.Prototyping wireless charging systems in concrete or asphalt is time intensive and expensive. An alternative way to test the thermal management of these systems is to prototype the systems in sand and use the results of sand experiments in combination with thermal simulation software to predict how systems will perform in concrete.My project consists of two parts.I …

The Spray-On Bio-Bandage, Kristine Peterson, Amanda Moravek, Abby Edward

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

Fibrin is a natural polymer already used in extreme clinical settings as an adhesive and for shallow wounds when activated by the enzyme thrombin. However, current formations contain irritants, are slow drying, and are not easily washed off. This study used a spray-on bandage composed of thrombin and fibrinogen on a monolayer of 3T3 mouse fibroblast cells to test the enhancement of the body's natural healing without the risks of current formulations. The viability and growth of scratched cells were analyzed using live/dead stain assays 0, 1, and 3 days post-treatment. The results of this study showed cell growth, fibrinogen …

A Computational Model Of Angiogenesis In Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Brandon Pace

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a chronic disease which causes central blindness in the eye. This progressive disease is thought to affect 1 of every 4 people over the age of 80 living in developed countries, including America. There is no cure and the only treatments to halt disease progression involve biweekly eye injections for the rest of the patient’s life. Clearly there is a great need to understand AMD and find better treatment for the many afflicted. It is known that harmful capillary growth (angiogenesis) contributes to AMD. By learning more about retinal angiogenesis, we can understand AMD in …

Effects Of The Checks, Andrew Stott

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of people have lost thousands of dollars, and some much more. As a result, the government issued aid in the form of stimulus checks, with the intention to stimulate the economy and compensate for money lost. The government is not adding value to the economy, but merely moving it around, and in many cases simply making it worse. The checks allude to an even bigger issue: that of universal income and welfare checks. Although these things may be helpful to the individual, they are ineffective and harmful to the economy because they …

Disambiguation Of Large-Scale Educational Network Data For Social Network Analysis, Adam Weaver

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Social Network Analysis (SNA) is a research method which quantitatively maps qualitative social interactions between individuals who comprise a ‘network’. Delineating these social networks yields highly valuable data, including SNA measures like centrality, which can be used to measure social influence, connectivity, and more. Further, these networks can also be visualized by graphing individuals as ‘nodes’, and then by drawing ‘edges’ (the lines that connect them) to produce sociograms. With these sociograms, researchers can concurrently conduct visual and statistical analysis of relations between node and network traits of interest. As a result of these capabilities and the growth of social …

Establishing A Framework Of Nitrogen Acquisition For Martian Agriculture, Tyler Wallentine

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Nitrogen (N) forms a crucial part of DNA, proteins, and other biomolecules and is an essential element to life. Luckily, N is abundant in Earth’s and Mars’ atmospheres in its atmospheric form (N₂); however, plants and humans are unable to metabolize it in this state. N₂ gas is only able to be consumed by undergoing nitrogen fixation, an intensive process that breaks the extremely-stable N ≡ N bond in order to form bioavailable ammonia (NH₃). Many prokaryotes are capable of nitrogen fixation. Plants may uptake fixed N from these, which are then consumed by other …

Pan Variant Sars-Cov-2 Common Interactions And Drug Candidates, Kolton Hauck

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

As the SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread, multiple strains have appeared. Research has investigated potential drug candidates for COVID-19, but without consideration for the multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2. A domain-based and interolog-based method were implemented to predict protein-protein interactions (PPIs) between the SARS-CoV-2 variants and human proteins. A common set (conserved among all strains) and a unique set (distinct for each strain) of interactions were made. These sets of interactions were characterized via subcellular localization, tissue expression, pathway enrichment and gene ontology. Lastly, drug candidates were identified for the common set. The combined domain and interolog methods resulted in 8963 predicted …

Airfoil Flow Optimized Control With An Upstream Cylinder, Nicole Steiner

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

The purpose of this research is to optimize the aerodynamic performance of an airfoil with an upstream cylinder by neural network artificial intelligence. The effects of an upstream oscillating cylinder on the aerodynamic performance of an airfoil are also studied. This paper reports the effects oscillating frequency of the cylinder and the Reynolds number on the lift/drag ratio of the airfoil. The frequency has a complicated correlation with the lift/drag ratio, while the Reynolds number is found to have a positive correlation with the lift/drag ratio. The optimized case is found to have a lift/drag ratio of 1.7319, which is …

Designing An Electric Vehicle Wireless Charging System, Conner Sabin

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

USU researchers at ASPIRE NSF Engineering research center are developing power electronic systems including wireless charging systems to increase EV charging accessibility. EV wireless charging systems include two charging coils, one on the ground and one on the bottom of the car. Current is driven through the charging coil as a car drives over the top of or parks on top of this coil. High current creates a magnetic field which induces current in the car coil. The alternating magnetic fields can charge the car as the car is simply parked on the top of this coil. Designing a wireless …

Effectiveness Of Cannabidiol And Resveratrol Against Diesel Exhaust Particle-Induced Lung Cell Cytotoxicity, Emily Brothersen

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Environmental air pollution poses a significant health risk to individuals across the world. Diesel exhaust particles (DEPs), a major component of air pollution, have been shown to cause lung damage leading to cancer, respiratory infections, and premature death. Antioxidants, such as resveratrol, have previously demonstrated protective properties against DEP-induced cytotoxicity and reactive oxygen species. Cannabinoids extracted from hemp species have also been found to have powerful antioxidant properties, though these properties have not been thoroughly explored. In this study, A549 human lung carcinoma cells were used as a cellular model to determine the effectiveness of cannabinoids’ antioxidant properties against DEP-induced …

Smart Solar Microgrid Inverter, Conner Sabin, Mckay Waite, Dakota Goodrich, Tucker Skinner

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

With a major increase in the integration of renewable and distributed energy resources along with the use of solar inverters in microgrid applications, the need for advanced power electronics, specifically smart inverters, is higher than ever. It is desirable for these smart inverters to operate with maximum efficiency as well as provide grid services such as voltage and frequency regulation. A smart inverter design can improve the reliability and resilience of the grid, reduce the cost of energy, and ease grid maintenance. This is done through the management of active power generation and reactive power compensation between the solar inverter …

The Earliest Drawings Of Dogs, Myles Bradley

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

The oldest depictions of dogs ever found are over 8,000 years old, found carved into a cliff in the desert of Saudi Arabia. Studies show, however, that dogs are found coexisting with humans as far back as 30,000 years ago. If this is the case, "Why does it take so long for dogs to appear in human artwork?" Dogs have certainly been an integral part of human society for almost as long as they've been around, so what do these early images reveal about the ancient relationship between dogs and man? This paper explores possible answers to both of these …

Functional Complementation Of The Ppgcn4 And Ppnhx2 Genes In Arabidopsis Thaliana To Study Salt Tolerance, Amanda Moravek

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Climate change induces unexpected weather and causes abiotic and biotic stresses in plants. These stresses negatively affect crop growth and production. Additionally, a steady increase in the world population has been leading to higher food demand. Therefore, the development of more stress-resilient crops is essential to combat these problems. One such stress is a salinity that affects crop production. Almond is a salt-sensitive crop, so there is a need to identify salt-tolerant almond rootstocks. AtGCN4 is a novel gene that was identified in Arabidopsis thaliana to play a significant role in host-pathogen interaction and drought tolerance when overexpressed. The preliminary …

Modeling Performance Of Microgrid And Electric Vehicle Technology On The Utah State University Electric Distribution Network, Jackson Morgan

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

To estimate the value of solar power, energy storage, and electric vehicle charging on a small utility's distribution network, power system simulation was performed to compare the load profiles and bills of various levels of deployment. This project used Utah State University's south distribution network and its new parking structure as a testbed for simulation and analysis of new energy technology. The project found that for a rate structure with a fixed capacity reservation and a low energy charge, campus solar power is not currently viable for significantly reducing costs. Conversely, electric vehicle charging could be implemented at a low …

Static Heat Exchanger For The Wireless Charging Of Electric Vehicles, James Mullen

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

The USU College of Engineering partnered with the Aspire NSF Engineering Research Center to develop wireless charging pads for electric vehicles. These concrete pads, when placed in roadways, charge the batteries of electric vehicles that pass over them. As the pads charge vehicles, they produce excessive thermal energy (heat), which dissipates slowly through the surrounding concrete. This excess heat reduces the efficiency of the charging apparatus and can damage the imbedded electrical components. To manage the pad temperatures, the USU Nanoscale Thermal Energy Lab proposed to submerge the heat-generating elements in a Phase Change Material (PCM). As a solid, a …

The Dog As A Trend In Art, Whitney Stewart

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

I have always believed that art is one of the biggest forms of communication and signs of cultural assimilation and it has been throughout history. I choose to explore the role that dogs play in this theme. From changes in the symbolism of the dog and the ethics of breeding, art reveals a lot about our furry friends. While I learn much about dogs by themselves, the way we represent them also says a lot about our society. Do we see animals as more than us in some way and less in others? Is a dog painting really about the …

Dogs In Ancient Egypt, Ella Olson

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

The Ancient Egyptians are infamous for their love of cats, but what about dogs? It turns out that dogs were equally loved and praised in Egyptian culture. A large part of this comes from the religious significance of dogs- they are connected to the afterlife through Anubis, the god of the dead, and were thought to act as companions and guides to humans in the afterlife. Anubis is an interesting god to look at because he's one of the oldest and most respected gods. In today's terms, we refer to him as having a jackal head, but the Egyptians considered …

Hardware Verification Of Lunar Terrain Relative Navigation, Sam Christensen

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Autonomous delivery to the lunar surface requires proven, cost-effective navigation techniques, especially during the final descent. Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN) is a compelling solution because it has no infrastructure requirements, such as beacons on the lunar surface. However, previous validation of this technique has relied on software simulation of image acquisition and vehicle state estimation. This research leverages the autonomous drone facilities at USU to validate the TRN technique in a hardware system. A hardware demonstration will verify the effectiveness of the TRN technique in a realistic environment simulating the final descent of a lunar lander. This environment will provide …

Variable Camber Wings Using Compliant Mechanisms, Benjamin Moulton

Fall Student Research Symposium 2019

Wing morphing is the manipulation of a wing shape to influence aerodynamics. Wing morphing has significant aerodynamic advantages over traditional flaps, including increased efficiency and control. The USU Aerolab specializes in morphing aircraft and is currently working with the Air Force Research Lab on morphing straight wings [1-4].

The purpose of this project is to identify methods for applying morphing technologies to swept-wing aircraft. These methods are then used to create a morphing wing aircraft to demonstrate the efficiency and control of morphing flight with a swept wing.

Reevaluating The Professionalization Of Engineering Faculty | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

An engineering education expert is encouraging institutions of higher education to reevaluate the professional experience of engineering faculty, specifically women professors.

Bubbly Water Makes An Abnormal Splash | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Researchers at Utah State University are splashing soapy water to unveil new discoveries within fluid dynamics.

Cyberinfrastructure For Intelligent Water Supply (Ciws) Data Visualization Challenge | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Jeff Horsburgh is challenging Utah State University students to develop a visualization of high resolution water use data that provides visual feedback to both water providers and water consumers.

Usu Engineering Alumna Honored By Society Of Women Engineers | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Utah State University mechanical engineering alumna Amy Jo Moore was honored Oct. 20 at an annual conference for the Society of Women Engineers.

Metal Factory Opening | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

The Metal Factory opened Thursday, Nov. 15 with a tour of its facilities.