Engineering Commons^™

Adapt And Studio: Building The Textbook Of The Future With Next Generation Oer Homework System, Delmar S. Larsen, Josh Halpern

All Things Open

One of the principal limiting factors in large scale adoption of OER is the absence of comparable free or low-cost homework platforms to complement existing and developing OER textbooks. This presentation addresses the LibreTexts efforts to remove this barrier by building and expanding the open-source ADAPT homework system - a central component of the "LibreVerse" ecosystem of courseware technologies - to supplant existing for-profit commercial systems. ADAPT is designed as a centralized OER question bank (>150 k questions) that combines adaptive learning incorporating learning trees with culturally responsive pedagogy for advanced use. We will demonstrate how instructors can use …

Engineering Solutions For Everyday Life: Implementing Oer In Advanced College Rhetoric At Texas Tech, Callie F. Kostelich, Baxter Krug

All Things Open

This presentation explores the redesign of ENGL 1302: Writing for Engineering, an advanced college rhetoric course at Texas Tech University that is specifically tailored for engineering majors and minors. Focused on the integration of technical communication, rhetoric, and engineering principles, the semester-long project aims to equip students with the skills necessary to identify, research, and develop engineering solutions for everyday problems. By reshaping the curriculum to embrace Open Educational Resources (OER), our goal is to normalize the use, development, and implementation of OER in and around the classroom.

We will briefly explore our approach to curriculum revision, focusing on our …

Raman Spectroscopy Of Gan On Si With Varied Thin Film Thickness For High-Temperature Semiconductor Devices, Manika Tun Nafisa

Symposium of Student Scholars

This study explores the potential of GaN on Si thin films as a promising material for high-temperature semiconductor devices, owing to its impressive thermal properties and performance characteristics. Two GaN on Si samples were grown using Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD), with different film thicknesses, and their potential for high-temperature applications was comprehensively assessed by performing Raman spectroscopy at various temperature levels. The experimental results provided valuable insights into the material's behavior at elevated temperatures. At 300°C, the GaN E₂ (High) peak showed a Raman shift at 562.38 cm⁻¹ for high-thickness samples and 561.49 cm⁻¹ for low-thickness samples. …

Text Summarization, Varun Gottam, Anusha Vunnam, Purna Sarovar Puvvada

Symposium of Student Scholars

The current era is known as the information era. Every day, millions of gigabytes of data are being transferred from one point to another. As the creation of data became easy, it became hard to keep track of the important points and the gist of data especially in areas such as research and news. To solve this conundrum, text summarization is introduced. This is a process of summarizing text from across different documents or large datasets such that it can be read and understood easily by both humans and machines.

Interaction In Games: Custom Driving Controller, Christian Crank

Symposium of Student Scholars

The problem I am trying to solve pertains to the high entry costs and the requirements to fully enjoy driving games. Driving games always sound like a fun experience, but without the right controller the game feels lackluster, uncomfortable, and not quite immersive. The problem is, if someone wants a gaming experience that makes the game feel natural and sensory, they may need to drop hundreds to thousands of dollars. Furthermore, they don’t even know if the expensive equipment will provide them with the experience they want. These expensive controllers are set up in a way to be universal and …

Interaction In Games: Digital Board Game Hybrid, Ryan Whisenhunt, Logan Haines

Symposium of Student Scholars

The realm of digital board game hybrids is a relatively new field, and a majority of games currently use computerization for casual board games or accentuating flavor. There is still plenty of room to use these ideas for more complex board games and means. In this study, we explore the avenues in which digital implementation of physical games can provide a streamlined and accessible gameplay experience. Participants in the study will be given a chance to play a short version of the game. A retrospective will be conducted after, where respondents are interviewed on how well the computer supported the …

Comparison Of Different Weighting Scales When Measuring Mental Workload, Isabella Duque

Symposium of Student Scholars

Mental workload, a concept within the field of human factors and ergonomics, refers to the cognitive and perceptual demands that individuals experience while performing various tasks in the workplace. Assessing mental workload holds a significant role in designing occupational tasks, as inappropriate levels can impact job performance, employee well-being, and even workplace safety. By assessing and optimizing mental workload, organizations can enhance productivity, reduce errors, and foster a healthier work environment. The NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) and the Surgery Task Load Index (SURG-TLX) are two tools used to subjectively assess mental workload. Both tools offer unweighted and weighted mental …

Controlled Radiation Capsule For Precision And Rapid Cancer Treatment, Hoseon Lee, Zsolt Kollar, Bailey R. White, Junia Nguyen, David Roque, Sowjanya Palagani

Symposium of Student Scholars

This research aims to transform cancer treatment through the optimization of brachytherapy, with a focus on reducing treatment duration, setup complexities, and financial burdens, all while emphasizing patient safety. Patients living at a distance from radiation clinics, particularly those undergoing extended Low Dose Radiation brachytherapy, often struggle with the formidable financial challenges associated with securing nearby accommodations. In response to these issues, the research introduces a radiation capsule designed to condense the conventional six-month treatment period to approximately just one week, thereby significantly reducing the duration of required accommodations. This capsule is especially relevant considering the construction cost of $40 …

Blockchain And Ethereum Vulnerabilities, Daniel Chen

Symposium of Student Scholars

Blockchain and Ethereum (ETH) technology stands poised to revolutionize the digital world, offering unprecedented decentralization, transparency, and immutability of data across various industries; however, new technologies raise new security concerns. By overcoming key vulnerabilities in ETH, it allows a multitude of groundbreaking technologies such as Web3, Decentralized Finance (DeFi), Decentralized Apps (dApps), Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), and cryptocurrency wallets to become commonplace. This revolutionary crypto-dependent future of the internet relies on finding solutions to security vulnerabilities. We aim to pinpoint key security flaws and develop robust smart contract solutions within the Ethereum blockchain to enable the widespread adoption of Blockchain technology.

Kwad - Ksu All Weather Autonomous Drone, Nick Farinacci, Sebastian Gomez, Stewart Baker, Ed Sheridan

Symposium of Student Scholars

"KWAD" or "KSU all-Weather Autonomous Drone" project was sponsored by Ultool, LLC to the KSU Research and Service Foundation to create a lightweight drone capable of capturing HD video during all-weather operations. The conditions of all-weather operation include rainfall of one inch per hour and wind speeds of up to twenty miles per hour. In addition, a global minimum structural safety factor of two is required to ensure the system's integrity in extreme weather conditions. Potential mission profiles include autonomous aerial delivery, topological mapping in high moisture areas, security surveillance, search and rescue operations, emergency transportation of medical supplies, and …

Internet Of Things Affordance For Open Educational Resources In A Comprehensive Open Distance E-Learning, Lancelord Mncube

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

The Internet of Things (IoT) space has dual dimensions of affordance to support open educational resources (OER). The duality of affordance has little or not been well articulated in relation to OER, particularly in a Comprehensive open distance e-learning (CODEL) institution. Such an institution is a mega open distance in South Africa and beyond the continent to accommodate students globally and rely on information and communication technology (ICT) in the provision of tuition. In the CODEL institution, there is a recognizable shift as the institution encourages the appropriation of OER and phasing out the prescription of the prescribed textbooks. The …

A Social Profile-Based E-Learning Model, Xola Ntlangula

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

Many High Education Institutions (HEIs) have migrated to blended or complete online learning to cater for less interruption with learning. As such, there is a growing demand for personalized e-learning to accommodate the diversity of students' needs. Personalization can be achieved using recommendation systems powered by artificial intelligence. Although using student data to personalize learning is not a new concept, collecting and identifying appropriate data is necessary to determine the best recommendations for students. By reviewing the existing data collection capabilities of the e-learning platforms deployed by public universities in South Africa, we were able to establish the readiness of …

Predictive Maintenance Of Base Transceiver Station Power System Using Xgboost Algorithm: A Case Study Of Econet Wireless, Zimbabwe, Tavengwa Masamha

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

Faults incurred by Base Transceiver Stations pose challenges to telecommunication organisations. Mostly the faults are due to BTS failures. BTS power system failures can have a significant impact on organizational performance in the telecommunications industry. These failures can cause disruptions in mobile network coverage, leading to dropped calls, slow data speeds, and difficulty connecting to the network. ECONET Zimbabwe has been experiencing unprecedented BTS power system failures for the past five years. Team Data Science Process was the pillar of the study methodology. The XGBoost algorithm was employed to develop a predictive model for the maintenance of Base Transceiver Station …

Experiences Of African Women In Stem Careers: A Systematic Literature Review., Kaluwa Siwale, Gwamaka Mwalemba, Ulrike Rivett

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

The discourse on women's underrepresentation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) mainly centres on the global north, leaving a gap in understanding the perspectives of African women in STEM. To address this, a systematic literature review was conducted to explore African women's experiences in STEM careers and education. After applying inclusion and criteria, 18 published articles were analysed. 8 key issues emerge: work environment, education system, work-life balance, gender-based stereotypes, racial bias, sexual harassment, inadequate support/mentorship, and self-imposed limits. These themes intertwine, with some aspects influencing others. Grasping the complexities and interactions of these factors provides insights into challenges …

E-Wild Life Alert: Tackling The Human-Wildlife Conflict Problem, Eliel Kundai Zhuwankinyu, Sibonile Moyo, Catherine Chivasa, Smart Ncube

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

Depletion of resources meant for both human and animal survival leads to competition for these. Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) occurs when these two parties compete for resources such as space, water, and food. If not properly managed, HWC can lead to loss of livelihoods and even loss of life. This paper discusses the design and development of an E-Wildlife Alert application that uses machine learning to detect dangerous animals. Using the Design Science Research method, a convolutional neural network is trained to build an artifact that detects five dangerous animals from an African context. The artifact is mounted on a robot …

A Customized Artificial Intelligence Based Career Choice Recommender System For A Rural University, Nosipho Carol Mavuso, Nobert Jere, Darelle Vangreunen

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

Rapid technological developments have enabled users to be supported and guided in decision-making. An example of this is the ability of tertiary students to use technology to explore different career options and make informed decisions about their future. Notwithstanding the increasing use of technology in general, the technology for career guidance and personalized career recommendations in South Africa is still limited. There are some limiting factors such as the ever-looming challenge of limited access to technology, language barriers and cultural differences that are prevalent in rural areas. With this premise, this study collected quantitative data from students at an Eastern …

Optimization Of Metallic Interconnectors For Clean Energy Power Systems, Mason Cox

Symposium of Student Scholars

The need to eliminate carbon emissions coupled with intensified energy demands have led to an intensified research and development activities in clean energy technology. Taking advantage of fuels such as green hydrogen, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) power systems can serve as a potential energy conversion system. SOFCs combine O2 from air and H2 gas to generate electricity, consequently producing water (H2O) as the only byproduct of the electrochemical reaction. SOFCs typically have an operational temperature in the range of 500-900C and generate electricity without the requirement of recharging, so long as the fuel is supplied. A single SOFC cell …

Design And Development Of A Solar Module Health Monitoring Device, Elijah Madaris, Christopher Baden, Sandip Das

Symposium of Student Scholars

Solar power has emerged as a promising renewable clean energy source and installations of solar panels are increasing sharply year after year. Monitoring the power output and health of solar panels is critically important to ensure safe and reliable operation of a solar power plant throughout its operational lifetime. In this project, we have designed and built a low-cost electronic device that is capable of measuring the electrical parameters of a solar cell or module. The device consists of a microprocessor with integrated analog-to-digital converter, a supercapacitor bank, current sense amplifier, and electromechanical relays. The microprocessor performs data acquisition through …

Analyzing The Effectiveness Of Helmet Laws In Reducing Motorcycle Fatalities In The United States: A State-Level Study In 2020, Liz Furlow

Symposium of Student Scholars

Motorcycle fatalities are a significant public health issue in the United States. Motorcyclists are more vulnerable than other motorists and have a higher risk of injury and death in the event of an accident. To reduce the number of preventable motorcycle fatalities, some states have implemented mandatory helmet laws. However, the effectiveness of helmet laws in reducing fatalities remains a topic of debate.

For this study, state-level data on motorcycle fatalities, motorcycle registrations, and helmet laws in the United States was collected for the year 2020. The data was obtained from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis …

Investigating The Severity And Rate Of Occurrence Of Motorcycle Crashes Across Different Land Uses In Georgia, Robert Edwards

Symposium of Student Scholars

In 2020, motorcycle crashes reached their highest number of fatalities nationally since 1975, when 5,579 motorcyclists were killed. Georgia, in recent years, has seen an increase in the number of fatal multi-vehicle crashes involving motorcycles. This would be indicative of the general trend and nothing more if the number of motorcycle crashes reported outside of urban populations did not increase—despite lockdown measures—by 1.7% in 2020. In this investigation, employing a thorough examination of the Georgia Department of Transportation’s Crash Data (GDOT) compiled from the last ten years and the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) compiled from the last five years, …

Encrypted Malicious Network Traffic Detection Using Machine Learning, Niklas Knipschild

Symposium of Student Scholars

The research project aims to find ways to detect malicious packets inside encrypted network traffic. In addition to this goal maintaining user privacy is a priority. As encryption has become less expensive to implement more and more network traffic is encrypted. Currently, 90% of all network traffic is encrypted, and this trend is expected to increase. The creators of malware areemploying various methods to ensure delivery of their malware, including encryption. One proposed method to combat this suggests implementing machine learning with various algorithms to analyze packet attributes to determine if they contain malware, without actually knowing what's inside …

Ransomware: Evaluation Of Mitigation And Prevention Techniques, Juanjose Rodriguez-Cardenas

Symposium of Student Scholars

Ransomware is classified as one of the main types of malware and involves the design of exploitations of new vulnerabilities through a host. That allows for the intrusion of systems and encrypting of any information assets and data in order to demand a sum of payment normally through untraceable cryptocurrencies such as Monero for the decryption key. This rapid security threat has put governments and private enterprises on high alert and despite evolving technologies and more sophisticated encryption algorithms critical assets are being held for ransom and the results are detrimental, including the recent Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack in 2021 …

Advanced Biomedical Laboratory (Abl) Synergy With Communication, Robotics, And Iot, Razvan Cristian Voicu, Steven Steele, Jorge Diaz Rodriguez, Yusun Chang, Chan Ham

Symposium of Student Scholars

This paper proposes a framework for integrating IoT and automation in a biomedical laboratory to improve safety, optimize processes, and enhance students' learning experience. The framework incorporates a centralized control unit and distributed subsystems to control equipment and machinery and includes autonomous robotics and intelligent monitoring systems. The paper presents the results of undergraduate students' work on automating various biomedical processes, including developing an Intelligent Autonomous Monitoring (IAM) device. IAM utilizes machine learning algorithms to identify outliers in processes and safety hazards. Moreover, IAM autonomously detects and localizes biomedical tools and equipment. Results show the feasibility of delivering real-time results …

Biomedical Sensing - A Sensor Fusion Approach For Improved Medical Detection And Monitoring, Ammy Ovando, Ricardo Ramirez, Steven Steele, Amir Ali Amiri Moghadam, Yusun Chang, Razvan Voicu

Symposium of Student Scholars

Enhanced technological advancement in computation, communication, and sensing has dramatically changed the dynamics of modern medicine. Advancing preventive medicine is paramount to a sustainable improvement in the quality of life and life expectancy. On-body sensors provide continuous measurements for healthy and ailing individuals leading to faster recovery and more timely detection of illnesses. Novel sensor designs and sensor fusion for preventive monitoring can provide extensible benefits, including a better understanding of ailment progression, treatment optimization, and patient feedback through data analytics and visualization. However, existing research does not thoroughly investigate sensor fusion approaches in biomedical sensing, as well as spot …

Development Of A Fish Robot Equipped With Novel 3d-Printed Soft Bending Actuators, Steven Steele, Jorge Diaz Rodriguez, Sharun Sripathy, Turaj Ashuri, Saleh Gharaie, Yusun Chang, Amir Ali Amiri Moghadam

Symposium of Student Scholars

This paper reports on design and fabrication of a novel soft fish robot. Application of soft actuators for the fish tail will generates continuum bending motion which resembles the natural motion of the fish. However, most soft actuator mechanisms are complex and have low efficiency. Thus, to address this issue we have developed a 3D printed soft bending actuator which can be actuated with an electromotor. The basic design idea of the soft bending actuator is explained, and iteration of the design showed to create the desired motion for the soft tail. The soft actuator has been successfully integrated with …

The Effect Of Mental Demand On Body Postures, Rodrick Adams, Valentina Niño

Symposium of Student Scholars

How we perceive our work has a profound relationship with how our body reacts to help facilitate the performance of our tasks. This is an observational study of the experiment in which participants performed tasks under four different conditions (baseline, interruptions, time, and alarm) and used NASA-TLX (NASA- Task Load Index) scores to assess their mental workload for each condition across six dimensions: mental demand, physical demand, temporal demand, effort, performance, and frustration level. We juxtaposed their NASA-TLX score with corresponding REBA (Rapid Entire Body Assessment) scores while standing and RULA (Rapid Upper Limb Assessment) scores while sitting to determine …

Molecular Dynamics Study For Tritium Adsorption On Novel Materials, Jason Viscardi, Benjamin Robinson, Asher Flanagan

Symposium of Student Scholars

In this study, novel materials will be researched, and their potential uses for tritium control. 12 studies have been collected on various materials that give a solid foundation for future research that will be conducted regarding tritium control. All these studies used molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) to generate results. The first paper found from a university in Crete, Greece discussed pillared graphene to store hydrogen in a novel 3D carbon nanostructure in which pore size and surface area can be adjusted to suit the need. This was the first of several studies that aim to arrange the graphene in such …

A Performance Comparison Between Nasa-Tlx And Surg-Tlx Workload Measurements, Isabella Duque

Symposium of Student Scholars

A performance comparison between NASA-TLX and SURG-TLX workload measurements

Undergraduate Student: Isabella Duque

Research Mentor(s): Dr. Luisa Valentina Nino

Mental workload has gained attention in the workplaces since technology has recently become more common. Mental workload is a concept with multiple dimensions, such as stress or time demand, that includes qualities about the task, the operator, and the workplace environment. NASA-TLX and SURG-TLX are mental workloads measurement tools. The NASA-TLX is currently the most used tool to measure workload and is a questionnaire of six dimensions: mental demand, physical demand, temporal demand, performance, effort, and frustration. The SURG-TLX is a …

Portable Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy For Non-Invasive And Quantitative Assessment Of The Parathyroid Glands Viability During Surgery, Mark Romine, Linh Luong, Alex Moazzen, Katie Cho, Paul Lee

Symposium of Student Scholars

Portable Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy for Non-invasive and Quantitative Assessment of the Parathyroid Glands Viability During Surgery

Mark Romine, Linh Luong, Alex Moazzen, Katie Cho and Paul Lee

The parathyroid glands (PTGs) are responsible for the regulation of calcium levels in the blood by secreting a parathyroid hormone. This parathyroid hormone then regulates the body’s absorption, storage, and secretion of calcium, which can directly affect the way muscles and nerves operate. PTGs are often at risk of damage, or accidental removal during thyroid surgeries, because it is challenging to identify PTGs and to determine their viability. Current methods of visual inspections …

Ransomware Attacks In The Software Supply Chain: A Review Of Attack Vectors, Defenses And Gaps, Corey Brookins, Ava Norouzinia, Asia Shavers, Miranda Dominguez, Marie Nassif, Kenneth Burke, Shamar Lake

Symposium of Student Scholars

The proliferation of cyberattacks in the software supply chain domain is a pressing concern making them a formidable threat to software security and compromising its integrity and credibility which needs to be critically acknowledged and investigated. The lack of familiarity with the design and pattern of emerging attacks has contributed to the occurrence of several vulnerable software supply chain attacks in the preceding years. This project aims to conduct a comprehensive study of the various tactics and techniques employed by cybercriminals in this domain along with a focus on exploring the influence of software supply chain stakeholders’ traits, limitations, and …