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Articles 1 - 26 of 26
Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Assessment Of The Ecosystem Services Of Rain Gardens, Hannah M. Hawrot, Dr. Sara Mcmillan, Rachel Scarlett
Assessment Of The Ecosystem Services Of Rain Gardens, Hannah M. Hawrot, Dr. Sara Mcmillan, Rachel Scarlett
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces contributes to degradation of urban stream ecosystems. Impacts include increased flooding, water quality impairment, and disruption of habitats. Rain gardens are a type of green infrastructure designed to mitigate the adverse effects of stormwater runoff by promoting evapotranspiration, reducing peak flows, and retaining pollutants. Rain gardens can provide additional ecosystem services, defined as benefits that ecosystems provide to people. This includes, but is not limited to, increasing biodiversity by providing habitat, creating green spaces for recreation, and storing carbon. To date, little research has been done integrating these multiple services. My research measured water quality, …
Development Of Portable Hyperspectral Imaging Device, Chenxi Li, Youngkee Jung, Iyll-Joon Doh, Euiwon Bae
Development Of Portable Hyperspectral Imaging Device, Chenxi Li, Youngkee Jung, Iyll-Joon Doh, Euiwon Bae
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Most of the conventional hyperspectral imaging devices require sophisticated optical components, occupy a large footprint, and requires an initial capital investment for laboratories which mostly suits for laboratories benchtop system. The requirement of shipping the sample and waiting an extended period of time to get the results are the main downsides of this traditional approach. Capitalize in many specific field applications and diagnosis, portable devices provide both convenience and on-site results which are desirable for government agencies and food safety inspectors. This project was aimed to develop a low-cost, portable hyperspectral device for food safety applications. A smartphone was used …
Characterization Of High Oleic Acid Biodiesel: Improving Biofuel Properties, James M. Muskat, Nathan Mosier
Characterization Of High Oleic Acid Biodiesel: Improving Biofuel Properties, James M. Muskat, Nathan Mosier
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
In 2016, the world produced an amount of biofuel equivalent to 82,306,000 tonnes of oil. A portion of the biofuels produced was categorized as biodiesel. While still growing as a fuel alternative, current biodiesel fuels are at risk for causing increased engine coking, lower engine performance and durability, oil ring sticking, carbon deposits, and gelling of lubricating oil. Due to these primary issues, biodiesel cannot completely replace petroleum diesel as a fuel source. Instead, biodiesel is commonly blended with petroleum diesel at 5% and 20% (B5 and B20) in the U.S. to create a mixture that has acceptable fuel properties. …
The Effects Of Compaction On Reconstitution Characteristics Of Dairy Powder, Michelle P. Dixon, Rose Prabin Kingsly Ambrose, Dhananjay Ashok Pai
The Effects Of Compaction On Reconstitution Characteristics Of Dairy Powder, Michelle P. Dixon, Rose Prabin Kingsly Ambrose, Dhananjay Ashok Pai
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Milk powders are becoming more ubiquitous within the food industry, and they offer consumers a convenient form for direct intake of dairy. The costs associated with dairy are reduced when products are converted to powder, which markedly increases shelf life at ambient temperatures. Creating compacts from powders further improves cost efficiency by reducing volume. However, milk powders typically possess poor rehydration properties, such as a slow dispersion rate and low solubility, and powder compaction additionally prolongs rehydration time, reducing consumer acceptability. Previous studies have shown that modifying dairy products before or during the drying process can improve rehydration properties, but …
Development Of A Water Quality Status And Trend Detection Tool*, Ruchir Aggarwal, Valeria Mijares, Margaret W. Gitau
Development Of A Water Quality Status And Trend Detection Tool*, Ruchir Aggarwal, Valeria Mijares, Margaret W. Gitau
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Water Quality Index (WQI) models have been developed since the early 1970s. They present a means by which water quality status and trends can be compared across time and space on the basis of a composite value computed using existing water quality data. There is a need for a tool that can bring the different water quality parameters together and calculate the WQIs so as to facilitate data use in predictive modeling and water quality management. We are developing a software tool that can be used by water quality managers and others with different technical backgrounds to calculate WQI of …
Analysis Of The Flow Behaviors Of Corn Meal During Extrusion, Daniel N. Hauersperger, Martin R. Okos, Troy Tonner
Analysis Of The Flow Behaviors Of Corn Meal During Extrusion, Daniel N. Hauersperger, Martin R. Okos, Troy Tonner
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Food extrusion can be used to make many products we consume today, including pasta, cereals and more. The ability to predict the characteristics of the final product from an extruder using raw material characteristics and operating conditions is vital to the extrusion process. In order to answer this need, the flow behavior of corn meal was measured in a lab viscometer (off-line) and compared to the flow behaviors from an extruder (in-line) at three different moisture contents (32.5%, 35%, 37.5% wet basis). The extruder and product are heated through the friction of the corn meal passing through the barrel not …
Exploring Regional And Telecoupled Land Use Change Impacts From Environmental Shocks, Kevin Hill, Liz Wachs, Brady Hardiman, David Yu, Shweta Singh
Exploring Regional And Telecoupled Land Use Change Impacts From Environmental Shocks, Kevin Hill, Liz Wachs, Brady Hardiman, David Yu, Shweta Singh
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Natural disasters or environmental shocks have the potential to disrupt local agricultural systems as well as distant agricultural systems through cascading effects. In this work we selected two distinct environmental shocks and traced their cascading effects on land use change. Quantifying cascading effects is a salient issue because climate change forecasts indicate an increase in frequency and intensity of global environmental shocks. This study incorporated the concept of telecoupled systems involving interrelating ecological, economic and political/social components. A telecoupled framework involving cascading effects was implemented using three approaches. The first approach involved using bilateral agricultural trade matrix data to analyze …
Plant Phenotyping On Mobile Devices, Ziling Chen, Jian Jin, Zhihang Song, Jialei Wang
Plant Phenotyping On Mobile Devices, Ziling Chen, Jian Jin, Zhihang Song, Jialei Wang
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Plants phenotyping is a fast and non-destructive method to obtain the physiological features of plants, compared with the expensive and time costing chemical analysis with plant sampling. Through plant phenotyping, scientists and farmers can tell plant health status more accurately compared to visual inspection, thus avoid the waste in time and resources and even to predict the productivity. However, the size and price of current plant phenotyping equipment restrict them from being widely applied at a farmer’s household level. Everyday field operation is barely achieved because of the availability of easy-to-carry and cost-effective equipment such as hyper-spectrum cameras, infrared cameras …
Increasing Maize Tolerance To Drought And Flood With Seed Coating Treatments, Jacob E. Bennett, Achint Sanghi, R. P. Kingsly Ambrose
Increasing Maize Tolerance To Drought And Flood With Seed Coating Treatments, Jacob E. Bennett, Achint Sanghi, R. P. Kingsly Ambrose
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
The lack of irrigation in regions prone to drought, and flooding due to high rainfall or lack of drainage affects seed viability and the subsequent germination and crop establishment. Seed treatment in the form of coatings shows promise as an effective method to preserve the viability of corn (Zea mays) seeds in drought and flood conditions. Chemical formulations may help improve the seed corn vigor under these stressed conditions. This study examined the efficacy of β-aminobutyric acid [BABA] and N-isopropylacrylamide [NIPA] in inducing drought resistance, as well as the ability of lanolin and linseed oil to provide flood …
Using Elastin-Like Polypeptides For Better Retention Of Biofuels, Yu Hong Wang, Ethan T. Hilman, Kevin V. Solomon
Using Elastin-Like Polypeptides For Better Retention Of Biofuels, Yu Hong Wang, Ethan T. Hilman, Kevin V. Solomon
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) are synthetic molecules that exhibit an interesting property of inverse temperature phase transition; they exist as soluble monomers at low temperatures and form insoluble aggregates at higher temperatures. The transition temperature depends on the pH, salt concentration, and the amino acid sequence of the ELP. This unique and reversible behavior, along with their high biocompatibility has made them a strategic tool for various biomedical applications. However, their hydrophobic properties also make them a prime candidate for biofuel production. As high levels of many commercially important organic solvents are toxic to the cells that make them, ELPs can …
Gdd(Growth Degree Day) Module For Vinsense Visual Analytics System, Pradeep K. Lam, David Ebert , Phd, Jiawei Zhang
Gdd(Growth Degree Day) Module For Vinsense Visual Analytics System, Pradeep K. Lam, David Ebert , Phd, Jiawei Zhang
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Limited resources and increasing costs require vineyards to develop optimized methods of planting, growing, and harvesting crops in order to ensure max yield and stay competitive in the marketplace. Data from sensors planted within the soil paired with weather reports and observation data from farmers could help develop competitive farming strategies. While automatic computation models are usually a black box that cannot explain how the input data are transformed into output, the farmers require an approach that allows them to interactively manipulate and supervise the computation process. The VinSense project was developed for this purpose. In this paper, we focus …
Long-Term Tillage System Impacts On Soil Erodibility, Julianne R. Chechanover, Dennis C. Flanagan
Long-Term Tillage System Impacts On Soil Erodibility, Julianne R. Chechanover, Dennis C. Flanagan
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Conservation tillage practices, such as no-till agriculture, have the potential of reducing the erodibility of a soil compared to conventional agricultural practices. This research sought to determine whether long-term agricultural practices affect the baseline erodibility properties of a soil. Two soils from Throckmorton-Purdue Agricultural Center in Tippecanoe County, Indiana were used during this experiment. One soil was treated with a long-term conventional tillage (fall chisel, spring disk) system and the other soil was treated with a long-term no-till system. The soils’ interrill erodibility, and rill erodibility and critical hydraulic shear stress were measured under a rainfall simulator using soil boxes …
Development Of A Novel Enzymatic Pre-Treatment For Lignocellulosic Biomass, Melissa Robins, Jenna Rickus
Development Of A Novel Enzymatic Pre-Treatment For Lignocellulosic Biomass, Melissa Robins, Jenna Rickus
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Biofuels, fuels derived directly from living matter, present a renewable and environmentally friendly alternative to petroleum based fuels. Bioethanol produced from low input energy crops or agricultural waste is a promising fuel source because it does not interfere with the human food supply chain and the ethanol produced can be blended with gasoline. These potential sources of bioethanol are not yet commercially viable due to a polymer called lignin present in the plant’s cell wall which impedes the conversion of cellulose to glucose and the eventual fermentation of glucose to ethanol. Developing new methods for the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass …
Processing Methods And Storage Conditions On Chocolate And Coffee Powder Flow Properties, Sunland L. Gong, Andrea Della Bella, Teresa M. Carvajal
Processing Methods And Storage Conditions On Chocolate And Coffee Powder Flow Properties, Sunland L. Gong, Andrea Della Bella, Teresa M. Carvajal
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Powders are widely used in a countless number of industries, and are crucial to the quality control of products in areas such as pharmaceuticals and food. Particle physicochemical properties (morphology, solid state – crystalline, amorphous or both) are important factors for powder flow, which in turn can have significant impact on the stability, performance, and presentation of powders. Different processing methods as well as storage conditions such as relative humidity (RH) can drastically affect powder flow. Due to the widespread use of chocolate and coffee powder around the world, and their importance to the food industry, this work investigates two …
Design Of Transgenic S. Cerevisiae For Enzymatic Pretreatment, Mark Aronson, Leyla Yamin, Soo Jung Ha, Jenna Rickus, Michael E. Scharf
Design Of Transgenic S. Cerevisiae For Enzymatic Pretreatment, Mark Aronson, Leyla Yamin, Soo Jung Ha, Jenna Rickus, Michael E. Scharf
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Biofuels, combustible fuel produced from fermentation of agricultural biomass by microorganisms, represent one of the best possible paths forward for sustainable energy production. However, inefficiencies in biofuel production create barriers that stand in the way of their widespread adoption. One such barrier is the breakdown of lignin, a biopolymer that exists on the edge of plant cell walls which protects the sugars that are used in fermentation. Currently, lignin is broken down in energy-intensive thermal pretreatment processes. A viable alternative is the expression of lignin-degrading enzymes by synthetic microorganisms that work at standard temperatures, eliminating the need for the high-energy …
Experimental Characterization And Modelling Of Energy Efficient Fluid Supply Systems, Karina M. Bjorklund, Andrea Vacca, Timothy J Opperwall
Experimental Characterization And Modelling Of Energy Efficient Fluid Supply Systems, Karina M. Bjorklund, Andrea Vacca, Timothy J Opperwall
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
In applications such as in agriculture, construction, and aerospace applications, high pressure hydraulics is the preferred technology to transmit mechanical power. As a consequence, the energy efficiency of the hydraulic system used to perform the mechanical actuations is of primary concern to reduce the energy consumptions in the abovementioned applications. In an hydraulic system, the primary component determining the energy efficiency is the hydraulic pump. This work focuses on the study of a particular pump design, also referred as external gear pump, particularly used in applications in which the cost of the hydraulic system has to be minimized. The large …
A Novel Synthetic Yeast For Enzymatic Biodigester Pretreatment, Tianyu Tan, Mark S. Aronson, Arren Liu, Jill H. Osterhus, Melissa Robins, Suraj Mohan, Erich Leazer, Bowman Clark, Alexa Petrucciani, Katherine Lowery, James Welch, Casey Martin, Helena Lysandrou, Michael E. Scharf, Jenna Rickus
A Novel Synthetic Yeast For Enzymatic Biodigester Pretreatment, Tianyu Tan, Mark S. Aronson, Arren Liu, Jill H. Osterhus, Melissa Robins, Suraj Mohan, Erich Leazer, Bowman Clark, Alexa Petrucciani, Katherine Lowery, James Welch, Casey Martin, Helena Lysandrou, Michael E. Scharf, Jenna Rickus
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Lignin, a complex organic polymer, is a major roadblock to the efficiency of biofuel conversion as it both physically blocks carbohydrate substrates and poisons biomass degrading enzymes, even if broken down to monomer units. A pretreatment process is often applied to separate the lignin from biomass prior to biofuel conversion. However, contemporary methods of pretreatment require large amounts of energy, which may be economically uncompelling or unfeasible. Taking inspiration from several genes that have been isolated from termites and fungi which translate to enzymes that degrade lignin, we want to establish a novel “enzymatic pretreatment” system where microbes secrete these …
Designing Constructed Wetlands For Water Purification In Tanzania, Danielle Mcneely, Michael Sheehan, John Lumkes
Designing Constructed Wetlands For Water Purification In Tanzania, Danielle Mcneely, Michael Sheehan, John Lumkes
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
In Tanzania half of households have unsafe drinking water (Nkonya, 2010) and many diseases arise from poor water quality, including meningitis, hepatitis A and E, and salmonella (Kusiluka et al., 2004). One cost-effective way of cleaning water is by passing it through a wetland. This research is focused on simplifying the process of horizontal subsurface flow wetland construction for the villagers of Endallah. The outcome is an Excel tool that standardizes methodology for building wetlands that can then be applied to Endallah. Rainfall data from the Arusha region of Tanzania was used to make a rainfall estimation grid. From this …
Improving Data Quality For A Dairy Pollutant Emissions Study, Ian K. Hahus, Albert J. Heber
Improving Data Quality For A Dairy Pollutant Emissions Study, Ian K. Hahus, Albert J. Heber
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
The National Air Emissions Monitoring Study (NAEMS) was sanctioned by the EPA to determine the characteristics of airborne pollutant emissions from confined broiler, egg, pork, and dairy housing. Fifteen representative monitoring sites were selected around the U.S., at which influent and effluent pollutant concentrations were measured in conjunction with airflow and climatic data. Due to the monumental nature of this study and the potential ramifications of its findings, it is of vital importance that the data collected by the researchers and utilized by the EPA be as complete and accurate as possible. To improve the validity of the data collected …
Detection Of Foodborne Pathogens By Micro-Filtration Using A Continuous Cell Concentrator Device, Klaire E. Jeffries, Eduardo Ximenes, Michael R. Ladisch
Detection Of Foodborne Pathogens By Micro-Filtration Using A Continuous Cell Concentrator Device, Klaire E. Jeffries, Eduardo Ximenes, Michael R. Ladisch
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Protecting consumers from foodborne illness is an important health concern facing the food industry today. An important deficiency exposed by foodborne illness is the inability to track contaminated food back to the source in a timely manner. Although there are established methods that detect bacterial pathogen contamination, they are limited in distinguishing viable bacteria reliably and quickly. Currently, food pathogen testing requires lengthy culture steps, which many times are delayed even longer due to the lack of in-house testing labs. Typically, two to three days elapses between when the food is sampled and the test results are available. This study …
Computer Simulation Study Of Slipper Lubrication In Hydraulic Machines, Jordyn B. Miller, Monika Ivantysynova
Computer Simulation Study Of Slipper Lubrication In Hydraulic Machines, Jordyn B. Miller, Monika Ivantysynova
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Hydraulic pumps and motors are vital components used in many applications today. Specifically, the axial piston pump is important because it is reliable, relatively compact, and has a high horsepower-to-weight ratio. These features make this type of pump very advantageous in hydraulic systems. Maintaining proper lubrication between surfaces in an axial pump, such as the slipper and swashplate, is imperative in order to have smooth operation of the system and prevent metal-to-metal contact. The aim of this research is to find the optimal slipper design and fluid film thickness to simultaneously maintain a balanced pressure and decrease power loss in …
Driftwatch Pollinator Mapping Application, Shreyas G. Sundararaman, Larry Theller, Bernard Engel
Driftwatch Pollinator Mapping Application, Shreyas G. Sundararaman, Larry Theller, Bernard Engel
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Over 65% percent of food consumed in the United States is pollinated by bees. Unfortunately, due to poor farming practices, pesticides are sprayed in bee sensitive areas unknowingly and as a result, the bee population is dwindling at an alarming rate. With lesser bees to pollinate crops, produce is compromised on a very large scale and this could have disastrous impacts on the nation's needs for food. Apiarists and beehive owners face the major responsibility of ensuring that their hives aren't affected by dangerous insecticides and pesticides from the farming areas that they might visit during their crop pollination cycles …
Design Of A Novel Actuation System For Variable Displacement Gear Machine, Mark W. Mahuren, Andrea Vacca
Design Of A Novel Actuation System For Variable Displacement Gear Machine, Mark W. Mahuren, Andrea Vacca
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
External spur gear pumps are exceedingly useful components in common hydraulic systems. The main issue with external gear pumps is that all current models are limited to only fixed-displacement. This means that for every revolution of the gears inside the pump, a set amount of fluid will always be displaced. Consequently, external gear pumps are limited in their use because they can only operate at full throttle causing inefficiencies when reduced displacement is needed. The successful procurement of a variable displacement gear pump will allow a more efficient use of hydraulic systems, such as in the displacement controlled systems used …
Crane Shaking Platform Design, Bixing Yan, Andrea Vacca
Crane Shaking Platform Design, Bixing Yan, Andrea Vacca
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Most of the control methodology of Mobile hydraulic crane is not as energy efficient as people think or want, and the desire to innovate novel, energy-efficient control strategy is the target of most hydraulic experts. To develop or test the control method under real road and off-road conditions, a platform that could simulate the movement and vibration of the crane truck is desired. To design and build the multi-operation platform, a design process includes brain storming, design selection, FEA (Fundamental Element Analysis), mechanical sizing, hydraulic sizing and Bill of Material is required and preferred. After going through all the steps …
Optimization Of Oil Extraction Of Soy Flour Using Mini Extrusion Technology, Alisha Chess, Martin Okos
Optimization Of Oil Extraction Of Soy Flour Using Mini Extrusion Technology, Alisha Chess, Martin Okos
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Mini extrusion technology is a relatively new technology that offers fast timing and processing of food products. This technology paired with the advantageous properties and growing demand for soybeans can lead to a larger span of uses for the extruder that have not yet been explored, including NASA space missions and incorporation of soybeans into developing countries. During past research on parameters of operation, it was discovered that a significant amount of oil was being separated from the soy meal at the die of the mini extruder. Maximum removal of this oil allows use of the soy meal and soy …
Estimation Of Two-Stage Ditch Excavation Volume Using Lidar Data Full Paper, Kirsten E. Paff, Jane Frankenberger, Naime Celik
Estimation Of Two-Stage Ditch Excavation Volume Using Lidar Data Full Paper, Kirsten E. Paff, Jane Frankenberger, Naime Celik
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Drainage ditches are a major pathway for sediment, nutrients, and pesticides to enter stream systems, which threaten environmental and human health. Unlike trapezoidal ditches, two-stage ditches have a vegetated bench that acts as a floodplain, which helps to prevent erosion and to increase the processing of nutrients to improve water quality. Converting a trapezoidal ditch to a two-stage ditch is expensive, due to the large volumes of soil that need to be excavated. Since ditch geometries vary significantly and surveying each potential site by hand would be time consuming and expensive, a tool based upon online Light Detection and Ranging …