Engineering Commons^™

Modeling Synergistic Effects Of Integrin And Tgf-Beta Signaling In Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition, Prerak Thakkar

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment Of Hydrogen Production Via Various Pv-Assisted Electrochemical Water Splitting Techniques, Achyuth Ravilla

Student Research Symposium

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) and photovoltaic-electrochemical (PV-EC) water-splitting technologies have emerged as cost-effective options for large-scale green hydrogen production in industrial applications. Solar to hydrogen (STH) efficiencies of these technologies have reached up to 20% and several pathways have been explored to drive down the cost of hydrogen using these technologies to less than $2/kg. However, the environmental impact assessment of these technologies for industry-scale deployment has not been explored in previous studies. This study assesses the environmental impacts of PEC and PV-EC technologies by conducting a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment. The functional unit considered for this assessment is 1 kg of …

Flexible Strain Gauge Sensors As Real-Time Stretch Receptors For Use In Biomimetic Bpa Muscle Applications, Rochelle Jubert

Student Research Symposium

This work presents a novel approach to real-time length sensing for biomimetic Braided Pneumatic Actuators (BPAs) as artificial muscles in soft robotics applications. The use of artificial muscles enables the development of more interesting robotic designs that no longer depend on single rotation joints controlled by motors. Developing robots with these capabilities, however, produces more complexities in control and sensing. Joint encoders, the mainstay of robotic feedback, can no longer be used, so new methods of sensing are needed to get feedback on muscle behavior to implement intelligent controls. To address this need, flexible strain gauge sensors from Portland company, …

Performance-Based Risk Assessment For Large-Scale Transportation Networks, Anteneh Deriba, David Y. Yang

Student Research Symposium

Efficiently assessing the risk of asset failure due to deterioration or extreme events is crucial for transportation asset management. Traditional methods often lack effectiveness in directly evaluating system performance-based risks, facing challenges like the exponential increase in system states and the emergence of low-probability high-consequence events ("grey swan" events). To address these, this paper introduces a novel performance-based risk assessment approach for large-scale transportation networks, inspired by the Transitional Markov Chain Monte Carlo (TMCMC) method. This method transforms the risk assessment problem into a high-dimensional posterior distribution, with system risk acting as the normalization factor (evidence). It also provides risk-based …

Characterization Of Chopped Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composites Produced Using Fused Deposition Modeling, Jonathon Tran, Rachel Shubella

Student Research Symposium

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is an additive manufacturing (AM) process which can create parts with complex geometries in their final shape without need for additional specialized tools or devices. The FDM process builds parts by adding material layer by layer only where it is needed, saving energy, costs, production time for complex parts, and minimizing waste. Fiber reinforcement can significantly enhance the mechanical properties of a polymer material and depends significantly on the fiber length distribution and fiber orientation distribution of the final part. In this research, we investigated the various infill patterns of FDM printed Markforged onyx which is …

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment Of Recycling Processes For Perovskite Solar Cells, Juan P. Herrera, Jules Freeman, Achyuth Ravilla, Ilke Celik

Student Research Symposium

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have emerged as a promising option for solar energy generation. However, it is essential to consider the environmental impact of these innovative photovoltaic (PV) technologies as the industry moves towards commercialization. Researchers are currently exploring ways to recycle PSCs to recover valuable materials and reduce their environmental impact at the end of their life. To ensure the sustainability of PSCs, this study evaluates and compares the environmental impacts of five recently developed recycling approaches. The Tool for Reduction and Assessment of Chemicals (TRACI) method was utilized to measure environmental impacts in categories such as acidification (kg …

Plasma Ion Source, Nathan K. Davis

Student Research Symposium

It is well known that a plasma can be created with both high input power and ultra low pressure. The challenge is in creating these same plasma characteristics with both lower power while maintaining a higher pressure. We have developed an ion beam by careful manipulation of magnetic and electric fields. Magnetic fields are used to accelerate ambient electrons to ionize the low pressure gas into a plasma. Electric fields are used to extract the ions into a focused beam. To achieve these initial ionizations, an artificial vacuum is created to reach low enough pressures to ionize the gas. A …

Pulse Modulation In Braided Pneumatic Actuators Mimics Contractile Behavior Of Biological Muscles, Mohamad Elzein

Student Research Symposium

Advancements in robotics and bioengineering aim to emulate biological muscle systems through robotic actuators, blending mechanical strength with biological adaptability. A lesser-explored aspect is mimicking the pulse-like control characteristic of biological muscles, which contract in response to action potentials from motoneurons, with muscle contractile force relying heavily on the timing between these potentials. This study explores the effect of pulse lengths and the gaps between pulses on braided pneumatic actuators (BPAs), which mimic the nonlinearity and dynamic response of biological muscles. It hypothesizes that artificial muscles utilizing pulse-based control will exhibit a similar force dependency on the intervals between pulses …

Reducing Switching Noise And Losses In Two-Stage Electric Power Converters, Abhijeet Prem

Student Research Symposium

Advancements in semiconductor devices are enabling the design of better electrical power converter systems. Wide Bandgap (WBG) switching devices from Silicon Carbide and Gallium Nitride can operate at high temperatures, voltages, and frequencies with faster turn-on/off periods, improving converter performance over silicon devices. However, WBG technology is still new, and the rapid switching transitions of these devices lead to issues such as voltage overshoots, ringing, and electromagnetic interference, which need to be addressed for widespread adoption. This work introduces a new control method for reshaping the switching voltages, which overcomes the disadvantages of fast transition time without increasing the system's …

Self-Balancing Robot Leg, Ben Bolen

Student Research Symposium

Research in the Agile and Adaptive Robotics Lab involves the creation of biomimetic robots. To this end, we developed a self-balancing robot leg actuated with braided pneumatic actuators (BPAs)—a type of pneumatic artificial muscle. These BPAs, akin to human muscles, exhibit properties such as high strength-to-weight ratio and tunable passive stiffness. An Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) was placed on top of the tibia for feedback and the tibia and foot were connected with a hinge joint. The orientation of the ankle joint was controlled with an Arduino microcontroller sending commands to the proportional pressure valves supplying the BPAs. Leg balance …

How Do Seasonal Changes In Ecoroof Plants Impact Stormwater Runoff And Weed Establishment?, Michelle Hesek, Olyssa Starry, Samantha Hartzell, Kimberly Sanderford

Student Research Symposium

Ecoroofs remove abundant stormwater runoff from the combined sewer system in Portland, Oregon. A limited number of studies focused on comparing stormwater retention by ecoroof plants. This research aims to study the seasonal impact on water retention of two functionally different species, Buffalograss (Bouteloua dactyloides) and White stonecrop (Sedum album) while evaluating weed growth as a factor in water absorption. Seven tray structures are built: three planted with Buffalograss, three with White stonecrop, and one containing bare substrate. The trays are monitored for one year starting in June 2023, measuring plant coverage, biomass, leaf area index, and weed count. Plant …

Supporting Text And Data Analysis Across Campus From The Academic Library, Amy Kirchhoff, Hejin Shin Phd

Digital Initiatives Symposium

The ability to comprehend and communicate with text-based data is essential to future success in academics and employment, as evidenced in a recent survey from Bloomberg Research Services which shows that nearly 97% of survey respondents now use data analytics in their companies and 58% consider data and text mining a business analytics tool (https://www.sas.com/content/dam/SAS/bp_de/doc/studie/ba-st-the-current-state-of-business-analytics-2317022.pdf). This has fueled a substantial growth in text analysis research (involving the use of technology to analyze un- and semi-structured text data for valuable insights, trends, and patterns) across disciplines and a corresponding demand on academic libraries to support text analysis pedagogy and text analysis …

Poster Session: Onu Engineering Freshman And Senior Design Projects, Keith Schimmel

Scholar Week 2016 - present

This poster session is held Friday, April 19, 4:45-6:15pm, with food served, in the Reed Hall of Science Tech Center.

The capstone engineering senior design projects at Olivet Nazarene University involve interdisciplinary engineering teams completing real-life projects sponsored by companies, mission organizations, and professional society competitions. The engineering first-year design projects at Olivet Nazarene University involve interdisciplinary engineering teams proposing product improvement designs, using Computer Aided Design (CAD) software. Posters for both the senior and freshman engineering design projects will be presented during this poster session.

Enhancing Fish Farming Sustainability In Guatemala: A Cost-Effective Oxygenation Solution, Olivia Wheeler, Creighton Seibeert, Carlos Gomez Gutierrez

Scholar Week 2016 - present

This project addresses a critical challenge faced by small-scale, family-owned fish farms in Guatemala, providing adequate oxygen to their fishponds due to the lack of reliable grid power and high energy costs. The primary goal is to design a sustainable and cost-effective solution that ensures continuous oxygenation within the range of 5-7 parts per million (ppm) of dissolved oxygen (DO). To achieve this, the solution must operate independently of grid power, withstand Guatemala's environmental conditions, and be replicable by local farmers for widespread accessibility. The holistic design objectives focus on boosting fish harvest yields, reducing operational costs, promoting sustainability, empowering …

Integrated Under-Deck Storage Unit Solutions For The Basic Utility Vehicle, Madeline Barone, Hunter Bogart, Cindy Carrion, Ethan Piacenti

Scholar Week 2016 - present

There is an urgent need to maximize storage usage on the Basic Utility Vehicle (BUV) that is used in Africa by the BUV ministry. Drivers have no place to store personal belongings and items that should stay with the BUV throughout the day. This project aims to find a solution that is in the market and figure out how to adapt it to the BUV. The final product must meet the design criteria given by the BUV ministry as is or with additional features added on to it. By providing an efficient storage solution, there will be a positive impact …

Process Control Experiment: Automated Titration System, Marc Shuflit, Nathan Martin, Noelle Miller, Benjamin Tavares

Scholar Week 2016 - present

A titration experiment has been designed using a chemical reaction tank and implementing all the basic components found in automatic control systems. This system has been constructed using basic fluid flow hardware, control sensors and actuators, along with ladder logic programing for the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) to automate an acid-base chemical titration. This system will be used in Olivet Nazarene University’s engineering labs to provide hands-on learning of state-of-the-art process technology.

Society Of Automotive Engineers Baja Vehicle Competition, Kevin Scott Leonard, Michael Roath, Matthew Bair, Ethan Burt, Jacob Burt, Jordan Evans, Jotham Drayton

Scholar Week 2016 - present

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Baja Senior Design Team is tasked with building a single person off-road vehicle to both perform in a competitive setting and appeal to the consumer market. Baja SAE gives students the first-hand challenge of pursuing their passion while managing real-life demands and priorities. Each team's goal is to design and build a prototype of an all-weather, rugged, single-seat, off-road recreational vehicle intended for sale to the nonprofessional weekend off-road enthusiast. The three main design objectives we believe are needed to reach our goals are for the vehicle to be durable, manufacturable, and serviceable. The …

Estimating Effects Of Tourism Using Multiple Data Sources: The Miranda Tool As Part Of A Spatial Decision Support System For Sustainable Destination Development, Tobias Heldt

GSTC Academic Symposium - In conjunction with the GSTC Global Conference Sweden April 23, 2024

Planning for sustainable mobility and destination development in rural areas is increasingly important when tourism grows in numbers. A key to address the challenge of transformation and adaptation of local communities to mitigate adverse effects in seasonal peak hours like traffic congestion, power failure, waste management and sewage flooding, is to properly estimate the number of visitors to a destination.

The problem of estimating tourism numbers is a known challenge since, for example, guest nights statistics are in-complete and non-commercial lodging (sharing solutions) are increasing. Recently, the promising utilization of mobile phone data has emerged as a means to estimate …

Scaling And Optimizing Agitated Tanks For The Homogenization Of Complex Biological Suspensions, Josh Dittmer, Cara Serpe, Sterling Staranchuk

Scholar Week 2016 - present

This study presents an investigation of the agitated tank mixing dynamics across various scales, including lab, two pilot, and full scales, focusing on human blood plasma Kistler-Nitschmann-Cohn (KNC) I+II+III suspensions. The methods employed are empirical tank mixing correlations within the KaeMix software package and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling using ANSYS Fluent. Tank and agitator geometries were generated in ANSYS Workbench and meshed in ANSYS Fluent with varied cell sizes to capture detailed dynamics near the agitators and in the bulk fluid. Kaemix analysis provided rapid computation of bulk mixing times at different scales. Beyond simulations, the project aims to …

A Design Science Approach To Investigating Decentralized Identity Technology, Janelle Krupicka

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

The internet needs secure forms of identity authentication to function properly, but identity authentication is not a core part of the internet’s architecture. Instead, approaches to identity verification vary, often using centralized stores of identity information that are targets of cyber attacks. Decentralized identity is a secure way to manage identity online that puts users’ identities in their own hands and that has the potential to become a core part of cybersecurity. However, decentralized identity technology is new and continually evolving, which makes implementing this technology in an organizational setting challenging. This paper suggests that, in the future, decentralized identity …

E-Bike Improvements, Reuben M. Eye, Cole Huddleston, Jeffery Scott, Cade Lewis, Ethan Ridenour

ATU Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Ieee Robotics Competition, Emily Webb, Arath Sanchez, Genesis V. Garay, Caleb Bynum, Brandon Bunton

ATU Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Breast Cancer Classification With Machine Learning, Rahanuma Tarannum

ATU Research Symposium

Breast cancer is one of the foremost causes of death amongst women worldwide. Breast tumours are characteristically classified as either benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Benign tumours do not spread external side of the breast and are not fatal, whereas malignant tumours can metastasize and be incurable if untreated. Rapidly and accurate diagnosis of malignant tumours is significant for efficient treatment and advanced outcomes. In 2022, breast cancer claimed 670 000 lives worldwide. Women without any particular risk factors other than age and sex account for half of all cases of breast cancer. In 157 out of 185 nations, breast …

Arkansas Tech University Modular Robotics Training System, Andrew L. Hilsdon, Jacob L. Crawford, Luke C. Hartman, Samuel E. Allen, Anthony W. Knudson, Kyle B. Mcmillan

ATU Research Symposium

Arkansas Tech University Modular Robotic Training System (ATUM RTS) project aims to combine two existing systems: The Georgia Tech Robotarium and the Micromouse maze-solving competition. The goal of ATUM RTS is to incorporate the challenge and excitement of maze-solving robots with the cloud-based learning system of the Robotarium. We intend to develop an automatic maze table with future remote capabilities to further student learning and engagement. By being able to create custom mazes with ATUM RTS, students will have access to a resource that will allow them to practically apply what they are learning in the classroom. The ATUM RTS …

Adventure Course - Hocking Hills Retreat Center, Donavan Yelle, Valerie Froylan, Nathaniel Nargang, Samantha Paterson

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Hocking Hills Retreat Center located in Logan, Ohio tasked a senior engineering design group with the creation of a high and low ropes adventure course. The goal of this course is to increase the number of visitors to the retreat center. The course was designed to feature a kid’s area; a teamwork section; and beginner, intermediate, and expert courses. All course elements range from ten to thirty feet in elevation to allow for a variety of difficulty levels. The course has been modeled using both AutoCAD and Revit software. Additionally, structural analysis was performed to ensure the safety and strength …

Applications Of Supercapacitors In Robotic Systems, Charles Davis, Zachary Giese, Joseph Gober, Samuel Grisham, Avery Mahan

ATU Research Symposium

This project explores the utilization of a bespoke supercapacitor system to energize and propel a robot across various challenging courses. The custom supercapacitor setup serves as the primary power source, providing rapid charging capabilities and high energy density. The research investigates the integration of this innovative power solution into the robot's design, aiming to optimize its performance and endurance in competitive environments.

Advisync: A Dynamic Academic Course Scheduler, Spencer M. Anderson, Wilson Escobar, Devin Scott Sandlin, Nathan Patrick Doyle

ATU Research Symposium

Academic advising at universities can be a tedious and disorganized process for both students and advisors. Each advisor may have several dozen advisees to manage each semester, and each individual student has unique sets of classes they need to take to graduate. This might lead to scheduling errors. These errors can put the student behind in their degree, thus extending the time it takes for them to graduate past financial aid periods and delay their entry into the workforce. To address this issue, we create AdviSync. It is a tool for both students and advisors that aims to provide a …

Filar Micrometer For Amateur Astronomers, Will Anderson, Conner Moore, Paige Panush

Scholar Week 2016 - present

A filar micrometer that measures double stars orbiting each other is being developed. Most filar micrometers are solely for professional use, making them expensive. Therefore, we are designing a filar micrometer that will be cost effective for amateur astronomers. A 3D printer and polylactic acid (PLA) material are the tools being used to implement the design.

Pyroscan: Wildfire Behavior Prediction System, Derek H. Thompson, Parker A. Padgett, Timothy C. Johnson

ATU Research Symposium

During a wildfire, it is of the utmost importance to be updated about all information of the wildfire. Wind speed, wind direction and dry grass often works as fuel for the fire allowing it to spread in multiple directions. These different factors are often issues for any firefighting organization that is trying to help fight the fire. An uncontrolled wildfire is often a threat to wildlife, property, and worse, human and animal lives. In our paper, we propose an artificial intelligence (AI) powered fire tracking and prediction application utilizing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to inform fire fighters regarding the probability …

Efficient, Affordable, And Accessible (Eaa) House Design, Jack Holohan, Matthew Carpenter, Faith Dalton, Payton Tindal

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Recent trends in the housing market, along with household income disparities, underscore the need for efficient, affordable, and accessible (EAA) housing for middle to lower-middle-income families. The EAA House Design project presents an alternative solution through a detailed set of construction documents encompassing architectural, electrical, mechanical, structural, plumbing, and interior design. Revit software was used to plan, design, and manage the project. The completed project will be submitted for the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Engineering Education Award.