Engineering Commons^™

Finding Approximate Pythagorean Triples (And Applications To Lego Robot Building), Ronald I. Greenberg, Matthew Fahrenbacher, George K. Thiruvathukal

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This assignment combines programming and data analysis to determine good combinations of side lengths that approximately satisfy the Pythagorean Theorem for right triangles. This can be a standalone exercise using a wide variety of programming languages, but the results are useful for determining good ways to assemble LEGO pieces in robot construction, so the exercise can serve to integrate three different units of the Exploring Computer Science high school curriculum: "Programming", "Computing and Data Analysis", and "Robotics". Sample assignment handouts are provided for both Scratch and Java programmers. Ideas for several variants of the assignment are also provided.

A Qualitative Study Of Emotions Experienced By First-Year Engineering Students During Programming Tasks, Zahra Atiq, Michael C. Loui

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

In introductory computer programming courses, students experience a range of emotions. Students often experience anxiety and frustration when they encounter difficulties in writing programs. Continued frustration can discourage students from pursuing engineering and computing careers. Although prior research has shown how emotions affect students’ motivation and learning, little is known about students’ emotions in programming courses. In this qualitative study of first-year engineering students taking an introductory programming course, we examined the emotions that these students experienced during programming tasks and the reasons for experiencing those emotions. Our study was grounded in the control-value theory of achievement emotions. Each research …

Middle School Students Communicating Computational Thinking: A Systemic Functional Linguistics-Case Study Of Bilingual, Collaborative Teaching/Learning Of Computer Programming In Python, Jose Antonio Lecea Yanguas

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

This dissertation presents the first Systemic Functional Linguistics-based analysis of the teaching/learning of computational thinking through computer programming and comprehensive analysis of discourse of a whole computer programming course at any educational level. The current educational research raises questions about the nature of authentic computational

vii

thinking teaching/learning environments and how they happen moment-to-moment. In one such environment, I examined the discourse of a facilitator, three students, and their Language Arts teacher in an introductory middle school after-school course (approximately 30 hours) in spring 2017 as students created a video in Python.

Methodologically, I show how a Systemic Functional Linguistics-based …

Considering Dds In The Domain Of Dis - Pros And Cons, Nathaniel R. Peck

Theses and Dissertations

DIS is a legacy IEEE standard for defining and structuring PDUs in large scale distributed wargames. Although the standard specifies various QoS appropriate for certain PDUs, a one-size-fits-all transport strategy is traditionally employed via UDP. Since the inception of DIS, the OMG has produced a standard for a DDS which has been implemented by several middleware vendors. DDS middleware offers an abstraction for network communications that allows applications and developers to easily employ configurable QoS by topic. Adoption and use of these QoS in DIS applications may introduce greater compliance with the IEEE standard and enrich the service features available …

Ccsfs/Ksc Total Lightning Warning Radii Optimization For Merlin Using Preexisting Lightning Areas, Kimberly G. Holland

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to optimize lightning warning radii specifications for the 45th Space Wing (45 SW), thus reducing the number of unnecessary warnings that delay ground processing needed for space launch execution at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This thesis sought to answer two key research questions addressing: 1) What radius reduction effectively balances both safety and operations and do reduction recommendations from previous research align with results from the new detection system? 2) What insights can be gained from comparing measurement results for seasonal lightning events as well as lightning types? This …

Born-Digital Preservation: The Art Of Archiving Photos With Script And Batch Processing, Rachel S. Evans, Leslie Grove, Sharon Bradley

Articles, Chapters and Online Publications

With our IT department preparing to upgrade the University of Georgia’s Alexander Campbell King Law Library (UGA Law Library) website from Drupal 7 to 8 this fall, a web developer, an archivist, and a librarian teamed up a year ago to make plans for preserving thousands of born-digital images. We wanted to harvest photographs housed only in web-based photo galleries on the law school website and import them into our repository’s collection. The problem? There were five types of online photo galleries, and our current repository did not include appropriate categories for all of the photographs. The solution? Expand our …

Improving 3d Printed Prosthetics With Sensors And Motors, Rachel Zarin

Honors Projects

A 3D printed hand and arm prosthetic was created from the idea of adding bionic elements while keeping the cost low. It was designed based on existing models, desired functions, and materials available. A tilt sensor keeps the hand level, two motors move the wrist in two different directions, a limit switch signals the fingers to open and close, and another motor helps open and close the fingers. All sensors and motors were built on a circuit board, programmed using an Arduino, and powered by a battery. Other supporting materials include metal brackets, screws, guitar strings, elastic bands, small clamps, …

Estimation Of Soil Moisture At Different Soil Levels Using Machine Learning Techniques And Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Uav) Multispectral Imagery, Mahyar Aboutalebi, L. Niel Allen, Alfonso F. Torres-Rua, Mac Mckee, Calvin Coopmans

AggieAir Publications

Soil moisture is a key component of water balance models. Physically, it is a nonlinear function of parameters that are not easily measured spatially, such as soil texture and soil type. Thus, several studies have been conducted on the estimation of soil moisture using remotely sensed data and data mining techniques such as artificial neural networks (ANNs) and support vector machines (SVMs). However, all models developed based on these techniques are limited to site-specific applications where they are trained and their parameters are tuned. Moreover, since the system of non-linear equations produced by and conducted in the machine learning process …

Rubik's Cube: A Visual And Tactile Learning Of Algorithms And Patterns, Lawrence Muller

Open Educational Resources

This is a classroom activity report on teaching algorithms as part of a second course in computer programming. Teaching an algorithm in an introductory level programming class is often a dry task for the instructor and the rewards for the student are abstract. To make the learning of algorithms and software more rewarding, this assignment employs a Rubik’s cube.

Ensuring Scientific Publishing Credibility In Translational Biomedical Optics., Brian W. Pogue

Dartmouth Scholarship

Optics has consistently been the largest singular technology sector used in medicine, and major advances in biomedical optics are documented daily in peer-reviewed publications. However, the academic stature of this field can be damaged by weaknesses in scientific publishing, where a “credibility crisis” has emerged as a popularized and increasingly studied dialogue. While there are still relatively few overt cases of fraud or erroneous research, more insidious aspects are seen in papers with results that have either low statistical power, selective reporting of observations, or data or computer codes that cannot be independently verified. Interestingly, the same solutions that improve …

Cloud-Supported Machine Learning System For Context-Aware Adaptive M-Learning, Muhammad Adnan, Asad Habib, Jawad Ashraf, Shafaq Mussadiq

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

It is a knotty task to amicably identify the sporadically changing real-world context information of a learner during M-learning processes. Contextual information varies greatly during the learning process. Contextual information that affects the learner during a learning process includes background knowledge, learning time, learning location, and environmental situation. The computer programming skills of learners improve rapidly if they are encouraged to solve real-world programming problems. It is important to guide learners based on their contextual information in order to maximize their learning performance. In this paper, we proposed a cloud-supported machine learning system (CSMLS), which assists learners in learning practical …

Pythagorean Combinations For Lego Robot Building., Ronald I. Greenberg

Ronald Greenberg

This paper provides tips for LEGO robot construction involving bracing or gear meshing along a diagonal using standard Botball kits.

Pythagorean Approximations For Lego: Merging Educational Robot Construction With Programming And Data Analysis, Ronald I. Greenberg

Ronald Greenberg

Abstract. This paper can be used in two ways. It can provide reference information for incorporating diagonal elements (for bracing or gear meshing) in educational robots built from standard LEGO kits. Alternatively, it can be used as the basis for an assignment for high school or college students to recreate this information; in the process, students will exercise skills in both computer programming and data analysis. Using the paper in the second way can be an excellent integrative experience to add to an existing course; for example, the Exploring Computer Science high school curriculum concludes with the units “Introduction to …

Biomedical Optics Scientific Community, Brian W. Pogue

Dartmouth Scholarship

The new Editor-in-Chief, Brian Pogue, gives an overview of the biomedical optics community.

Pythagorean Approximations For Lego: Merging Educational Robot Construction With Programming And Data Analysis, Ronald I. Greenberg

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Abstract. This paper can be used in two ways. It can provide reference information for incorporating diagonal elements (for bracing or gear meshing) in educational robots built from standard LEGO kits. Alternatively, it can be used as the basis for an assignment for high school or college students to recreate this information; in the process, students will exercise skills in both computer programming and data analysis. Using the paper in the second way can be an excellent integrative experience to add to an existing course; for example, the Exploring Computer Science high school curriculum concludes with the units “Introduction to …

Pythagorean Combinations For Lego Robot Building., Ronald I. Greenberg

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This paper provides tips for LEGO robot construction involving bracing or gear meshing along a diagonal using standard Botball kits.

Effects Of Computer Program Visualization Tools On Student Populations, Meghan Jayne Peterson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study examined how program visualization tools affect Advanced Placement Computer Science students' understanding of abstract programming concepts. A literature review was conducted to determine if program visualization is effective and which students benefit from it the most. The findings were used to design a causal comparative study in which students would experience instruction with and without program visualization. The study took place in an AP Computer Science course during the first challenging unit about an abstract concept: loops. Participants (n = 24) were selected using convenience sampling and were assessed before, during, and after the study took place. While …

Detection Of Seagrass Scars Using Sparse Coding And Morphological Filter, Ender Oguslu, Sertan Erkanli, Victoria J. Hill, W. Paul Bissett, Richard C. Zimmerman, Jiang Li, Charles R. Bostater Jr. (Ed.), Stelios P. Mertikas (Ed.), Xavier Neyt (Ed.)

OES Faculty Publications

We present a two-step algorithm for the detection of seafloor propeller seagrass scars in shallow water using panchromatic images. The first step is to classify image pixels into scar and non-scar categories based on a sparse coding algorithm. The first step produces an initial scar map in which false positive scar pixels may be present. In the second step, local orientation of each detected scar pixel is computed using the morphological directional profile, which is defined as outputs of a directional filter with a varying orientation parameter. The profile is then utilized to eliminate false positives and generate the final …

Hyperspectral Image Classification Using A Spectral-Spatial Sparse Coding Model, Ender Oguslu, Guoqing Zhou, Jiang Li, Lorenzo Bruzzone (Ed.)

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

We present a sparse coding based spectral-spatial classification model for hyperspectral image (HSI) datasets. The proposed method consists of an efficient sparse coding method in which the l₁/l_q regularized multi-class logistic regression technique was utilized to achieve a compact representation of hyperspectral image pixels for land cover classification. We applied the proposed algorithm to a HSI dataset collected at the Kennedy Space Center and compared our algorithm to a recently proposed method, Gaussian process maximum likelihood (GP-ML) classifier. Experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve significantly better performances than the GP-ML classifier when training data …

Software Development Approach For Discrete Simulators, Grzegorz Chmaj, Dawid Maksymilian Zydek

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Research

Simulation is the most common approach to perform the problem research. Among several types of simulation, the most common way is the discrete simulation, which assumes the division of the time scale into fixed length time slots. Depending on investigated problem, simulation packages may be used or it could be necessary to design and create own simulation system. In this paper, we propose the complete pre-study scheme and the most commonly appearing implementation problems with suggested solutions. We also describe how to implement the exemplary simulator in C++.

Freeing Space For Nasa: Incorporating A Lossless Compression Algorithm Into Nasa's Fiber Optic Strain Sensing System, Kaitlyn Fiechtner, Allen Parker

STAR Program Research Presentations

NASA’s Fiber Optic Strain Sensing (FOSS) system can gather and store up to 1,536,000 bytes (1.46 megabytes) per second. Since the FOSS system typically acquires hours—or even days—of data, the system can gather hundreds of gigabytes of data for a given test event. To store such large quantities of data more effectively, NASA is modifying a Lempel-Ziv-Oberhumer (LZO) lossless data compression program to compress data as it is being acquired in real time. After proving that the algorithm is capable of compressing the data from the FOSS system, the LZO program will be modified and incorporated into the FOSS system. …

Programmer Friendly Refactoring Tools, Emerson Murphy-Hill

Dissertations and Theses

Tools that perform semi-automated refactoring are currently under-utilized by programmers. If more programmers adopted refactoring tools, software projects could make enormous productivity gains. However, as more advanced refactoring tools are designed, a great chasm widens between how the tools must be used and how programmers want to use them. This dissertation begins to bridge this chasm by exposing usability guidelines to direct the design of the next generation of programmer-friendly refactoring tools, so that refactoring tools fit the way programmers behave, not vice-versa.

Teaching Lean Manufacturing Concepts Using Physical Simulations Within Engineering Technology Program, Alok Verma

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Physical Simulations have a proven record as a teaching tool. Concepts that are often hard to grasp are made easy by the use of physical simulation activities. The constructivism learning theory suggests that people learn better by actively participating in the process of learning. Effectiveness of simulation-based learning is well recognized. According to the Encyclopedia of Educational Technology, "Simulation-based learning involves the placement of a student into a realistic scenario or situation. The student is then responsible for any changes that occur as a result of their decisions." The computer integrated manufacturing course in the mechanical engineering technology program was …

Lessons Learned And Best Practices For Using An Analytic Strategy Approach For The Creation Of Virtual Laboratories For Distance Learning In Engineering Technology, Anthony W. Dean, Carol L. Considine, Gary R. Crossman

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

This paper describes the use of an Analytic Strategy Approach used in the development of a Virtual Automation and Controls Lab in the Mechanical Engineering Technology Program of the Engineering Technology Department at Old Dominion University. This paper looks at the three phases, as applied to the development of a virtual lab using an analytic strategy design:

(1) Formulation of the quantitative and qualitative approach to assist in decision process,

(2) Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the decision alternatives - within the decision context,

(3) Interpretation of the analysis results and implications for decision.

A Study Of The Security Implications Involved With The Use Of Executable World Wide Web Content, Christopher Hu

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Malicious executable code is nothing new. While many consider that the concept of malicious code began in the 1980s when the first PC viruses began to emerge, the concept does in fact date back even earlier. Throughout the history of malicious code, methods of hostile code delivery have mirrored prevailing patterns of code distribution. In the 1980s, file infecting and boot sector viruses were common, mirroring the fact that during this time, executable code was commonly transferred via floppy disks. Since the 1990s email has been a major vector for malicious code attacks. Again, this mirrors the fact that during …

The Rmt (Recursive Multi-Threaded) Tool: A Computer Aided Software Engineeering Tool For Monitoring And Predicting Software Development Progress, Chungping Lin

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Spider: An Overview Of An Object-Oriented Distributed Computing System, Han-Sheng Yuh

Theses Digitization Project

The Spider Project is an object-oriented distributed system which provides a testbed for researchers in the Department of Computer Science, CSUSB, to conduct research on distributed systems.

Multiplexed Pipelining : A Cost Effective Loop Transformation Technique, Satish Pai

Dissertations and Theses

Parallel processing has gained increasing importance over the last few years. A key aim of parallel processing is to improve the execution times of scientific programs by mapping them to many processors. Loops form an important part of most computational programs and must be processed efficiently to get superior performance in terms of execution times. Important examples of such programs include graphics algorithms, matrix operations (which are used in signal processing and image processing applications), particle simulation, and other scientific applications. Pipelining uses overlapped parallelism to efficiently reduce execution time.

Software Quality Assurance, Edward C. Soistman

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The problems associated with software development and use are investigated from a management point of view. Having identified the critical aspects of effective software management, an approach is suggested for the creation and implementation of a software quality assurance program, Particular attention is focused on the concept of Life Cycle Procurement as currently utilized by the Department of Defense. The research was accomplished in two phases. The first consisted of an extensive literature search, seminar attendance and participation in several working groups assigned the responsibility for establishing software quality assurance guidelines. The second phase involved direct participation in the development …

A Simulator For The Motorola M6800 Microprocessor, Carolyn Elizabeth Jordan

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The Motorola Company has developed a microprocessor called the M6800 Microprocessor. While the microprocessor is being configured, it is general practice to develop the software at the same time. This is where simulation of the proposed hardware operation can become very important to the success of the design effort. The simulator duplicates the microprocessor execution of machine language instructions on another computer. The simulator discussed in this paper is denoted the SIM6800. The purpose of this paper is to describe the structure, coding, and execution of the SIM6800 simulator. A User's Guide and sample program have been included.