Systems Engineering Commons^™

Alumnus Shares His Passion For Technology Accessibility

DePaul Magazine

Brent Shiver (CDM MS ’04, PhD ’13) attended the College of Computing and Digital Media and worked with another deaf student, Karen Alkoby (CDM MS ’99, PhD ’08), on the DePaul ASL Project, which combines computer technology and linguistics research to bridge the communication gap between the deaf and hearing worlds by working to develop a digital English-to-ASL translator. He works for IBM Accessibility as a software engineer.

Design, Programming, And User-Experience, Kaila G. Manca

Honors Scholar Theses

This thesis is a culmination of my individualized major in Human-Computer Interaction. As such, it showcases my knowledge of design, computer engineering, user-experience research, and puts into practice my background in psychology, com- munications, and neuroscience.

I provided full-service design and development for a web application to be used by the Digital Media and Design Department and their students.This process involved several iterations of user-experience research, testing, concepting, branding and strategy, ideation, and design. It lead to two products.

The first product is full-scale development and optimization of the web appli- cation.The web application adheres to best practices. It was …

Energy Harvesting And Storage: The Catalyst To The Power Constraint For Leveraging Internet Of Things (Iot) On Trains, Kelechi Nwogu

Department of Computer Electronics and Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The success of Wireless Sensor Networks is heavily constrained by its reliance on storage technology like batteries, which are a finite resource. Whilst the number of transistors in an IC doubles every 18 months, the energy density of batteries is relatively flat during the same time period. This is a key challenge in leveraging the Internet of Things on trains.

The gravity of this problem is increased by an order of magnitude when the network is to be scaled up to hundreds or thousands of nodes. Comprehensive research and development efforts have been devoted to building ultra-low power sensors. These …

Environmental Security Through Packaging Sustainability, Mark Betancourt

Systems Engineering Research Projects and Oral Presentations

No abstract provided.

A Common Knowledge Engineering Framework For Data Assimilation, Correlation, And Extrapolation (Dace), Edward P. Weaver

EMSE Doctoral Projects

The Common Knowledge Engineering Framework for Data Assimilation, Correlation, and Extrapolation (DACE) project is focused on providing a software centric general framework for advanced processing and analysis of data. This translates to researchers, scientists, engineers, and system architects not having to program a new application but rather to define the system configuration, process, and processing that is needed to perform a specific functionality. This makes the limitation of the application the end users ability to fully define the functional requirements and setup the framework accordingly.

This doctoral project will provide the details to the system definition, standards, metrics, schedule, and …

Command And Control In The Information Age: A Case Study Of A Representative Air Power Command And Control Node, Marvin Leo Simpson Jr.

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

As operations command structures change, it is important to be able to explore and understand their fundamental nature; researchers should unearth the gestalt nature of the operational node. The organizational structure and the infrastructure can significantly affect overall command and control (C2) performance. Thus, it is necessary to develop understanding of effectiveness of the technical network and the people using the system as a whole.

The purpose of this research is to conduct an analysis of a representative Air Power Operational C2 node, create and use a repeatable method, and present the results as a case study to elicit fundamental …

Management And Leadership Style: Is Style Influenced By Engineering Education?, Jesse Levi Calloway

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This paper addresses one aspect of the opportunity for corporations to reduce leadership development infrastructure by narrowing the participant pool to candidates that, intuitively, may be multi-skilled and capable of handling diverse roles and assignments within the corporate environment. In particular, the study seeks to determine the effect that engineering education has on leadership style by comparing the leadership style of certified project managers (CPMs), and non-CPM managers with engineering degrees, to the same for CPMs, and non-CPM managers, who do not possess engineering degrees. Engineering degrees may be further defined as mechanical, electrical, industrial and the like. Leadership styles …

Functionality, Complexity, And Approaches To Assessment Of Resilience Under Constrained Energy And Information, Jason B. Clark

Theses and Dissertations

While system functions, functionality, and complexity are widely used concepts in systems engineering, there is significant diversity in their definitions and no unified approach to measurement. This research establishes a method for measuring impacts to functionality in dynamic engineered systems based on changes in kinetic energy. This metric is applied at particular levels of abstraction and system scales, consistent with the established multiscale nature of systems. By measuring system behavior in context with expected scenarios, it is possible to estimate expected functionality or set bounds on a system's maximum functionality. Functionality and system effectiveness is heavily influenced by the amount …

Using Earned Value Data To Forecast The Duration Of Department Of Defense (Dod) Space Acquisition Programs, Shedrick M. Bridgeforth

Theses and Dissertations

The accuracy of cost estimates is vital during this era of budget constraints. A key component of this accuracy is regularly updating the cost estimate at completion (EAC). A 2014 study by the Air Force Cost Analysis Agency (AFCAA) improved the accuracy of the cost estimate at completion (EAC) for space system contracts. The study found schedule duration to be a cost driver, but assumed the underlying duration estimate was accurate. This research attempts to improve the accuracy of the duration estimate from the AFCAA study; accuracy is evaluated with the Mean Absolute Percent Error (MAPE). The methods researched here …

Modeling, Simulation, And Analysis Of A Decoy State Enabled Quantum Key Distribution System, Ryan D. Engle

Theses and Dissertations

Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is an emerging technology which uses the principles of quantum mechanics to provide unconditionally secure key distribution. QKD systems are unique in their ability to detect an eavesdropper's presence and are being marketed for applications where high levels of secrecy are required such as banking, government, and military environments. QKD systems are composed of electrical, optical, and electrooptical components. Their design requires expertise across multiple disciplines including computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, information theory, optical physics, and quantum physics. This multidisciplinary nature makes QKD an ideal candidate for study using Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) …

A Comparative Study Of Learning Curve Models In Defense Airframe Cost Estimating, Justin R. Moore

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to identify which learning curve model is most accurate when applied to Defense acquisition programs. Wright's original learning curve model is widely accepted and used within Defense acquisitions, but the 75+ year old model may be outdated. This study compares Wright's model against three alternative learning curve models using total lot costs for the F-15 C/D & E programs: the Stanford-B model, the DeJong learning formula, and the S-Curve model. However, the results of the study are inconclusive. Two of the three alternative models, the DeJong and S-Curve, rely on the use of an …

Army Information Technology Procurement: A Business Process Analysis, Alexander M. Vukcevic

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a business process analysis of the Army's ICT procurement system. The research identified several inefficiencies and proposes several potential solutions. the contributions of this research include a unified taxonomy, a method to prioritize requests, and system architecture products for development of an automated and sustainable collaboration interface for the CIO/G6 to streamline their IT acquisition process. Development of a centralized system would reduce waste in the request process from submission to formal accounting, hasten the movement of requests between stakeholders, maintain a digital signature authorization for each approval authority, provide a reporting database to recognize reprogramming thresholds, …

Creating A User-Friendly Personal Wine Collection Inventory Management System, Peter Loddengaard

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

This project set out to create a user-friendly wine collection management software. Existing systems were reviewed and discussions with collectors took place to establish the user requirements for this type of inventory management system. This led to the scope of the project being narrowed to making a wine bottle entry form that was quick and easy to use. The programming language, Ruby on Rails, was used to design this system, and learning the software was a large part of the project itself. It was established that four forms would be designed using combinations of two ergonomic factors: an “F” shaped …

Frito-Lay - Supply Chain Impact Analysis, Kerri Blosch, Vincent Phua, Jeffrey Silva

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The snack food company Frito-Lay relies on Route Sales Representatives (RSRs) to stock and maintain shelves of snack foods in every store. Frito-Lay currently does not have a system which can accurately predict cannibalization, or the effects of a store opening or closing on other stores of the same chain in the area. The goal is to sort through 1900 stores in a given metropolitan area to see the effects of cannibalization. In order to tackle the problem, a Microsoft Access program was created to filter stores based on location or whether the store was open for the full three-year …

Process Testing And Improvement Of Tapping Machinery At Lisi Aerospace, Michael James Hester

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

This report documents my senior project for California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo. I have chosen to do a senior project with Lisi Aerospace. Lisi would like to compare the manufacturer rated cycle count of taps versus an experimental one based on our machines in house. My goal for this project would be to run an experiment on one tapping machine and report on the achievable cycle count for the taps. I plan to do this in several ways including:

• Running extra cycle counts above tap manufacturer recommendations

• Documenting machine failure modes

• Create a process document to be repeated …

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Improving Advertisement Recognition And User Interface Of Gameofwarrealtips.Com, Chad Kihm, Alexander Meyer

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The purpose of this experiment was to determine which location of advertisement would be the most recognized on the Game of War Real Tips website and to improve the website’s user interface by using both quantitative and qualitative data. To accomplish this, two experiments were created. The first experiment was designed to determine which location of advertisement would be recognized most by users. A screen would flash for 0.5 seconds and the subjects would mark where they believed they recognized an advertisement. A statistical analysis was completed to determine whether the location of the advertisement had an effect on the …

Wine Club Shipment Package Redesign, Emily E. Prescott

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

This report shows the design, manufacturing, and testing process for the product development of a wine club shipment package for Niner Wine Estates. Niner has two different shipment sizes, 4 bottles and 6 bottles, and wishes to improve their current package by giving it a more “high-class” feel. After the new package was designed and prototyped, it went through standardized quality testing to be cleared for commercial use. This testing is intended to simulate the distribution cycle the package will experience and subject it to potential hazards such as being dropped and vehicle vibration during transportation.

After the package passed …

Management Of Rural Water Services In Nicaragua: A Systematic Network Approach To Evaluating Stakeholder Alignment, Jeffrey P. Walters, Amy N. Javemick-Will

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

Water sector literature attributes a substantial cause of rural water system failure in developing countries to poor alignment between water service stakeholders. This study aimed to investigate a means for assessing stakeholder alignment by comparing the systemic interaction of stakeholder values, where the term ‘stakeholder values’ refers to aspects stakeholders believe are necessary to ensure rural water services are sustainable. The research held focus groups with key stakeholder groups involved in the management of rural water infrastructure in Terrabona, Nicaragua, to identify stakeholder values, and then used cross-impact analysis to evaluate how these values interacted to form stakeholder value networks …

Planning Rural Water Services In Nicaragua: A Systems-Based Analysis Of Impact Factors Using Graphical Modeling, Jeffrey P. Walters, Paul S. Chinowsky

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

The success or failure of rural water services in the developing world is a result of numerous factors that interact in a complex set of connections that are difficult to separate and identify. This research effort presented a novel means to empirically reveal the systemic interactions of factors that influence rural water service sustainability in the municipalities of Darío and Terrabona, Nicaragua. To accomplish this, the study employed graphical modeling to build and analyze factor networks. Influential factors were first identified by qualitatively and quantitatively analyzing transcribed interviews from community water committee members. Factor influences were then inferred by graphical …

A Human-Centered Credit-Banking System For Convenient, Fair And Secure Carpooling Among Members Of An Association, H.-S. Jacob Tsao, Magdalini Eirinaki

Faculty Publications

This paper proposes an unconventional carpool-matching system concept that is different from existing systems with four innovative operational features: (F1) The proposed matching system will be used by members of an association and sponsored by the association, e.g., the employees of a company, members of a homeowner association, employees of a shopping center. This expands the scope beyond commute trips. Such associations can also voluntarily form alliances to increase the number of possible carpool partners and geographical reach. (F2) Service provided by a driver or received by a rider incurs credit or debt to a bank centrally and fairly managed …