Digital Commons Network^™

Stabilization Trajectory And Recovery System For High Altitude Weather Balloon Payloads (S.T.A.R.), Robert Canalas, Aaron Juan, Miles Nguyen, James Oblitas, Anne Paloma

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

Of the 657,000 global balloon launches each year, only 20% of payloads are recovered, leading to unsustainable business and environmental practices. This paper details the development and evaluation of the S.T.A.R. (Stabilization, Trajectory, and Recovery) system, which increases the recovery rate of weather balloon sensors by enabling ideal landing conditions. System testing concludes that S.T.A.R. is capable of housing weather sensors in a fully controllable glider capable of targeted landing. If properly scaled up and redesigned for mass production, the S.T.A.R. system increases weather-sensing equipment recovery for weather-reporting institutions around the world. Although the featured iterations consist of basswood, carbon …

Intraoperative Quantification Of Bone Perfusion In Lower Extremity Injury Surgery, Xinyue Han

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Orthopaedic surgery is one of the most common surgical categories. In particular, lower extremity injuries sustained from trauma can be complex and life-threatening injuries that are addressed through orthopaedic trauma surgery. Timely evaluation and surgical debridement following lower extremity injury is essential, because devitalized bones and tissues will result in high surgical site infection rates. However, the current clinical judgment of what constitutes “devitalized tissue” is subjective and dependent on surgeon experience, so it is necessary to develop imaging techniques for guiding surgical debridement, in order to control infection rates and to improve patient outcome.

In this thesis work, computational …

Evaluating The Feasibility Of Bioenergy Production From Single And Mixed Beverage Waste And Sewage Sludge Through An Integrated Hydrothermal Liquefaction-Anaerobic Digestion System, Oluwayinka Michael Adedeji

Theses and Dissertations

Beverage waste and sewage sludge are two of the most generated waste-based biomasses. Recent interest in the hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of these wastes pointed to the generation of a byproduct of high dissolved organic carbon [also called aqueous co-product (ACP)]. However, ACP is being discarded which not only increases the environmental footprints of the HTL process but also results in reduced bioenergy potential. Hence, anaerobic digestion (AD) is touted as an effective utilization process of ACP for further bioenergy recovery. This study evaluated the feasibility of producing bioenergy (biocrude and biomethane) from the combination of beverage waste and sewage sludge …

Artificial Scaffold And Neural Stem Cell For Neural Regeneration In Rats With Spinal Cord Injury, Krishna Deo Sharma

Student Theses and Dissertations

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition that often leads to permanent loss of sensory and motor function. Unfortunately, current treatments only manage symptoms and do not provide a complete cure. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of 3D printed scaffolds and nanomaterials (gold nanorods substrate, nanocellulose-lysine, and TEMPO cellulose) in supporting the growth and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) in vitro. We found that these materials were biocompatible, non-toxic, and able to promote the growth and differentiation of NSCs. Additionally, the unique mechanical properties of these nanomaterials make them a promising candidate for use in neuroregeneration …

Efficient Hardware Implementation Of Deep Learning Networks Based On The Convolutional Neural Network, Anaam Ansari

Engineering Ph.D. Theses

Image classification, speech processing, autonomous driving, and medical diagnosis have made the adoption of Deep Neural Networks (DNN) mainstream. Many deep networks such as AlexNet, GoogleNet, ResidualNet, MobileNet, YOLOv3 and Transformers have achieved immense success and popularity. However, implementing these deep and complex networks in hardware is a challenging feat. The growing demand of DNN applications in mobile devices and data centers have led the researchers to explore application specific hardware accelerators for DNNs. There have been numerous hardware and software based solutions to improve DNN throughput, latency, performance and accuracy. Any solution for hardware acceleration needs to optimize in …

Environmentally Friendly New Catalyst Using Waste Alkaline Solution From Aluminum Production For The Synthesis Of Biodiesel In Aqueous Medium, Sandro L. Barbosa, David Lee Nelson, Lucas Paconio, Moises Pedro, Wallans Torres Pio Dos Santos, Alexandre P. Wentx, Fernando L. P. Pessoa, Foster A. Agblevor, Daniel A. Bortoleto, Maria B. De Freitas-Marques, Lucas D. Zanatta

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Red mud (RM) is composed of a waste alkaline solution (pH = 13.3) obtained from the production of alumina. It contains high concentrations of hematite (Fe₂O₃), goethite (FeOOH), gibbsite [Al(OH)₃], a boehmite (AlOOH), anatase (Tetragonal–TiO₂), rutile (Ditetragonal dipyramidal–TiO₂), hydrogarnets [Ca₃Al₂(SiO₄)_3-x(OH)_4x], quartz (SiO₂), and perovskite (CaTiO₃). It was shown to be an excellent catalytic mixture for biodiesel production. To demonstrate the value of RM, an environmentally friendly process of transesterification in aqueous medium using waste cooking oil …

An Electric Vehicle Analysis Model For Sustainable Environment In Devoicing Nationals, Nada A. Nabeeh, Karam M. Sallam, Ali Wagdy Mohamed

Neutrosophic Systems with Applications

The usage of fossil fuels is regarded as the generation of energy alternative towards electric vehicles (EVs) in third-world nations for a cleaner transportation sector. The rapid development of EVs is the most effective solution, even if the short-term ecological benefits for third-world nations cannot cover the short-term expenses. Since ecological issues have opened the door for certain developing nations to catch up to the worldwide competition, it is important to weigh other options to bring EVs to the marketplace. Hence, the study proposes a model of neutrosophic set combined with entropy to deal with uncertain cases. The proposed model …

Interactive Architecture - Intervention Of Virtual Business On Commercial Space, Yihao George Xu

Masters Theses

Traditional mall-based restaurants, such as P.F. Chang’s in the Providence Place Mall, have primarily focused on site-based dining and bar services. However, the food provided by this chain restaurant often lacks depth, and customers seldom learn the story behind the dishes. This thesis explores the integration of mixed reality technology within the physical environment of P.F. Chang’s, an American Chinese restaurant chain with over 300 locations, aiming to transform it into an authentic Shanghai food culture experience. This experience combines virtual and physical stimuli to evoke various periods of Chinese history, providing a unique encounter for customers.

The proposed transformation …

Fungi In Flux | Designing Regenerative Materials And Products With Mycelium, Arvind Bhallamudi

Masters Theses

As the world grapples with the escalating crisis of climate threats and environmental degradation, this research delves into the synergistic potential of design and biology, developing safe and sustainable materials for applications in prototyping, furniture and interior design. Harnessing the power of a unique organism - fungi, the study proposes an accessible, efficient, and resilient material resource system. It utilizes local waste streams and mycelium (the vegetative part of fungi) to grow functional structures. An experimental and small-scale protocol is modeled by testing bio-fabrication and bio-printing methods. The composites' performance qualities and characteristics are evaluated through mechanical testing and a …

Spatiotemporal Variability In Total Dissolved Solids And Total Suspended Solids Along The Colorado River, Godson Ebenezer Adjovu, Haroon Stephen, Sajjad Ahmad

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

The Colorado River is a principal source of water for 40 million people and farmlands in seven states in the western US and the Republic of Mexico. The river has been under intense pressure from the effects of climate change and anthropogenic activities associated with population growth leading to elevated total dissolved solid (TDS) and total suspended solid (TSS) concentrations. Elevated TDS- and TSS-related issues in the basin have a direct negative impact on the water usage and the ecological health of aquatic organisms. This study, therefore, analyzed the spatiotemporal variability in the TDS and TSS concentrations along the river. …

Journal Of Roleplaying Studies And Steam (Jrpssteam) Vol. 2 [2023], Issue 1., Cristo Leon, Felipe Ignacio García-Soriano, Francisca Faret Moreno, Daniel S. González Cohens, Daniel Serrano Robles, Daniel Romero Benguigui, Ruben Darío Hernández Mendo

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM (JRPSSTEAM) Vol. 2 [2023], Issue 1.

Monster Maker, Harrison Bui

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

3D modeling and rigging are necessary steps when it comes to 3D animation. However, not everyone has the time and patience to learn and practice these skills. Monster Maker provides an accessible way to create creatures from their imaginations by assembling pre-made 3D body parts. The option to dynamically alter the skeleton and modify body parts opens the door to hundreds of thousands of monsters each with their own unique design. Future developments of Monster Maker could provide users with options to control specific sub-components of the currently established body parts while also providing a more appealing UI.

When Is An Owl More Than An Owl? An Interaction Analysis Of A Computer Science Co-Design Conversation On Cultural Relevance, Stephanie M. Robillard, Victor R. Lee, Jody Clarke-Midura, Jessica F. Shumway

Publications

The learning sciences community is currently exploring new ways to enact productive and equitable co-design research-practice partnerships that are sensitive to all the concerns and needs of stakeholders. The paper contributes to that still-growing literature through an interaction analysis of a co-design discussion involving school district partners that unfolded about cultural relevance and sensitivity in relation to the use of a specific image in an elementary school coding lesson. The episode involved looking moment-by-moment at how district educators recognized and acknowledged that a specific design decision could be harmful for a minoritized population of students enrolled in the district. However, …

Fully Coupled Fluid Structure Interaction Simulation Of Bioprosthetic Heart Valves: A Numerical And Experimental Analysis, Masod Sadipour

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aortic stenosis impacts approximately 7% of the global population. In the past decade, the role of computational modeling has been becoming considerably important in the design of BHVs. To obtain reliable solutions in computational modeling, it is essential to consider accurate properties of bioprosthetic heart valves (BHVs), such as density and mechanical properties. Previous computational studies assumed (bovine pericardium) BP used in BHVs density was comparable to water or blood. Yet, BP is subjected to multiple treatments like fixation and anti-calcification. In Chapter 2, I measured BP density and its effect on BHV leaflet stress and strain. In the second …

Ocean Sight One: Mixed Reality Experience, Lucas Michael Reyna

Computer Engineering

Ocean Sight One is an interdisciplinary project group consisting of Cal Poly staff and students from several different departments. It exists to educate the public on the marine ecosystems near the Santa Barbara coastline that is the home of twenty-three abandoned oil rigs. Despite one’s initial reaction to these massive abandoned structures, they actually provide an incredibly diverse dwelling for numerous forms of sea life. The site is a shining beacon for marine ecology researchers trying to formulate how to preserve wildlife in an era of worsening global environmental disruptions. The future of these oil rigs are not certain, as …

Thermoplastics Foams: An Automotive Perspective, Sai Aditya Pradeep, Srishti Shukla, Nathaniel Brown, Srikanth Pilla

Publications

The automotive industry has witnessed a massive shift in terms of materials used, ranging from being a metallic heavyweight in the 1950s to employing a hybrid sandwich of multiple material systems. This apparent shift can be attributed to achieving improvements in performance, safety and fuel efficiency, along with responding to the various environmental regulations imposed by different governments. The recent advocacy of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard of 54.5 MPG by 2025 by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions [1] has spurred the sector at large towards the use of lightweight materials.

Microneedles For Wound Healing, Maya Matheny, Maggie Dubus, Lily Eribes

Bioengineering Senior Theses

Microneedles are a virtually painless and minimally invasive transdermal delivery system comprised of an array of micron-sized needles that can be used to deliver cells, drugs, proteins, and vaccines. However, a major challenge to this delivery method is controlling puncture depth. To advance the microneedle landscape, our project aims to identify and characterize the biomechanical cues between a microneedle puncture and a hydrogel skin phantom for pre-clinical testing A stopper microneedle design that controlled puncture depth into the phantom skin model patch to 150μm was tested on millimeter-thick mold-casted alginate slabs. The hysteresis loop differs in the presence and absence …

Animatronic Monarch Butterfly: Mechanical System, Janine Rae Moreno, Enrico Cruz, Alexia Murphy, Lakshmanan Muthukaruppan

Mechanical Engineering

This report describes the design, manufacturing, and design verification of an interactive animatronic monarch butterfly created by a team of mechanical and computer engineering students for the Girl Scouts of California's Central Coast. The purpose of the project is to engage Girl Scouts in learning about monarch butterflies and provide hands-on experience in robotics and STEM. The report covers design changes, manufacturing processes, and assembly of various components, including the butterfly body, wings, legs, and electronic housing. The software and electronics used in the project are also briefly discussed, as the computer engineering team was responsible for the software and …

Mechanical Testing Data From Neutron Irradiations Of Pm-Hip And Conventionally Manufactured Nuclear Structural Alloys, Yaqiao Wu

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article presents the comprehensive mechanical testing data archive from a neutron irradiation campaign of nuclear structural alloys fabricated by powder metallurgy with hot isostatic pressing (PM-HIP). The irradiation campaign was designed to facilitate a direct comparison of PM-HIP to conventional casting or forging. Five common nuclear structural alloys were included in the campaign: 316L stainless steel, SA508 pressure vessel steel, Grade 91 ferritic steel, and Ni-base alloys 625 and 690. Irradiations were carried out in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to target doses of 1 and 3 displacements per atom (dpa) at target temperatures …

Polyflowbuilder: An Intuitive Tool For Academic Planning At Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Duncan Thomas Applegarth

Computer Engineering

PolyFlowBuilder is a web application that lets users create visually intuitive flowcharts to aid in academic planning at Cal Poly. These flowcharts can be customized in a variety of ways to accurately represent complex academic plans, such as double majors, minors, taking courses out- of-order, etc. The original version of PolyFlowBuilder, released Summer 2020, was not written for continued expansion and growth. Therefore, a complete rewrite was determined to be necessary to enable the project to grow in the future. This report details the process to completely rewrite the existing version of PolyFlowBuilder over the course of six months, using …

Variable Frequency Motor Drive Application, Jason G. Milne, Nick Mark

Electrical Engineering

This project entails the development of an electrical engineering undergraduate lab module focusing on utilizing a variable frequency drive (VFD) controlled with a programmable logic controller (PLC) — the Modicon M580. The variable frequency drive is a device that is able to automatically change the frequency of an object through automation without having to physically change the device that is being controlled (ex: fans, pumps, motors, etc.). This project will guide students to understand the software for programming and controlling the PLC within a 3 hour laboratory experiment. Throughout the lab, the students will learn how to implement the PLC …

An Interactive Ecosystem Simulator, Tong Zhou

Computer Science and Software Engineering

This project is about an ecosystem simulator game that allows players to manipulate the population size of the selected species and observe these species interact with each other. It focuses on reflecting the consequences of human intervention in the ecosystem and the difficulty of maintaining a balanced ecosystem. I’ve been astonished by how human intervention could easily crash the ecosystem and how difficult it could be to make up for our faults. And many people still hold the thought that we control the world and could determine the death or live of all other creatures as we like. However, the …

Metamaterial-Based Soft Actuators, Savannah June Cheney, Nathan Kessenich, Marco Leen, Merek Mcgill

Mechanical Engineering

For this project the team was tasked with designing a soft actuator that incorporated aspects of mechanical metamaterials. The team’s goal was to demonstrate the feasibility of structural metamaterials in the field of soft robotics and demonstrate a novel response with a final assembly. Also included in the team's discussion are the manufacturing steps, protype tests & results, and suggested future next steps. Following the previous report (critical design review) the team chose to follow the path of designing a continuum robot with metamaterials incorporated into the design. A continuum robot consists of a soft cylindrical body with rigid evenly …

Therapeutic Mechanical Horse Project, Broghan Martin, Carson Roff, Zach Barnisham, Lydia Barnes

Mechanical Engineering

This project team created a simple mechanical model of a horse that disabled children could ride on to feel more comfortable partaking in equine therapy. This project was sponsored by Jack’s Helping Hand as part of their equine therapy program. The team went through the entire design process of researching, ideating, prototyping, and testing to create the final product. Finite element analysis of the structural members of the horse was performed. The forces used in that model were later validated through testing of the strength of those same members after manufacturing. In the end, a self-actuating single degree of freedom …

Disc Golf Throwing Robot, Nevada S. Schultz, Sydney M. Lewis, Erick Edmundo Daza, Rachel Alysse Greenberg, Peter M. Kean

Mechanical Engineering

Disc golf companies need better methods to test disc flight. The scope of this project is to create a disc throwing robot that can throw a disc golf driver 450-500 feet, with control over the speed, spin, and release angle. Research shows that multiple disc-throwing products exist; however, none meet the full requirements of this project. The Cal Poly senior project design team created a proof-of-concept machine. This prototype started as a two-wheel mechanism. Eventually, a third wheel was added, allowing for complete control over disc spin. The three-wheel prototype reached 62 mph when perfectly calibrated. The prototype is accurate, …

Wonder World, Liam M. Shaw, Briana Kuo

Computer Engineering

The main motivation for this project stems from a mutual lifelong love for video games, specifically sandbox games. These types of games, such as Mojang's Minecraft, ConcernedApe's Stardew Valley, and many more, have consistently provided us comfort in stressful times throughout our lives. Now, at the culmination of our undergraduate experience, the curriculum we have experienced throughout these past four years has provided us with the knowledge and resources that allows us to provide this same sense of comfort for others. Our game aims to encourage collaboration between two players through solving puzzles and minigames. In addition, our game seeks …

Filters For Fiji: A Modified Cracker Box Biosand Filter For Rural Fiji, Geneva Newell, Cameron Lowrey, Thomas Burt, Lexie Caterine

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Water quality remains a major issue throughout rural Fiji, as current solutions rely on outside organizations providing money or technology. The goal of Filters for Fiji’s research was to develop a sustainable water filtration method for the people of rural Fiji, through ethnographic and biological research. In order to be sustainable, the filter had to be inexpensive (less than USD$15), simply built and maintained, and suitable for the end-user. The driving question of the research was: can a plastic, modified biosand filter be constructed from materials that could be sourced locally in rural Fijian communities? To answer this question, feedback …

City Farm Of Slo Animal Feed Shed, Jacob Ryan Pizzifred

Construction Management

The City Farm of SLO is a local nonprofit for San Luis Obispo that functions as an education center for individuals looking to live more sustainably. This organization teaches different aspects of farming such as planting crops, taking care of them, how to care for a wide variety of farm animals, and maintain the health of the farm. To achieve all these objectives, facilities must be in place to ensure the correct number of materials are available. One lacking feature of this farm is the space to store animal feed. Before this project the food was stored outside subject to …

Slab Extension At Woods Humane Society, Corey K. Smith

Construction Management

Woods Humane Society is an animal shelter that provides pet rehabilitation and adoption services to San Luis Obispo and surrounding areas. The Woods’ facility contains a number of kennels for dogs as well as numerous outdoor, fenced-in, concrete exercise yards. These yards give dogs the opportunity to play outside a few times a day allowing them to get vital exercise. One of these yards on the south side of the property had an exterior fence that was offset from an existing slab on the interior of the fence by one foot. This was an issue for the shelter as dogs …

City Farm Slo Fencing Upgrade, Jorge Ignacio Hernandez

Construction Management

This paper outlines the process of a fence upgrade that was built for a non-profit organization in San Luis Obispo, CA called City Farm SLO. The City Farm SLO is a non-profit organization that educates locals how to grow healthy and sustainable foods. This new fencing project spans a total of 422 feet with three new farm gates. The process that was approached for this project was to have it planned in three different phases. The first phase was the pre-construction phase, which consisted of meetings with the owner, creating a design, making a materials list, estimating the total cost …