Digital Commons Network^™

Enhancing The Leaning Control And Braking Sensation Of A Virtual Reality Vespa Simulator, Joseph Boccuzzi, Wesley Bleck, Jacob Hannebaum

Honors Capstones

The 71 North Partnership Studio located in Northern Illinois University’s Founders Memorial Library has developed a prototype Vespa simulator featuring an interactive Virtual Reality (VR) game and reactive elements. A previous Mechanical Engineering Senior Design team developed the system and improvements after its original development were sought after over the course of the current school year. The system consists of a stationary bike that allows the rider to lean left and right, which in turn causes their in-game character to turn left and right accordingly, simulating the effect of riding a Vespa scooter within a VR environment. Improvements were made …

Optimization Of Stamped Tool Geometry Using Regression-Based Cost Models And Structural Constraints, Matthew J. Teague

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Stamped steel paint can openers are simple tools but still require sufficient strength for the end user and low material consumption for the manufacturer. The goal of this project is to optimize the stamped design of a paint can opener by reducing material cost while maintaining structural rigidity and device performance. This was achieved in part by simplifying the tool’s geometry so that an equation for the mass could be developed analytically and checked against the simulation’s outputs. First, a 25-run design of experiments was created that varied the shaft length and the endloop diameter. Next, a CAD model for …

Mechatronics Rope-Walker Project, Tudor Constantinescu, Mario Andres Ulloa Avila, Issarakvong Un

Mechatronics Final Projects

Design Summary

The rope-walker robot is a mechatronic system that mechanically moves along a hanging rope. When hung onto the rope, it moves forward until it senses an obstacle in front of it (in this case a monkey placard at the end of the rope). The robot uses its arms to progress through the rope, while sensors detect when it is placed on the rope (so it begins moving along the rope), and when it encounters an obstacle in front of it (so it stops moving). An LCD display attached to the robot shows whether the robot is on the …

Climbing Robot Design, Cali Good, Dawson Durr, Matthew Miller

Mechatronics Final Projects

Design Summary

Our device, shown in Figure 1, is an autonomous rope-walking robot designed to travel across a suspended climbing rope. The robot waits until it is hanging from the rope, moves forward using a walking arm mechanism, and stops when it approaches the marker at the end of the course. The system is fully self-contained, with onboard batteries, sensors, controls, and mechanical components housed inside a laser cut acrylic body. The robot moves using pairs of rotating arms located on both sides of the body. These arms hook around and push against the rope, creating a repeated walking motion …

Spectral Characterization Of Colorectal Cancer Using Excitation-Scanning Hyperspectral Imaging, Natalie Hadad

Honors Theses

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common and deadly cancers worldwide, with a lifetime risk of approximately one in twenty-three for men and one in twenty-five for women. Although early detection significantly improves survival, current diagnostic approaches such as tissue biopsy are invasive, reliant on subjective interpretation, have extended turnaround times, and risk missing flat or depressed lesions that are more difficult to detect than raised polyps. These limitations highlight the need for objective, minimally invasive technologies capable of detecting early tissue changes. This study investigates excitation-scanning hyperspectral imaging (Ex-HSI) as a label-free optical approach for identifying colorectal cancer–associated …

Assessment Of Lake Water Quality Parameters Using Uav Hyperspectral Imaging, Hasanul Banna, Taufiqa Tajnin

Publications and Research

Monitoring water quality in lakes is critical for assessing ecosystem health, managing drinking water resources, and detecting harmful algal blooms. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)–based hyperspectral imaging provides a promising approach for high-resolution observation of water quality parameters. In this undergraduate research project, hyperspectral imagery collected over sample lakes within the Delaware River Watershed was processed using BaySpec’s CubeStitcher software to assess its capability to detect variations in chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentrations. This work was conducted as part of a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)-funded project in collaboration with Princeton Hydro and NYC College of New York. Hyperspectral image cubes were …

A Multi-Criteria Decision And Spatial Modeling Framework For Socially Informed Advanced Air Mobility Implementation Planning, Noah Wesley Bretz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Advanced air mobility (AAM) is an emerging mode of transportation that integrates advanced aircraft technologies, such as manned air taxis or unmanned freight drones, to transport people and goods across urban and regional environments. While these technologies promise to transform mobility, successful implementation depends heavily on community acceptance, which is shaped by multiple social factors. This study presents a multi-criteria decision framework to evaluate and prioritize the key social factors influencing AAM adoption. A literature review identified six primary social factors: safety, noise, privacy and cybersecurity, automation, environmental impact, and price and economics. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used …

Bridging Reaction Engineering And Polymers Design: Solvent Effects In Continuous Flow Copolymerization, Leila Ba

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-methyl methacrylate) [poly(GMA-co-MMA)] is a promising functional copolymer for photoresist applications due to its reactive epoxy groups and tunable physicochemical properties. This thesis is focused on this polymer and integrates theoretical solubility prediction, thermodynamic modeling, and continuous-flow synthesis to establish quantitative structure–process–property relationships for their use in microelectronic-grade solvents.

Solubility behavior in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), and propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (PGMEA) was investigated using the Hildebrand and Hansen models, Hoy group-contribution method, Polymer Genome machine-learning platform, and Flory–Huggins thermodynamic analysis of Gibbs free energy of mixing. Experimental saturation solubility measurements at 25 °C …

Experimental Data-Driven System Identification Of Scale-Model Airboat Dynamics For Control And Autonomy Applications, Miguel A. Trejos

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

To achieve autonomous control of a surface watercraft requires an accurate model describing the dynamics of the system. To this end, the modeling of dynamics of an airboat with a combustion engine-based propulsion system is investigated. Specifically, a black-box data-based approach using neural networks. To facilitate this, a custom data collection system was developed to record linear and rotational motion during field tests. Due to the airboats unique ability to traverse different terrains, not just water, the modeling of dynamics on different terrains was investigated.

Optimization-Based Power Management For Hybrid Towing Vessels: A Comparative Framework Toward Mission-Aware Control, Rachel K. Burchill

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents an optimization-based framework for power management in hybrid towing vessels operating under dynamic mission conditions. A physically consistent modeling approach is developed, incorporating battery state-of-charge dynamics (SOC), unified power flow, and operational constraints. The framework evaluates rule-based control using fixed heuristic thresholds, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Genetic Algorithm (GA), and multi-objective Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) under a representative harbor-assist mission profile. Results show that optimization-based methods significantly outperform rule-based control. PSO achieves the lowest fuel consumption and near-perfect tracking with minimal battery use, while GA provides balanced performance with moderate battery utilization. NSGA-II reveals a …

Model Stormwater Standards 2026, Unh Stormwater Center

UNH Stormwater Center

The purpose of post-construction stormwater management standards is to provide reasonable guidance for the regulation of stormwater runoff to protect local natural resources from degradation and prevent adverse impacts to adjacent and downstream land, property, facilities, and infrastructure. These standards regulate discharges from stormwater and runoff from land development projects and other construction activities to control and minimize increases in stormwater runoff rates and volumes, soil erosion, stream channel erosion, and nonpoint source pollution associated with stormwater runoff.

Effectiveness Of Quiz-Based Interventions In Virtual Reality Lectures On Learning, Mason T. Prather

Master's Theses

This thesis examined whether quiz-based interventions affect learning during an immersive virtual reality (VR) lecture and whether quiz timing strategy matters when prompts are delivered on a fixed timer or through gaze/Region of Interest (ROI)-based attention timing. The study used an eye-tracking virtual reality headset and a game engine-based classroom application. The final completed cohort included 29 participants assigned to three between-subjects conditions: No Intervention (n = 10), Timer-Based Intervention (n = 9), and Attention-Based Intervention (n = 10). All participants viewed the same virtual reality lecture and completed the same 15-item post-lecture assessment. Mean learning scores were 44.00% for …

Hardware Integration Of Preamble Based 802.11a Wi-Fi Frame Location For Usrp Radios, Nicholas P. Margavio

Honors Theses

Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a network of devices that can exchange information over the internet, and its deployments are projected to reach 30.9 billion by 2025, with most lacking encryption. One solution for these unencrypted devices is to use Specific Emitter Identification (SEI). SEI exploits distinct, native, and unintentional features of a radio’s signal to identify it and enhance wireless network security uniquely. For example, IEEE 802.11a Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi) radio waveforms have a fixed structure that occupies the first 16 microseconds, from which SEI features can be extracted and used to identify the originating radio. By removing the …

A New Electroencephalography Electrode Design For Curly And Kinky Hair Types, Elena Butler

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Medical discrimination and implicit bias are present in both societal systems and into the design and validation of medical devices. Traditional electroencephalography (EEG) systems often fail to provide reliable physiological recordings on curly and kinky hair types (3B–4C), associated typically with Black American and others of African descent. EEG on these hair types often results in high electrode-scalp impedance, poor signal quality, and participant discomfort. Consequently, such technical biases contribute to the underrepresentation of these populations in neuroscience research and clinical diagnostics, while simultaneously limiting equitable access to EEG-based medical care.

To address this gap, a novel conductive electrode attachment …

Beyond Local Pathology: Exploring The Role Of Gut Microbiota In Chronic Low Back Pain Using An Integrated Behavioral And Microbiological Approach, Adan L. Redwine

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Chronic low back pain (LBP) affects millions worldwide, often originating from intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration. While the gut microbiome modulates musculoskeletal pain, prior studies of the gut-disc axis have focused entirely on structural changes. This leaves a critical gap: does the microbiome influence the experience of discogenic pain? To answer this, an integrated approach using longitudinal gut microbiome profiling, machine learning-based behavioral phenotyping, and structural disc assessments in a rat model of discogenic LBP was utilized.

Female Sprague Dawley rats underwent one of four conditions: sham surgery, IVD injury, antibiotic-mediated microbiome depletion + IVD injury, or IVD injury + treatment …

Exploring The Role Of Video Games In Civil Engineering Education And K-12 Stem Engagement, Jillian S. Codron

Architectural Engineering

Civil engineering education has traditionally emphasized a linear progression from theory to application, with foundational concepts introduced in lecture before being reinforced through laboratory or design experiences. While effective for advanced learners, this approach can limit early engagement for K–12 students who may struggle to connect abstract principles to realworld engineering practice. This project examines the use of video games as interactive, feedback-driven environments for introducing civil engineering concepts and practices to younger learners in more exploratory and accessible ways.

The study pursues four primary objectives: evaluating the educational affordances of selected video games; examining how gaming experiences have influenced …

Securing Distributed Energy Resources: A Dnp3 Master Station With Semantic Web Integration For Decentralized Der Data Sovereignty, Ethan J. Coffman

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

As current electrical grids trend toward a heavier reliance on DERs, there is a growing need to secure DER communications while maintaining data sovereignty for device owners. Previously, work by Donna Thakadipuram established the foundation for a decentralized framework using Solid by implementing a prototype that used a Raspberry Pi and a DSP to simulate Modbus traffic and upload the data to a Solid server. This thesis extends her work to simulate multiple DERs using Typhoon HIL and communicate to each device over DNP3/TCP. The system uses a Python-based DNP3 master to collect telemetry from all 12 DERs before transforming …

Performance Comparison Of A Two-Level And A Three-Level 1500v Three-Phase Grid-Tied Solar Inverter, Shawn Sproles

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

With the global switch to renewable energy sources, photovoltaic energy has become an integral source to harvest from. When solar panels convert sunlight into a DC voltage, a grid-tied inverter is needed to transform this DC voltage into an AC voltage to interface with the AC grid. The most widely used topologies for grid-tied solar inverters are two-level three-phase inverters and three-level NPC three-phase inverters. Compared to two-level inverters, three-level NPC inverters have advantages such as lower EMI, lower THD, and lower switching losses. Moreover, three-level NPC inverters are shown to have higher efficiency in low-voltage applications at medium to …

Protocol-Aware Enforcement-Point Postcards And Collector Feedback For Ot/Ics Forensic Readiness And Closed-Loop Defense, Haden Fowler

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

In this work, we apply P4-programmable switches to Operational Technology (OT) and Industrial Control System (ICS) traffic with the objective of turning enforcement decisions into structured forensic evidence that can also support fast, scoped feedback. OT investigations often rely on later correlation of endpoint logs, passive packet traces, and historian data, but those sources can be incomplete, hard to align in time, and missing the decision made at the enforcement point. We address this gap by implementing a P4-based enforcement switch that parses Modbus/TCP write traffic, applies protocol-aware policy checks, and exports protocolaware postcards to a collector. The collector stores …

Editorial: El Juego De Rol Como Instrucción Para La Inmortalidad, Romano Ponce Díaz

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

El presente número del Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM examina la convergencia entre las prácticas lúdicas, el diseño narrativo y los procesos de mediación sociocultural en la investigación contemporánea. Las contribuciones reunidas en este número abordan el juego de rol como un dispositivo de producción de conocimiento, intervención psicoeducativa y reelaboración de representaciones culturales. Nos podemos atrever a señalar que la educación es la convergencia entre la ludología, las ciencias sociales, los estudios visuales y el análisis cultural; entendiendo a la educación como la actividad consciente e intencionada de transmitir información y conocimientos a las siguientes generaciones.

Practicing Conflict Transformation Skills Through Role-Playing Games For Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion In Higher Education, Alexandra Schreiber, Kjell H. Hugaas, Sarah L. Bowman

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

No abstract provided.

3d: Dragones, Dados Y Deseos. Rituales En Las Comunidades Roleras De Bogotá, Francisco Gonzalez Buitrago

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

¿Qué ocurre cuando la ficción deja de ser solo entretenimiento y se transforma en refugio, ritual y espacio de transgresión? Este artículo analiza los hallazgos de una etnografía y un ejercicio de cartografía social en torno a comunidades roleras de Bogotá, mostrando cómo jóvenes y adultos reconfiguran sus vidas cotidianas a través del juego de rol.

Lejos de limitarse al escapismo, las partidas se convierten en escenarios simbólicos donde caben la negociación, la crítica y la catarsis. En una ciudad marcada por la incertidumbre generacional y las tensiones entre género, clase y territorio, las campañas de rol permiten reimaginarse a …

The Functions Of Role- Playing Games: How Participants Create Community, Solve Problems And Explore Identity, De Sarah Lynne Bowman (2010) [Reseña De Libro], Cristo Leon

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

The Functions of Role-Playing Games: How Participants Create Community, Solve Problems and Explore Identity, by Sarah Lynne Bowman, is an ambitious, wide-ranging, and still necessary work for role-playing game studies. Published in 2010, the book proposes that role-playing and roleplaying games fulfill three main social and psychological functions: creating community, facilitating problem solving, and enabling the exploration of identity. Bowman develops this thesis through a combination of theoretical review, cultural reflection, and participant-observer ethnography, based on interviews with players of tabletop role-playing games, live-action roleplaying games, and virtual environments. Organized into seven chapters, the book moves clearly from the …

A Study Of Visualized Diagnostics In Early Stage Digital Twin Implementation Of An Industrial Control System, Michael R. Kinzel

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Industrial Control Systems (ICS) are used for process control in almost all industries. An ICS combines Operational Technologies (OT) with Information Technologies (IT) to allow human supervision of a process through surveillance of process variables and manipulation of controlling elements such as valves to maintain stable process conditions. ICSs have been in-service for several decades and may remain operational past their technological service life. Organizational personnel interact with the ICS through visual displays that both indicate the process variables and also the controlling elements. The Human Machine Interface (HMI) allows visibility of the process and the ability to manipulate controlling …

Dirt Finder (Drtfndr): A Marketplace Application For Construction Earthwork, Evan A. Reed

Construction Management

The construction industry regularly produces a surplus of earthwork materials: clean fill, topsoil, gravel, and crushed concrete, that are disposed of at considerable cost. All the while, contractors actively seek those same materials, and no dedicated digital platform existed to connect these two groups efficiently. DrtFndr ("Dirt Finder") is a mobile-first web application developed to address this gap, providing a marketplace where contractors can post available or needed earthwork materials, browse geographically filtered listings by material type and proximity, and connect directly with other users. The application was built using Base44, an AI-powered application development platform, and includes real-time mapping, …

Skip The Grid: Turning Solar Planning Into Power For Navajo Nation Homes, Alexandr B. Miller

Construction Management

Skip the Grid is a cross-disciplinary experiential learning initiative that delivers clean energy infrastructure to households with school-age children residing in the Navajo and Hopi Nations. In March 2026, a cohort of 23 students drawn from five academic programs at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) joined forces with Heart of America (HOA), SOLV Energy, and NextPower to carry out the initiative's fifth consecutive year. The program aimed to enhance living standards and bolster academic achievement by ensuring dependable access to power, illumination, and food preservation in resource-limited communities. Participants were divided into five installation teams comprising Cal Poly students, …

Sb 1953 Field Execution Under Hcai Oversight: Seismic Retrofit At Zsfg Building 5, Victor Lucas

Construction Management

Every hospital in California must be seismically compliant by 2030 under Senate Bill 1953, which is enforced by the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI). HCAI approves and inspects all hospital construction in the state, and its authority reaches into the field, so a contractor cannot simply build to an approved drawing the way it would on a commercial job. This paper explains how that approval system governs the work, written for construction professionals entering hospital work in California whose experience to that point has been commercial. It uses the ZSFG Building 5 Voluntary Seismic Upgrade, a 1976 …

Sheep Pen Improvements At City Farm Slo, Ryan S. Bodmer

Construction Management

City Farm SLO is an urban non-profit educational farm located in San Luis Obispo, CA. It serves the community through offering farm learning programs, including hands-on experience in sustainable farming practices and livestock care. This project, completed over the winter and spring quarters, focused on delivering an upgraded sheep pen to improve access and safety for both volunteers and sheep. The project consisted of developing design plans, coordination of materials and allowable working times with the owner, where the animals were either moved out of the working area or when work would not jeopardize animal health, schedule creation, cost estimates, …

Preconstruction Services For Slo Youth Baseball Bull Pen And Batting Cage, Sofia E. Cuevas

Construction Management

San Luis Obispo Youth Baseball is a nonprofit organization servicing the local youth of San Luis Obispo, California. Offering recreational, all-star, and club programs, SLO Youth Baseball provides the experience of baseball to all levels of skill in the community. In preparation for the Spring 2026 season and beyond, SLOYB has proposed the construction of a bull pen and batting cage on the third base line at their very own Stockton Field. In order to service the community at large, this design came with a set of strict parameters: accessibility, longevity, and serviceability. In doing so, SLOYB has requested flexibility …

Comparative Fatigue Analysis Of Cf-Pla Metamaterial Bone Plates For Orthopaedic Fixation, Ani Daniel, Hamed Bakhtiari, Barun K. Das, Muhammad Aamir, Majid Tolouei-Rad

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Bone plates are widely used in orthopaedic surgery to stabilise fractured bones and support healing following traumatic injuries or osteotomies. However, conventional metallic bone plates suffer from stress shielding and stiffness mismatch with bone, which can hinder optimal healing. Additive manufacturing enables the incorporation of novel metamaterial architectures into polymer-based implants to enhance mechanical properties. The fatigue behaviour of these implants during the healing period is critical to ensuring their structural integrity and long-term performance. In this study, the compressive fatigue performance of fused deposition modelling (FDM)-printed carbon fibre-reinforced polylactic acid (CF-PLA) bone plates were investigated. Four metamaterial structures—tetrachiral, re-entrant, …