Digital Commons Network^™

Computational Modeling Of High Yttrium Refractory High Entropy Alloy Microstructures, Kaleb C. Ryan, Marissa M. Baker

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Refractory high entropy alloys (RHEAs) are advanced metals made up of five or more principal elements in roughly equal amounts. The microstructural effects of alloying with yttrium as a principal element for RHEAs are currently not well understood. This project compared RHEA microstructures from literature with simulations using the High Entropy Alloy Predicting Software (HEAPS), which computes 10 screening criteria to predict the microstructure of a RHEA composition. The accuracy of HEAPS predictions was assessed by comparing them with experimentally validated microstructures found in literature. A combination of criteria was found to have a 95.8% accuracy rate, and a new …

Enhancing Place-Based Interaction With Emotion Ai And Augmented Reality, Jake Maier, Ivan Martinez

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

This project explores the integration of augmented reality (AR) and Emotion AI technologies to enhance user experiences in physical environments. By seamlessly merging virtual elements with real-world contexts, we aim to deepen individuals’ interactions and perceptions of their surroundings. Leveraging AR technology enables users to access contextual information, engage with interactive content, and navigate spaces with heightened immersion and understanding. Additionally, Emotion AI enhances these experiences by detecting and responding to users’ emotional states, fostering personalized and emotionally resonant interactions. We aim to integrate digital content within physical environments using mixed-reality headsets equipped with eye-tracking capabilities and consumer-grade wireless EEG …

Leveraging Tradespace-Exploration For A Senior Project Team Formation Application, Miguel Saenz

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

This project revolves around the development of an app in MATLAB that leverages the VASSAR rule-based system and a genetic algorithm to form groups of teams for the Mechanical Engineering Senior Design project class. We leveraged the iterative design process to eventually attain a functional app with a reasonable runtime that works provided correctly formatted rulesheets describing student project preference and member preference.

African Californios.Org: Reconstructing The African Past Of Spanish & Mexican California, Anthony Colin Herrera

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

AfricanCalifornios.org is a research project dedicated to highlighting the significant contributions of Afro-descendants in Spanish and Mexican California. Historical colonial census records reveal that 19% of California's population had African ancestry, yet many individuals concealed their identities to enhance their social standing. This project uses modern NLP and Data Science techniques to construct family trees, shedding light on their overlooked stories. The work has been published and presented at the 2024 Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations conference.

Implications Of Persistent Micro-Bioplastics On Biogeochemical Properties Across Soil Types, Casandra R. Leach

Master's Theses

Terrestrial microplastics are increasing in abundance and are an emerging contaminant of concern, particularly in agriculture ecosystems where plastic use and subsequent soil contamination are prevalent. Plastic film mulches make up a significant portion of the plasticulture industry and are directly linked to soil microplastic pollution where negative effects to soil biotic and abiotic functions have been observed. In response to this issue, biodegradable film mulches have been promoted as a sustainable alternative to conventional polyethylene-based mulches. These biodegradable mulches, composed of various bioplastics, are designed to be tilled back into the soil where they are expected to decompose. However, …

Hardware Control Unit For Trusted Program Verification System, Jake Owen Alt

Master's Theses

Trust in the underlying hardware is the foundational step towards trusting the correctness and integrity of a software application. However, verifying that today's extremely complex processors work exactly as intended has not been feasible, as evidenced by several recent hardware bugs. Trustworthy, formally verified processors currently forego intricate performance enhancements such as out-of-order execution, hampering them substantially versus their less secure counterparts.

The Containment Architecture with Verified Output (CAVO) system solves this problem by isolating the host system and requiring the result of each instruction to be validated by a small, trusted hardware module called the Sentry. Any transmissions to …

Community-Based Disability Accessibility Assessment, Elspeth Slayter, Rose C. B. Singh

Feminist Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

Design And Implementation Of An Inverted Short Baseline Acoustic Positioning System, Jakob Frabosilio

Master's Theses

This document details the design, implementation, testing, and analysis of an inverted short baseline acoustic positioning system. The system presented here is an above-water, air-based prototype for an underwater acoustic positioning system; it is designed to determine the position of remotely-operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in the global frame using a method that does not drift over time.

A ground-truth positioning system is constructed using a stacked hexapod platform actuator, which mimics the motion of an AUV and provides the true position of an ultrasonic microphone array. An ultrasonic transmitter sends a pulse of sound towards …

Engineering-Enhanced Theatre: How Engineering Involvement Can Aid Regional Theatres, Albert M. Le

Architectural Engineering

Engineering and theatre are disciplines not often associated with each other within regional and small theatre companies in the United States. The distinction between the two fields of study is not simply from the fundamental differences between how each field is taught and practiced, but also the difficulties encountered within a scope of theatre often constrained with limited budget and time for each production. However, when beginning to explore the intersection between engineering and theatre, it is found that the empirical nature of current theatrical practices can be countered, and scenic design and construction can be re-envisioned with engineering involvement …

Innovations To Increase Plywood Shear Wall Design Capacity And Resiliency, "Mega Walls", Through Ductile Metal Strapping, Trevor Douglas Reichenberg, Tara Suzanne Reich, Katelyn Marie Lowry

Architectural Engineering

The researchers of this project are three undergraduate Architectural Engineering students at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Plywood shear walls are common structural elements in timber structures that resist lateral forces. Since their introduction to the industry in the 1950s, their shear capacities have remained essentially unchanged amongst the innovations of other wooden lateral systems. Prior to this project, Cal Poly undergraduate researchers have taken on the challenge of modernizing the shear wall. The “MeGa Wall” project was born: a system that implements metal gauge strapping which enhances a conventional wall by reducing nail connection failures. Full-scale experimental …

Structural Health Monitoring In A Small-Scale Environment Using Wired And Wireless Communication Device Readings, Gabriela Mcclure

Architectural Engineering

Our goal with this project is to test and develop a structural health monitoring (SHM) device capable of assessing the safety and integrity of building connections and overall structural health. At Cal Poly, a large portion of our structural engineering curriculum focuses on the design of buildings in response to earthquakes and the damage that can be mitigated through proper design. The increasing accessibility of technology in our world allows for the growth and development of systems that can enhance building safety and help us better understand how building practices can evolve to continue prioritizing life safety. Structural health monitoring …

Nasogastric Tube Insertion Aid, Lauren S. Ark, Angela D. Biezins, Zachary B. Crum, Claire E. Nodine, Morgan N. Pope, Natsumi L. Shudo

Biomedical Engineering

The Nasogastric Tube Insertion Aid project, developed under the sponsorship of the BiCEP Program at California Polytechnic State University, aims to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of nasogastric (NG) tube placement. This initiative was inspired by challenges observed during the BiCEP summer program, where difficulties in NG tube insertions led to multiple attempts, increased patient discomfort, and serious medical risks, including lung punctures and brain trauma. The project's goal was to design an insertion aid that improves placement accuracy while being cost-effective and user-friendly for medical professionals. The device features an external tensioning mechanism that allows controlled deflection of the …

Slo Children’S Museum Music Education Exhibit, Charles Coffen, Madeline Carleton-Sniff, Yael Castillo, Anthony Ramos

Mechanical Engineering

The Children’s Museum in San Luis Obispo is a non-profit facility providing education to young children through interactive exhibits. The proposed project would address a basic introduction to musical theory through mechanical engineering principles. The target audience for this musical art installation would be young children, aged 5-10, who would be regularly interacting with this exhibit, as well as their parents, and the employees of the museum. The installation will educate children in basic musical understanding through interaction while still being engaging enough to hold their attention. This document describes the final concept design and various methods of verification in …

A Data-Driven Framework For Analyzing And Predicting Social Media Engagement During Rumor Propagation, Joseph E. Faza

Master's Theses

The spread of rumors on social media has become a significant concern, as platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter) enable rapid dissemination of unverified information. These rumors can shape public perception and behavior, making it crucial to understand the dynamics of their spread. The main objective of this study is to explore how users interact with rumor-related tweets and identify key factors that predict tweet engagement. By analyzing tweets from seven different rumor events, this research aims to uncover patterns in user engagement and provide insights into the spread of misinformation. The study utilized a dataset of tweets from …

Assessment Of Dune Change Using Historical Aerial And Satellite Photos, Topographic Surveys, And Wave Data At Toro Creek Beach, Owen D. Emerson

Master's Theses

Coastal sand dunes play an important role in the littoral processes of California’s coastline. Functioning as both source and sink for sand, these dunes often protect coastal infrastructure and provide a buffer between anthropogenic development and coastal forces. At Toro Creek Beach, north of Morro Bay California, recent extreme winter storms have raised concerns about the erosion of the sand dunes that front California State Highway 1. This thesis attempts to characterize the historical growth and recession patterns of the Toro Creek dunes since 1977, the dune movement over the 2023-2024 winter seasons, the wave forcings behind recent high erosion …

Seal Counting On Our Plages (S.C.O.O.P.), Kaanan Kharwa

Master's Theses

The Vertebrate Integrative Physiology (VIP) lab monitors the population of northern elephant seals at the largest mainland breeding colony, located at Piedras Blancas (San Simeon, CA). As the population expands, more human-seal interactions and conflicts over land use occur. The VIP lab's work informs California State Parks and helps with the management of the rookery. Currently, members of the VIP lab fly a drone over the beaches, capture multiple images, and manually count the seals, which takes around 14 to 21 hours of analysis per survey. Machine learning methods such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and Region-based Convolutional Neural Networks …

Enabling Emg-Based Silent Speech Transcription Through Speech-To-Text Transfer Learning, Alexander T. Garcia

Master's Theses

In recent years, advances in deep learning have allowed various forms of electrographic signals, such as electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG), to be used as a viable form of input in artificial intelligence applications, particularly for applications in the medical field. One such topic that EMG inputs have been used is in silent speech interfaces, or devices capable of processing speech without an audio-based input. The goal of this thesis is to explore a novel method of training a machine learning model to be used for silent speech interface development: using transfer learning to leverage a pre-trained speech recognition model …

Development Of Extruded Puffed Snack Utilizing Carrot Pomace, Bean Flour, And Rice Starch As Primary Ingredients, Julia Zoe

Master's Theses

Every year, the carrot industry worldwide wastes up to 50% of carrots as raw material due to processing (Šeregelj et al., 2020). When carrots are juiced, the remaining fibrous pulp is often discarded as carrot pomace. In order to redirect this food waste, the first objective of this research was to optimize formulations for an extruded puffed snack that is most similar to commercially available puffed snacks, utilizing baby lima bean flour and carrot pomace

Hardness (kg), cross-sectional expansion ratio, bulk density (g/cm³), moisture content (%), water activity, specific mechanical energy (kJ/kg), carotenoid concentration (ppm), and total dietary …

Balance Assessment Using A Handheld Smartphone With Principal Component Analysis For Anatomical Calibration, Evan C. Anthony, Olivia K. Kam, Stephen M. Klisch, Scott Hazelwood, Britta Berg-Johansen

Biomedical Engineering

Most balance assessment studies using inertial measurement units (IMUs) in smartphones use a body strap and assume the alignment of the smartphone with the anatomical axes. To replace the need for a body strap, we have used an anatomical alignment method that employs a calibration maneuver and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) so that the smartphone can be held by the user in a comfortable position. The objectives of this study were to determine if correlations existed between angular velocity scores derived from a handheld smartphone with PCA functional alignment vs. a smartphone placed in a strap with assumed alignment, and …

The Dildo Question: When Sex Positivity And Patriarchy Clash In The Classroom, Kate Maddalena

Feminist Pedagogy

This Critical Commentary describes how sex positivity can be a Trojan Horse for uncritical and toxic behavior in the classroom and suggests a pedagogical approach to help avoid the co-opting of sex positive ideologies for patriarchal power.

College Students Learn How To “Take Action!” To Disrupt Racial Microaggressions, Justine N. Egan-Kunicki, Renee N. Saris-Baglama

Feminist Pedagogy

The topic of prejudice and discrimination may be addressed in a variety of disciplines. When these topics are discussed in the classroom, students may not recognize microaggressions as acts of explicit or implicit prejudice. We designed and evaluated an Apply and Take Action! assignment to help students recognize microaggressions and learn techniques to disrupt them. Students were asked to identify definitions, key terms, and examples of microaggressions and microinterventions, and apply this knowledge to address a hypothetical scenario. Students favorably evaluated and recommended the assignment’s use. This assignment may benefit students who are targets of microaggressions, as well as those …

Gps Accuracy Of Smartphones For Crowdsourcing Research, Derron L. Dike

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

ABSTRACT GPS Accuracy of Smartphones for Crowdsourcing Research Derron Dike Utilizing crowdsourcing with smartphones as a method for field data collection can contribute an array of data for scientific studies and land management applications. This study used crowdsourcing to examine smartphone built-in GPS performance for providing location-specific information with potential forestry applications. The usability of smartphones for GPS data collection in forestry studies or other practical applications is dependent on the level of accuracy required for those applications. A Smartphone Accuracy Trial was designed to test the GPS accuracy performance of current smartphones. Participants used the ArcGIS Field Maps application …

Power Controller For Insulated Solar Electric Cooker, Ryan Koshy, Justin Tae-Hoon Kim

Electrical Engineering

Insulated Solar Electric Cookers, or ISECookers, are devices created to aid those in impoverished regions improve safety, sustainability, and quality of life regarding their cooking practices. ISECookers present an alternative to traditional biofuel/biomass energy sources and provide a closed-loop, self-sustaining system that can be used in a variety of environments. These devices present solutions to widespread issues such as pollution, deforestation, and hazardous emissions as a result of traditional cooking in developing regions around the world. A notable obstacle of these devices is power delivery. Given the varying conditions experienced by a solar panel (inclement weather, irradiance irregularities, etc.), it …

Analyzing Hubble Space Telescope Images Of Agn Host Galaxies With Keck Integral Field Spectra, Sebastian Contreras

Physics

In the center of most massive galaxies is a supermassive black hole (SMBH) with a mass that can range from millions to billions of solar masses. It has been observed that more massive SMBHs have a more massive host galaxy bulge, as evidenced by the larger bulge luminosity and stellar velocity dispersion, a correlation known as the BH mass - host-galaxy scaling relation. It suggests a close evolutionary connection between the growth of the SMBH and the growth of its host galaxy. If a SMBH develops an accretion disk to fuel an active galactic nucleus (AGN), it will emit radiation …

The Role Of Apparatus In Problem-Solving And Model Construction And Contemplation, Maré E. Sutphen, Laura Ríos

Physics

Problem-solving serves a crucial role in learning physics, as it is required that students absorb laws, principles, and concepts and arrange their understanding in a structure accessible for application. Further, these arrangements necessarily include methods and strategies gained from past experience, required for the implementation of these structures. Although tedious, problem-solving requires not only the arrangement of knowledge, but the construction and contemplation of models of physical phenomena. Research shows that while amateur problem-solvers typically approach problems by stringing together equations, experts will first look at the larger picture of the physical phenomena at hand, and through a “series of …

2023 Kahramanmaras Earthquake Sequence: Geospatial Visualization And Analysis Of Multiple Building Damage Datasets, Alejandra Bravo, Jerry Hue Truong Luong, Anahid Behrouzi

Architectural Engineering

To learn from past earthquake events, a critical task is validating observations with data. After a significant seismic event like the 2023 Kahramanmaras Türkiye earthquake series, various organizations perform reconnaissance efforts to collect building response data. Some reconnaissance missions focus on visiting fewer buildings and recording detailed information (high-resolution, HR), while others aim to visit as many buildings as possible recording basic information (low-resolution, LR). Both dataset types are vital for learning, and the next step is analyzing and visualizing the data to validate in-field observations. This paper has three purposes: 1) examine a HR dataset by Degenkolb with 138 …

Formula Integrated Monocoque Development, Hayden Wagner, Aaron Fang, Elijah Schulz, Carson Smith

Mechanical Engineering

Every year the Cal Poly Racing FSAE club set out to create two separate race cars to compete in the upcoming formula combustion and formula electric competitions. Both the combustion and electric formula cars operated on the same vehicle platform with the powertrain systems being the main difference between the two cars. Cal Poly Racing FSAE is the only school in California to run a full carbon fiber monocoque chassis, with each chassis design operating on a roughly four year design cycle. A new FSAE senior project team has set out to improve upon the previous chassis design as the …

Teaching Critical Language Awareness To Combat Failure Of Black Language In Education, Kathleen Turner Ledgerwood

Feminist Pedagogy

Currently most educational systems teach students there is a singular, “correct” way to write. Moralizing language regarding an arbitrary system of standardized English writing, a White Mainstream English (WME) connotes a failure for other languages to conform to a white standard. I teach at a small, open-enrollment, Historically Black University in the Midwest where most of my students explain that their biggest fear is academic failure. The majority of my students self-identify as Black and are Pell Grant eligible. When I surveyed my students, they reported that their biggest fear is failure, both in the class and in the university …

Neo-Aristotelian Friendship And Non-Human Animals: Can I Be Friends With My Dog?, Dustin Sigsbee

Between the Species

“A dog is man’s best friend” is a well-known and widely used phrase, but are we right in thinking that dogs are our friends? If so, do we owe our dogs what we owe our friends? Aristotle recognized three different kinds of friends: friends of utility, friends of pleasure, and friends of virtue. I suggest that dogs can meet the conditions necessary for entering into the first two kinds of friendship, but that there is a potential moral hazard in thinking about our relationship with dogs in these terms. It is unclear whether dogs can meet the more stringent conditions …

Development Of An Advanced Step Counting Algorithm With Integrated Activity Detection For Free Living Environments, Paige M. Dolan

Master's Theses

Physical activity plays a crucial role in maintaining overall health and reducing the risk of various chronic diseases. Step counting has emerged as a popular method for assessing physical activity levels, given its simplicity and ease of use. However, accurately measuring step counts in free-living environments presents significant challenges, with most activity trackers exhibiting a percent error above 20%. This study aims to address these challenges by creating a machine learning algorithm that leverages activity labels to improve step count accuracy in real-world conditions. Two approaches to balancing data were used: one employed a simpler oversampling technique, while the other …