Digital Commons Network^™

Catalyzed Chemical Recycling Of Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) For Enhanced Sustainability, Gilberto J. Hernandez-Leypon Jr.

Master's Theses

Plastics are ubiquitous in the production of consumer and industrial products; their chemical stability, low cost of production, and performance versatility make them the best option for many industries. Their inherent benefits, specifically durability, is the basis for the negative environmental impact of polymers. Improper containment of endof-life polymer products causes unintentional migration into the environment. The monomers for many common polymer types are also fossil fuel based further increasing the environmental impact of the plastic lifecycle. Recycling is a possible method of closing the loop of the plastic lifecycle. Currently most recycling is physical, thermally reprocessing used plastics into …

Conversational Social Robot, Julianna M. Christopoulos, Mackenzie Goldman, Cece E. Hujanen, Jared Hunter

Mechanical Engineering

Background: Social robots are used in various settings to reduce burden on human workers and expand opportunities for people in need of assistance.

Challenge: Design a humanoid robot head and torso capable of holding conversations and interacting with a user using a LLM and motion. Conversations are limited to discussing Cal Poly resources and opportunities with visitors to the Bently Research Center on campus.

A Digital Dive: Redesigning The Cabrillo High School Aquarium Website, Jacob V. Cacho

Graphic Communication

Tucked away on the Central Coast in Lompoc, you’ll find the Cabrillo High School (CHS) Aquarium. Started in 1986, the CHS Aquarium is the only high school aquarium of its kind in the nation run entirely by high school students. This 10,000+ square foot aquarium serves an underserved community at a Title I school, where students manage all aspects of animal care, nutrition, breeding, educational curriculum development, and visitor tours.

This program is truly one-of-a-kind and deserves the spotlight for just how unique it is. As a CHS graduate, I felt the current website lacked in many areas and could …

Style Guides For Individualized Branding And User Experience, Paige N. Stainsby

Graphic Communication

The increase of digital platforms has led to more competition and brand saturation, making it harder for users to distinguish between companies online. This essay explores how the Aesthetic-Usability Effect influences user perception, particularly for lesser-known organizations. From interviews with professionals in UX/UI Design and Content Design, I examined how to create a wholistic style guide that can sustain longevity within a company as well as garner trust and engagement amongst users. The interviews highlighted the importance of consistent, accessible design systems and consistent communication within teams. These insights offer practical implications for designers working to differentiate brands in crowded …

Truehue: Finding The Right Shade For You, Rania Price

Graphic Communication

Six in ten women struggle to find the right foundation or concealer due to the lack of representation and unreliable color-matching tools. This highlights the need for a more inclusive solution in the beauty industry. Introducing TrueHue—an innovative app prototype designed to address the widespread challenge of accurate color matching. TrueHue leverages Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) AI technology to provide precise, personalized makeup shade recommendations. Users begin by selecting their skin type, desired price range, and type of product they’re seeking. The app then captures a full-face image to analyze undertones and overall skin tone. TrueHue recommends the best shade …

Digitalizing Organization: Creating A Digital And Customizable Bullet Journal, Ashley Ho

Graphic Communication

This project presents a digital, customizable bullet journal designed to improve organization, creativity, and accessibility. Using a user-centered design approach and principles of design thinking, the planner addresses common barriers to traditional journaling, such as time-consuming setup and lack of flexibility. Based on survey feedback, the final product includes a 2026 calendar, habit trackers, budgeting tools, and customizable weekly spreads in a print-friendly PDF format. The project highlights how digital tools can enhance personal productivity and well-being, with broader applications in UX/UI design and digital wellness solutions.

Analyzing “Sex Ed: The College Edition” - A Comprehensive Workshop Increasing Sexual Literacy On Cal Poly’S Campus, Merav Tzori

Kinesiology and Public Health

"Sex-Education: The College Edition", is a comprehensive and interactive workshop based on Cal Poly student data collected via survey. The workshop aimed to address sexual health knowledge and behavior gaps in the student population and provide sexual education about anatomy, barrier methods, contraception, STIs, and more. The following paper discusses the creation, execution, and efficacy of the workshop that was conducted with seven student groups.

The Effects Of Sirulina And Nannochloropsis Supplementation On Broiler Performance, Intestinal Morphology, And Gut Microbiology, Emily Beckerman

Master's Theses

The poultry industry is constantly searching for new nutritional strategies and better feed conversion ratio to enhance broiler growth and productivity. Microalgae have been shown to improve broiler performance and health depending on species and supplementation levels. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of Spirulina supplementation (Experiment I) and Nannochloropsis supplementation (Experiment II) on broiler production performance, intestinal morphology, and gut microbiology. In Experiment I, a total of 270 broiler chicks (one-day-old Ross 708) were obtained from a local hatchery after vaccinating against Newcastle, Marek’s disease, and Infectious Bronchitis. They were weighed and sorted into 18 …

Comparative Study Of Experimental And Fea Strain Data For Cnt-Coated Fiberglass Sensors, Extensometers, And Metal Foil Strain Gauges, Omar Dwidar

Master's Theses

Material testing is essential across industries such as aerospace, automotive, and construction, playing a critical role in verifying material selection, diagnosing failures, and understanding the development of flaws in structures. These insights are key to designing successful, reliable systems. Conventional metal foil strain gauges are low cost and reliable but provide limited sensitivity with a typical gauge factor around 2. Extensometers provide highly sensitive strain measurements with the disadvantage of a bulky form factor. With advanced materials such as carbon nanotubes, it is possible to manufacture a sensor with the sensitivity closer to that of an extensometer with the small …

Minifying Deep Denoising Networks With Knowledge Distillation, Antonio L. Rozzi

Master's Theses

Hearing loss is a prevalent condition, affecting hundreds of millions globally, with a higher incidence among older adults. While hearing aids are the standard treatment, the majority of those who could benefit from hearing aids choose not to wear them, attributing this decision in large part to their inability to perform well in conversations in large groups and in noisy situations. To date, no denoising systems on commercial hearing aids are able to improve speech intelligibility. Recent advances in artificial intelligence research have shown that large deep-learning models can in fact improve speech intelligibility by removing background noise from audio. …

Hardware-In-The-Loop Testing For The Polysim Adcs Lab, Shealyn P. Miller

Master's Theses

Hardware-in-the-loop, HIL, testing is an important tool for the validation and verification of systems in the aerospace industry. A common subsystem to be tested using HIL testing is the attitude, dynamics, and controls subsystem, ADCS. This is due to HIL tests using realistic simulations of the space environment to control physical hardware. To create a HIL test, a simulation and HIL interface are needed to test and communicate with hardware. Using a Speedgoat Performance Real-Time Target Machine to communicate with a Raspberry Pi and a Simulink model, three tests were conducted to ensure communication was functioning properly. A simulation, in …

The Effect Of Whole Fruits High In Anthocyanins On Markers Of Glycemic Control In Women, Sophia C. Johnson

Master's Theses

Cardiometabolic diseases are a significant health burden worldwide and remain the leading cause of death among adults in the United States. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a central component of cardiometabolic dysfunction and substantially increases the risk for cardiovascular disease. As women enter the post-menopausal period, significant declines in estrogen levels lead to a heightened risk of T2DM in this population. Observational and experimental evidence has shown potential for fruits high in anthocyanins (ACs) to reduce the risk of T2DM and improve glycemic control. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the current research on whole fruits high in ACs …

The Chumash War Of 1824: Revolution And Counterrevolution In The California Missions Santa Inés, Santa Barbara, And La Purísima, Joseph V. Payne

Master's Theses

In 1824, the Indigenous Chumash of Missions Santa Inés, Santa Barbara, and La Purísima de Concepción went to war against the settler-colonial system that bonded them to the mission lands and forced labor regime demanded by the Spanish Franciscan missionaries and compelled by Mexican military force in Alta California. The conflict lasted months and included violent battles and skirmishes at all three missions, the militant occupation and reclamation of La Purísima, a mass exodus to the interior of the territory, and the subsequent counterrevolutionary collaboration of the Spanish missionaries and Mexican military to return many (but not all) of the …

Correlations Between Social Media, Body Image Perceptions, And Disordered Eating Prevalence In Postpartum Women: A Pilot Cross-Sectional Study, Hannah Smith

Master's Theses

Postpartum women are a high-risk population for body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behavior due in part to the plethora of hormonal and physiological changes. Despite this, research examining this issue among postpartum women remains limited.

This pilot cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between social media use, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating behavior among women up to 13 months postpartum. For this study, the following research questions were asked: Is high social media usage associated with higher levels of disordered eating among women up to 13 months postpartum? Is the association between social media usage and disordered eating mediated by a …

Assessment Of The Imx7ulp Heterogeneous Soc For Use In A Next Generation Student Cubesat Obc, Lorenzo A. Pedroza

Master's Theses

CubeSats represent a rapidly evolving platform for space research, industry, and education, demanding increasingly sophisticated onboard computing solutions that balance performance, fault tolerance, size, weight, and power constraints. Although the design of the Cal Poly's CubeSat Lab's (PolySat) current On-Board Computer (OBC) keeps up with many of these factors, the demands of modern workloads like fine attitude determination will start to outpace available compute. While the selection of a more capable processor to address this would have traditionally resulted in increased energy usage, modern system-on-chip (SoC) architectures offer novel ways to trade available compute for power savings on-the-fly. With this …

Leveraging Machine-Learning Algorithms In Two Car Crash Detection Systems On A Custom Dataset, Addison Jacob Sandvik

Master's Theses

Traffic accidents pose a significant threat to public safety, causing millions of deaths and injuries worldwide each year. While efforts to reduce accidents have seen limited progress in recent years, improving emergency response times through automated detection systems is a promising avenue for saving lives. This thesis describes the development of machine learning-based traffic accident detection systems, exploring both video classification and image detection models. The models are trained on a new dataset deemed the Cal Poly Traffic Accident Dataset, an extension of the existing Car Accident Detection and Prediction (CADP) dataset with a precise collision annotations. Two systems were …

Evaluating Nanobubble-Enriched Water Treatments For Cleaning Stainless Steel Winery Tanks At The Gallo Winery Research Station In Livingston, California, Edgar Godoy-Garcia

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Evaluating nanobubble-enriched water treatments for cleaning stainless steel winery tanks at the Gallo winery research station in Livingston, California.

Edgar A. Godoy-Garcia

Sanitation of stainless steel wine storage tanks is a critical component of quality control in commercial winemaking operations. Ineffective cleaning can lead to microbial contamination, product spoilage, and safety concerns. Traditionally, wineries rely on manual scrubbing, chemical cleaning agents, and extensive water rinsing cycles to maintain sanitary tank conditions. However, these methods are resource-intensive and may pose risks to both workers and the environment due to chemical exposure and wastewater generation. In response to growing industry interest …

Model-Based Design Of Compressed Lithium-Metal Pouch Cell Battery Modules For Evtol Applications, Scott J. Stirling

Master's Theses

Batteries with higher specific energy and power are essential for extending the range and performance of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs). Anode-free lithium-metal pouch cells offer strong potential at the cell-level but require high compressive pressures to enhance cycle life and discharge performance. These pressures necessitate heavier structural components, reducing packaging efficiency at the module level.

To evaluate this tradeoff, a full-factorial enumeration model was developed to explore viable module designs within a constrained packaging volume. The model scales subsystem masses, enforces design rules and material limits, and accounts for large (~20%) cell thickness changes during cycling.

Results …

The Impact Of Accessibility Features On Player Experience In Video Games, Christine M. Widden

Master's Theses

While video game accessibility is a growing research topic, few studies investigate how players perceive the presence versus the absence of accessibility features, or how non-disabled players react to the option of accessibility features. This study explores these research gaps, investigating how access to accessibility features affects the experience of both disabled and non-disabled players. For the purposes of this study, a small platformer game was developed with as many accessibility features as feasible for the scope of the project. An A vs.\ B study was conducted in the game, with anonymous participants randomly assigned to version A, with all …

Nonlinear Integral Control Schemes For A Cadence-Heartrate Process: A Matlab Exploration, Alexander G. Elliott

Master's Theses

Keeping one’s heart-rate within a specific range during a cardiovascular workout can be difficult due to many factors including variations in the exercise environment and changes in energy level. One’s heart-rate can be controlled by tuning the intensity level of the activity over time. This study focuses on the relationship between a runner’s cadence and their heart-rate and explores ways to control the heart-rate by adjusting the cadence. Previous work in this area modeled the cadence-heartrate plant as a first-order linear system, but this has been shown to be insufficient. This work improves upon previous research in this area by …

From Conflict To Clarity: Resolving Differences In Habitat Assessments To Inform Conservation Priorities For The Giant Kangaroo Rat, Caroline Mackenzie

Master's Theses

From Conflict to Clarity: Resolving Data Differences in Habitat Assessments to Inform Conservation Priorities for the Giant Kangaroo Rat

Caroline MacKenzie

Conservation strategies frequently rely on habitat suitability models, habitat assessments and species occurrence data to identify areas for protection. However, these methods often produce conflicting inference on species presence and habitat quality, complicating management decisions. This study builds on prior work which used three distinct methods to guide conservation planning for the endangered Giant Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys ingens): habitat suitability modeling based on abiotic predictors, aerial imagery to assess habitat quality through visible burrow mounds and live-trapping …

Comparing Machine Learning Paired Optimization Strategies For Single-Component Waterborne Direct-To-Metal Coatings, Harvir S. Kalkat

Master's Theses

As R&D attempts to fine tune properties before production, the redesign and testing process can become highly iterative. The repetitive nature of formulating can be difficult to escape when relying on chemical intuition alone. To provide some guidance in this process, machine learning (ML) can leverage data from previous trials¹ to design suggestions for subsequent trials. Although ML capabilities have vastly expanded in the last few years, integration of ML into chemistry R&D and education has been slow. Unraveling the mystique of ML can help change what has been a slow embrace in the coatings industry. It is important …

The Effect Of Dietary Strawberry Supplementation On Glycemic Control Factors In Overweight And Obese Postmenopausal Women With At-Risk Diabetes Mellitus Pathogenesis, Jennifer Herrera

Master's Theses

Glycemic control is directly related to type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). As of 2023, 30.5 million Americans have T2DM, and this number only continues to increase exponentially across the world (“Facts & Figures,” n.d.). T2DM is only a precursor to fatal conditions including cardiovascular disease, the number one cause of death in the United States. Extensive research has revealed that strawberries, a high polyphenolic food, may pose positive effects on glycemic control biomarkers. This study aimed to investigate the effect of three servings of strawberries in the form of 39-g of freeze-dried strawberry powder (FDSP) for six weeks on glycemic …

Remote Monitoring And Control Of Protection Relays Via Programmable Logic Controller, Rio Mcgown-Kauffman

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the ability of a programmable logic controller (PLC) to wirelessly monitor and control power protection relays. The technologies surrounding power protection and industrial automation are ever evolving and have developed significantly in recent history. Industrial power applications call for consistent condition monitoring and status updates for various high-importance components. The high-importance components have power protection schemes that are managed by digital relays to trip circuit breakers in fault or unsafe operating conditions. The smart relays have a wide range of capabilities, including communications. Cal Poly assembled a collection of relays from Schweitzer …

Modeling Battery Energy Storage Systems To Study The Effects Of Battery Chemistry And Operation On Power Quality, Lin E. Knudsen

Master's Theses

This thesis studies the impacts of battery chemistry (specifically lithium-iron phosphate, sodium-ion, and solid-state), AC voltage, battery size, charging mode, state of charge (SOC), active power draw, and power factor on the power quality of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). For harmonic evaluation, the metrics provided by the IEEE Standard 519 are used as a guideline to quantify voltage and current harmonics. A comprehensive MATLAB Simulink using Simscape Electrical is used to develop and simulate the models for the battery, DC-DC converter, AC-DC converter, and the grid. A total of 57 simulation cases varying the BESS factors are performed, …

An Analysis Of Renewable Energy Frames In The News Media Pre- And Post-Trump Administration, Kendall Anjolie Rozen

Communication Studies

This paper aimed to examine how news media portrayed environmental issues, specifically renewable energy, and how this may differ between two presidential administrations in the United States. Entman’s framing theory was used to analyze the portrayals of renewable energy in the articles selected. The frames chosen were based on research done by Rochyadi-Reetz et al. (2019) who established four framing dimensions within environmentally-focused news media. These dimensions are as follows: (1) economy, (2) society, (3) environment, (4) technology. A fifth dimension ((5) policy) was added by the researcher. This paper used a deductive quantitative analysis to mark these themes as …

Executive Committee - Agenda, 5/20/2025, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Academic Senate - Minutes, 5/20/2025, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Academic Senate - Agenda, 5/13/2025, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Academic Senate - Minutes, 5/13/2025, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.