Digital Commons Network^™

Rapid Warming Events In A Small Coastal Upwelling Embayment, Tatjana E. Ellis

Physics

Temperature variability in the nearshore coastal ocean influences various biological processes and can drive changes in biodiversity and habitat range. Despite recent progress, there are still significant gaps in the understanding of drivers of temperature variability in upwelling bays, particularly at higher frequencies. In this study, we analyzed a decade of nearshore temperature measurements both inside and outside a small coastal embayment located in central California [San Luis Obispo (SLO) bay], as well as temperature data from satellites, to characterize rapid warming events. We found that rapid warming events, defined using rates of temperature change across different thresholds, occurred more …

Spatial And Temporal Variability Of Circulation Patterns Within A Small Coastal Embayment During An Upwelling/Relaxation Cycle, Laurent F. Siroit

Physics

In eastern boundary current systems, wind-driven coastal upwelling is the dominant diver of physical, chemical, and biological variability. Near coastal embayments, complex circulation patterns develop during upwelling forcing, and time-dependent descriptions of these patterns for smaller systems (i.e., width and length scales ≤ 20 km) are limited. In this study, we analyze surface and subsurface current patterns in relation to upwelling wind forcing in San Luis Obispo (SLO) Bay, a small coastal upwelling embayment in central California, to investigate the formation and evolution of an upwelling jet and surface current convergence region during a large upwelling-relaxation event. We found that …

Aged 539 Graduate Internship Report - Delano High School, Ernesto H. Marcial

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This internship and project report includes validation documents required in meeting the quality criteria for secondary-level programs of instruction in agriculture. The supporting material includes information to receive state and local funding, outline the goals and objectives of the program, along with an overview of Delano High School, the agriculture program, and the community.

Inclusive Ux: Centering Marginalized Users At Cal Poly, Sejal Kargal

Computer Science and Software Engineering

The focus of human-centered design should be on centering all users in an inclusive manner by considering different design considerations, methods, and practices (Shalamova, 2019). Through this project I will research ways in which UX has pushed certain types of people intentionally or unintentionally to the margins and explore potential solutions as design recommendations for inclusive UX focusing primarily on Cal Poly student technology and resources (Lahlou, 2017). The users I will be focusing on are students of color, students with disabilities, first-generation college students, and disadvantaged students. In the context of virtual learning in the …

Inclusive Ux: Centering Marginalized Users At Cal Poly, Sejal Kargal

Computer Science and Software Engineering

The focus of human-centered design should be on centering all users in an inclusive manner by considering different design considerations, methods, and practices (Shalamova, 2019). Through this project I will research ways in which UX has pushed certain types of people intentionally or unintentionally to the margins and explore potential solutions as design recommendations for inclusive UX focusing primarily on Cal Poly student technology and resources (Lahlou, 2017). The users I will be focusing on are students of color, students with disabilities, first-generation college students, and disadvantaged students. In the context of virtual learning amid a …

M^3, Catherine Mingmin Wei, Syrsha Anne Harvey

Computer Science and Software Engineering

M^3 aims to raise students' interest in physics through an interactive and fun video game. Originally planned as a segment in the Cal Poly SLO Seeds in STEM workshop, M^3 is designed with middle and high school students as the intended audience.

Pier Ocean Pier, Brandon J. Nowak

Computer Engineering

Pier Ocean Peer is a weatherproof box containing a Jetson Nano, connected to a cell modem and camera, and powered by a Lithium Iron Phosphate battery charged by a 50W solar panel. This system can currently provide photos to monitor the harbor seal population that likes to haul out at the base of the Cal Poly Pier, but more importantly it provides a platform for future expansion by other students either though adding new sensors directly to the Jetson Nano or by connecting to the jetson nano remotely through a wireless protocol of their choice.

Pilltank, Lucas Chang, Hayden Tam, Aaron Teh, Krista Round

Electrical Engineering

Imagine an elderly family member, going through their daily routine of taking their pills. They find their pill box; however, they are having trouble identifying all the pills in there. Is there a name on the tablet? Can they read what it says? Do they just trust that the medication in their box is correct? How can they properly take care of themselves if they can not even confirm that what they are taking is the right medication? To combat this issue that many face, we present PillTank.

To decrease the risk of consuming the wrong medication, PillTank identifies the …

Wildfire Early Detection System (Weds), Mason Mciver, Vincent Liang, Jeanreno Racines

Electrical Engineering

With climate change causing an increase in temperature over the past several decades, wildfires have been burning hotter and moving quicker leaving a trail of destruction in their path. Detecting a wildfire early allows firefighters to respond efficiently and effectively to ensure containment. With the rise of advanced computer vision and algorithms, autonomous systems can be used to monitor and report any fire activity. Having multiple devices spread out across a large area will allow first responders to map out the fire location and track the fire. By utilizing smart technologies, property damage can be minimized and residents living in …

Robot Path Planning System, Filippo Cheein, Tim Berry, Bruce Rogstad, Bob Entezar, Jamari Ducre

Electrical Engineering

The future is autonomous. It is estimated that by 2025 there will be 8 million autonomous cars in the market. Millions more will be autonomous devices employed in homes, malls, offices, and warehouses. There are many aspects of these future devices that are necessary for proper autonomous functionality, with none potentially more critical than the devices’ path planning ability. This project aims to create an effective, reliable, and safe path planning algorithm for the autonomous devices of the future. Indoor autonomous devices, such as warehouse or office robots, benefit from being able to always use the same floor plan rather …

Exploring Material Representations For Sparse Voxel Dags, Steven Pineda

Master's Theses

Ray tracing is a popular technique used in movies and video games to create compelling visuals. Ray traced computer images are increasingly becoming more realistic and almost indistinguishable from real-word images. Due to the complexity of scenes and the desire for high resolution images, ray tracing can become very expensive in terms of computation and memory. To address these concerns, researchers have examined data structures to efficiently store geometric and material information. Sparse voxel octrees (SVOs) and directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) have proven to be successful geometric data structures for reducing memory requirements. Moxel DAGs connect material properties to these …

Modeling And Control Of A Vertical Hopping Robot, Bradley Y. Kwan

Master's Theses

Single degree-of-freedom hopping robots are typically modeled as spring loaded inverted pendulums (SLIPs). This simplified model, however, does not consider the overall leg geometry, consequently making it difficult to investigate the optimized inertial distribution of the leg for agile locomotion. To address this issue, the first part of this thesis establishes an accurate mathematical model of a DC-motor-driven, two-link hopping robot where the motors are modeled as torque sources. The equations of motion for the two distinct phases of locomotion (stance and flight) are derived using the Lagrangian approach for holonomic systems. A Simulink/Stateflow model is developed to numerically simulate …

Modeling Covid-19 Spread Using An Agent-Based Network, Stephen Yh Hung

Master's Theses

Beginning in 2019 and quickly spreading internationally, the Coronavirus disease Covid-19 became the first pandemic that many people have witnessed firsthand along with the severe disruption to their daily lives. A key field of research for Covid-19 that is studied by epidemiologists, biologists, and computer scientists alike is modeling the spread of Covid-19 in order to better predict future outbreaks of the pandemic and evaluate potential strategies to reduce infections, hospitalizations, and deaths.

This thesis proposes a method of modeling Covid-19 spread and interventions for local environments based on different levels of perspective. The goal for this thesis is to …

Monte Carlo Stack-Up Tolerance Analysis Of The Hybrid Rf/Optical Antenna Edge Sensors, Kara Hewson

Master's Theses

The Deep Space Network (DSN), located at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), is developing an RF/Optical Hybrid Antenna. This antenna concept will support the reception of high-bandwidth optical deep-space communications with simultaneous support of conventional RF uplink and downlink. The optical system on the antenna consists of sixty-four hexagonal mirrors positioned to form a spherical aperture. To align the mirrors, a Position Opto-Electronic Metrology Sensor (POEMS) system is used to measure the position of each mirror relative to one another. The POEMS system consists of a sender called a collimator, which sends collimated light to the receiving component, called a …

The Effect Of Reaction Conditions On The Nucleation And Particle Growth Of A Colloidal Covalent Organic Framework, Brendan Posson

Master's Theses

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are a novel class of crystalline materials with regular porosity, high specific surface area, and various linkage chemistries. Conventional chemical syntheses of these materials lead to the formation of bulk powders characterized as polycrystalline aggregates. Synthesizing these materials as colloidal systems is an effective means to prevent aggregation and achieve larger single-crystalline domain sizes. In this thesis, I describe the effect of temperature and transimination catalyst strength on COF particle nucleation and particle growth. Morphology and crystallinity of the COF-300 particles were confirmed using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The onset of colloidal …

Development Of A Cubesat Conceptual Design Tool And Implementation Of The Eps Design Module, Sean K. Nogrady

Master's Theses

This thesis is the product of an effort to develop a CubeSat Conceptual Design Tool for the California Polytechnic State University CubeSat Laboratory. Such a tool is necessary due to inefficiencies with the current conceptual design process. It is being developed to increase accessibility, reduce design time, and promote good systems engineering within CubeSat development.

The development of the architecture of a conceptual design tool, the core user-interface element, and the completion of a module for the electrical power subsystem is the focus of this thesis. The architecture is built around different modules to design different subsystems that work in …

Development Of The Alice Fit Ft0-A Detector Frame In Root Geometry For Simulation, Jason R. Pruitt

Physics

CERN’s ALICE experiment aims to investigate the strong nuclear force through the study and production of Quark Gluon Plasma via Pb-Pb collisions. ALICE’s Fast Interaction Trigger, a group of several detectors concerned with analyzing collision events, is outfitted with the necessary materials and software for both online and offline data analysis. We simulate the detectors and all the materials in ROOT geometry to understand both machine performance and particle interactions. This allows for the analysis of secondary particle production from collision events, as well as ensuring correct placement and compatibility with other detectors and collision simulation software. This paper describes …

Warren J. Baker Center For Science And Mathematics California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Campus, Matthew Hudson

Fire Protection Engineering: Culminating Experience Project Reports

The purpose of this report is to analyze the Warren J Baker Center for Science and Math on the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo campus. Baker Science is primarily used for classroom and laboratory instruction of college students, with study spaces, faculty offices, and assembly spaces. There are mechanical, electrical, and storage spaces ancillary to the main building functions. The building comprises six floors that are between 23,000 and 44,000 ft2. The first floor contains classrooms, faculty offices, mechanical/electrical spaces, and an auditorium with fixed seating. An atrium connects floors two through five. There are walkways running down …

Real-Time Stylized Rendering For Large-Scale 3d Scenes, Jack Pietrok

Master's Theses

While modern digital entertainment has seen a major shift toward photorealism in animation, there is still significant demand for stylized rendering tools. Stylized, or non-photorealistic rendering (NPR), applications generally sacrifice physical accuracy for artistic or functional visual output. Oftentimes, NPR applications focus on extracting specific features from a 3D environment and highlighting them in a unique manner. One application of interest involves recreating 2D hand-drawn art styles in a 3D-modeled environment. This task poses challenges in the form of spatial coherence, feature extraction, and stroke line rendering. Previous research on this topic has also struggled to overcome specific performance bottlenecks, …

Pod Stabilization, Lane Matthew Pledger, Becca Stefanich, Ian Mccandless, Patrick Salter, Kirk Kuran

General Engineering

We were tasked by Holmes Solutions to find a way to stabilize their patented SWITCHBACK passenger gondola system. This system is a self-propelled pod that transitions smoothly between cables and rails. The main goal for this project is to dampen side-to-side swing of gondola pods using a modular stabilization system. This device must be within these constraints: it must fit within a work envelope, must be safe for user and operator, must perform a dampening effect, and must be compliant with the current system. We formulated many ideas to achieve the goal, including making the pod more aerodynamic, adding sliding …

Print Foundation: Student Guide To Graphic Communication, Yeyoung Kim

Graphic Communication

This book covers the foundation of print technologies and information related to graphic communication and aims to resolve the absence of the graphic communication textbook for beginners. While there are plenty of professional and technical resources for students, it can be challenging to read professional books without prior knowledge on the subject. This book will also clarify the difference between the Graphic Communication major and the Graphic Design major at Cal Poly SLO.

The project began with the student survey on what they would want to be included in the introductory textbook and some of their additional suggestions were followed. …

California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo Building 180: Baker, Kelly Kessloff

Fire Protection Engineering: Culminating Experience Project Reports

This project was performed as part of the requirements for completion of the Fire Protection Engineering Master’s Program at Cal Poly. This project covers a full prescriptive and performance based analysis on the Warren J. Baker Center for Science and Mathematics. This building was constructed on Cal Poly’s campus in 2013 and serves occupancies such as classrooms, laboratories, and office space for students and professors.

The prescriptive based analysis of this report will analyze the applicable building codes and determine if this building is compliant. Relevant codes include the 2016 California Building and the 2016 California Fire Code. In addition …

Are Kinesiologists Ready To Communicate? Merits Of A Practicum Course On Plain Language Communication, Jafra D. Thomas, Cameron N. Christopher, Winston Kennedy, Bradley J. Cardinal, Caroline N. Smith

Kinesiology and Public Health

The submitted presentation material summarizes a project presented at the 2021 American College of Sports Medicine Virtual Annual Meeting and World Congress on Exercise is Medicine®. The project which the presentation is based on is titled, “Towards Knowledge Translation in Kinesiology: Investigating Barriers and Identifying Opportunities - Part 1.” The uploaded documents consist of the following material: (a) the presentation abstract, and (b) a copy of the e-poster presented at the virtual event. Please follow the social media profiles of Dr. Jafrā Thomas, for timely project updates (e.g., ResearchGate dot net and GoogleScholar dot com). You may find related work …

Consumer-Ready Insulated Solar Electric Cooker, Simon Ford, Sachin Gokhale, Brendan Lynn, Richard Nguyen

Mechanical Engineering

An insulated solar electric cooker, or ISEC, converts solar energy into electricity to cook food, boil water, provide heat or even help charge batteries. In this project, the focus is an ISEC with a phase change material (PCM) that helps store heat when the solar energy input is minimal, such as after the sun has set. Although a successful ISEC already exists that utilizes PCM, this product can be improved in many ways. The specific revisions investigated in this report are the improvement of the thermal efficiency with the implementation of a vacuum-sealed outer pot, the reduction of the overall …

Interactive Physics Display: Air Cannon, Marina Smeltzer, Sydney Hosokawa, Jordan Nguyen, Jessica Ouyang

Mechanical Engineering

The San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden (SLOBG) is a non-profit organization that provides a place for visitors to connect with and explore nature. The sponsors from SLOBG sought an interactive physics display to be implemented in their children’s garden that will educate children and adult visitors about physics concepts in a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere. The research done showed that customers are looking for a “wow” factor with the display to surprise and engage them. Patents showed the design and build of interactive playground equipment. Government reports described the curriculum for the target audience and also outlined the safety precautions …

Hands-On 3d Printed Dynamics Activities, Dakota Baker, Jacob Lindberg, Andrew Meyenberg, Junnior Rodriguez

Mechanical Engineering

The advancement of 3D printing has allowed everyday individuals to rapid prototype and manufacture in a more efficient, cost-effective, and timely manner. This has paved the way for a more adaptable educational model, by allowing instructors to easily access alternative instruments for teaching. By providing students with tangible tools, they will better be able to grasp complex principles. Dynamics professors need a way in which they can easily access these academic tools, transport them to and from class, and teach multiple dynamics principles through variations of a single 3D printed kit. Interviews with professors and students were conducted to gain …

Equilibrium Without Statics: The Modern Müller-Breslau Method, Claudia Rene Zapata-Kraft

Architectural Engineering

This senior project is an investigation of the Modern Müller-Breslau Method. The purpose of this senior project was to see how quickly and easily a graduating senior in a structural engineering program could acquaint themselves to the method, as well as create new problems that demonstrate its power in equilibrium without the use of any statics. The focus of this project and paper is determinate structures including beams, axial members, frames, three-hinged arches, and finally three-dimensional trusses. Examples of each type of problem will be shown with explanations along with a reflection on the experience from a student’s perspective on …

Insulation And Structural Support For Solar Electric Cooking, Jack J. Crofton

Physics

The Insulated Solar Electric Cooker (ISEC) project is aimed at providing an alternative method for cooking that does not require fuel or fire, has no harmful emissions and is appealing to the culinary tradition of cultures around the world. The World Health Organization estimates that three billion people cook with biomass and coal, which causes 4 million deaths per year from breathing the associated emissions (WHO, 2016). Besides the dangers of indoor air pollution (Lim, 2013; Subramanian, 2014), cooking over open fires also results in deforestation, and greenhouse gas emissions of CO2 and soot (MacCarty 2008; Bailis & Kammen 2005). …

Cultivating Creativity In Aerospace Systems Engineering To Manage Complexity, Kenneth Lucas Dodd

Master's Theses

In recent decades, complexity in aerospace programs has been increasing, leading to large budget and schedule overruns. Many of the risks of complex system development can be attributed to the inadequacy of linear methods when applied to nonlinear domains, i.e., oversimplification in a program amplifies the amount of risk produced when a system behaves unexpectedly. Effectively managing complexity involves responding to the various sources of complexity, whether it appears in the objective behavior of the system itself or in the subjective behavior of the people developing it. Thus, the engineering of complex systems requires nonlinear modeling methods of the system …

Assessing Cryptic Dispersal And Movement In The Lompoc Kangaroo Rat, Katherine A. Belnick

Biological Sciences

Lompoc kangaroo rats (LKR, Dipodomys heermanni arenae) are small rodents that reside in sand dunes from Pismo to Orcutt, including the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA), in Oceano, CA. In the SVRA, some of these individuals live in habitat islands, which are habitat fragments of dense vegetation disrupted by empty, bare sand in between them. Recreational vehicle activity is permitted in the Oceano Dunes, which has caused persistence habitat fragmentation. Kangaroo rats are known to disperse between habitat islands and are suspected to do so via a special type of dispersal: cryptic dispersal. This dispersal mode, if it …