Digital Commons Network^™

Ymca Changes Lives: Social Media Campaign, Savannah Nicole Rivera

Communication Studies

This project examines how the YMCA of San Luis Obispo constructs its organizational identity through digital messaging by applying framing theory (Entman, 1993). Drawing from scholarship on framing, nonprofit organizational identity, dual-identity tensions, and nonprofit storytelling, I conduct an applied framing analysis of the YMCA’s website and Instagram content. Specifically, I analyze how the organization defines community problems, attributes causes to them, assigns moral values to them, and proposes solutions in its messaging. I argue that while the YMCA references its mission, its current digital communication often makes utilitarian identity elements, such as services, memberships, and facilities, more salient than …

Design And Validation Of A Wearable Respiratory Protection System For Wildland Firefighters, Oliver Pilon

Master's Theses

Wildland and Wildland–Urban Interface firefighters are routinely exposed to hazardous smoke with fine particulate matter, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and other toxic combustion products. Existing protective gear has significant limitations and shortcomings for these conditions. Respirators with tight-fitting facepieces make it difficult to breathe and speak. On the other hand, self-contained breathing apparatuses are too heavy, have a limited duration of use, and do not work well with long wildland fire scenes, while smaller protective equipment like N-95’s and gaiters provide very little protection. These constraints contribute to low adoption rates and prolonged occupational exposure.

This thesis presents the …

Mechanistic Framework Of Wood Decomposition In Post-Storm Vegetative Debris Piles Using Continuous Quality Theory, Thomas T. Lee

Master's Theses

Storm events generate significant quantities of vegetative debris composed of wood, branches, twigs, and other organic materials. Efficient post-storm resource recovery and carbon accounting depend on reliable predictions of decomposition within these large, heterogeneous debris piles. While small-scale wood decay is well studied, decomposition dynamics within multi-layer debris piles remain poorly characterized, limiting municipalities' ability to estimate material longevity and resource recovery potential.

To address this gap, this study develops the WOOD_DK (Wood Organic Oxidation and DegraDation Kinetics) model, a preliminary, exploratory one-dimensional multilayer decomposition framework simulating coupled temperature, moisture, oxygen, and carbon dynamics in MATLAB. Microbial decomposition follows Continuous …

Neurosymbolic Counterpoint Generation, Paul D. Jarski

Master's Theses

Recent advancements in generative artificial intelligence have revolutionized music generation, yet research has predominantly focused on raw audio synthesis over music in symbolic form, i.e. a score. This thesis presents the first neurosymbolic model designed to generate imitative Renaissance counterpoint in symbolic (MIDI) format. By leveraging an autoregressive Transformer architecture, this research explores the capacity of deep learning models to manage independent voices and strict stylistic constraints.

We compare multiple data representation strategies with distinct tokenization methods. The proposed model incorporates a symbolic component that enforces fundamental contrapuntal rules. Additionally, this thesis contributes a preprocessed dataset of Renaissance polyphony, in …

Digital Print Ordering System For Ugs, Han Nguyen

Graphic Communication

This project redesigns the UGS digital storefront to make ordering custom prints clearer and less confusing for students. Research showed that many delays happen because users submit incorrect files, such as wrong formats, low-resolution images, or missing fonts. To address this, I created an interactive prototype that guides users step-by-step through the ordering process and includes a built-in file checklist with simple export instructions. Instead of relying on a separate PDF guide, the new system supports users directly within the workflow, helping reduce errors and making the process smoother for both customers and UGS staffs.

Same, But Better: Modernizing A Professional Soccer Team’S Logo, Jessica A. Halladay

Graphic Communication

Valencia CF is a historic soccer club with a highly recognizable crest, and this project focuses on modernizing that identity while preserving its core elements. Rather than creating a full rebrand, the project follows an identity evolution approach, refining the crest to improve clarity and adaptability across digital and physical applications. Guided by research in brand identity, social identity, and visual perception, the redesign focuses on four key elements: the bat, crest shape, typography, and soccer ball. Each component was simplified through iterative sketching and critique-based refinement to improve readability and consistency while maintaining recognizability. The final design demonstrates how …

Immersive Experience Design In Contemporary Theme Parks: A Case Study Of Universal Epic Universe, Roi Andre F. Ramos

Experience Industry Management

The evolution of contemporary theme parks has increasingly centered on large-scale immersive environments designed to transport guests into cohesive narrative worlds. The purpose of this study was to examine the immersive design practices utilized at Universal Epic Universe. A case study was conducted to evaluate five themed lands, four attractions, and four queue environments using a researcher-developed observational instrument. The results of this study determined that Epic Universe effectively sustains immersion through architectural enclosure, intellectual property-based world-building, sensory layering, and interactive technologies that increase guest agency. The park demonstrates a cohesive “self-contained land” model that minimizes negative cues and extends …

Boutz Cellars Brand Guidelines, Kristen M. Burr

Graphic Communication

For my senior project, I plan to focus on creating strong brand guidelines for Boutz Cellars, a winery in Paso Robles, California. My goal is to give this winery the opportunity to gather their brand voice, focus, and pillars in one cohesive format, along with the brand’s design guidelines and rules for web and print use. The final deliverable is a designed brand standards slideshow that encourages consistency across print, digital, and promotional materials while strengthening brand recognition and supporting the company’s long term growth and market presence.

Exploring The Mental Health Impacts Of Dating Experiences For Racial And Ethnic Minorities At A Predominantly White Institution, Maya Sánchez, Mylina Garza, Emma Chung

Communication Studies

The present study examined the mental health implications of racial and ethnic minorities’ dating experiences at a Predominantly White Institution (PWI). The authors conducted retrospective interviews with 20 minority-identifying college students that attend California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Three primary themes emerged from the conducted research. 1) Feeling excluded from racialized beauty standards threatens self-worth, 2) struggling to find romantic belonging limits emotional safety in relationships and navigating cultural differences in dating produces identity hyperawareness. This study also offers interesting theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically, findings display the communication maintenance of identity to how romantic involvement impacts …

Designing For Clarity Under Pressure: A Paper Goods System For Fundraising Auctions And Dinners, Ashley Spinoglio

Graphic Communication

For my senior project, I focused on a design challenge I’ve experienced firsthand in fast-paced event environments: how to communicate clearly through print when guests are moving quickly and processing a lot of information at once. After three years working on the Cal Poly Winemaker Showcase, I saw how programs, menus, bid sheets, and signage are often created piece by piece under pressure, which can lead to inconsistency and confusion. This project develops a structured Event Paper Goods Design System that brings clarity, hierarchy, and cohesion to large-scale fundraising events.

Made New Again: Refining Cal Poly Made For The Next Generation, Audrey Yae-Ji Malia Kong

Graphic Communication

For my senior project, I aim to focus on how graphics and packaging can positively affect and attract consumers to the product. During this project, I will be taking California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo’s very own products, curated by Cal Poly MADE, and refine their current design and branding. This plan will involve meeting the guidelines of Cal Poly SLO’s branding while creating a more modern design for the Cal Poly MADE products to be appealing to consumers. In order to guarantee the success of this project, I aim to conduct tests centered around the direct customers of …

Mel’S: A Modern Soup Brand Reshaping The Industry, Melody Chaerin Braunstein

Graphic Communication

My senior project focuses on the primary stages of creating a soup brand through market/trend research and branding. During this project, I aim to better understand the process of creating a brand, and the organization needed to flow through different stages.

My project hopes to analyze the current market and determine what it takes to create a successful product that stands out. My goal is to have a cohesive vision of the brand that creates a better baseline for later steps, such as graphic and packaging design, social media, and marketing.

Reframing Greek Life: The Ifc Story, Neal Raghav Parthasarathy

Graphic Communication

Organizations like the Interfraternity Council (IFC) have a hard time with telling a comprehensive story of the positive impact they are making to Cal Poly as well as to the SLO community. Our fraternities spend thousands of hours collectively to serve the local communities, and we collect metrics on volunteer hours, how much funds we raised, etc. However, these are usually communicated in a disjointed way through social media, emails and so on. So the various community stakeholders don’t get the full picture, and the negative perceptions around partying far outweigh the good we are doing. 

As IFC president, I …

Branded Skateboard Series, Max David Munday

Graphic Communication

This project demonstrates how graphic communication principles can be applied to product branding within the skateboarding industry. By combining research on branding systems, visual communication theory, and production methods with practical design experimentation, this project highlights the importance of balancing creative design decisions with real-world production considerations

Sea Level Trends Near Critical Levees In The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, Reyna Sanchez Gomez

Master's Theses

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) levee system faces threats from rising sea levels, land subsidence, and deteriorating levees, all of which pose risks to California’s primary surface water supply. The purpose of this thesis is to assess relative sea level rise (RSLR) and estimate the spatially varying factors that influence water levels in the Delta. This thesis extends the work of Baranes et al. (2023) to the period 1975-2022 by appending recently acquired water-level records (1975-1982) to modern datasets (1982-2022) from 10 water-level stations. These water level datasets were digitized, quality-assured, and referenced to a common geodetic datum, as described …

Exploring Non-Conventional Substrates: The Role Of Hibiscus And Whey In Kombucha Fermentation, Benjamin J. Lee

Master's Theses

This study evaluated the impact of hibiscus and whey as alternative fermentation substrates on the physicochemical, phytochemical, and microbial properties of kombucha. A 2 × 2 full factorial design was used to compare four treatments: black tea + water (BW), black tea + whey (BH), hibiscus + water (HW), and hibiscus + whey (HH). The fermentation solvents (water or whey) were heated to 88 °C, infused with 0.6% (w/v) black tea or hibiscus for 10 minutes, sweetened with 10% (w/v) sucrose, cooled to 22 °C, and inoculated with 20% (v/v) kombucha starter culture. Fermentations were carried out at 22 °C …

Improving Cellular Retention And Distribution To Promote Arteriogenesis In A Mouse Model Of Chronic Arterial Occlusion, Nancy Huang

Biomedical Engineering

Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease (PAOD) affects millions of people in the United States, creating pain, discomfort, and limited mobility due to restricted blood flow from obstructed arteries. While current treatments include lifestyle changes and revascularization procedures, these options are often insufficient or inaccessible because of procedural pain and socioeconomic barriers. In some cases, this can lead to critical limb ischemia and amputation as a last resort. Increasing blood flow to the extremities by enhancing collateral vessel growth, a biological process called arteriogenesis, with cell-based therapies can redirect blood flow around obstructions and has potential to mitigate and treat the effects …

Immigration-Related Workforce Instability And Its Impact On Residential Construction Operations In California, Ana Castro

Construction Management

Labor availability has become a major challenge for California’s residential construction industry, especially as immigration policies change and its workforce becomes more unstable. Most past research looks at overall labor statistics and industry trends, but not at how these issues affect construction projects day to day. This qualitative case study looks at how immigration policy and labor conditions affect the daily operations of a residential construction company in California. The research is based on six semi-structured interviews conducted with five superintendents and one executive leader. The results show that immigration-related labor challenges differ by location within California. Participants commonly described …

Fracking: The Big Bad Monster?, Gordon Belyea

Fresh Voices: Composition at Cal Poly

No abstract provided.

The Media Today, Jon Kuzmich

Fresh Voices: Composition at Cal Poly

No abstract provided.

Not A Monster, Jessica Hadley

Fresh Voices: Composition at Cal Poly

No abstract provided.

In Vitro Meat: Unnatural Or Life Saving, Joseph Coplon

Fresh Voices: Composition at Cal Poly

No abstract provided.

Defying Gender Roles With Friendship And Ponies, Liam Gow

Fresh Voices: Composition at Cal Poly

No abstract provided.

A Beautiful Failure, Lydia Kwong

Fresh Voices: Composition at Cal Poly

No abstract provided.

Giving Thumbs Down To "Thumbs Up", Carol Fuss

Fresh Voices: Composition at Cal Poly

No abstract provided.

Ethos, Pathos And Logos In "We Need To Talk About An Injustice", Fiona Cullen

Fresh Voices: Composition at Cal Poly

No abstract provided.

Heavenly View, Chris Leclair

Fresh Voices: Composition at Cal Poly

No abstract provided.

Want To Get Injured? Try Crossfit, Yoshito Funakoshi

Fresh Voices: Composition at Cal Poly

No abstract provided.

Catastrophes From Consumption: Meat Production Problems, Dana Bakke

Fresh Voices: Composition at Cal Poly

No abstract provided.

The Missed Conversation, Maya Joye

Fresh Voices: Composition at Cal Poly

No abstract provided.