Digital Commons Network^™

Academic Senate - Agenda, 11/1/2016, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

A Novel Assessment Tool For Quantitative Evaluation Of Science Literature Search Performance: Application To First-Year And Senior Undergraduate Biology Majors, Jason M. Blank, Karen Mcgaughey, Elena Keeling, Kristen L. Thorp, Conor C. Shannon, Jeanine Marie Scaramozzino

Library Scholarship

Expertise in searching and evaluating scientific literature is a requisite skill of trained scientists and science students, yet information literacy instruction varies greatly among institutions and programs. To ensure that science students acquire information literacy skills, robust methods of assessment are needed. Here, we describe a novel tool for longitudinal, crossover assessment of literature-searching skills in science students and apply it to a cross-sectional assessment of literature-searching performance in 145 first-year and 43 senior biology majors. Subjects were given an open-ended prompt requiring them to find multiple sources of information addressing a particular scientific topic. A blinded scorer used a …

Executive Committee - Agenda, 10/25/2016, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Executive Committee - Meeting Minutes, 10/25/2016, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Executive Committee - Agenda, 10/18/2016, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Leveraging The Final Project To Improve Student Motivation In Introductory Digital Design Courses, Andrew Danowitz

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Student retention rates in engineering, especially among traditionally underrepresented groups, remain an obstacle to training a large, diverse engineering workforce. The NSF's Science and Engineering Indicators 2016 indicate that of students entering college with an intent to major in engineering, only 63% graduate with an engineering degree [1]. With research suggesting that misperceptions or a lack of knowledge about what work in a certain field is like can deter students from studying that discipline [2], [3], it is possible that providing a meaningful project experience at the introductory level could provide a strong positive impact on retention rates. This could …

Weights And Balances: Integrating Models For Prevention And Response To Southern California Offshore Oil Spills, Carmen Watts Clayton, Amoret Bunn

STAR Program Research Presentations

Licensing offshore oil and gas reserves in the United States waters are overseen by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Enforcement (BSEE). The licensing application includes planning for any worst-case oil spill scenario between BSEE and the applicant based on lessons learned from historic offshore spills such as the Deepwater Horizon (2010), Exxon Valdez (1989), and the Union Oil Platform Blowout (1969). The process for planning to respond to oil spills involves coordination with multiple agencies, trustees, and stakeholders to ensure that oil spill responses consider multiple factors, including ecologically sensitive species, commercial transportation and fisheries, …

Urban Design Proposal For Nispero Parkway, City Of San Miguel Allende, Study Abroad Fall 2016, Tommy K. Chong

Other CRP Student Work

No abstract provided.

Crisis Communications And Media Coverage Before, During, And After A Natural Disaster, Juliet Saunders

Journalism

This study is aimed to further define the connection between crisis communications and the media. This is a single-site case study that was one of the most reported on natural disasters in the United States, Hurricane Katrina. The study will focus on determining the meaning of crisis communications, crisis communications plans and the medias’ roles in natural disasters. Three experts in the field of Public Relations and Media were interviewed to gain insight into the working relationships between the media and crisis communicators. Before the study is able to determine the best practices for crisis communications, it must first look …

Analysis Of Machine Learning Classifier Performance In Adding Custom Gestures To The Leap Motion, Eric Yun

Master's Theses

The use of supervised machine learning to extend the capabilities and overall viability of motion sensing input devices has been an increasingly popular avenue of research since the release of the Leap Motion in 2013. The device's optical sensors are capable of recognizing and tracking key features of a user's hands and fingers, which can be obtained and manipulated through a robust API. This makes statistical classification ideal for tackling the otherwise laborious and error prone nature of adding new programmer-defined gestures to the set of recognized gestures.

Although a handful of studies have explored the effectiveness of machine learning …

A 3-D Multiplex Paper-Microfluidic Platform, Mitchell Patrick Young

Master's Theses

3-D paper-based microfluidic devices (micoPADs) are small and portable devices made out of paper that offer a promising platform for diagnostic applications outside of a laboratory. These devices are easy to use, low cost, require no power source, and capable of detecting multiple targets simultaneously. The work in this thesis demonstrated the ability of a 3-D paper-microfluidic platform to simultaneously detect 5 targets. Rubber cord stock was used in conjunction with an acrylic housing unit to apply pressure along the edge of the channel. The indirect pressure application was successful in promoting vertical fluid flow between layers. Average channel development …

Physician-Patient Communication: Building A Better Relationship To Improve Medication Adherence, Yolanda Fisher

Journalism

The following study investigates the problem of medication non adherence in the United States and how to create a more effective physician-patient relationship could help to remedy the situation. This paper addresses the need for better communication skills between physicians and patients. Several communication barriers and communication traps can be overcome with increased education. Trust is critical in a relationship. This paper explores ways to increase trust between physicians and patients by using public relations as a tool to provide awareness of the problem and to build a partnership to improve adherence.

Development And Curation Of The Sample Data Library For The Astrobiogeochemistry Laboratory, Meika R. Nwaomah, Lorenia Jimenez, Michael Tuite

STAR Program Research Presentations

In 2011, the National Science Foundation (NSF) initiated EarthCube, an integrated cyber infrastructure initiative, to tackle challenges within geoscience research. EarthCube’s goal is to improve public access and collaboration within the geoscience community. During the summer of 2015, the Astrobiogeochemistry Laboratory (abcLab) joined the collective efforts of EarthCube by developing the Sample Data Library (SDL) for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The main focus of the SDL concentrates on effectively curating the samples collected by researchers within the Planetary Chemistry and Astrobiology section at JPL. The goal of this summer internship was to assimilate field notes, images, and from data …

Investigating The Infection And Persistence Of Sindbis Virus In Host Neurons, Gavin Schroter, Sally Hall, Monica Borucki

STAR Program Research Presentations

Sindbis virus, an Alphavirus in the Togaviridae family, is an enveloped, single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus. Found mostly in parts of Africa, Australia, Egypt, Philippines, and Northern Europe – it is known to cause Ockelbo or Pogosta disease [1]. This disease is characterized by the sudden onset of fever, headache, and arthralgia; followed by arthritis, rash, fatigue, and muscle pain. The symptoms are gone within 14 days, though cases have shown joint pain to last from 12 months to 2 and a half years [4]. Common to several other viruses, Sindbis is transmitted from birds (its reservoir) to humans via an …

Inducing Emotional Response In Interactive Media, Keenan M. Reimer

Master's Theses

Video games, and entertainment media have been developed for many years, and eliciting emotional experiences is an integral part of that process. Producing and editing game content in order to affect desired emotional experiences can be expensive and cumbersome to developers. This paper presents a study intended to show that such experiences can be affected with simple after-the-fact audio-visual effects. As subjects of the study, participants experience three different emotional states, fear, peace, and none, over three rounds and in three different game environments. They are given a simple narrative in each environment that directs them to gather various objects. …

Media Bias: How Much Does It Hurt Or Help The Media-Public Relationship?, Aidan Mathews

Journalism

The focus of this research paper is to qualify the relationship between the public and the Media and to discover how much Media bias, or the perception of Media bias affects that relationship. An important angle taken in this study is the question of whether or not bias on the part of the Media actually helps the public when forming educated opinions.

The review of existing literature on Media bias and public perception of the Media and the collection of data via interviews with expert, professional journalists have led to two conclusions about the Media-public relationship: (1) in order for …

Comparing Cultures Sans Stereotyping, Brian G. Kennelly

World Languages and Cultures

No abstract provided.

Whisk: Web Hosted Information Into Summarized Knowledge, Jiewen Wu

Master's Theses

Today’s online content increases at an alarmingly rate which exceeds users’ ability to consume such content. Modern search techniques allow users to enter keyword queries to find content they wish to see. However, such techniques break down when users freely browse the internet without knowing exactly what they want. Users may have to invest an unnecessarily long time reading content to see if they are interested in it. Automatic text summarization helps relieve this problem by creating synopses that significantly reduce the text while preserving the key points. Steffen Lyngbaek created the SPORK summarization pipeline to solve the content overload …

The "Creative Workspace": A Comparative Analysis Of Stakeholder Perceptions, Augustina Radziunaite

Master's Theses

The rise of information technologies and creative industries formed a new class of “creative knowledge workers” with special needs for a workspace design. The recent tendency of playful and bold workspace designs for creative industries was labeled by some researchers as a “creative workspace,” but a body of knowledge about design strategies supporting “creative knowledge workers’” performance is still limited.

This master’s thesis research attempts to define “creative workspace” design phenomenon based on the three main stakeholder groups’ perceptions. The research analyzes existing literature and conducts in-depth interviews with designers and users to collect the data and compare the findings. …

Communication Surrounding College Campus Crime: Sexual Assault Influencing Factors, Policies, And Decision-Making Outcomes, Rachel Seymour

Journalism

This study includes research, data, and expert opinions regarding sexual assaults on college campuses, in particular California Polytechnic State University. The information presented in this study includes topics such as sexual assault rates, reports, cultural factors, policies, and prevention strategies.

Inquiry-Based Learning To Explore The Design Of The Built Environment, Anahid A. Behrouzi, Daniel Kuchma

Architectural Engineering

Typically in introductory structural engineering courses with a lab component, the instructional approach is to present the underlying theory via pre-lab lecture/reading and subsequently have students conduct guided experiments that affirm that theory. The new Fall 2015 course offering described in this paper takes the reverse approach where students’ hands-on exploration of a concept occurs prior to formal instruction. As such, the course is based upon Da Vinci’s perspective that: “[i]n the examination of physical problems I begin by making a few experiments,…we must commence with experience, and strive by means of it to discover truth.”

In the course, student …

Influence Of Nanosilver Surface Charge On Cytotoxic Efficacy Against Cancer Cells, Elliot Frey

Baker/Koob Endowments Awarded Projects

Silver and silver-based products are known to cause cytotoxic effects to both microbes and eukaryotic cells. Because of this property, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are being studied for their potential in targeted tumor treatments. Previous studies with microbes suggest that AgNPs with cationic capping agents possess enhanced cytotoxicity by virtue of Coulombic attraction between the nanoparticle and the negatively-charged cell wall. Since animal cells possess similar negatively-charged plasma membranes, this research hypothesized that human cells would be more susceptible to positively-charged AgNPs than to negatively-charged AgNPs. To investigate this hypothesis, cancerous cervical cells (HeLa) and healthy fibroblast cells (3T3) were subjected …

Current Solutions, Elan Timmons, Maxwell Fong, Madison Weiss, Hannah Joslin

Baker/Koob Endowments Awarded Projects

Current is the first comprehensive safety solution that can, with the push of a button, dispatch police to a user’s GPS location, notify friends and family, alert the nearby community, and record audio and video. Current is a phone case and mobile app that integrates hardware and software, offering user safety, ease of access, and peace of mind. No other self-defense product integrates all four layers of safety and these products are rarely in a user's hands when needed. Current’s mobile device case is equipped with external buttons that can quickly and easily activate in-app functionality, which Current has worked …

Marine Virus Isolation For Use In Phage Templating Of Nanoparticles, Pranav Santan, Morgan Smith-Boeck, Siddharth Prabhu

Baker/Koob Endowments Awarded Projects

Over the course of the past year, we experimented with bacteriophage (phage) isolation from both fresh and marine water. We also tested two different chemical flocculation techniques, polyethylene glycol (PEG) and iron chloride. Furthermore, we tested different vesicles in which chemical flocculation occurs, such as separation funnels, centrifuge tubes, and Erlenmeyer flasks. We analyzed the effectiveness of flocculation via florescent microscopy. Each flocculated sample was visually compared to the original unconcentrated sample by staining the DNA with SYBR-Green. A successful concentrated viral sample yielded a >10 fold increase in overall fluorescence. We found that both iron chloride and PEG were …

A “Big Data” Approach To Measurement For Real-World, Real-Time Automotive Aerodynamics, Daniel Stalters, Andrew Furmidge, Jacob Rickman

Baker/Koob Endowments Awarded Projects

A “typical” sedan vehicle was instrumented with pressure, inertial (IMU), video, and GPS sensors to fully categorize the on-road conditions during an extended, multi-hour tests at the Allan Hancock EVOC track. The static pressure data sampled over the trunk lid of the test vehicle was processed along with all other pressure and IMU data gathered at the front and center of the test vehicle to build categorical and continuous models of the data using techniques borrowed from computer science and machine learning. These techniques highlighted both expected and unexpected trends in the aerodynamic data as well as indicating it is …

From Downtown To The Inner Harbor: Baltimore's Sustainable Revitalization, Vicente Del Rio

Focus

The revitalization of Baltimore's Inner Harbor and waterfront is internationally recognized as a planning and urban design model. This successful story started in the late 1950s with the Charles Center redevelopment plan for the core of the Central Business Distric and its positive effects on the city's economy. In the first of a twopart article, Vicente del Rio writes about this early plan and its role in Baltimore's efforts towards a sustainable revitalization. Next FOCUS will feature his account of the plan for the Inner Harbor and beyond.

Highlights Of The Crp Summer 2016 Field Trip To San Miguel De Allende, Mexico, Hemalata C. Dandekar, Vicente Del Rio, Alex Chapman, Audrey Ogden, Kara Tobin, Melissa Smith, Tara Ash-Reynolds

Focus

From August 15 to 27, 2016, CRP professors Hemalata Dandekar and Vicente del Rio led a group of five CRP undergraduate students in a field trip to Mexico. Based in Los Arcos, an educational facility in San Miguel de Allende, the group studied the city’s planning and urban design, visited other cities and places of interest, and interviewed with local planners and architects.

Markov League Baseball: Baseball Analysis Using Markov Chains, Victor Joseph Asaro

Statistics

No abstract provided.

Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Mitchell Comstock, Michael Maggipinto, Brendan Mcintosh, Lukas Oswald

Case Studies in Agribusiness

The history of Grocery Outlet Bargain Market is presented, from its start selling government surplus canned goods in San Francisco, to its present 299 stores concentrated mostly on the west coast, but with 18 stores in Pennsylvania. The case discusses two of Grocery Outlet’s distinguishing traits: opportunistic buying and independent operators. Challenges, competition and future opportunities are presented.

Grocery Outlet Bargain Market I, Mitchell Comstock, Michael Maggipinto, Brendan Mcintosh, Lukas Oswald

Case Studies in Agribusiness

Grocery Outlet Bargain Markets has grown from a single store in San Francisco, offering low cost government surplus canned goods to 100 stores and over $1 billion in sales. The chain focuses on opportunistic buying of over runs and discontinued stock, which allows it charge low prices.