Digital Commons Network^™

An Analysis Of How The Coverage Of Abortion In Media Reports Highlights Struggles For Millions Of American Women Nationwide, Alexa Miranda

Communication Studies

The purpose of this paper is to carefully analyze how news organizations have reported on impacts to women nationwide as a result of the Dobbs v. Jackson’s Women’s Health Organization (2022) ruling by the Supreme Court. This case overruled a landmark case in judicial history, Roe v. Wade (1973), which protected the act of abortion through constitutional interpretation. There are several news reporting outlets, which include the Los Angeles Times, Houston Chronicle, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Minnesota Star Tribune which are included in this paper to aid in discussing abortion and real life stories …

The Absence Of Autistic Voices: Stereotypical Depictions Of Autistic Characters In Music, The Good Doctor, And Atypical, Emily Drawer

Communication Studies

In 1988, Rain Man was one of the first films with an autistic character that sparked conversation around neurodiversity. Throughout the past 30 years, different media texts have continued to include autistic characters to increase representation. However, there has not been an increase in representation compared to the large autistic community in the United States. As media attempts to include autistic characters, audiences must be aware of the message these characters and scenes are sending. In my analysis, I analyze three media texts that have autistic main characters. Using a visual rhetorical critique, I examine Music, Season 1 of The …

Custom Data Acquisition System For The Cal Poly Racing Baja Team, Joe Keenan

Computer Engineering

The Cal Poly Racing Baja team relies on data to analyze and improve upon various vehicle systems in an off-road style vehicle. In order to accomplish this, some data logging or data acquisition (DAQ) is required to collect the data. This project explores the use of a controller area network with flexible data rate (CAN FD) bus along with a custom file format to store data on an SD card that can be made easily acceptable to engineers on the team.

"Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow": Disneyland, Science, And The Cultural Cold War, Emily Searson

Master's Theses

Disneyland, the popular Anaheim-based theme park in California, opened its doors during heightened Cold War tensions in 1955. In this thesis, I trace the origins of Tomorrowland, one of the five original themed lands in Disneyland that included futuristic rides and attractions to depict Walt Disney’s imagining of the year 1986. I examine Tomorrowland in particular to argue that WED Enterprises (Disneyland, Inc.’s research and development arm) and Disney’s vision of scientific progress aligned with U.S. Cold War policy goals, especially containment. Disney and WED Enterprises meticulously planned Tomorrowland with the help of notable American defense contractors, including the Monsanto …

Bandwagon Behavior In Major League Baseball, Daniel E. Erro

Master's Theses

This study investigates “bandwagon” behavior among Major League Baseball (MLB) fans by analyzing Google search interest data from 2004 to 2019. Drawing on publicly available information from Google Trends, the analysis explores how fluctuations in search activity align with team performance during both the regular season and postseason. Hierarchical linear models are used to estimate expected levels of fan interest based on team performance and market characteristics. Deviations from these expectations during the regular season are interpreted as evidence of bandwagon or anti-bandwagon behavior. A drop-off in interest following playoff elimination is also examined to capture shifts in fan attention …

Riding For The Brand: Advancing Leadership Development In The Poly Royal Rodeo Program, Jack Busch

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

While the Poly Royal Leadership Class provides a valuable platform for student involvement in large scale event planning, the structure lacked consistency in leadership development methods, project management tools, and hands-on training simulations, resulting in uneven engagement, limited collaboration efficiency, and varied preparedness levels among student leaders and committee members.

Downtown L.A. To Glendale Light Rail Line Project Study, Alaina Michelle Ortiz

City and Regional Planning

Los Angeles is undergoing a transit revival driven by persistent traffic congestion, a growing population, and an evolving mindset that increasingly favors public transportation.

As Los Angeles prepares for the future, it finds valuable lessons in its past. This light rail proposal draws inspiration from the extensive Pacific Electric Railway system that once formed the backbone of L.A. County’s transit network. Specifically, this study reimagines segments of the historic Glendale-Burbank Line, Echo Park Local Line, and San Fernando Valley Line. These routes once covered key corridors such as Sunset Boulevard and Brand Boulevard, but today, they are underserved by rail …

Prepare Lora Physical Layer For Testing In Low Earth Orbit On A Cubesat, Sammy Brunton

Electrical Engineering

This project is a collaboration with OWL Integrations, a company that specializes in adaptable, low-cost communication systems. OWL has developed a board specifically designed for space applications called the Space Quacker Advanced Development (SQuAD), which is an adaptation of their existing board called the Quaker Advanced Development (QUAD).

This project focuses on testing the existing SQuAD board design to make sure that it is flight-ready for deployment on Cal Poly CubeSat’s satellite, SAL-E. To achieve this, the project must ensure compatibility with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) conditions by testing the integrated high-power long-range (LoRa) receiver and enhanced hardware to meet …

Keepsake: A Social Media And Management App For Collectors, Violet Faust

Graphic Communication

For my senior project, I aim to target a nearly nonexistent digital market in social media applications for collectors by designing an app meant for collectors to buy, sell, trade, and connect over similar interests. The plan for this project is to prototype and design an app for a community of people who do not currently have a dedicated space to connect. This project provides an opportunity to innovate through design and fill in the current gap existing in social media applications.

Bai: Recipes From A Cambodian-American Home Kitchen, Amanda Wahl

Graphic Communication

Bai, meaning “rice” in Khmer, is a cookbook that highlights the cultural and personal significance of Cambodian comfort food. Created in response to the underrepresentation of Cambodian cuisine and the inaccessibility of traditional ingredients in towns like San Luis Obispo, this cookbook offers simple, beginner-friendly recipes that celebrate food as a bridge to heritage. Featuring original photography and thoughtful design, Bai explores how cookbooks function as both practical tools and cultural artifacts. This project contributes to the broader dialogue on inclusive, culturally responsive design and the role of graphic communication in preserving and sharing marginalized culinary traditions.

Electroporation Protocol Development For Cal Poly Cell Therapy Laboratory Courses, Gabrielle Melamed

Biomedical Engineering

Cancer is a heterogeneous disease caused by unchecked cell proliferation. The disease contributed to 9.7 million deaths worldwide in 2022, with hematological malignancies (leukemias, lymphomas, and myelomas) accounting for over 1.4 million deaths in the United States from 1999 to 2020. This thesis focuses on the treatment of these cancers, with an emphasis on non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs). R-CHOP (Rituximab-Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin hydrochloride, Oncovin/Vincristine, and Prednisone) is the standard of care first-line treatment for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common subtype of NHL, and encompasses a mixture of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and corticosteroids. The R-CHOP regimen cures 50% to 70% patients, …

Simulated Live Studio Audience, Theodore David Shellenberger

Computer Engineering

The Simulated Live Studio Audience is a Python based application that utilizes Vosk, Roboflow, and Llama 3.2 to provide a user with auditory feedback based upon both visual and audible input from their device's microphone and camera. This system functions with a custom trained computer vision model to detect a specified object and when individuals walk in and out of the camera frame, outputting sitcom style simulated crowd reaction sounds accordingly. The simulated studio audience program also takes in vocal input from users, converts it to text, and, using a large language model, analyzes it for content that can be …

High-Frequency Current And Voltage Sensing Buck Converter Compatible With Model Predictive Control, Cathy G. Chen, Lani K. Nguyen

Electrical Engineering

This paper presents the design and implementation of a high-frequency buck converter operating at 1 MHz, integrated with voltage and current sensing capabilities for enhanced output regulation. The primary objective is to minimize transient dips in output voltage commonly observed during load disturbances or switching events. The converter design is intended to be compatible with a Digitally Assisted Analog Computing Circuit (DAACC) for real-time model predictive control (MPC), which leverages fast analog elements with programmable digital components to solve a penalty-based reformulation of the quadratic optimization problem underlying conventional MPC.

Selena Quintanilla-Pérez: Breaking Barriers In Tejano Music And Shaping Mexican-American Identity, Fatima Hernandez-Barajas

World Languages and Cultures

This project will focus on how Selena Quintanilla-Perez broke barriers in Tejano music for women and became a cultural icon representing the aspirations of the American Dream for the Mexican American community. The paper begins with a summary of Selena’s life and accomplishments, followed by an examination of the history of Tejano music, the role of women within the genre, Selena’s unique relationship with it, and how she embodies the pursuit of the American Dream while representing the Mexican-American identity within the community. Through this analysis, the project highlights how Selena’s success challenged traditional gender roles and bridged bicultural identities, …

7lr-C Upper Limb Dancing Prosthetic, Victor Ochoa, Zoe Kelemen, Ged Mulingtapang, Marley Paltiel

Mechanical Engineering

Ella Wallis, a student at Cal Poly and performer in the Cal Poly Drag Club with a trans humeral upper limb difference, wants a prosthetic device that allows for a large range of motion and high degree of articulation to help them better dance in the style of voguing, allowing them to express themselves further while performing. The prosthetic arm is body-driven and relies on momentum to reposition. It attaches to the user through a harness, which is clipped to a socket with elastic straps to not impede the shoulder’s range of motion. The design contains urethane resin, aluminum, stainless …

Poly Mars Mini-Rover, Dane Carroll, Aaron Lubinsky, Henry Bouma, Gerardo Tapia-Onate, Scott Frizzel

Mechanical Engineering

The Cal Poly Mars Rover project is creating a fleet of near-identical rovers operating collaboratively to research the surface of Mars. Over the last six years, teams at Cal Poly have been developing vehicles to be launched upon the commercialization of interplanetary travel. Two of these vehicles are to take the roles of ‘Scout’ and ‘Relay’ with the most significant difference being their respective ‘arms.’ The ‘Scout’ will have a robotic arm that interacts with objects on the surface while the ‘Relay’ will have a fixed arm, equipped with a StarLink antenna to communicate with orbiting satellites as seen in …

Srh Lab Case Study: Ia, Mental Models, And Website Labels, Trista Wang

Graphic Communication

This paper discusses the results of a research study investigating Cal Poly students’ mental models regarding the Sexual and Reproductive Health Lab’s (SRH Lab) website. Mental models are beliefs that the user has about a website and how it functions, which affects how users interact with the website (Chan 2024). By tailoring its website to students’ mental models through appropriate nomenclature, the SRH Lab will be able to better engage and disseminate information to students.

52 students participated in a card sorting study, in which they were asked to intuitively sort cards labeled with SRH Lab website labels into different …

Functionalization Of A Calcium-Based Squaric Acid Metal Organic Frameworks With Amine-Based Polymers For Enhancing Post Combustion Carbon Capture, Corinne D. Watson

Master's Theses

The primary driver of climate change is the release of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from fossil fuel combustion. Global climate change has resulted in sea level rise, adverse weather patterns, and countless other negative global effects. Several carbon-reduction frameworks emphasize the transition to clean energy sources; however, other strategies must be concurrently pursued to immediately and effectively reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide point source emissions. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are a promising new technology for post-combustion carbon dioxide capture. The materials are synthesized using organic linker molecules and metal ion joints. Notably, there are several challenges with various types of …

Analyzing Copyrightability Of Ai-Generated And Assisted Works Under A New Theory Of Authorship, Katherine Lu

Journalism

While pending cases like the New York Times’ case against OpenAI will be the first test for artificial intelligence (AI) in the copyright space, current copyright legislation inadequately answers questions regarding grey-area uses of generative AI in the creation of journalistic, creative, or academic works. The Copyright Office has established that copyright requires human authorship, but current legal definitions of authorship may include simple prompt writing as a form of authorship. This paper addresses the inadequacies of the current definitions of authorship, and proposes a new one that encompasses traditional definitions, the Copyright Office’s new motions addressing AI, and Christopher …

Keeping Coms Connected: Building A Foundation For Alumni Engagement, Ella Captain, Alec Tonas, Selina Bali

Communication Studies

This project addresses the lack of Alumni Engagement in the Communication Studies department at Cal Poly. It aims to cultivate a stronger department community by creating sustainable resources and events to deepen connections. We looked to answer how targeted alumni outreach could strengthen the department and what benefits this would bring to current students, faculty, and alumni. To do this, our group organized an Alumni Panel event, created a contact list, implemented student alumni liaison positions, solicited donations for the COMS spring social, and worked on the department website and social media. By applying research on communication theories, we were …

Building Confidence, Building Careers: An Industry-Informed Evaluation Of A High School Aec Camp, Madisen Berube

Construction Management

This study assesses the effectiveness of the Girls Build Summer Academy, an architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) summer camp for high school girls, and similar programs by gathering and analyzing feedback from industry professionals. The research aims to identify which program elements most successfully inspire interest and build foundational skills for young women considering careers in architecture, engineering, and construction. An anonymous survey was distributed to AEC professionals, some who were familiar with the program. The survey included multiple choice, rankings, and open-ended questions to evaluate areas for improvement and future curriculum development. Findings revealed strong support for interactive learning …

The Third Annual Hasslein Caed Collaborative, Marianne Nicole Bishai

Construction Management

This paper details the planning, development, and impact of the third annual Hasslein CAED Collaborative Student Competition. The intention of the Hasslein Cup is to engage the students of the five College of Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED) majors in an industry-like scenario. The five majors, Architecture, Architectural Engineering, City and Regional Planning, Construction Management, and Landscape Architecture, make up the workforce of the construction industry, yet there has been very little opportunity for the students to work together and replicate a professional scenario. The competition began from research conducted by Greta Stout, class of 2022, which explored the benefits …

Factors And Their Contribution To The Varying Levels Of User Engagement Across Different Social Media Platforms, Kylianna Ruth Wulf

Journalism

Think back to this morning. Do you recall scrolling on your phone switching between different social media platforms? Do you remember what exactly you watched? Could you list a few of those Instagram reels or what you saw on your for you page. Probably not? And that is because the average person is unable to recall that information. Today is May 29, 2025 and everyone has social media and uses it to some extent. How does one divide their time between each app? This paper will go into detail to answer the question, “ What factors contribute to the varying …

Cryogenic Fuel Delivery System, Carter Josef, Reilly Humphreys, Joseph O'Connor, Nick Spreen

Mechanical Engineering

This project presents the design and validation of a cryogenic fuel delivery system aimed at enabling sustainable aviation through hydrogen fuel vaporization. Developed by a team of senior mechanical engineering students at Cal Poly and sponsored by Boeing, the system utilizes atmospheric air to vaporize liquid nitrogen, used as a stand-in for hydrogen, via forced convection heat exchangers, eliminating the need for engine-supplied heat and reducing parasitic loads. A feedback loop and turbine component are integrated to regulate pressure and recover energy, respectively. A benchtop prototype was built and tested to evaluate system performance, with results closely aligning with analytical …

Scitechatorium, Olivia Lafferty, Yvonne Brien Miller, Colton Swinth, Savannah Pinheiro, Gage Heinze

Mechanical Engineering

Bellevue Santa-Fe Charter School (Bellevue) is a K6th grade public charter elementary school in Avila Beach, California. The primary focus at Bellevue is fostering unique learning experiences, empowering students through project-based learning, and engaging students in creative endeavors. Following these themes, the school has allocated space and funding for an on-campus science and technology museum known as the SciTechatorium. The museum is currently open during students’ lunch period, providing interactive displays on concepts in human biology, nature and wildlife, physics, and electronics. Bellevue’s K-6th grade science teacher, Christian Strauli, and Bellevue parent volunteers are primarily responsible for the museum’s upkeep …

Seattle's New Edition, Kyle Gray

Graphic Communication

My project is to create and develop the branding of the NBA's newest franchise: The Seattle Grunge. Grunge is a genre of alternative rock that emerged in the mid-1980s particularly in the city of Seattle. With my team, I am looking for seamless cohesion with other logos in the Association while establishing an emotional connection between the fanbase and its city. The project will consist of a complete creation of the team’s logo/branding, court, 3 jersey designs (home/away/city connect), merchandise, season ticket packaging, and a full marketing report (team logo exposure/connection to the city).

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 …

Ray Collection: Forging A New Fashion Genre, Olivia R. Cooper

Graphic Communication

This senior project addresses a gap in the fashion industry by creating a new genre through a unique collection and comprehensive branding. The "RAY" collection draws inspiration from the designer's artistic roots and is a deeply personal homage to influential female artists like Frida Kahlo, Louise Bourgeois, and Leonora Carrington, whose works have inspired the designer's creative journey. Each piece in the collection draws direct inspiration from these artists, reflecting the creator's vision and self-expression, a key element of the streetwear genre incorporated into the designs.

The project also heavily emphasizes fashion branding, encompassing a logo, brand identity, social and …

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.