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Evaluating Traditional And Novel Modalities Of Self-Monitoring In Females With Low-Literacy & Obesity: A Feasibility Study, Anita H. Kelleher

Master's Theses

This study aimed to determine the feasibility of three distinct self-monitoring modalities employed as part of a weight-loss intervention among Spanish- and Mixtec-speaking women with low-no literacy who were overweight or obese (body mass index, BMI> 25). Primary outcomes assessed include self-monitoring adherence, weight, body composition, and diet quality. Participants (n=18) were recruited from the Cal Poly Women and Infants Mobile Health Unit, and contacted if they had a BMI> 25 and did not attend school beyond elementary level (6th grade). Upon enrollment, participants were asked to attend a weekly meeting at which the lifestyle intervention was delivered by a …

Using Portable X-Ray Fluorescence To Predict Physical And Chemical Properties Of California Soils, Micaela D. Frye

Master's Theses

Soil characterization provides the basic information necessary for understanding the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils. Knowledge about soils can in turn be used to inform management practices, optimize agricultural operations, and ensure the continuation of ecosystem services provided by soils. However, current analytical standards for identifying each distinct property are costly and time-consuming. The optimization of laboratory grade technology for wide scale use is demonstrated by advances in a proximal soil sensing technique known as portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF). pXRF analyzers use high energy Xrays that interact with a sample to cause characteristic reflorescence that can be …

Fabrication Of Lab-Scale Polymeric And Silicon Dioxide Nanoparticle-Enabled Thin Film Composite Reverse Osmosis Membranes For Potable Reuse Applications, Timothy J. Dinh

Master's Theses

Reverse osmosis (RO) is widely used for water reclamation and is one of the most feasible technologies for addressing water scarcity around the world. RO membrane fabrication procedures are continually being optimized and modified to enhance the treatment performance and efficacy of the RO process. A review of the existing literature published on membrane fabrication revealed that a detailed and reproducible methodology consistent among prior studies was not available. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to utilize techniques from prior research to develop a reliable lab-scale membrane fabrication process for studying the potable reuse applications of TFC RO …

Strawberry Disease Management Improvement For Macrophomina Root Rot And Botrytis Fruit Rot, Yu-Chen Wang

Master's Theses

Strawberry production in California is limited by plant diseases such as Macrophomina root rot (caused by Macrophomina phaseolina) and Botrytis fruit rot (BFR) (caused by Botrytis cinerea). Current disease management strategies are compromised due to fumigant regulations or ineffective disease management practices. This thesis investigated methods to potentially improve the management of these two diseases.

Host plant resistance evaluations for Macrophomina root rot were conducted for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 growing seasons. Fifty-one strawberry genotypes were screened in two field experiments where plants were inoculated artificially with Macrophomina phaseolina in both seasons. A wide range of plant resistance …

Asce's Response To The Pandemic: Execution Of A Remote Exceed Teaching Workshop, Kelly Salyards, Allen Estes, Camilla M. Saviz, Patricia Clayton, Julian Ly Davis, Corinna Marie Fleischmann, Tonya Lynn Nilsson, Pinar Omur-Ozbek, Fethiye Ozis, Monica Palomo, Carolyn M. Rodak, Cassandra Rutherford, Cristina Torres-Machi, Dion Karean Coward, Leslie Nolen

Architectural Engineering

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Excellence in Civil Engineering Education (ExCEEd) Teaching Workshop (ETW) started in 1999 and has produced 1035 graduates from 266 colleges and universities throughout the world. ASCE has conducted 44 week-long, inperson workshops without interruption for over two decades. The ExCEEd graduates returned to their home universities and applied the lessons of this workshop to the classes they teach. The details and long-term benefits of the ETW have been reported in many venues.

In Spring 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic swept the nation and remained a persistent threat throughout 2021. As a result, the in-person …

Deep Ocean Vehicle (Dov) Scientific Payload, Nikki Arm, Mason Gariepy, Brianna Roberts, Kyle Walsh

Baker/Koob Endowments Awarded Projects

This report aims to provide technical insight into the Deep Ocean Vehicle project performed by the Barrel Eye Explorers. The project was a part of the 2021-2022 Interdisciplinary Senior Project class at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. The team consisted of Nikki Arm, Mason Gariepy, Brianna Roberts, and Kyle Walsh who were engineering students in the Mechanical, Materials, General, and Industrial engineering departments, respectively. This project was sponsored by Dr. Crow White and overseen by Karla Carichner.

Bio-Inspired Fire-Resistant Building Materials, Ryan Lee

Materials Engineering

An increased frequency of fires in California motivates the development of fire damage mitigation strategies, including environmentally-friendly fire-resistant materials. A novel succulent-inspired sandwich composite consisting of HardiePlank (a cement-fiber composite), waxed paper, cardboard, paper, and mucilage (here labeled HPWM) is proposed. Sample manufacturing considerations were investigated, and the resulting composite design was evaluated for aging, mechanical, and flammability performance. Variability in sample manufacturing was assessed by measurements of sample weight before and after applying mucilage. Thermogravimetric analysis was conducted on sample materials to better understand thermal degradation. HPWM samples using two different types of waxed paper (soy wax, beeswax) were …

Aged 539 Graduate Internship Report: Sonora-La Habra Program Review, Mary K. Riley

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This graduate internship report includes the documentation required in meeting the quality criteria for secondary-level programs of instruction in agriculture. The documents are concurrently used for the Agriculture Incentive Grant review process at Sonora High School conducted by representatives of the California Department of Education. The supporting material includes information to receive state and local funding, outline the goals and objectives of the program, along with an overview of Sonora High School, the agriculture program and the community.

Aged 539 Internship Report, Kenny C. Saephan

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This internship and project report includes documentation required in meeting the quality criteria for secondary-level programs of instruction in agriculture. The documents are concurrently used for the Agriculture Incentive Grant review process at Escalon High School conducted by representatives of the California Department of Education. The supporting material includes information to receive state and local funding, outline the goals and objectives of the program, along with an overview of Escalon High School, the agriculture program and the community.

Aged 539, Christopher Golden

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This internship and project report includes documentation required in meeting the quality criteria for secondary-level programs of instruction in agriculture. The documents are concurrently used for the Agriculture Incentive Grant review process at Bakersfield High School conducted by representatives of the California Department of Education. The supporting material includes information to receive state and local funding, outline the goals and objectives of the program, along with an overview of Bakersfield High School, the agriculture program and the community.

Introducing Students To Computer Science: Using Python To Build A Basic Quiz Game, Alex Diosdado

Computer Science and Software Engineering

This outreach program activity was designed to increase interest in the field of Computer Science within students in middle and high school. It focuses on some of the basic concepts of programming, like Strings, Integers and printing to the screen as it was designed to be an introduction for those students who had little to no previous programming history. This activity was tested with a smaller group of high school Algebra 1 students, most of whom did not have any prior programming knowledge. It ultimately fulfilled its goal as a survey that was conducted at the end of the activity …

Efficacy Of Chemical And Biological Stump Treatments For The Control Of Heterobasidion Occidentale Infection Of California Abies Concolor, Adrian Luis Poloni

Master's Theses

We conducted an experimental evaluation of treatments to limit Heterobasidion occidentale infection of white fir (Abies concolor) stumps and wounds in California mixed conifer forests. We tested the efficacy of urea, borate, and a mixture of two locally collected Phlebiopsis gigantea strains in preventing pathogen colonization of fir stumps and separately, urea and borate as infection controls on experimental stem wounds. These were paired with a laboratory test on ~100 g wood blocks with and without a one-week delay between inoculation and treatment. Urea, borates, and Phlebiopsis treatments all significantly reduced the stump surface area that was colonized …

The Effects Of Cofermentation Of Cider And Apple Pomace On Cider Attributes, Abigail D. Affonso

Master's Theses

Phenolics are critical to the sensory attributes and health benefits of hard cider due to their contribution to the flavor, mouthfeel, and antioxidant activity. With the increase in demand for cider, the use of dessert apple varieties has become more common leaving ciders lacking in phenolics. However, a promising method to increase their phenolic content is through maceration with apple pomace. This study evaluated the effect maceration with apple pomace during cider fermentation on the extraction of phenolic compounds, as well as its effect on the sensory properties of the final product. For this study, ciders were fermented with 0% …

Rod Bend Approximator For Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery, Amanda Hansell, Anise Ghandchi, Shervin Moghimi

Biomedical Engineering

This Final Report will go over the project deliverables and future steps in the making of a rod bending approximator tool by the Cal Poly Senior Design team for the client SeaSpine. The latest designs and research done regarding minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is covered including the impediments with the current methods. SeaSpine presented the need to our team for an approximating tool within the MIS procedure. Our team began project planning through task generation and schedule development. Once the product definition was fully understood, competition was evaluated and engineering specifications were created for the project. A conceptual design was …

Developing A Miniature Smart Boat For Marine Research, Michael Isaac Eirinberg

Computer Engineering

This project examines the development of a smart boat which could serve as a possible marine research apparatus. The smart boat consists of a miniature vessel containing a low-cost microcontroller to live stream a camera feed, GPS telemetry, and compass data through its own WiFi access point. The smart boat also has the potential for autonomous navigation. My project captivated the interest of several members of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo’s (Cal Poly SLO) Marine Science Department faculty, who proposed a variety of fascinating and valuable smart boat applications.

Smart Bottle Ble Integration, Joshua M. Rizzolo

Electrical Engineering

In 1975, four percent of children aged five to nineteen were categorized as overweight or obese. As of 2016, this figure climbed above 18 percent [1]. Researchers at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) want to investigate the effect of overeating in early childhood on later childhood obesity. This research requires collecting feeding pattern data on infants, which proves challenging. Parents cannot be relied on to regularly collect clean data due to factors including work schedule, multitasking, and general exhaustion. Thus, we have developed a tool to automatically collect data on feeding frequency and duration, as well …

Bicep Muscle Rep Counter With Semg, Matthew Max Garcia

Electrical Engineering

The Bicep Muscle Rep Counter with SEMG is a device that was made to develop three repetition thresholds or difficulty levels from a fully-flexed bicep brachii muscle and signal to the user when consequent bicep muscle contractions pass said thresholds or levels. This device can be used when performing a bicep-focused movement or when generally flexing the bicep muscle. Essentially, this device serves to make sure each repetition of a muscle contraction passes a percentage value calculated from the electrical activity outputted from a max contraction.

The device is not designed for and does not produce data for muscle growth, …

Therapeutic Mechanical Horse, Cade M. Liberty, Aleya Dolorfino, Peter Philips, Zuzanna Dominik, Luke Watts

Mechanical Engineering

Jack's Helping Hand and its hippotherapy participants required a device to serve as an alternative to a live horseback riding experience that could also increase the range of riders. This would provide more clients with equine-assisted therapy that has proven to better the lives of people with both physical and mental disabilities. Horses can be unpredictable, tall, and sometimes anxiety-inducing, especially for new riders. Our group’s aim was to develop a mechanical horse that will be able to reduce these issues for equine therapy centers and the riders they help. When a rider gets to practice sitting on the horse …

Aged 539 Graduate Internship Report-Golden Valley High School, Madison R. Zittel

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This internship and project report includes documentation required in meeting the quality criteria for secondary-level programs of instruction in agriculture. The documents are concurrently used for the Agriculture Incentive Grant review process at Golden Valley High School conducted by representatives of the California Department of Education. The supporting material includes information to receive state and local funding, outline the goals and objectives of the program, along with an overview of Golden Valley High School, the agriculture program and the community.

Wire Cutting Saw For Spinal Fusion Surgery, Connor Kilzer Kilzer, Kayla Hong, Kyle Himmelein

Biomedical Engineering

The purpose of this project was to design and prototype a spinal facetectomy tool which will minimize the risk of spinal nerve damage and standardize this procedure for all surgeons. This Final Report for Alphatec describes the scope of the project, the process to get to the final prototype of the device, along with a project timeline for the team. A background of current devices and their issues is included to illustrate the need for a new spinal facetectomy device. Within the scope of the project includes a list of customer requirements for the device and the process of translating …

Deep Ocean Vehicle (Dov) Scientific Payload, Nichole "Nikki" T. Arm, Mason Gariepy, Brianna Roberts, Kyle C. Walsh

General Engineering

This report aims to provide technical insight into the Deep Ocean Vehicle project performed by the Barrel Eye Explorers. The project was a part of the 2021-2022 Interdisciplinary Senior Project class at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. The team consisted of Nikki Arm, Mason Gariepy, Brianna Roberts, and Kyle Walsh who were engineering students in the Mechanical, Materials, General, and Industrial engineering departments, respectively. This project was sponsored by Dr. Crow White and overseen by Karla Carichner. The project was a continuation of Nikki Arm’s internship with Global Ocean Design during the Summer of 2021. The lander, Deep …

Spheres Development Package, Nate R. Antepenko, Dan Benaroch, Dominic Ferrari

City and Regional Planning

The Spheres, live work play development concept is located adjacent to Higuera St, along an arterial road that primarily contains industrial and commercial land uses. The proposed development site is intended to enhance the city of San Luis Obispo by addressing the necessities of the surrounding community.

The development proposal adopts the Urban Design principle, Smart Growth Planning, designed to direct development into areas that have adequate utility capacity and transportation networks and to encourage walkable communities. The Spheres development site fosters fluid spaces, where residents live in a walkable radius to work, eliminating long commutes, in order to eliminate …

Processing And Characterization Of Silicon Nitride For Rapid And Low-Level Detection Of Water Pathogens, Arielle H. Buchanan, Logan A. Chai

Materials Engineering

Water sanitation is a serious issue affecting the lives of many, and methods for assessing water cleanliness have been a major research interest for decades. Rapid and accurate water pathogen detection methods that can be performed in field applications have been a growing research focus, especially in low-income countries most affected by poor water quality. Silicon nitride was explored as a material for colorimetric water-pathogen sensing due to the large body of knowledge around its processing, and its isoelectric point. A bioassay of chlorophenol red-β-Dgalactopyranoside (CPRG) and β-galactosidase (β-gal) enzymes with Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria was used to examine …

In Situ Marine Biodegradation Of Poly(Lactic) Acid And Thermoplastic Starch Blends, Brittany Denicholas

Materials Engineering

Marine life has been suffering from macro- and microplastics since the inception of petroleum-based plastic. Bio-based biodegradable polymers such as PLA and TPS can help mitigate the damage done by petroleum plastics. Blending PLA and TPS can reduce the cost while preventing a significant effect on the material properties. PLA/TPS blend compositions such as 90/10, 80/20, 70/30 could be candidates for a solution. The PLA/TPS blends have been submerged in a marine environment at the Cal Poly Pier in Avila Beach for 8 weeks. Three sample sets containing three of each blend composition were collected every week and tested in …

Citric Or Acetic Acid Effects On The Crosslinking Of Pvoh, Samuel Carr, Erika Szaldobagyi

Materials Engineering

Transportation and shipping processes are the most dangerous times for food due to harsh handling and frequent temperature changes. Plain corrugated boxes cannot withstand the damp environment caused by melting ice that is used to keep foods cold and fresh. To minimize damage, a protective polymer film coating can be applied. These coatings can be unsafe when used with food and will lead to excess waste by limiting the recyclability of the boxes. The purpose of this project was to produce nontoxic crosslinked PVOH films to determine suitability for a cost effective, biodegradable, and repulpable corrugated box coating. Polyvinyl alcohol …

Assessing Black Rat Population Abundance And Persistence At The Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area, Mars Lu, Julia Kristina Perez

Biological Sciences

The black rat, Rattus rattus, is considered one of the most destructive and widespread invasive species around the world, with the ability to damage crops, kill native species, and spread disease. The Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (ODSVRA) is home to numerous at-risk species such as the Western Snowy plovers (Charadrius nivosus nivosus) and California Least Tern (Sternula antillarum browni). Black rats have been detected at the ODSVRA in studies conducted in 2015 and 2018, and may be a potential threat to nesting seabirds like the plover and the tern. In addition, they may …

Soil Degradation Of A Plastic Blend Of Opuntia Ficusindica Juice, Animal Protein And Beeswax, Isabel A. Gamez, Daniel R. Kava

Materials Engineering

Since the introduction of single use plastics in the early 1900s, their usage has increased exponentially. Unfortunately, due to this exponential increase there are negative environmental implications of their production, which requires further consideration. Currently, there are various waste disposal practices for SUPs, including landfilling, incineration, and recycling. Recent data revealed that only 14 % of plastic waste was recycled, with 40% of plastic waste being landfilled, while the rest of the plastic waste was incinerated or released to the environment at 14 % and 32 %, respectively. A potential solution to the plastic waste issue is developing a polymer …

Eagle Medical Tray Denesting & Debris Removal Process, Nicholas Allen Ungefug, Noah Chavez, Susana Shu-Lin Okhuysen, Michael Augustine Pennington

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Eagle Medical Incorporated is a contract medical device packaging and sterilization company. The company purchases thermoformed medical packaging trays, which maintain the sterility of medical devices, from various manufacturers. To ensure packaging quality and to prevent cleanroom contamination, Eagle Medical inspects and sterilizes each blister tray that they order. This process is an essential non-value-added activity that creates a bottleneck. Cleanroom employees must stop packaging medical devices and attend to the processing of blister trays and packaging solutions. The blister trays arrive at Eagle’s facility in nested stacks. Vibration and movement during shipping further compresses the stacks, which makes separation …

Biomass Estimation Of Marine Biofilms On Plastic Surfaces, Kian Banihashemi, Fernando Javier Gil

Biological Sciences

Plastics have become a major source of marine pollution, which threatens food safety and quality, human health, and marine ecosystems. Due to the drastic negative effects of plastics in a marine environment, alternative biodegradable plastics are being generated that are more eco-friendly and have less environmental impact. Though some of these plastics are known to biodegrade, the process of degradation for bioplastics has not been heavily studied in a marine environment. This pilot project sought to both quantify the process of biodegradation and compare across different methods for effectiveness of biomass estimation, which serves as an indicator of biodegradation. Plastics …

Kinetic Energy Harvesting Device For Long Distance Thru-Hikers, Jarod Reece Lyles, Ryan William Mclaughlin, Shaw Hawkeye Hughes, David Hernandez

Mechanical Engineering

The intent of this project was to design and build a device capable of harnessing biomechanical energy from a thru-hiker to charge electronic devices. To begin, we ruled out any potential solutions that could be intrusive to the hiking experience, limiting us to a device that could be placed in a backpack.

After defining the scope of the project, we ideated upon potential designs, and chose to move forward with a rotational generator based design. Detailed analysis included both system dynamics and vibrations based models, and from this analysis we developed a mechanical design in SOLIDWORKS®️ and a custom printed …