Digital Commons Network^™

Hand Mapping: Our Sexual Health Is (Not) In Our Hands, Laura L. Ellingson

Feminist Pedagogy

This Original Teaching Activity introduces hand mapping, an assignment based on the body mapping method, in the context of a communication and gender studies course. Hand mapping can be adapted to interpersonal, organizational, intercultural, and media courses that address identities, intersectionality, communication, culture, and power in different contexts and mediums. Students outline their hands on paper and artfully embellish them as a visual representation of important takeaways or lessons they learned in the course in response to the prompt, “Our sexual health is (not) in our hands.” Students write an “artist’s statement” explaining meanings of color, symbolism, and design.

Muddying The Waters: Feminist Pedagogy In Uncertain Times, Ivy Mingyase Fofie, Janine Armstrong, Natonya Listach

Feminist Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

Tilly Norwood And The Promise Of Frictionless Creation: Feminist Pedagogy In Ai-Saturated Classrooms, Jill N. Fredenburg

Feminist Pedagogy

This article examines how feminist pedagogy can intervene in AI-saturated classrooms by foregrounding refusal, embodiment, and critical engagement with what I term the muddy algorithms of generative systems. As institutions increasingly normalize AI as an inevitable educational tool, this work challenges that assumption by situating AI within broader structures of power, labor, and extraction. Drawing on classroom experiences in media and communication courses, I use the case of Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated “actress,” to explore how automation reproduces gendered expectations of availability, consent, and creative labor. The concept of muddy algorithms names the opaque, uneven, and value-laden processes through which …

Chronicling Oral History In The Classroom: Preserving Campus Memories And Fostering Connectivity, Madison A. Krall, Kate Sierra

Feminist Pedagogy

In our ever-changing world, projects involving undergraduates, faculty, and staff serve a dual purpose. This oral history assignment aids students in developing the real-world skills of project management, interpersonal communication, interviewing, and digital literacy. We outline how student-created oral histories reflect the underpinnings of feminist pedagogy and contribute to campus connectivity as students learn how people from different intersectional backgrounds can collaborate to benefit their university communities. Using communication research methods and new-age technology, students capture memories of long-standing campus representatives and develop video products for their university archives that bridge past university life, today’s classroom skills, and tomorrow’s potential.

The Pain Of Women And Femmes: A Multi-Session Class Activity On Generative Ai-Technology And Gender Norms, Bethany L. Johnson, Margaret M. Quinlan

Feminist Pedagogy

This unit helps students examine the societal implications of reproductive pain, focusing on healthcare settings and in post–Roe America. Through active listening, media analysis, and interactive research with ChatGPT, students examine how generative AI responds in a neutral tone; however, with additional data and correction, large language models (LLMs) produce more expansive and inclusive responses. Class activities include group discussions, research, and simulations. By using transcripts from the podcast “The Retrievals” and analyzing recent media, students evaluate how LLMs adjust their answers to identical questions, thereby calling into question their design, functionality, and benefits. The unit employs feminist pedagogy to …

Active Galaxies In A New Light: The Broad Line Region In The Near-Infrared, Sky O'Donnell

Physics

At the center of most massive galaxies, there is a supermassive black hole with a mass millions to billions of times that of the Sun. In some of these galaxies, so-called Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs), the supermassive black hole is converting the gas that falls toward it into radiation energy, creating large amounts of luminosity. AGNs are composed of the central supermassive black hole, its accretion disk, and a region just outside, composed of fast-moving ionized gas clouds called the Broad Line Region (BLR). Using spectra obtained with NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility, we use a technique known as reverberation mapping …

Design And Parametric Testing Of A Transimpedance Amplifier For Low-Power Biomedical Applications, Stanlon Tan, William Chung, Brandon Wu

Electrical Engineering

This project developed and evaluated an optical sensing system for detecting changes associated with glucose concentration. The system combined a laser-diode, cuvette sample holder, photodiode, resistive-feedback transimpedance amplifier, high-resolution analog-to-digital converter, and microcontroller. Parametric testing evaluated the effects of input current and feedback resistance on transimpedance gain, output range, and linearity. Firmware was developed to configure the ADC, average repeated conversions, monitor measurement variation, convert raw digital counts into voltage using a source-meter calibration equation, and compare sample measurements with a water reference. A cuvette enclosure maintained alignment between the laser-diode, sample, and photodiode while reducing external optical interference. Testing …

Performance Evaluation Of Roadside Unit-Assisted Wireless Communication For Connected Vehicles, Keyrollos A. Hanna, Ethan M. Nguyen

Electrical Engineering

This project presents the design and implementation of a wireless communication network intended to improve situational awareness between vehicles and reduce the likelihood of multivehicle collisions. Two TurtleBot3 Burger platforms equipped with Raspberry Pi computers were used to simulate vehicles operating within a shared environment. Communication latency and packet loss were evaluated under multiple operating conditions, including direct vehicle-to-vehicle communication and communication assisted by a roadside unit (RSU). The results were analyzed to determine whether the proposed system could transmit warning messages with sufficient speed and reliability for collision prevention applications. The project demonstrates the feasibility of low-cost vehicle communication …

Portable Food Pasteurization Using Pulsed Electric Fields (Pef), Thomas E. Mcmillan Iii

Electrical Engineering

Foodborne illnesses remain a significant public health concern, motivating continued development of alternative food pasteurization technologies. Pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment is a non-thermal pasteurization method that inactivates microorganisms through electroporation while minimizing thermal degradation of food products. The long-term objective of this project was development of a portable PEF food pasteurization system.

An iterative design approach was used to investigate generation of the high-voltage pulses required for PEF treatment. Multiple pulse forming network topologies were evaluated through simulation, leading to selection of a solid-state Marx generator architecture. A low-voltage five-stage prototype was designed, constructed, and tested to validate the …

A Broadband, Dual Polarized Antenna For The Radio Neutrino Observatory In Greenland, Laken Baker

Electrical Engineering

Neutrinos contain information necessary to determine the origins of the universe and cosmic events because they can travel long distances with minimal interaction, preserving information about their cosmic origins. Since neutrinos interact with ice sheets resulting in RF radiation, antennas have been developed to detect RF transmissions.

A compact 'vane structure' (see Fig. 1a) dual-polarized broadband antenna model has been developed, constructed, and characterized according to input reflection coefficient, and co and cross-pol E and H plane radiation patterns using HFSS and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s anechoic chamber for the Radio Neutrino Observatory in Greenland (RNO-G) [1]. Its design …

Beach Pollution Messaging: Effects Of Negativity/Loss And Fear Appeals On Perceived Threat And Beach Protection Intentions, Cypress Brice

Communication Studies

Beach and ocean pollution are major environmental issues for all communities, but they have an especially deep impact on coastal communities, where beaches are part of everyday life. Marine pollution includes both chemical pollution and trash, and a lot of it starts from land-based human activity before it reaches the ocean. This study examines how different messaging styles about beach pollution affect how people respond to the issue and whether they feel motivated to help protect beaches and oceans. Using an online experiment, participants viewed one of two beach pollution posters and then answered questions about their reaction to the …

Doomscrolling, Algorithms, And Ai Literacy: A Potent Combination Of Influence On Generation Z, Jacob Le

Communication Studies

This study examines the doomscrolling habits Generation Z’s and its effects on individuals’ awareness of algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) presence on social media feeds. The experiment was conducted via a survey embedded experiment, through which participants self-reported their social media habits, awareness of how their social media algorithms shape their thinking, and ability to discern and productively interact with AI content on their feeds. The survey embedded experiment was created and distributed via Qualtrics, and data was analyzed via IBM SPSS 25. Results indicated that doomscrolling and spending excessive amounts of time on social media daily does not necessarily …

An Analysis Of Immigration Frames In The News Media Post- Second Trump Administration, Olivia Hartley

Communication Studies

Immigration has been a particularly controversial issue since the 2nd Trump Administration. There has been an increase in Immigration Customs Enforcement activity, including deportations and detainments of immigrants across the United States (Craft & Witherspoon, 2026). Given the uptick in media coverage regarding these events, it is essential to understand how this information is being presented to the public. The framing of news media impacts how the public perceives issues, determining the acceptable treatment of immigrants in our society. In this study, a content analysis was performed to determine the prevalence of generic immigration news frames following the start of …

Addressing Housing Crisis In Reedley, California: A Conceptual Housing Development Proposal, Fabian Urena-Marquez

City and Regional Planning

No abstract provided.

Examining How Student Involvement And Identity Shapes Perceptions Of Cal Poly Administrative Communication And Organizational Change, Ellenor Rose Nunes

Communication Studies

This study examined the relationship between student organization involvement, sense of belonging, and perceptions of administration at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly). Using survey data collected from 176 students, independent samples t-tests and correlation analyses were conducted in SPSS Version 25 to examine whether involvement in student organizations was associated with perceptions of administration and institutional belonging. Results indicated no significant relationship between levels of involvement and perceptions of administration or organizational change communication. However, students involved in student organizations reported significantly greater feelings of mattering and belonging compared to non-involved students. Additionally, students with stronger feelings of belonging …

50,000 Spectra And Counting: Preparing For A Roman Spectral Atlas, Maya Jordan Seagraves

Master's Theses

Slitless spectroscopy with the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 \linebreak (WFC3/IR) enables simultaneous spectral coverage of all sources in a field, but large-scale single-orientation datasets remain challenging to process. We developed a pipeline that automates HSTaXe spectral extraction across hundreds of Hubble Space Telescope observations, enabling efficient processing of 84 fields and producing over 50,000 spectra from three filters (F110W, F125W, and F160W) and two grisms (G102 and G141). This was achieved by creating a companion Python package, the Module for Infrared Label Analysis (MILA), that integrates data calibration, extraction, and visualization. To assess the scientific utility of …

From Seizure To Settlement: Liberated Africans, Imperial Law, And Labor In The Indian Ocean World, 1810–1860, Holly S. Mcfate

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the relationship between British antislavery, imperial law, and labor management in the western Indian Ocean during the first half of the nineteenth century. Centered on the 1821 capture and condemnation of the slave schooner Industry by HMS Menai, the study employs a microhistorical methodology to reconstruct the legal and administrative processes that governed the lives of Africans seized from slave ships after their liberation. Drawing upon Vice-Admiralty Court records, Colonial Office correspondence, naval logbooks, and administrative registers from The National Archives (UK) and the Mauritius Archives, the thesis follows the transition of captive Africans from maritime interception …

Electrical Resistivity Tomography Investigation Of Hard Rock Aquifers In The Salinian Block, Roxanne C. Chambers

Physics

Identifying a productive groundwater source in hard rock terrain is often a challenge. Conventional hard rock aquifer models commonly describe a weathering derived layered system consisting of a laminated layer, an underlying fractured zone, and a competent granitic basement. This study investigates the applicability of this conceptual model at Lockshaw Ranch, a granitic site within the Salinian Block of central California located near the Rinconada Fault.

Previous electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) surveys and time domain electromagnetic (TDEM) data were integrated with a newly acquired ERT profile (ERT-06) are used to characterize the subsurface structure and identify potential groundwater bearing zones. …

Bowl-O-Matic, Nathan Lin, Luis Torres, Jill Worthington, Aiden Foote

Mechanical Engineering

Adaptive physical education presents the unique challenge of accommodating individuals with diverse physical and cognitive abilities. Instructors and program designers must often integrate specialized equipment, fixtures, or features to ensure activities remain safe, inclusive, and user-friendly. Beyond accessibility, adaptive physical education highlights the importance of empowerment— enabling every participant to experience personal growth, confidence, and connection through movement. Friday Club, a local San Luis Obispo program supported by Cal Poly’s Kinesiology Department, embodies these values by providing adaptive physical activities that promote health and well-being for individuals with varying abilities. One of the most popular and regularly held activities is …

Science-Related Rhetoric And Action By United States Presidents From 1977-2017, Amanda E. Shea

Interdisciplinary Studies

Presidential rhetoric and executive action have played an important role in shaping how scientific issues are presented to the American public. This project examined how United States presidents from Jimmy Carter through Barack Obama (1977–2017) employed science-related rhetoric and policy regarding climate science and reproductive health. Findings suggest that reproductive health remained a partisan issue throughout the study period, while climate science shifted from a largely bipartisan concern to a more partisan one over time. The results also indicate that presidential rhetoric and executive action were not always aligned, with several administrations using science-related rhetoric more extensively than corresponding policy.

Mars Mini Rover Sample Retrieval Robotic Claw, Cami Chambers, Ani Lachikian, Alexa Ramirez, Alex Power

Mechanical Engineering

This project involves several key stakeholders, including the Poly1 Rover Club, Professor Rich Murray, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The primary objective is to develop an improved robotic claw capable of retrieving sample tubes left by the Perseverance Rover on the Martian surface. In tackling this challenge, the design must account for the harsh Mars climate while integrating cameras and electrical components, durable structure, and a rotational component to the Mini-Rover claw without incorporating an additional motor, sample storage unit, structural aspects or unnecessary weight. The current Mini-Rover consists of a four-degree-of-freedom robotic arm with joints often referred to …

Design For Repairability Demo, Wyatt Barnes, Andrew Petersen, Aaron Schiff, Ethan Dickson

Mechanical Engineering

Design for repairability is a growing focus in modern product development due to the widespread production of cheap electronic appliances with short service lives. When these appliances break, their low cost means they often end up in landfills, instead of being repaired. If these products were designed specifically with repairability in mind, they would hopefully be easier to repair by the everyday consumer. Currently, the Cal Poly Mechanical Engineering curriculum covers design for manufacturability, design for accessibility, and design for cost, but not design for repairability. To teach an effective technical elective class on this topic, Cal Poly engineering professors …

Cathy’S Catcher, Marlee Scott, Regen Worsley, Alessandra Valenzano, Aviv Ben Zeev

Mechanical Engineering

Deep-sea fishing presents significant challenges for individuals with upper-limb differences, particularly when using prosthetic devices that are not designed for recreational fishing activities. This project developed a custom prosthetic fishing rod attachment for a user who had lost her forearm and desired a safe, comfortable, and independent method of fishing. Through interviews with the sponsor and an iterative design process, a lightweight aluminum attachment was created to interface directly with the user's existing prosthetic quick-connect system.

The design process included concept generation, CAD modeling, rapid prototyping with 3D-printed models, manufacturing, and user-centered refinement. The final design consists of a welded …

Elevate Grill, Tanner Bachmann, Lance Anderson, Caden Huang, Jonathan Li, Brady Alexander

Mechanical Engineering

Santa Maria-style grills are a defining cooking tool of California’s Central Coast and are valued for their open fire cooking method and adjustable grate height. While this design provides direct control over cooking conditions, maintaining a consistent cooking temperature requires frequent manual adjustment of the grate position. This process relies heavily on operator experience and continuous attention, making temperature consistency difficult to maintain in a commercial kitchen environment. The Elevate Grill project was developed for Mike Ahrens and Wren Provisions to address this challenge while preserving the traditional Santa Maria grilling experience. The system uses temperature feedback from multiple thermocouples …

Toro Cover For Bob Packer, Bailey Smolinski, Brandon Petty, Arturo Ramirez, Kathryn Proctor

Mechanical Engineering

Small pools, spas, and hot tubs are common in residential homes, yet small pool owners face persistent tradeoffs between critical features such as weight, ease of use, and appearance in pool covers currently available on the market. Most products optimize a single attribute at the expense of others. For example, solar covers are energy efficient but structurally weak, safety meshes are cost-saving but intensive to install, and retractable covers are automated but expensive. Beyond these tradeoffs, existing solutions often demand multiple people to install, take time and effort, occupy valuable deck space, and sacrifice the surrounding aesthetic. Therefore, small pool …

Foldable Transfer Platform, Toby Sagi, Ashton Heiati, Triton Johnson, Zachary Denis

Mechanical Engineering

The report details the design and results of a Hoyer lift to transfer patients between wheelchairs and our sponsor's, Beacon VTC Santa Maria, vans. The lift disassembles into 3 main pieces, allowing the lift to be stored in the back of the van. The lift uses a hydraulic actuator to rotate the boom. We handed over our project to Beacon VTC Santa Maria for use in their facility!

Water Turbine Dynamometer For Low-Power Turbomachinery Testing, Carmen Alaichamy, Yosef Huynh Torres, Michael Duperly, Michael Thomas Duff

Mechanical Engineering

Students in ME 443: Introduction to Turbomachinery compete to design and build efficient small impulse turbines. The course lacks a standardized method to experimentally calculate turbine power output and mechanical efficiency from accurate measurements of torque and speed, for example. To support the learning goals of ME 443, a dedicated water-turbine dynamometer is needed to provide controlled hydraulic power, accurate mechanical and electrical measurements, and clear data for performance evaluation.

Our proposed system delivers a safe, repeatable, and educational testing environment that can be integrated into the Fluids Lab or used as a standalone instructional tool. Key stakeholders include Professor …

Me443 Turbine Timing System, Jacky Liang, Michael Ayman Habib, Julio Cesar Gutierrez Jr., Eric Tran

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Golf Ball Marking Machine, Isabella Brinkman, Erin Maxwell, Benjamin Nash, Matthew Nicacio

Mechanical Engineering

The Golf Ball Marking Machine was designed, manufactured, and tested to provide a compact and cost-effective solution for applying durable identification markings to golf balls. The system integrates a gravity-fed hopper, singulation mechanism, motorized marking chamber, and automated discharge system to process golf balls with minimal operator intervention. A computer control system coordinates the marking cycle, enabling consistent application of a circumferential stripe. Verification testing demonstrated compliance with requirements for size, weight, power consumption, safety, and marking durability while maintaining a tabletop size footprint. The prototype achieved an average throughput of 5.43 balls per minute and successfully validated the feasibility …

Independent Apparel Brand Launch Campaign Strategy, Nick S. Schottenfeld

Graphic Communication

Soleil Lune is an independent California apparel brand with an established visual identity, a growing social media following, and a live product collection but lacks a coordinated marketing system to connect those pieces into a unified launch. Without that structure, the brand’s Instagram, Shopify store, and print materials were operating independently, making it difficult to build consistent customer trust or drive sales. This project developed a full launch campaign producing a print and digital lookbook, 10 Instagram campaign assets, a printed poster, and a branded care insert card all designed to work together to tell the brand story, grow the …