Digital Commons Network^™

Petals To Pigment: The Creative Exploration Of Natural Dyeing, Makayla R. Flint

Graphic Communication

Petals to Pigment: The Creative Exploration of Natural Dyeing is a collection of clothing and materials dyed with flowers, foliage, bugs, and other natural elements. In this project, I explored the creative potential of sustainable, non-toxic dyes as an alternative to synthetic options. Using natural dyes, I developed designs that are environmentally conscious as well as one-of-a-kind. By practicing experimental dyeing techniques, including varying mordants and extraction methods, I collected data and analyzed it to assess color variability, fabric interaction, and dye longevity.

Alongside the dyed textiles, I designed a digital magazine documenting my process that includes descriptions, dye samples, …

Stylezine: The Intersection Of Tech And Fashion, Saiyushi Kumar

Graphic Communication

Using my passion for web development, branding and fashion, I created a website that functions as a fashion resale platform tailored towards college students. My goal was to create a community where like-minded individuals can connect, while reducing fashion’s footprint on the planet. Currently, fast fashion is responsible for 10% of all carbon emissions, and garment workers often earn as little as $200 a week (Hardy, 2024). As younger generations become more aware of these impacts, the demand for slow fashion and second-hand shopping continues to grow. Through this project, I raised awareness about sustainable fashion, reduced the industry’s environmental …

From Classroom To Career: My Digital Marketing Journey With Disney And Grc, Hailey Jones

Graphic Communication

This senior project highlights my work as a Digital Marketing Intern with The Walt Disney Company from June 2024 to January 2025. It features key projects and accomplishments that show the development of fundamental marketing and their applicability in the workplace. Besides, this project incentivizes students in Cal Poly on how co-op internships could be extremely advantageous. It touches on internships' benefits of having real-world experience coupled with the development of highly-wanted skills and networking. This project to be hosted on the Graphic Communication Department's website speaks about flexible options within the major and the competitive advantages offered by the …

Releaf By Design: Eco Conscious Cannabis Packaging, Abigail Jane Fleishman

Graphic Communication

ReLeaf is an innovative project that explores the dynamic intersection of sustainability and functionality in cannabis packaging. This project explores the urgent need for environmentally responsible solutions in an industry often reliant on single-use plastic. This project uses an innovative lens to research current eco-friendly packaging using kraft paperboard tubes, ultraviolet glass jars, and post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics. This project aims to create a packaging solution that meets industry safety standards while appealing to eco-conscious consumers by prioritizing recyclability, biodegradability, aesthetic design, and compliance with safety regulations. The branding strategy, embodied in the name “ReLeaf,” emphasizes the therapeutic benefits of …

Evermarket:The App For Fresh Finds And Hidden Treasures, Kira M. Sugihara

Graphic Communication

The purpose of this project is to discover a new way of bringing communities together when it comes to buying, selling and trading goods locally. Many smaller vendors struggle to connect with their communities while buyers often become frustrated with the lack of marketing and advertising for these markets and sales. With the help of a mobile app, sellers will be able to list their markets and sales to buyers who will be able to easily locate these local events. This concept eliminates the frustration of trying to find second-hand and fresh goods by putting them all in one place, …

Civility War, Jonathan Speirs

Graphic Communication

Civility War is a poster series that examines contemporary civil conflicts in contemporary world history and the precedent it sets for American political polarization. The early 2010s marked the beginning of America’s current ascent to historical highs for incidences of politically-fueled violence in the forms of hate crimes and domestic terrorism. With the documentation of the effects of similar circumstances available today in the digital age, spreading awareness for the human cost of using violence for political aims is highly topical. This project also attempts to address the aversion university students have to publicly discussing political opinions, as less than …

Advanced Variable Data Publishing: Vdp Application For Selkirk Sport, Natalie L. Barnes

Graphic Communication

Personalization acknowledges each customer's uniqueness by offering tailored products that match their preferences. It creates relevant, individualized interactions that enhance the customer experience. Selkirk Sport began as a small startup specializing in pickleball paddles and accessories, founded by my family members—Jim, Mike, and Rob Barnes. Their passion for the sport quickly became my own! As Selkirk has grown, there is an opportunity to enhance personalization in its messaging to better engage recipients and drive stronger responses. For my senior project, I analyzed Selkirk’s past marketing efforts and developed a campaign that leverages consumer data and personalized Variable Data Publishing (VDP) …

Defining Inclusive Ux Design: Key Criteria And Industry Insights For Creating Equitable User Experiences, Layla M. Bakhshandeh

Graphic Communication

This study establishes key criteria for inclusivity in UX design to aid designers in creating more inclusive practices. Analyzing inclusivity guidelines from Adobe, Slack, Microsoft, and Google, the scope expanded to include the top ten UX-related companies, such as Apple and Amazon, to reduce bias. The identified criteria are community, diversity and representation, non-discrimination and equity, and adaptability. Interviews with professionals revealed limitations in terms of diversity and highlighted the need to address power and accessibility. The study also linked inclusive design to universal design principles, emphasizing error prevention and adaptability. The final criteria consist of Inclusion, Community, Communication, and …

Hidden Miles: Road Trips, Reimagined, Edward H. Nguyen

Graphic Communication

Road trips can be described through their freedom and spontaneity, yet the actual planning process can be repetitive and overwhelming. Hidden Miles is a conceptual mobile app designed to reimagine this experience by offering personalized, surprise-filled routes that reduce planning fatigue. The app asks for minimal input with just basic information like a starting point, destination, and interests before dynamically revealing an itinerary with curated stops that reveal themselves as the traveler continues their journey. This approach is grounded in key graphic communication and UX principles, mainly being Design Thinking, Decision Making Theory, and Perception in Interface Design. These theories …

Float Element Design, Bryn Lewis

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

I have spent the last three years as a Design team member of Cal Poly Rose Float, the last year as a Design Lead. As a member of the design team, I followed blueprints, bent pencil steel into shape, and welded those pieces together. I worked as part of a team, and eventually led my own small team. Cal Poly Rose Float teaches its members many skills and abilities. Not just bending and welding metal, but also teamwork and leadership skills. However, it doesn’t teach us everything. Every leadership member gives input on the overall theme and design of the …

Treating Ground Water For Agricultural And Individual Consumption, Gabby Miller, Bronson Scott, Michael Clawson

Biomedical Engineering

This project, conducted in collaboration with Cal Poly seniors and Da Vinci High School students, aims to develop a solar-powered groundwater purification system. This system is designed to provide clean water for agricultural use and individual consumption, addressing the growing concerns of groundwater contamination and accessibility needs. The final prototype integrates a gravity filtration system combined with chemical purification, utilizing aluminum sulfate and chlorine to remove particulates, bacteria, and organic compounds.

The research phase involved an extensive review of groundwater contamination issues, existing filtration technologies, and market analysis. Key design constraints included cost-effectiveness, ease of maintenance, and minimal energy consumption, …

Tiny Temp Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Infant Temperature Monitor, Alexandria Lukacsffi, Sydney Dedrick

Biomedical Engineering

This document outlines the key steps taken in the specification, design, and functionality of the Tiny Temp Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Infant Temperature Monitor. The BICEP team identified temperature monitors for infants in incubators in the NICU as an area of need after surveying hospitals in the San Luis Obispo area. Current thermometers are oversimplified in design, consisting of only the temperature probe and a piece of adhesive holding the probe directly onto the infant's skin. As a result, the adhesive is weak to prevent harm to the infant and, therefore, falls off the infant easily and frequently, posing a …

Peripheral Vagus Nerve Stimulation (Pvns) Device For Epilepsy, Logan P. Beckstrand, Alexander P. Crary, Grace E. Heller

Biomedical Engineering

Our research team developed a PVNS for Epilepsy device which is intended to act as a preventative measure against seizures for patients with epilepsy. The device is a less invasive alternative to the VNS device on the market using electroacupuncture at the Shenmen and Xin points along the posterior pinna to stimulate the vagus nerve.

Sprinter Start Block Training Aid, Kayla Lovejoy, Kevin Almontes

Biomedical Engineering

Currently, track and field sprinters ranging from beginner level to world-class have no practical tool that provides quantitative feedback of value on quality of start and quality of the three distinct phases of their sprint race, such that they can quantify the value of their adjustments. Our team will create a device that integrates with the sprint starting block to provide quantifiable data on the quality of a sprinter’s start. This Statement of Work describes drawbacks of current solutions, existing patents, customer requirements, engineering specifications, and our project plan.

Maglock - Electromagnetic Pedal Aid For Amputees, Minh Vo, Matthew Chew

Biomedical Engineering

For this project, we aimed to design components that could easily be swapped out and into vehicles, which would help them accomplish the task of locating and securing a prosthetic foot to a bike and/or car pedal. A common problem among cyclists and drivers with prosthetic legs is their foot slipping off the pedal while in use; these components could be used for other common applications such as cars, bikes, etc. Stakeholders for this product included automotive companies and handicap product distributors. The focused objective is to provide dexterity and quick attach/detach support for cyclists and drivers with lower limb …

Optimizing Biofungicide Use In Managing Winegrape Powdery Mildew On The Central Coast Of California, Edgar G. Godoy Monterroso

Master's Theses

Grapevine powdery mildew caused by the fungal pathogen Erysiphe necator is a persistent threat to wine grape production in California. While synthetic fungicides remain the primary management strategy, increasing concerns over pesticide resistance, environmental impact, and regulatory restrictions have driven interest in biofungicides as a sustainable alternative. However, their efficacy is inconsistent, requiring research into optimized application strategies, integration with synthetic fungicides, and their effects on disease suppression, grape yield, and fruit quality.

This two-year study (2023–2024) was conducted at two vineyard sites, Trestle Vineyard in the San Luis Obispo Coast AVA and a commercial vineyard in the Arroyo Grande …

Circular Restricted Three Body Manifold Trajectories Via Koopman Operator Theory, Lindsey Langton

Master's Theses

There are a multitude of computational techniques capable of modeling the behavior of nonlinear dynamic systems over time. In the field of astrodynamics, the most frequently used tools are numerical integrators, specifically Runge-Kutta algorithms. These algorithms have successfully produced numerous two-body trajectories, as well as an increasing number of three-body trajectories when two-body dynamic models fail to produce Δv values within the realm of mission feasibility. Koopman operator theory is an alternative method for modeling nonlinear dynamic behavior that captures an approximation of a nonlinear dynamic system on a defined basis in the Hilbert space. The Koopman operator is an …

Design, Test, And Comparison Of A Photovoltaic Thermal Hybrid Solar Collector Utilizing A Thermosiphon, And Theory And Analysis Of Related Predictive Computer Model, Lance Brown

Master's Theses

Design, construction and testing of a photovoltaic thermal collector, or PVT, was completed to determine efficiency improvements of this system compared to a conventional solar panel and to find the thermal energy gained through hot water storage. Flow, driven by density changes from solar radiation, creates a thermosiphon, moving water without the use of a pump and ultimately drawing heat away from the solar panel. This is done to create a more efficient solar panel as well as decreasing potential damage due to high temperatures. Evaluation of electrical efficiency, thermal efficiency and flowrate allow for comparison between other PVT systems. …

Development Of Ex-Situ Accelerated Chemical Stress Test Protocol For Common Anionic Exchange Membrane Chemistries, Michael D. Friend, Michael D. Friend

Master's Theses

The development of sustainably produced hydrogen fuel (“green hydrogen”) is key for the transition to clean energy sources. Green hydrogen is produced via water electrolysis. As with many clean energy sources, one of the major barriers for scaling water electrolysis is cost. A newer category of water electrolysis is Anionic Exchange Membrane (AEM) water electrolysis. AEM electrolysis systems have the potential to cost less as they do not require the expensive precious metal catalysts the current high preforming Proton Exchange Membrane water electrolysis technologies do. However, AEM lifetimes must be long enough to be cost competitive and AEM chemical durability …

Risc-V Gpu Acceleration On Low-Cost Embedded Systems, Fadi M. Alzammar

Master's Theses

The Vortex project from Georgia Institute of Technology was created to provide an open-source hardware and software GPGPU research platform based on RISC-V. Skybox was introduced as an extension to Vortex to provide dedicated support for 3D graphics rendering acceleration as a complete GPU platform. This work presents contributions to the render output unit of Skybox, including the development of a blend unit, cache bypassing mechanisms, and performance monitoring metrics. With these, Skybox has succeeded in its goal of accelerating graphics rendering on RISC-V platforms. This work also establishes a foundation for adapting Vortex to low-cost embedded platforms such as …

Academic Senate - Agenda, 2/25/2025, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Academic Senate - Minutes, 2/25/2025, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Vertical Structure Of Subsurface Marine Heatwaves In A Shallow Nearshore Upwelling System, Gavin Plume, Ryan K. Walter, Isabelle Cobb, Michael Dalsin, Piero L. F. Mazzini, Nathan P. Shunk, Ian C. Robbins, Thomas P. Connolly

Physics

Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are increasing in frequency and intensity globally and are among the greatest threats to marine ecosystems. However, limited studies have characterized subsurface MHWs, particularly in shallow waters. We utilized nearly two decades of full water-column (~ 10 m) observations from a unique automated profiler in central California to characterize, for the first time, the vertical structure of MHWs in a shallow nearshore upwelling system. We found MHWs have similar average durations and intensities across all depths, but there were ~ 17% more bottom MHW days than surface MHW days. Nearly one third of bottom MHWs occurred independently …

Documentary Review: Fattitude, Aubree A. Herman

Feminist Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

What’S Empowerment Got To Do With It?: Body Neutrality In The Neoliberal Institution, Michelle Colpean, Cassidy D. Ellis

Feminist Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

To Eat Or Not To Eat: Body Neutrality In The Context Of Educator Eating Disorders, Victoria Mcdermott, Nike Jacob

Feminist Pedagogy

Academia, like many other industries, polices its members through explicit and implicit systems of oppression: thinness, patriarchy, accessibility, and whiteness. Previous research has argued that professors who meet the criteria of current beauty standards (e.g., thinness, attractiveness) experience higher student evaluations, more opportunities for promotion, and better overall academic success than those in diverse body shapes and sizes. As a result, decoupling one's sense of self-worth from these expectations based in power can prove challenging. The present critical reflection and commentary explores the perceptions of two academics with histories of eating disorders (e.g., anorexia and binge-eating disorder), disordered eating, and …

Can A Collective Body Be Neutral? A Critical Commentary On "Body Neutrality" In Times Of Shared Campus Trauma, Cristiana Mcfarland, Joseph Richards

Feminist Pedagogy

In this critical commentary, we take a performance studies approach to examine one of the key elements of body neutrality, namely that it “recognises that: (1) our feelings about our body change constantly so are best mindfully observed without judgement” (Pellizzer & Wade 2023 p. 437). Ultimately, we argue that body neutrality is a limiting practice in times of trauma in two major ways. First, body neutrality assumes a body that ends at where the skin does, rather than theorizing bodies as relational. We instead agree with theorist Erin Manning who defines the body as “a field-effect in a complex …

An Attitude Of Openness: Adapting Body Neutrality For Performers, Kerstin A. Vaughn, Emily Baird

Feminist Pedagogy

For performers, specifically dancers and actors, the body constitutes the vast majority of focus and training. It is what we present onstage, share with audiences, and contract to casting directors and choreographers. Our bodies, the way they look and move, directly influence the amount and quality of work we make. The concept of body neutrality, then, poses an interesting challenge for performers and those of us who train them. How do we balance a healthy relationship with the body while also thinking critically about all of the ways our bodies carry meaning in performance? How do we, as educators, promote …

Still Accounting For My Teacher’S Body: The Objective Body/Body As Objective In The Classroom/Classzoom, Leda M. Cooks, Jennifer A. Zenovich

Feminist Pedagogy

This critical commentary reflects on Cooks’ 2007 article, “Accounting for my Teacher’s Body: What can I teach/What can we learn?” by reconsidering power and body relations in light of the concept and pedagogy of body neutrality in the classroom in the 2023 COVID-19 era. The digital and physical classroom are spaces where the (embodied) body is never neutral. By extension, the body is never neutral anywhere regardless of the mindful body neutrality practices suggested by Pellizzer and Wade (2023). In this commentary, we first discuss how the teacher in physical and digital space communicates ideals of competence in performance of …

Reenvisioning Identities That Precede Us: “Body Acknowledgement” As Social Justice Practice Within A Communication Ethics Course Redesign, Wendy Kz Anderson, Ollivia Webster, Nicole Yang, Cass Bryant, Taylor Herr

Feminist Pedagogy

We infuse this conversation of “body neutrality” through social justice responsiveness (compassion, equity, and accountability of body/presence privilege) by specifically attending to intersections of race, gender, and body mindset built into our identities. In reimagining the term “body-neutrality” through identity engagement, we introduce the term “body acknowledgment” as an active interpretative state. As a co-authored pedagogical “co-conspiring” for racial justice (Houdek and Ore, 2021, p. 92), we (instructor, teaching assistants, and previous students) offered a course redesign centering social justice strategies to address the following question: How can dialogue about intersectional communication work toward redesigning learning with difference and develop …