Digital Commons Network^™

Grammar-Based Procedurally Generated Village Creation Tool, Kevin Matthew Graves

Computer Engineering

This project is a 3D village generator tool for Unity. It consists of three components: a building, mountain, and river generator. All of these generators use grammar-based procedural generation in order to create a unique and logical village and landscape each time the program is run.

Robot Reporter Website Development, Samuel Verkruyse

Computer Engineering

The Robot Reporter Website Development project created a front end interface for interacting with news stories generated by the Robot Reporter script that was originally developed for the Digital Democracy institute at Cal Poly. Various graphs, videos, and other interesting content is displayed to the user in order to create an automated news website focusing on activity in state legislatures.

Making Sustainability Affordable In Parlier, Kyle Alexander Ferguson

City and Regional Planning

As climate change continues to threaten everyday life on Earth, humans from every corner of this planet struggle to keep up with changes due access, attitudes, and most importantly affordability. Over the past decade, governments around the world have invested billions into renewable power. Private investors followed, hoping to cash in on what looked like a transformational shift in the way the world produced electricity and lived sustainability. It felt as though it was a way to add jobs, manage fossil-fuel prices, and curb the impending affects of global warming. Unfortunately, a sustainable world will not happen overnight and requires …

Carousel Mall Redevelopment, Marissa E. Tietz

City and Regional Planning

The purpose of this project is to design a successful plan for the redevelopment of Carousel Mall in San Bernardino, California. In order for this project’s outcome to be successful, there are several aspects that need to be considered. Since Carousel Mall is an abandoned mall it is essential that we understand how it got to that place. To best gain that understanding, the first chapter of this project will look at the history of mall form and how it shaped the malls we know today. This chapter will also help understand why malls in America began falling and how …

Creando Cultura A Través De La Comida: Un Cuento De La Perseverancia Y El Ingenio Cubano, Gabriel Hatcher

World Languages and Cultures

This project analyzes the cultural impacts of Cuban culinary history starting with the 16th-century Spanish colonization. Cuba is an incredible case example for culinary adaptations due to its tumultuous history of population demographic shifts, political uprisings, and economic downturns. I will begin by analyzing the culinary shifts brought about the importation of African and Asian workers associated with the sugar cane industry. I then discuss the impact of the fall of the Batista government and the rise of the Cuban Revolutionary government. The Revolutionary government brought about standardization of available ingredients and helped popularize specific Cuban dishes until the fall …

Radish: A Cross Platform Meal Prepping App For Beginner Weightlifters, Spoorthy S. Vemula, Tanay Gottigundala, Cory Baxes

Computer Science and Software Engineering

With the increasing ease of access and decreasing price of most food, obesity rates in the developing world have risen dramatically in recent years. As of March 23rd, 2019, obesity rates had reached 39.6%, a 6% increase in just 8 years. Research has shown that people with obesity have a significantly increased risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers, among other life-threatening diseases. In addition, 42% of people who begin weightlifting quit because it’s too difficult to follow a diet or workout regimen.

We created Radish in an attempt to tackle these problems. Radish makes it …

Workflow For Modeling Prefabricated Building Assemblies In Autodesk Revit, Matthew Truss

Construction Management

In 2008, by request of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Research Council† (NRC) put together a committee of experts to advise a plan that would advance the “competitiveness and productivity of U.S. construction industry in the next 20 years.” Two of those recommendations included the widespread deployment of building information modeling (BIM) and greater use of prefabrication, preassembly, modularization, and off-site fabrication techniques. Case studies on the subject overwhelmingly report faster project delivery, improved quality, and safer working conditions. However, current data indicates that labor productivity has still been significantly lacking, perhaps showing that investment …

Haiti Transitional Home: Solar Panel System Design, Kasey Riese Hetzel

Construction Management

Haiti is located in a region with optimal access to the sun’s rays, but not enough resources to make use of them. While the country is known for its limited access to electricity and unreliable power quality, it has the potential to become a renewable energy powerhouse. Providing a safe place for families to reunite under one roof, that runs solely on solar power is the ultimate goal of this project. Not only designing the most efficient system, but finding which products are available in country, and which products would be more cost effective to ship internationally was the intent …

The Renovation Of The Shops At Hilltop Into A "Mall Of The Future", Emma Rae Steenvoorde

Construction Management

Shopping centers are closing all over the United States due to the rise of ecommerce. The shopping experience is shifting and turning shopping centers into dining, leisure, and entertainment spaces. Owners of shopping centers are being forced to reinvent to stay relevant during this change. This paper will examine The Shops at Hilltop, a shopping center in the East Bay that was foreclosed upon and purchased by LBG Real Estate companies to be reinvented into a mixed-use regional hub. It will outline the background of the shopping center and the steps it took on deciding if it was worth the …

Journeyman International - Rubagabaga Evc And Ace - Rwanda, Africa, Jake M. Stom

Construction Management

Rubagabaga EVC and ACE, or Empowering Villages Center and Agricultural Center of Excellence, is an interdisciplinary project based senior project completed by California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo students. College of Architecture and Environmental Design students Jake Stom, Mackenzie Diaz, Julia De Hart, and Jenna Williams completed the design and preconstruction services with the help of non-profit humanitarian organization, Journeyman International. The deliverable aims to serve the client, Empowering Villages, by providing the complete design of a community center and agricultural training facility near Kaseke Village in Rwanda. The goal is to provide the local community with development efforts …

Journeyman International: Peace Academy Of The Sciences And The Arts, Alyssa L. Mathias

Construction Management

For years, K-12 education has been taught through separate, individual subjects such as Math, English, Art, and Science. Primary education has remained stagnant while our society is constantly evolving with technological advances and innovation. The Peace Academy of the Sciences and Arts in San Luis Obispo, California are a group of visionaries and educators challenging traditional learning styles. They are striving to offer an education that focuses on holistic learning and integrating all subjects into big ideas to create competent, compassionate leaders for the future. My senior project is a collaboration between Journeyman International, the Peace Academy, a student in …

Liquidated Damages: An Analysis Of Their Use And Effectiveness, Alfredo N. Aragon

Construction Management

A construction company’s success and/or failure is dependent upon project completion with respect to time and budget. Failure to meet the contract completion date results in a loss of profit for owners and contractors alike. In order to help mitigate project delays, liquidated damage clauses have been included into construction contracts. Incorporating provisions within the construction contracts in the form of liquidated damages aims to help shift the financial burden when there is a failure to meet contractual obligations, hopefully offering quick compensation for delays. Unlike general or actual damages, liquidated damages are pre-defined and agreed upon prior to entering …

Development Of A Topics Course For Construction Management, William Harrison Wygal

Construction Management

The Cal Poly Construction Management program has been proven to produce some of the most prepared graduates heading into new careers in every facet of the construction industry. Speaking with faculty member Tom Kommer, we have concluded that there is a need for an increased focus on construction risk management within the curriculum. In order to develop a course which would suitably educate Cal Poly Construction Management students in the topic of risk management, I performed a literary review during which I determined which risks are most prevalent within the construction industry and how firms in the construction industry manage …

The Profitability Of Converting Single-Family Residences Into Multi-Unit Rental Housing In San Luis Obispo, George L. Procida

Construction Management

This paper explains how a comparative case study was conducted to determine why some single-family homeowners in the San Luis Obispo area are converting their residences into multi-unit rental properties that can be rented out to several students rather than one family or couple. Through individual, semi-structured interviews, information was gathered on the homeowners' thoughts and experiences regarding the process and results of construction, the rental market as a whole, and the newly realized convenience or difficulties associated with the change in client base. It is important to note that one of the properties is divided into two sections. One …

Joy Playground Project, Atascadero California, Nick Vollucci

Construction Management

Parents for Joy is a group of parents and families of children with special needs in and around the small town of Atascadero, California. The group is working on designing and building a playground that accommodates the needs of their loved ones. This playground will have features that are accessible to people of all degrees of mobility and agility, and that promotes safety and inclusivity.Mission Statement: On their website, Parents for Joy provides the following mission statement: “Parents For Joy is a group of parents, families, and friends living in and around the small town of Atascadero, who have children …

A Case Study On The Use Of Drones On Heavy Civil Construction Projects, William Devers

Construction Management

Even though the construction industry is known for being behind the curve in adopting new technologies for change, construction professionals are constantly striving for ways to save money and improve efficiency. The emergence of drone technology in recent years has sparked new interest among these professionals for those exact reasons. These flying machines offer numerous benefits to construction companies such as bypassing traditional surveying methods, using photogrammetry to create 3D models used for estimating quantities, improving team communication, ensuring worker safety, increasing owner satisfaction, among other benefits. In this case study, personal interviews will be conducted on a single construction …

Advanced Concrete Course For Cal Poly Construction Management Department, Dante N. Feliciano

Construction Management

This senior project provides a solution to the Construction Management Department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo whose curriculum lacks an individual Concrete course. With Concrete being one of the most used building material worldwide, this course will help immensely. The goal of this project is to fill the gap with an Advanced Concrete Course that is prepared and ready to be introduced to future students. The course has an emphasis on outside research learning – where the student gets to become the instructor. Carefully thought out and executed lecture materials are included in the course. Lecture slides give background …

Applications Of Drone Technology With Bim To Increase Productivity, Jesse J. Sanchez

Construction Management

This paper looks directly at BIM and Drone Technology in today's age and how their integrative capabilities with one another can result in a highly productive construction atmosphere. There is an abundance of research for the topic, but no real-life examples. Webcor will serve as this example via case study. The research methodology for the project will come from interviews and a questionnaire featuring a project manager, superintendent, licensed flyer, BIM engineer, and cost estimator. The variety of interviews, will showcase the effects drone technology and BIM have on different sectors of a business. Themes that come out of these …

Financial Feasibility Of Leed Certified Buildings For Developers And Investors, Erik P. Henriksen

Construction Management

This is a case study on a small to mid-size private equity firm that deals with real estate development as well as investment to find out the financial feasibility of LEED certified buildings in today’s building climate. Interviews with two investment analysts at this firm who are versed in LEED certification about how it is looked at in their company as well as the broader industry will give insights into the feasibility of developing or investing in environmentally friendly buildings. This impacts the real estate and construction industries due to the fact that developers and investors are often times a …

Analysis Of Hardware Sorting Units In Processor Design, Carmelo C. Furlan

Master's Theses

Sorting is often computationally intensive and can cause the application in which it is used to run slowly. To date, the quickest software sorting implementations for an N element sorting problem runs at O(nlogn). Current techniques, beyond developing better algorithms, used to accelerate sorting include the use of multiple processors or moving the sorting operation to a GPU. The use of multiple processors or a GPU can lead to increased energy consumption and heat produced by the device as compared to a single-core GPU-less implementation. To address these problems, specialized instructions and hardware units can be added to the processors …

A Numerical Simulation Optimizing Droplet Motion Driven By Electrowetting, Jake M. Lesinski

Master's Theses

A numerical simulation of electrowetting on a dielectric was performed in COMSOL to grant insight on various parameters that play a critical role in system performance. The specific system being simulated was the Open Drop experiment and the parameters being investigated were the applied voltage, contact angle at the advancing triple point, and droplet overlap onto neighboring actuated electrodes. These parameters were investigated with respect to their effect on droplet locomotion performance. This performance was quantified by the droplets velocity and the dielectrophortic (DEP) force’s magnitude; the DEP force was calculated from integration of the Maxwell Stress Tensor, however, the …

Prefabrication Of Exterior Partitions For Great Northern Services, John Christofer Claudio Espino

Construction Management

In the wake of a fire in Weed, CA that destroyed 150 homes, a non-profit organization called Great Northern Services (GNS) reached out to Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo about a service-learning opportunity that involved designing a single-family home and pre fabricating the exterior partitions in San Luis Obispo. In Fall 2017, interdisciplinary teams of students delivered design proposals in the Integrated Project Delivery studio. The selected design was then finalized into a permitted set of drawings and planning for the prefabrication began. The extent of the prefabrication was limited to the framing and sheathing of the exterior walls. The length …

Framing Exterior Partitions For The Great Northern Services Housing Project, Michael-Jeremiah R. Eseed

Construction Management

In the wake of a fire in Weed, CA that destroyed nearly 150 homes, a non-profit organization called Great Northern Services (GNS) reached out to Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo about a service-learning opportunity that involved designing a single-family home and prefabricating the exterior partitions in San Luis Obispo. In Fall 2017, interdisciplinary teams of students delivered design proposals in the Integrated Project Delivery studio. The selected design was then finalized into a permitted set of drawings and planning for the prefabrication began. The extent of the prefabrication was limited to the framing and sheathing of the exterior walls. The length …

Cost Impact Of Converting A Fleet Of Diesel Concrete Mixer Trucks To Compressed Natural Gas, Shea Fredrick Blackman

Construction Management

Sustainable practices in the built environment are becoming more and more sought after. With LEED gold and platinum becoming the new standard in commercial construction, contractors in all areas of construction are looking for ways to build more sustainably. When creating a strategy for achieving sustainability, transportation has been identified as an area of the construction industry that can help significantly reduce carbon footprint, especially concrete mixer trucks. One question presents itself: Will the cost impact of converting a fleet of concrete mixer trucks from diesel to compressed natural gas outweigh the environmental benefits? This case study will examine the …

Journeyman International: Mornes Brieux Primary School, Owen T. Rice

Construction Management

This project-based senior project is a collaboration between students from different schools and a non-profit organization, Journeyman International. The goal of this project is to build a primary school in Les Cayes, Haiti to give the kids there the opportunity to be in a safe and comfortable learning environment. The client on this project is the 610 group, they are an organization that focuses on sustainable community development through education, vocational training and microenterprise in communities in Haiti. This project entails 3 buildings with a total of 8 classrooms, a kitchen and dining area, bathrooms and a courtyard with playground …

Parents For Joy, Atascadero All-Inclusive Playground, Harrison R. Tucker

Construction Management

Parents for Joy is an organization that was created in 2014 by a group of parents and families living around the Atascadero community who have children with special needs. The group raised over one million dollars to build a playground that enhances the safety of both children and adults with special needs, regardless of what needs they possess. Nick Volluci and Harrison Tucker, the author, were chosen to assist on this project in order to provide a high quality and methodical product that catered to the special requirements set forth by the owners, Parents for Joy and the City of …

Journeyman International: Bihongora Library In Rwanda, Africa, Sarah N. Nelson

Construction Management

My senior project is an interdisciplinary effort between students from the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and Journeyman International. Our team was given the task to design, engineer, and produce preconstruction services for a library in Bihongora, Rwanda. My main deliverables as the construction manager consist of a construction estimate with quantity take-offs, a construction schedule, and a project site plan. There is a great need for literacy in Rwanda, among both children and adults, so by building a library we are hoping to provide the locals in the community with …

Construction Outreach Event With Girl Scouts Of The Usa And Cal Poly Women In Construction, Melissa Mcgrath

Construction Management

For an industry that is struggling to find enough workers, the limited amount of women entering construction is proving to be a significant issue. Some of the major reasons for this are social norms and stereotypes that discourage young girls from entering traditionally male careers. Outreach events that present girls with more positive messages about their potential for starting a career in construction are beneficial for both the girls and the construction industry. Cal Poly’s Women in Construction Club (WIC) and Girl Scouts of the USA are two organizations that can aid this cause and inspire more girls to consider …

Ada Code Education In The Construction Management (Cm) Curriculum, William Joseph Cefali

Construction Management

The Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design is becoming an integral part of construction. On many jobsites, recent graduates may not have enough knowledge to adequately catch and fix ADA compliance problems before they become a critical issue. With nearly all students and graduates going to work on projects governed by this code, knowledge of these codes, where to find them, and how to apply them is essential for graduates. Construction Management students believe this information would be very valuable to learn in school, and critical information to help them with their careers when they enter the industry. …

Habitat For Humanity Global Village: Trinidad And Tobago, Morghan L. Heim

Construction Management

For my senior project I chose to help build a home for Habitat for Humanity Global Village in Trinidad and Tobago. Habitat’s mission is to provide shelter for those in need, and they do so in many countries around the world. I experienced working in another country with a lack of building codes and equipment. The experience challenged me and taught me many lessons in working with teams and in foreign places. Our team was set out to construct the foundation of a home, but due to weather impacts and lack of equipment, our group did not completely finish the …