Digital Commons Network^™

Prime Movers, Garvin Sealy

Theses

Prime Movers, exhibited from April 1-15 2016, at Bevier Gallery, Rochester Institute of Technology (R.I.T), explores the motivations behind human actions, and the inner workings of the self, through introspection, metacognition, research and experimentation. Inspiration for this work comes from a desire to gain better self-awareness and understanding. Social and personal mythologies are employed to investigate the contemporary human condition. Glass, porcelain, metal, wood, acrylic, soap, light and sound are the elements used to translate the concepts into tangible forms.

Scare Tactics, Tiago Martines, Gabriel Ortega, Karan Sahu, Lucas Pereira Vasconcelos, Henrique Silva Chaltein De Almeida

Theses

It is the purpose of this document to describe the design and development processes of Scare Tactics. The game will be discussed in further detail as it relates to several areas, such as market analysis, development process, game design, technical design, and each team members’ individual area of background research. The research areas include asymmetrical game design, level design, game engine architecture, real-time graphics, user interface design, networking and artificial intelligence.

As part of the team’s market analysis, other games featuring asymmetric gameplay are discussed. The games described in this section serve as inspirations for asymmetric game design. Some …

Reaching Quiet, Michael Strobert

Theses

This thesis serves as the documentation into an investigation of an intersection of elements – the digital and mechanical and the organic and natural – that create our surroundings and inform our perspectives. Informed by the complex fluidity of the organic, juxtaposed with the precision and detail of the digital and mechanical, I have worked to create systems that expose the intangible through multiple forms. Through these new analogues, I explore the convergence of time, space, perception, and reality. I approach these concepts by focusing on the projection and exploration of hope, possibility, and potential.

Developing A Prototype System For Syndromic Surveillance And Visualization Using Social Media Data., Anup Aryal

Theses

Syndromic surveillance of emerging diseases is crucial for timely planning and execution of epidemic response from both local and global authorities. Traditional sources of information employed by surveillance systems are not only slow but also impractical for developing countries. Internet and social media provide a free source of a large amount of data which can be utilized for Syndromic surveillance.

We propose developing a prototype system for gathering, storing, filtering and presenting data collected from Twitter (a popular social media platform). Since social media data is inherently noisy we describe ways to preprocess the gathered data and utilize SVM (Support …

Experimental Design In Game Testing, Bhargava Rohit Sagi

Theses

The gaming industry has been on constant rise over the last few years. Companies invest huge amounts of money for the release of their games. A part of this money is invested in testing the games. Current game testing methods include manual execution of pre-written test cases in the game. Each test case may or may not result in a bug. In a game, a bug is said to occur when the game does not behave according to its intended design. The process of writing the test cases to test games requires standardization. We believe that this standardization can be …

Karma: Design For Social Impact Toolkit, Vineet Mishra

Theses

My thesis explores the eld of Social Impact Design and determines a methodology that designers can leverage to design with better impact.

Addressing highly complex issues requires a multidisciplinary approach. When design is incorporated into the problem-solving process, its human-centered principles and methodologies lead to stronger solutions. Social issues such as poverty, unemployment, homelessness, caste system, sexual harassment, and gender inequality are associated with Wicked Problems. These Wicked Problems–like economic, environmental, political, and bureaucratic issues–create even more intricate global dilemmas. Understanding these extremely complex issues and applying design thought process, allows for even greater strides toward making an impact.

Design …

Sense3, Armaan Bhargava, Bruno Rocha, Lakshminarayanan Vijayaraghavan, Meith Jhaveri, Mrinal Jain, Srinivasan Thiagarajan

Theses

Sense3, at its core, is a game in which the player has to collectively use the three senses of sight, touch and hearing to primarily dodge obstacles and collect audio samples, which are vertically remixed to form music. We chose EDM themed music, coupled with a futuristic outer space theme for the art style of the game, creating an immersive environment. The game is a pseudo-endless runner, where the player has to collect all the components to assemble their music. After each play through, the game allows the player to listen to the newly assembled music before reloading. We wanted …

The Busk Below, Kenton Cummings

Theses

Whether above, or below the concrete jungle a.k.a. NYC, there is no doubt that this town is a proving ground. Countless individuals flock to the mecca city in search of success, money, and fame-looking to share their talents with anyone who will listen. No exception to this ethic, are the subway tunnels below ground that harbor an abundance of talent. Known as Street Performers, these subway buskers are more than the title mostly associated with panhandlers and beggars. Their talents captivate an audience, mostly distracted by their everyday lives, as they travel from one destination to the next. These performers …

Producing And Evaluating Crowdsourced Computer Security Attack Trees, Dan Bogaard, Sanjay Goel, Shreshth Kandari, Daryl Johnson, George Markowsky, Bill Stackpole

Presentations and other scholarship

We describe the recent developments of an opensource project called RATCHET that can be used by groups of users to collectively construct attack trees. We present the RATCHET framework as well as a model for testing and evaluation of the produced attack trees. RATCHET has been tested in classroom settings with positive results and this paper presents the plans for expanding its outreach to the community at large and building attack trees through crowdsourcing. This paper gives an overview of RATCHET and an introduction to its use.

Men In Vogue: A Visual Analysis Of The Male Gender On American Vogue Covers, Connor Lamb

Theses

For a better understanding of how gender is portrayed in media, it is important to include a specific investigation on how men are portrayed. This visual analysis study focused on the six unique American Vogue covers that included men to examine gender representation. All the cover images were analyzed for characteristics in the male and female cover persons’ pose, gaze, and race. Amidst current gender debates, American Vogue has portrayed both men and women together on the cover only six separate times over American Vogue’s entire history. The investigation of these six covers contributes a better understanding of how American …

Effects Of Using Ipad On First Grade Students' Achievements In Arabic Language Classes In Saudi Arabia, Jawaher Alsulami

Theses

Although the iPad device has become a new trend as a teaching and learning tool in schools, using it in Saudi schools is still relatively new. So, the purpose of the study was to investigate whether the iPad enhances the teaching and learning styles in Arabic language classes for first grade in Albushra primary school. It also examined how this new educational tool affects students' skills and achievements, how teachers and students use it in their Arabic language classes, and what are advantages and disadvantages of using it in a class and at home. The study data was collected by …

Dilemma, Yeliz Okdem Ates

Theses

I am currently exploring ways to express the spiritual essence of the space between life and death afterlife. As an artist I have always been interested in nature and animals, however birds have an intense personal connection to me. Of personal interest is the common childhood hobby of folding paper into abstract and stylized forms. This inspiration for the work comes from traditional origami, a technique I will modify through ceramic sculpture. Some of my previous works are also related to origami. I used plaster slabs to make models and molds. I find that the stylization of folding paper in …

The Home, Memory, And Materialism Explored Through Landscape, Kelly Wilton

Theses

Moving from Arizona two years ago meant editing down my possessions to fit in the back of a pickup truck that my best friend, two cats, and I shared for three days. I have been moving on average about once a year since I was fourteen. This nomadic lifestyle meant constantly having to get rid of things that felt unimportant and insignificant. Certain things, however, have survived the moves. Throughout my nomadic lifestyle, the bedroom became a curated space for possessions put on display, showcasing the importing things I own. In my travels, landscape and house became equally important in …

Posthaste, Carolyn Depp

Theses

Posthaste is a short, stop-motion animated film that follows the narrative of an absent-minded teenage boy who must race to drop a letter in a distant mailbox before the mail truck arrives for its last pickup. This narrative framework is structured to allow for the exploration and experimentation with multiple animation styles. The goal was to not only practice various walk cycles at different speeds, but to also have the character emote broadly, in a more cartoonish style, and with smaller, subtler movements, all while maintaining the believability that these were all expressions of the same individual and were in …

Eba Playful Experiences, Lara Cardoso Goulart

Theses

This thesis is a study of the impact of busy lifestyles on children’s education, considering playtime. Eba Playful Experiences is the result of applied design methodology to solve the lack of play between children and parents, taking into account their routine and needs.

The research includes the study of the importance of play and the problems caused by its absence. The process contains user understanding considering children’s stages of physical, social and cognitive development. The project involves learning from different areas of study: product and interaction design, child psychology and business.

Eba Playful Experiences is an online company based on …

Vertourist: Providing Accuracy In Language Translations, Using An Online Workforce, Shubhneek Dhillon

Theses

Language is our greatest mediator that allows us to relate to and understand each other. Linguistic boundaries cause a massive downside for travelers. They often find it difficult to communicate with locals in another country to learn more about the foreign culture, country, aesthetics and life. It’s even more critical for the people who are deaf.

Human generated translation is much more accurate than computer generated translation. Travelers often rely on computer-generated translation that result in more confusion when the person is trying to communicate with in a foreign language. My thesis will address this issue using social media. A …

Tribological Study Of High Performance Bio-Lubricants Enhanced With Ionic Liquids For Use In Wind Turbines, Edward Cigno

Theses

Wind power is one of the fastest growing power sources worldwide. Large installations of wind power generation are prominent in Asia, Europe and the United States. The gear boxes and bearings of large wind turbines continue to be huge liabilities and fail well short of their 20 year design life. These mechanical failures impose long and expensive repairs. The reliability of wind turbine drive systems may be improved through advances in lubrication. Furthermore, increasing environmental regulations and public policy have ushered in the need for development and implementation of environmentally friendly lubricants. Over the past decade, ionic liquids have emerged …

Sensationalism In Newspapers: A Look At The Reporter And Amandala In Belize 2010 – 2014, Deseree L.P. Cain-Arzu

Theses

Belize has been named among the list of 10 most violent countries in the world. The news media in Belize have been known to use crime stories as headlines in both electronic and print, but there has never been a formal study to determine how prevalent and sensational. This research seeks to address the question of whether two of Belize’s most-read newspapers, the Reporter and the Amandala, have more sensational stories in their headlines, and how these stories compare to government and other human interest news. A sample of 120 front-page headlines/stories spanning a five-year period – from January 2010 …

University Magazine Spring 2016, University News Service, Office Of Alumni Relations

University Publications

This is the official magazine for RIT Alumni. Issued thrice a year in spring, fall and winter. Printing began in 1999.

Pinups And Pinball: The Sexualized Female Image In Pinball Artwork, Melissa A. Fanton

Theses

Since the commercialization of pinball in the 1930s, the pinball industry has used art and imagery to promote the pinball machine as a product and to generate and cultivate its audience. Much of that imagery has relied on sexualizing and stereotyping women to appeal to a presumed male player. In this thesis, I explore how the depiction of women on pinball machines has evolved from the 1930s to 1970s, with a specific focus on artwork from 1970 to 1979. This is followed by an examination of how second wave feminism, popular culture, and the introduction of film licensing may (or …

The Quality Attribute Design Strategy For A Social Network Data Analysis System, Ziyi Bai

Theses

An excellent software project can often identify quality attributes, expressed by the nonfunctional requirements. Quality attributes include modifiability, performance, availability, security, and so on. The nonfunctional requirements that address those quality attributes should be considered during the design phase. The quality attribute design approaches will be considered to achieve those requirements.

In this thesis, an architecture will be designed for a new social network data analysis system, is named Trowser, through several architectural approaches. Before starting the design phase, the source code of an existing social network analysis system, Gephi, is analyzed. The quality attribute design strategies are summarized from …

Recovering Eleanor Roosevelt's Voice: The Exhibition Of Prospects Of Mankind, Kellie S. Menzies

Theses

As she moved from being First Lady to diplomat to activist, Eleanor Roosevelt inspired citizens and nations to build a world governed by diplomacy, civic engagement, and democratic policy. Her example of peace building and human rights advocacy throughout her life is a model to be studied and applied not only in the United States but also around the world. To reach a broad audience, Roosevelt relied upon a wide range of media including the monthly television show, Prospects of Mankind. The series first aired on WGBH in October 1959, and was broadcast until 1961, a year before Roosevelt’s death. …

Factors Influencing Long-Term Adoption Of Wearable Activity Trackers, Alessandra Regina David Brandao

Theses

Wearable technology for activity tracking has been widely adopted to support users in improving or maintaining their physical activity rates. However, while some users derive value from their trackers for a long time, others find barriers to incorporating this technology into their routines. Using an online survey focused on both ex-users and current users of activity trackers, this study investigated factors of discouragement and reasons that could contribute to long-term adoption. Subsequent interviews with a sample of ten participants were conducted to complement the understanding of the users’ experiences and their motivations. Through these approaches, the findings of this study …

Jiā, Jiā Wang

Theses

This body of work 家(Jia) explores the domestic violence that is prevalent in the typical Chinese family and the complex family relationship that are a result of this trauma. 家 is a multimedia site-specific installation comprises of video, sculpture, collage and photographic images. Traumatic memories, the beautifully unbearable experiences, have inspired this artwork from both a personal and cultural perspective. In this work I am examining, and displaying for the audience, the effects of abuse and the trauma that is a result, how it is manifested, and how it transforms an individual and a family’s identity.

[Code Premonition]™: A 2d Animation Experience Featuring Duik Technology, Jason E. Harris

Theses

WHAT IS CODE PREMONITION?

Code Premonition is a science fiction/suspense short film that is designed with the intent to provide its target audience, adults over the age of 25, with a solid exhibition of imaginative storytelling based on the realization of the following two primary objectives:

1.) Provide the audience with a visually captivating and suspenseful cinematic experience via the effective utilization of voice acting, realistic artwork, fluid animation, real world footage, and special effects.

2.) Provide the audience with a consistent and compelling original story; the treatment of which will provide a well balanced exhibition of both traditional and …

Voguing Gender: How American Vogue Represented And Constructed Women’S Roles From 1965-1974, Jenna Bossert

Theses

With the advent of inexpensive mass printing, specialized magazines, including those devoted to fashion, became commonplace. An example of such a magazine is Vogue, which has been in publication for 120 years and is produced today in 23 different countries and regions worldwide. Designed to disseminate high-end designer fashion, Vogue seeks to make these fashions, and the ideology embedded in them, accessible to a general public through the high quality styling in their fashion and editorial photography, and through their lifestyle articles. In this way fashion magazines are one of the cultural institutions that help women shape their definition of …

Factors Affecting The Adoption Of Production Digital Printing Technologies By Commercial Printers In India, Akshat Pardiwala

Theses

The global print market has been declining. However, recent studies showed that the US print market is finally growing again (EPICOMM, 2015). A report by Drupa (2014) suggested that this is due to the growth in digital printing and the digitalization of media. This trend has given rise to many opportunities such as variable data printing and on-demand printing. Moreover, a shift toward shorter print runs and tighter deadlines has facilitated companies in the US printing industry to adopt digital printing technologies. Research shows a similar trend in Europe as well (Pira, 2012). However, the penetration of digital printing technologies …

Regulating The Violent Past: Methods In Dark Tourism, Jean Pietrowski

Theses

What if you could stay in the very room where one of the most heinous crimes in American history had occurred? At the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast, you can, but how acceptable is this? How does one begin to experience darkness from a tourism site? Dark Tourism, which refers to “any site of death, grief, or suffering that is marketed as a site of heritage tourism,” gives people a place to experience these aspects of life and history. Places of death that are turned into places of touristic consumption give people a forum to discuss death and other tragedies. …

The Adoption Of Next Generation Digital Printing Technology In Package Printing, Yujue Wang

Theses

This research addresses the question of which packaging market segments are best suited to adopt next generation digital printing technology in the near future. According to McCluskey and Larson (2001), Molly (2005), and Eldred (2008), waste reduction and cost effectiveness in short run printing, short leadtime printing, and custom printing are the primary benefits of digital printing. The researcher screened eight major package market segments to determine which segments had the most need for these benefits. At the conclusion of this effort, the researcher identified flexible packaging and folding cartons as the two strongest candidates for early penetration by next …

Visualization Of Mind: Visual Exploration Of Brain Activity, Bilegsaikhan Baasanjav

Theses

Since ancient times, philosophical and religious thinkers have made attempts to understand the nature of the mind. Today, new developments in technology enable scientists and researchers to explore the brain’s complex physical activity, revealing a deeper mental reality. Moreover, the emergence of low-cost biometric devices gives nonscientific communities an ability to explore usage of biometric data in variety of ways.

This project explores visualization of human brain activity using electroencephalogram neural interface to create a visually engaging and meaningful user experience. The implementation of the project takes a form of an interactive installation. It projects the visual form, whose visual …