Digital Commons Network^™

Characterization Of Indoor Air Quality And Thermal Comfort Of University Classrooms, Andrew Sugamele

Master's Theses

Indoor air quality (IAQ) significantly affects cognitive performance, yet many older buildings at Cal Poly, such as Building 20, struggle to maintain healthy indoor environments due to outdated ventilation systems. This thesis aims to identify issues and provide suggestions on how we can improve the learning environment to improve student success within Building 20. Temperature, relative humidity, and carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentration inside Building 20 were measured from January to April 2025. To determine the effects of different ventilation strategies, a model of Building 20, room 128, was developed and validated using DesignBuilder. Additionally, ventilation rates were measured …

From Tree To Shrub? The Fate Of Tanoak Through Fire And Nonnative Disease, Jacqueline Rose

Master's Theses

Invasive plant pathogens have killed an uncountable number of trees and disrupted ecosystem processes throughout the world. Newly introduced pathogens may interact with historically occurring disturbances in unexpected ways to cause amplified mortality and change to ecosystem processes. Here, I examine the a natural experiment created by three wildfires in Big Sur, a portion of the central coast of California impacted by the nonnative pathogen Phytophthora ramorum, to forecast the future of a species susceptible to the pathogen. Using a plot network which spans the length of Big Sur, I track the survival of individual tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus) stems and …

Langlands Reciprocity And The Splitting Behavior Of Primes In Number Fields, Skip E. Moses

Master's Theses

This thesis explores the evolution of reciprocity laws in number theory in order to provide a conceptual bridge between the classical ideas of quadratic reciprocity and the modern framework of the Langlands program. We develop the necessary algebraic background to understand how the splitting behavior of primes in number fields reflects deep arithmetic structure in ℚ. Starting with quadratic fields and cyclotomic extensions, we motivate the development of the Kronecker–Weber theorem and the characterization of abelian extensions of ℚ. We then introduce Artin reciprocity and show how it generalizes quadratic reciprocity through the formalism of Frobenius elements and Artin L-functions. …

A Case Study Of Leveraging Auxiliary Data To Improve Treatment Effect Estimation Precision In An Hiv Clinical Trial, Lana Mai Huynh

Master's Theses

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are typically the gold standard for evaluating treatment efficacy in the medical field, yet they can have small sample sizes due to logistical, ethical, and financial constraints. This limitation can result in imprecise treatment effect estimates. Recent methods have sought to enhance the precision of RCT estimates by incorporating information from large, observational, “auxiliary” datasets. An auxiliary dataset includes units that were not randomized in the trial itself, but may be similar to the RCT sample. By leveraging predictive models trained on these auxiliary data, researchers can adjust for potentially more powerful covariates, thereby reducing variance …

Compact, Low-Power Underwater Acoustic Modem Characterization And Sensing Network Node Implementation, Lucas W. Lucia

Master's Theses

There is a growing market for compact, power-efficient underwater communication technology. Due to the limited propagation of electromagnetic waves through water, modulated acoustic waves have emerged as an effective means of wireless communication underwater. In decades past, many acoustic modems had been developed primarily for defense customers in larger systems functioning at high power. In recent years, smaller, relatively inexpensive acoustic modems have become available on the market—but data on their performance in a real-world environment is scarce. Companies such as OWL Integrations are interested in employing such acoustic modems as part of sensing networks across multiple mediums. For such …

Minifying Deep Denoising Networks With Knowledge Distillation, Antonio L. Rozzi

Master's Theses

Hearing loss is a prevalent condition, affecting hundreds of millions globally, with a higher incidence among older adults. While hearing aids are the standard treatment, the majority of those who could benefit from hearing aids choose not to wear them, attributing this decision in large part to their inability to perform well in conversations in large groups and in noisy situations. To date, no denoising systems on commercial hearing aids are able to improve speech intelligibility. Recent advances in artificial intelligence research have shown that large deep-learning models can in fact improve speech intelligibility by removing background noise from audio. …

Adversarial Deep Reinforcement Learning For Tank Duel Simulation Using Lidar-Based Observations, Braedan Kennedy

Master's Theses

Previous research has demonstrated that reinforcement learning agents can learn to steer differential-drive robots around obstacles using 2D lidar scans as observations. However, these studies typically treat all range returns as undifferentiated obstacles—objects to avoid—without distinguishing between different object types. This thesis builds upon previous research by introducing an adversarial task in which an agent must interpret raw range readings to both avoid static obstacles and identify, pursue, and engage a hostile target.

To investigate this problem, this thesis introduces TankGame, a novel, lightweight 2D tank duel simulator. Each agent receives a 360° lidar scan, controls its motion via tread …

Flair: A Fog-Native Workload Placement Framework For Qos-Aware Scheduling In Smart Manufacturing, Daiwik N. Swaminathan

Master's Theses

Smart manufacturing environments utilize a variety of heterogeneous IoT sensors that continuously stream large volumes of data. To detect and mitigate critical events such as fires or accidents in real time, this data must be promptly analyzed by machine learning (ML) image classifiers. These classifiers are typically deployed on fog computing nodes located within the manufacturing warehouse facilities to ensure low-latency responses and to protect data privacy. Although fog nodes offer a better alternative to remote cloud data centers for such latency-sensitive tasks, they are often resource-constrained and highly sensitive to the composition of workloads, particularly in heterogeneous environments where …

Sentry V3: Extending Context Switches On A Trusted Secure Coprocessor, Mark Kong

Master's Theses

Software correctness and integrity is only ensured through trust in the un- derlying hardware. However, modern computer systems are complex to design and secure. Thus, given the choice between performance and security, companies will often prioritize performance, resulting in vulnerable systems. This creates exploitable systems that must be patched retroactively because business value performance over security. One approach to this issue is to separate the root of security from the rest of the system to create a minimal trusted computing base. Trustguard is one instance of this. Trustguard implements a Containment Architecture with Ver- ified Output (CAVO) model which shows …

Using Hydrologic And Hydraulic Simulations To Predict Near-Term Effects Of Beaver Habitat Restoration On Flood Flows, Luke S. Stewart

Master's Theses

There is a growing need to predict the complex hydrologic and hydraulic effects of beaver-maintained wetlands. This study uses relatively simple inputs and a replicable methodology to predict flood flow impacts of beaver habitat restoration at the site design scale using the engineering industry’s customary hydrology and hydraulic modeling approach. This study focuses on Toro Creek, the primary drainage for a 15.2 square mile watershed on the California Central Coast.

A hydrologic model of Toro Creek watershed was developed in HEC-HMS to approximate saturated soil conditions typical of late-spring flooding events observed in the region. The hydrologic model was calibrated …

Data-Driven Product Recommendations: A Decision Support Framework Utilizing Customer Reviews, Tyler A. Lopez

Master's Theses

With the considerable presence of e-commerce in society, vast number of purchasable goods, and increasing brand variety, consumers are faced with the challenge of buying products that they perceive to be of greatest value to them. To assist consumers with making better informed decisions, e-commerce websites allow individuals to post their own experiences and score the products that they purchase. Despite this information, the variety of experiences and feedback that consumers share do not always lead to clarity on whether a product is best suited for the purchaser. To help guide customers through a simplified purchasing process from the perspective …

Vertical And Latitudinal Variability Of Marine Heatwaves In The California Current, Gavin M. Plume

Master's Theses

Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are increasing in frequency and intensity globally, with grave effects on marine ecosystems and their dependent industries. There are significant gaps in knowledge of the subsurface behavior and geographic distribution of MHWs, especially in eastern boundary upwelling systems like the California Current. Here, two decades of full water-column temperature observations from a shallow autonomous profiler in San Luis Obispo Bay (~10m) revealed that while MHWs have similar average durations and intensities across all depths, one-third of bottom MHWs occur without a concurrent surface signal. MHWs across the water column initiated during anomalously weak upwelling or downwelling conditions …

Clusters, Trends, And Choices: Feature Selection In Interactive Statistical Graphics, Dylan Le

Master's Theses

Exploratory data analysis (EDA) is a method for uncovering the structure and key characteristics of data, often through the use of statistical graphics. These visual tools can reveal patterns and trends, and their effectiveness can be enhanced through interactivity. By enabling users to filter data, zoom, and toggle visual features, interactive plots can accelerate and enrich the EDA process. This study extends a previous graphical study by incorporating an interactive framework. Using a statistical lineup protocol with two target patterns (a linear trend and a clustering trend) participants interacted with plots by toggling various aesthetic features, including cluster coloring, ellipses …

Student-Centric Scheduling: Integrating Student Preferences Into University Course Planning, Jamie Luna

Master's Theses

University course scheduling has direct impacts on student success. In the Computer Science and Software Engineering (CSSE) department at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), students face registration challenges like limited course availability and waitlists, which may delay academic progress. This thesis provides a qualitative and quantitative investigation into the course registration experiences of CSSE students. From a survey of 100 CSSE students and follow-up interviews, this study identifies the key factors influencing registration outcomes. This research also evaluates the predictive model currently used by the CSSE department to anticipate course demand, revealing mismatches between predicted and …

The Effect Of Whole Fruits High In Anthocyanins On Markers Of Glycemic Control In Women, Sophia C. Johnson

Master's Theses

Cardiometabolic diseases are a significant health burden worldwide and remain the leading cause of death among adults in the United States. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a central component of cardiometabolic dysfunction and substantially increases the risk for cardiovascular disease. As women enter the post-menopausal period, significant declines in estrogen levels lead to a heightened risk of T2DM in this population. Observational and experimental evidence has shown potential for fruits high in anthocyanins (ACs) to reduce the risk of T2DM and improve glycemic control. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the current research on whole fruits high in ACs …

The Chumash War Of 1824: Revolution And Counterrevolution In The California Missions Santa Inés, Santa Barbara, And La Purísima, Joseph V. Payne

Master's Theses

In 1824, the Indigenous Chumash of Missions Santa Inés, Santa Barbara, and La Purísima de Concepción went to war against the settler-colonial system that bonded them to the mission lands and forced labor regime demanded by the Spanish Franciscan missionaries and compelled by Mexican military force in Alta California. The conflict lasted months and included violent battles and skirmishes at all three missions, the militant occupation and reclamation of La Purísima, a mass exodus to the interior of the territory, and the subsequent counterrevolutionary collaboration of the Spanish missionaries and Mexican military to return many (but not all) of the …

Correlations Between Social Media, Body Image Perceptions, And Disordered Eating Prevalence In Postpartum Women: A Pilot Cross-Sectional Study, Hannah Smith

Master's Theses

Postpartum women are a high-risk population for body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behavior due in part to the plethora of hormonal and physiological changes. Despite this, research examining this issue among postpartum women remains limited.

This pilot cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between social media use, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating behavior among women up to 13 months postpartum. For this study, the following research questions were asked: Is high social media usage associated with higher levels of disordered eating among women up to 13 months postpartum? Is the association between social media usage and disordered eating mediated by a …

Subalpine And Alpine Plant Community Turnover In Yosemite National Park Following 30 Years Of Climate Warming, Rachel Friesen

Master's Theses

Subalpine and alpine regions in California are warming more rapidly than lower elevations. In response, high-elevation plants may acclimate or adapt to the new climate, move to higher elevations or latitudes, persist in refugia, or go extinct. While models predict substantial declines in subalpine and alpine plant communities due to discontinuous population distributions and lack of upslope area, actual responses may vary due to lags in dispersal, establishment, and extinction. Although shifts in high-elevation plant communities have been documented in other regions of the world, such changes have not yet been studied in Yosemite National Park. To assess high-elevation plant …

Leveraging Machine-Learning Algorithms In Two Car Crash Detection Systems On A Custom Dataset, Addison Jacob Sandvik

Master's Theses

Traffic accidents pose a significant threat to public safety, causing millions of deaths and injuries worldwide each year. While efforts to reduce accidents have seen limited progress in recent years, improving emergency response times through automated detection systems is a promising avenue for saving lives. This thesis describes the development of machine learning-based traffic accident detection systems, exploring both video classification and image detection models. The models are trained on a new dataset deemed the Cal Poly Traffic Accident Dataset, an extension of the existing Car Accident Detection and Prediction (CADP) dataset with a precise collision annotations. Two systems were …

Design, Fabrication, And Testing Of A Dual-Rate Spring System For Mountain Bike Frames, Lucas P. Grizzle

Master's Theses

The design of full-suspension mountain bikes is a careful balance of suspension kinematics, structural dynamics, and manufacturing optimization for the expected use case. A bike designed to excel in one area will likely exhibit reduced performance in others. This optimization problem is addressed by designing, integrating, and testing a dual-rate spring system within a fully custom frame. The dual-rate spring is fully decoupled from the rest of the suspension kinematics, providing designers with an additional parameter to achieve ideal suspension behavior. This is accomplished by placing a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) bushing in series with the rear shock. The influence of …

Evaluating Nanobubble-Enriched Water Treatments For Cleaning Stainless Steel Winery Tanks At The Gallo Winery Research Station In Livingston, California, Edgar Godoy-Garcia

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Evaluating nanobubble-enriched water treatments for cleaning stainless steel winery tanks at the Gallo winery research station in Livingston, California.

Edgar A. Godoy-Garcia

Sanitation of stainless steel wine storage tanks is a critical component of quality control in commercial winemaking operations. Ineffective cleaning can lead to microbial contamination, product spoilage, and safety concerns. Traditionally, wineries rely on manual scrubbing, chemical cleaning agents, and extensive water rinsing cycles to maintain sanitary tank conditions. However, these methods are resource-intensive and may pose risks to both workers and the environment due to chemical exposure and wastewater generation. In response to growing industry interest …

Model-Based Design Of Compressed Lithium-Metal Pouch Cell Battery Modules For Evtol Applications, Scott J. Stirling

Master's Theses

Batteries with higher specific energy and power are essential for extending the range and performance of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs). Anode-free lithium-metal pouch cells offer strong potential at the cell-level but require high compressive pressures to enhance cycle life and discharge performance. These pressures necessitate heavier structural components, reducing packaging efficiency at the module level.

To evaluate this tradeoff, a full-factorial enumeration model was developed to explore viable module designs within a constrained packaging volume. The model scales subsystem masses, enforces design rules and material limits, and accounts for large (~20%) cell thickness changes during cycling.

Results …

Development Of A Reaction Wheel System For Cal Poly’S Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics Simulator, Caleb Nalley

Master's Theses

The Cal Poly Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics Simulator (SADS) is an ongoing project to develop a system capable of simulating the attitude dynamics and kinematics of a rigid body in space. Actuations on the SADS are performed by reaction wheels, however the current reaction wheels have various issues that decrease system performance and are not independent of the SADS. The reaction wheel developed as part of this thesis will be designed to improve performance and set out design specifications tailored to the SADS, serve as an independent assembly that can be transferred to other systems, and provide a general outline for …

The Extraordinary In The Ordinary: Nineteenth Century Female Teachers And Their Professionalization Of An Occupation, Samantha G. Santana

Master's Theses

Women’s occupation as teachers has remained uncritically relegated to the sphere of women’s work. In reality however, early nineteenth century female teachers made clear articulations how they understood their occupations as teachers. Through their publications, autobiographies, and biographies written by former pupils, they left behind for current educators their estimations of the integral job they performed. As educators, these women maintained the paramount role of educating the nation’s next generation of citizens. This was of particular importance in the aftermath of the American Revolution when America’s children were subjected to lacking, colonial education experiments. Before and during the ensuing common …

Study On The Application Of Smart Electric Meters For Secondary Voltage Protection, Jayaditya Sisodia

Master's Theses

The purpose of our research is to utilize PG&E’s Smart Meters installed across California to protect the Secondary Voltage delivered to the meter. This means detecting electrical faults between the utility’s distribution transformer and the installed Smart Meter. Our goal is to propose and implement various solutions through additional devices and protocols to detect and prevent these faults, communicate them with the meter, and forward fault information to the utility. A device will be designed to be installed on the transformer, detect faults, shut off power transmission, and communicate to the meter via fiber optic cable. Research will then be …

Effect Of Household Oil Contamination And Agricultural Soil Contamination On Phyllosilicate Nanocatalyst Performance During Pyrolysis Of Polyolefins, Joey Velasquez

Master's Theses

The effect of household oil and agricultural soil contamination on catalyst performance during polyolefin pyrolysis was simulated on mixed virgin plastic pellets by evaluating contamination influence on mixed plastic degradation temperatures. Three phyllosilicate nanocatalysts including Fulcat435, Fulcat22F and Y-Zeolite were evaluated in this work based on a literature review of catalyzed plastic pyrolysis and these catalysts’ ability to lower plastic decomposition temperature by 50 °C – 100 °C. These findings were confirmed in this research through thermogravimetric analysis of a polyolefin mixture and further developed in furnace experiments containing household oil and agricultural contamination. Household oil contamination deactivated each of …

Open Source Asic Design Curriculum, Francisco Wilken

Master's Theses

The ever-growing importance of Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) in a high-compute world necessitates that college graduates entering the workforce are well prepared to design them. This thesis details the design of novel ASIC curriculum, using open source tools to teach at the undergraduate level. By moving to a higher level of abstraction than classical transistor-focused coursework, chip design material can be made accessible earlier in an undergraduate degree. Additionally, open source tools provide a powerful, free, and portable platform for students to create their own designs, solving assignments focused on industry readiness. Finally, this thesis studies the results and challenges …

Modeling And Efficiency Analysis Of Hybrid Ac/Dc And Conventional Ac House Electrical Systems For Net-Zero Energy Homes, Tyler Bury

Master's Theses

This thesis presents the design, simulation, and comparative efficiency analysis of hybrid AC/DC residential homes versus conventional AC homes for Net Zero Energy Homes (NZEH). Motivated by the increasing prevalence of DC-native technologies such as solar photovoltaics, battery storage, and DC-powered electronics, this work evaluates whether hybrid AC/DC distribution can offer measurable efficiency benefits over traditional systems. Twelve detailed house models were developed—six employing a hybrid AC/DC architecture and six based on conventional AC systems, each supplying a combination of AC and DC residential loads. Simulations were conducted using MATLAB/Simulink to model steady-state efficiency under various loading conditions. Grid configurations …

Analyzing Player Difficulty Perception In Platformers Through Procedural Level Generation, Sasank Madineni

Master's Theses

Games utilizing Procedural Level Generation (PLG), such as Roguelikes, are becoming increasingly popular in today's gaming sphere. In games employing PLG, levels are generated randomly or pseudo-randomly, and aim to retain player attention through variance in levels between playthroughs. However, when generating levels with variance in structure and design, player enjoyment is often a mixed bag. With low enjoyment, player retention for these games can dwindle. This study explores the efficacy of real-time difficulty adjustment in procedurally generated platformers, as a method for maintaining stable player enjoyment without causing frustration. This thesis focuses on creating a short user experience, MIMEVA, …

Determinants Of Integration: Migration Difficulty, Mental Health, And Social Connections Among Eritrean Immigrants, Shewit Woldemichael

Master's Theses

This thesis explores how the experience of migration hardship affects integration outcomes of Eritrean migrants in the U.S. and the Netherlands. Using original survey data and the Immigration Policy Lab’s Integration Index (IPL-24), this paper investigated the intersection of economic, psychological, and social interactions that facilitate integration outcomes. This research finds that migration hardship doesn’t just make people’s lives more difficult; it breaks down the social ties and mental well-being that are essential for economic success measured by integration.