Digital Commons Network^™

Launch Skills: Virtual Career Camp Connects Rural Youth To Diverse Career Pathways, Caroline Homan, Meagan Hoffman

Journal of Youth Development

Rural youth often encounter persistent barriers in career and workforce readiness, including limited access to career exploration resources, mentorship, and post-secondary exposure, challenges that are compounded by geographic isolation and higher rates of rural poverty. To address these gaps, this manuscript describes the development and implementation of Launch Skills, a virtual career camp designed to broaden rural youths’ awareness of career pathways within food, agriculture, natural resources management, and human sciences (FANH). Grounded in Positive Youth Development principles, Launch Skills was collaboratively developed by North Dakota State University Extension and South Dakota State University Extension to provide flexible, accessible, and …

Towards Socially Legitimized Trust In Ai-Learning Systems, Sanket Patole, Rob E. Carpenter, Reed M. Milewicz, Rose M. Baker, John R. Turner

Human Resource Development Faculty Publications and Presentations

AI-enabled learning technologies are rapidly becoming institutional infrastructure. In this context, “trust” cannot be treated as a simple user attitude or a byproduct of technical performance. We argue that durable trust in AI-enabled learning systems is fundamentally a legitimacy outcome: stakeholders must judge AI-mediated practices as appropriate, credible, and defensible within the normative and governance structures of learning environments. Building on socio-technical systems scholarship and institutional legitimacy theory, we introduce Socially Legitimized Trust (SLT), a framework that helps us understand adoption stability and contestation through alignment among three foundations: technocratic validation (credible evidence of capability, limits, and reliability), social validation …

Scratch-Induced Damage Of Doped Dlc And Mos2 Coatings—Deep Symbolic Analysis, Ming Liu, Zhitong Xu, Noraphat Yuktanan, Tang Gu, Guangan Zhang, Jinyang Jiang, Fuqian Yang, Rui Liang

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Understanding contact-induced damage is of paramount importance in the analysis of the lifespan and performance of surface coatings. In this work, we investigate the effects of dopants and interlayers on the structural durability of diamond-like carbon coatings (DLCs) and molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) coatings on stainless steel via microscratch tests. The analysis of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) survey spectra and Raman spectra of the DLCs shows that the ratio of sp²/sp³ (i.e., the intensity ratio of sp² to sp³ obtained via XPS) is proportional to I_D/I_G, where I_D and …

A Phenomenological Study Of Teacher And Student Experience Within A Community Of Inquiry: Utilizing Wonder-Infused Pedagogy In An Elementary Outdoor Classroom, Andrew Gilbert, Steph N. Dean

Publications

This interpretive phenomenological study explores how wonder-infused pedagogy, enacted within an elementary outdoor classroom, supported the development of a community of inquiry. We position the community of inquiry as the overarching framework for cultivating social, cognitive, and teaching presence; wonder as the pedagogical driver; and outdoor learning as the authentic context for engaging in science practices. In response to schooling contexts that often privilege testing and individual achievement over collaborative inquiry, we examined an eight-week outdoor wonder project with third- through fifth-grade students. Data sources included group interviews, student journals, teacher reflections, and photographs. Students engaged in weekly wonder journaling …

A Data-Guided Analytical Framework For Assessing The Value Of Additional Variables In Heart Transplant Decision Making, Ali Dag, Hamidreza A. Dolatsara, Abdullah Asilkalkan, Joseph Ekong, Kamil Ciftci, Ugur Kucuk, Ozlem Cosgun

Department of Information Management and Business Analytics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Heart transplantation is a life-saving procedure for patients with end-stage heart failure. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which administers the US organ allocation system, substantially expanded the number of clinical and demographic variables collected in its database in 2004. This study examines whether these newly added variables improve the ability to predict survival outcomes for patients on the heart transplant waiting list. An information-gain-based feature selection approach, supported by an extensive review of prior studies, was combined with survival analysis and regularized regression to identify the most influential predictors. Using the selected variables, several classification models, including tree-augmented …

A Data-Guided Analytical Framework For Assessing The Value Of Additional Variables In Heart Transplant Decision Making, Ali Dag, Hamidreza Ahady Dolatsara, Abdullah Asilkalkan, Joseph Ekong, Kamil Ciftci, Ugur Kucuk, Ozlem Cosgun

School of Business

Heart transplantation is a life-saving procedure for patients with end-stage heart failure. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which administers the US organ allocation system, substantially expanded the number of clinical and demographic variables collected in its database in 2004. This study examines whether these newly added variables improve the ability to predict survival outcomes for patients on the heart transplant waiting list. An information-gain-based feature selection approach, supported by an extensive review of prior studies, was combined with survival analysis and regularized regression to identify the most influential predictors. Using the selected variables, several classification models, including tree-augmented …

Cathy's Trike, Jameson Stengel, Victor Robles, Asher Becker

Mechanical Engineering

Cathy Hoenig needs a better way to safely steer her trike since she recently had her arm amputated at the elbow. Right now, the standard steering setup doesn’t work for her because it’s designed for someone with two arms. The main issue is that because she can't hold the steering bar with both hands, she loses control and stability while riding, which takes away from her freedom and independence. We’re looking to design some kind of support or adaptive steering system that’ll let her feel safe and confident on her trike again. Our goal is to create a solution that …

Bonderson Workbench, Han Xu, Aidan Robleto, Sean Murphy, Victor Duran

Mechanical Engineering

This project redesigns the existing creative workbenches in Cal Poly's Bonderson High Bay to improve mobility and functionality for students and staff in the Mechanical Engineering Department.

Fsae Bespoke Brake Calipers For Hub Motor Architecture, Connor William Vaughan, Liam Upton Walsh, Bradley Brian Kern

Mechanical Engineering

Brakes are the most critical safety system on any performance vehicle, and as Cal Poly Racing transitions their Formula SAE car from a single rear motor to a four-in-wheel motor setup with regenerative braking, the team identified an opportunity to develop a bespoke brake caliper tailored to their specific needs. This document outlines the research, design, manufacturing, and validation of custom front brake calipers designed to improve upon commercial motorcycle calipers in key areas such as serviceability, mounting rigidity, thermal behavior, mass, and hub motor integration. The resulting design is a two-piece, four-piston, radially-mounted aluminum caliper featuring titanium pistons, toolless …

Semi-Automated Oxide Etch System, Chloe Dodson, Andrew Korpela, Bobby Machado, Thomas Slayton

Mechanical Engineering

This document presents the scope of work for the senior design project titled Semi-Automated Oxide Etch System. This project arose from the need to improve the current method the microfabrication laboratory at Cal Poly uses to lower 100-mm diameter silicon wafers into a hydrofluoric acid solution to remove layers of oxidation. The goal of this project is to create a system where silicon wafers can be safely loaded into a holder and lowered at reliable time and depth increments into hydrofluoric acid. In this scope of work, we will present the relevant background research we have conducted, the specific objectives …

Bullying And Discrimination Experiences Of Bhutanese College Students: Prevalence, Impacts, And Responses, Kezang Sherab, John Howard

Journal of Global Education and Research

Prior studies as well as media reports have identified bullying and discrimination amongst Bhutanese school and college students as a cause of concern, especially so for a nation with Gross National Happiness as its goal. Bullying and discrimination are associated with negative outcomes and can impact overall well-being. This quantitative study examined bullying and discrimination amongst college students (n = 16) in Bhutan through a self-administered online survey to a representative sample of 2043 (male = 40.8%; female = 55.8%). There was a non-significant decline from the 2016 survey in the reported prevalence of being bullied (from 45.2% to …

Building Connections With Graduate Students Through Credit-Bearing Instruction, Michelle Desilets, Kimberly Pendell

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

Graduate students often need support with research skills and other professional development that is under-recognized by their programs. Librarians play a key role in helping students fill in these gaps. This case study reviews student feedback on a librarian-developed and -delivered credit-bearing course. The course, Library Research and Scholarly Communication Fundamentals, is offered to graduate students across all disciplines. The curriculum is flexible and applicable to each student’s research, covering topics such as researching literature, citation and data management, and publishing in scholarly journals. The course has generated positive and constructive feedback from students, encompassing themes of self-efficacy, improved research …

Press Play! Integrating Gamified Tools Into Web- Based Formative Social Studies Assessments, Victoria L. Pierce

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

In an increasingly technology-dependent world, middle school students are emergent experts in technology use although novices in content knowledge. Middle school social studies teachers have dual issues of relevance and rigor to balance in their instruction with students at this developmental level. To strengthen students’ historical reasoning skills, middle school social studies teachers can implement gamified learning in a variety of ways to make use of technology skills and interests of students while also meeting content standards. This research models integration of gamified assessment into a virtual learning environment featuring educational games from organizations such as iCivics and Next Gen …

Feedback In Digital Game-Based Learning: A Taxonomy And The Design And Empirical Evaluation Of A Feedback System In A Mathematics Serious Game, André Almo

Dissertations

Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) is an active, student-centred pedagogical approach in which feedback plays a central role by informing learners’ actions, guiding decision-making and shaping motivation and engagement. Despite its importance, feedback in serious games is often described inconsistently and insufficiently in research, limiting comparability across studies and the accumulation of design knowledge, particularly for children. This thesis addresses these gaps through two complementary contributions: the development of a taxonomy for feedback design in digital serious games and the empirical evaluation of a taxonomy-informed feedback system in a mathematics game for primary school students. First, this work introduces the Taxonomy …

Gpu Embedded Machine Learning Solar Pv Forecasting (Paper), Hamza Tasneem

Honors Capstone Projects

Author ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1665-3966

Paper DOI: https://doi.org/10.62812/DHND6486

Solar Photovoltaic (PV) generation is intermittent and variable in nature, which can threaten the stability and economic efficiency of the power grid. Accurate and precise forecasts could help to mitigate intermittency issues by helping the grid in the allocation of generation resources at times when solar irradiance is low. This paper presents a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) approach to accurately predict solar irradiance forecast for Brookings, SD area using Clear-Sky Irradiance (CSI) data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), utilizing a sliding-window algorithm and other data processing algorithms. The CNN was trained on …

Gpu Embedded Machine Learning Solar Pv Forecasting (Poster), Hamza Tasneem

Honors Capstone Projects

Author ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1665-3966
Poster DOI : https://doi.org/10.62812/MOFI3028

This was poster was developed in support of the paper of the same name.

Paper DOI: https://doi.org/10.62812/DHND6486

Sacbe 1 And Classic Maya Urban Culture, Traci Ardren, Scott R. Hutson, Travis W. Stanton, Patrick Rohrer, Justin P. Lowry

Anthropology Faculty Publications

One of the most significant engineering accomplishments of Maya civilization is Sacbe 1, a raised road connecting the ancient urban centers of Yaxuna and Coba. Using new lidar data in concert with excavation, epigraphic inscriptions, and landscape reconnaissance, we show that settlement and an urban experience emanated westward from Coba along the sacbe. The leaders of Coba - in particular, an ambitious seventh-century queen - used the sacbe to expand the political and cultural influence of their dynasty into the center of the peninsula while securing territory and resources. Gaps in the sacbe, precise delineation of its many curves, and …

Evaluation Of Existing Wwtp Using Gps-X Modelling And Simulation Software, Mohamed Hussein Hegazy, Mohamed Ibrahim Sobhy, Mohamed Nouh Meshref, Marwan Ahmed Elghonimy

Civil Engineering

Research on ways to make WasteWater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) work better is still limited. In this study, GPS-X simulation was used to predict how a WWTP behaves under different operating conditions and to suggest ideas for future improvement. GPS-X version 8.5 was applied for dynamic modelling and simulation to check the performance of the Arab Abo Saed Wastewater Treatment Plant in Helwan, Egypt. Two operating cases were studied: one with the highest water flow and the lowest pollutant levels, and another with the lowest water flow and the highest pollutant levels. Real data from two years (2022–2023) was used for …

Knights Of Guinevere, Knights Of Terrace, Abigail Hyacinthe Woelk

Gateway Reader- Individual Papers

• The Problem: The researcher addresses a gap in media criticism regarding Dana Terrace's animated series Knights of Guinevere, arguing that critics like Rosa Perez over-emphasize the show's jabs at Disney while neglecting its broader allegorical critiques of corporate pollution and capitalist labor practices.

• The Method: The study analyzes the pilot episode of Knights of Guinevere by evaluating its framing, character design, and setting alongside a comparative critique of Rosa Perez's 2025 article "This Animated Sci-Fi Series Fires a Shot at Disney".

• Quantitative Finding: The core text references specific timestamps from the 2025 pilot episode, including the introduction of narrative …

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Beyond Precedent: Leveraging Non-Precedential Writings In Pursuit Of Social Justice Advocacy, Marissa C. Meredith

Marquette Benefits and Social Welfare Law Review

The role of law in society is complex and often intersects with evolving societal norms, politics, technology, etc. Despite this complexity, students, especially our current Gen-Z students, enroll in law school, hoping to enact positive change within their communities through the legal system. As noted by recent studies, law students' reasons for attending law school have shifted from a “desire to have a challenging and rewarding career” to a focus on “helping others or uplifting their communit[ies]” and addressing “social justice” issues. With this change in purpose, students' expectations about the education they will receive in law school have shifted, …

The Urban Talented Tenth: Race, Higher Education, And The Law Of Opportunity, Walter A. Jean-Jacques

Marquette Benefits and Social Welfare Law Review

This Article reexamines W.E.B. Du Bois’s theory of the “Talented Tenth” through the lens of contemporary African American males in urban educational contexts. Drawing on historical origins, critical race theory, and modern jurisprudence surrounding higher education, it argues that law and policy have systematically overlooked those who form what this Article terms the “Urban Talented Tenth.” These students, often lacking traditional markers of privilege, navigate structural inequities while achieving academic excellence. By situating their experiences against the backdrop of landmark Supreme Court cases such as Brown v. Board of Education, Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, Grutter v. …

The Changing Landscape Of International Development: An Introduction, Pascaline Dupas, Pinelopi K. Goldberg, Rohini Pande

Discussion Papers

Since the late 1980s, extreme poverty has declined sharply, life expectancy and schooling have increased, and electoral democracy has expanded. However poverty reduction has slowed in recent years, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic, amid intensifying conflict, fragility, climate risks, democratic backsliding, and the erosion of global trends—including trade integration and geopolitical stability—that once supported growth. These dynamics raise three interrelated questions: what barriers impede further progress; where will future growth in lower-income countries come from; and how can growth be broadly shared. Taking stock of 15 chapters forthcoming in Volume 6 of the Handbook of Development Economics, we discuss how …

Creation Of The 2-Way Cross Laminated Timber Subroutine For Computing Dynamic Analysis Parameters, Joseph Freitas

Architectural Engineering

This document will describe the inputs, methodology, and outputs for the CLT 2-way subroutine for cases with and without openings recently added to a proprietary structural analysis software. For the sake of simplicity, most of the discussion will be focused on cases without openings from here on out, as the verification process for a novel method for cases with openings is still in progress. The CLT 2-way module calculates multi-point resistance functions for panels without openings by automating the procedure outlined in an industry-standard structural design manual. The subroutine also finds the appropriate dynamic response factors, kinetic load multipliers, mass, …

Ai & Policing: Knowledge Synthesis Report On The Governance & Use Of Artificial Intelligence By Police In Canada, Benjamin Perrin, Geoffrey Liew, Isabelle Sweeney

All Faculty Publications

Police services across Canada are using, or exploring, a broad range of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, including facial recognition, location-based predictive policing, automated licence plate readers, AI-assisted police reports, object recognition and video analytics, social media monitoring, gunshot detection, probabilistic genotyping, and data mining.

While promising productivity and public safety benefits, these tools also raise various concerns and risks. Canada currently lacks AI-specific legislation and regulations governing these new technologies, or even a statement of principles on the governance and use of AI by police.

Quantitative Comparison Of Different Ultrasound Simulation Approaches For Civil Engineering Applications, Fabian Dethof, Simon Schmid, Jean-Marie Henault, Thomas Schumacher, Sylvia Kessler, Salvador Villalobos

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Interpreting ultrasonic waveforms is often challenging, especially in the presence of tilted boundaries that introduce multiple reflections, mode conversions, and echoes. To analyze such complex signal patterns, wavefield simulations provide a valuable tool. To ensure confidence in the simulation results, the accuracy of the numerical method is crucial. Another consideration when using simulations is their computational expense. Especially in civil engineering applications, large structures need to be investigated, which may not be feasible given the available resources. In this study, different numerical methods and software implementations commonly used for simulations in civil engineering are compared, including the Elastodynamic Finite Integration …

Ultrarenderer: Real-Time Heterogeneous Cpu-Gpu Memory Management And Adaptive View-Dependent Rendering For Massive 3d Environments, Huadong Zhang

Theses

Rendering large-scale 3D datasets in real-time presents significant challenges due to the widening gap between the ever-growing scale of dataset complexity and the limited memory capacity of modern GPUs. As datasets increasingly exceed available GPU memory, traditional methods encounter severe bottlenecks, such as restricted CPU-GPU bandwidth and inefficient memory usage, which significantly hinder rendering performance. This is especially problematic in interactive applications where high frame rates and low latency are critical. To address these limitations, this dissertation presents UltraRenderer, a novel out-of-core rendering method designed to maximize visual fidelity under strict memory and bandwidth constraints. The core of our approach …

The Pay-To-Train Paradigm: How Private Settlements Are Rewriting Generative Ai Copyright Law, Kevin Afiesh

UC Law Journal

The legal landscape for generative artificial intelligence (AI) and copyright is now shaped more by private settlements that overwhelmingly favor copyright holders than by courts or legislators. As AI companies rely on copyrighted materials to train their models, content owners have filed lawsuits challenging these practices. However, instead of clarifying fair use limits in court, most disputes are resolved through private settlements. These agreements impose licensing fees, content restrictions, and compliance requirements, creating a shadow regulatory system that governs how AI companies access and use training data. Although courts and agencies have begun to weigh in, their interventions offer only …

Research On The Influence Mechanism Of Digital Transformation On The International Competitiveness Of The Srdi Smes In China, Bo Sun

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

With the continuous advancement of digital technologies, the digital economy is increasingly becoming the dominant force in the global economic landscape. Against this backdrop, the digital transformation of China's specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative (SRDI) small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has transcended beyond mere technological upgrades and evolved into a crucial strategy for these enterprises to build core competitiveness. Despite SRDI SMEs' strong willingness to pursue digital transformation, research is still lacking on how digital transformation efforts translate into international competitiveness Additionally, existing studies on the degree of digitalization have focused on large enterprises or general SMEs, leaving an academic …

A Reflective Case Study: Mission Plaza Enhancement Project, Emma J. Roeller, Sheridan R. Green

City and Regional Planning

This reflective case study examines the purpose and process that has guided the Mission Plaza Enhancement Project. This leads us to our research question:

How do foundational theories of behavior in public space in tandem with evolving community needs shape the motivations and process behind the Mission Plaza Enhancement Project? What lessons can be drawn from observed behavioral patterns and planner perspectives to inform future phases of the plan?

To gain a deeper understanding of what makes a public space successful and how to record and analyze behavior in a public space, we will use foundational planning literature from the …

Cvj Torque Loss Dynamometer, Malaika Sriram, Coleman Brown, Zachary Norris, Logan Mast, Chris Mattis

Mechanical Engineering

This report details the design and results of a dynamometer testing rig built to measure torque losses in constant velocity joints (CVJs) for Cal Poly Racing's Baja SAE team. The rig spins a flywheel connected to articulable CVJs up to 800 RPM using a motor, then decouples it and measures the spin-down rate from 800 to 100 RPM to calculate angular acceleration and torque loss. The data collected from this dyno will be used to inform freewheel packaging for future Baja car development.