Digital Commons Network^™

Data Center Developments For Flexible Generation Dispatch, Advanced Infrastructure, And Ultra-Fast Digital Twins, Grant M. Fischer, Rosemary E. Alden, Donovin D. Lewis, Aron Patrick, Dan M. Ionel

Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Research

The rapid advancement and widespread integration of artificial intelligence (AI) is driving demand for unprecedented deployment of power-intensive computational infrastructure, including multi-megawatt data centers with the potential for facilities with gigawatt-scale capacity in the near future. In this paper, load growth projections for the US are reviewed, and an example energy dispatch solution considering a mixed energy portfolio with flexible, renewable, distributed, and load-based generation is employed. The brief technology review included in the paper covers aspects of electric power, cooling, and computational infrastructures. The concept of a data center digital twin for transient load, grid interaction, and hybrid energy …

Agentizing Privacy Preferences Without Privatizing Data Protection Policy, Frank Pasquale, Vanna Carter

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

This essay explores how consumers might exercise newly restored agency in a digital environment increasingly shaped by generative AI. Rather than expecting consumers to read privacy-related terms of service, policymakers should encourage the emergence of Automated Consumer Agents (“ACAs”) capable of interpreting privacy provisions and acting on behalf of users according to their stated preferences. These systems could automatically reject objectionable forms of data extraction, translating consumer values into actionable decisions in online transactions.

Despite this promise, the rise of ACAs would also present new problems. Without supportive policy and legal frameworks, agentization of privacy preferences could itself reproduce or …

Effect Of Acid-Containing Drinks On Surface Roughness And Bacterial Accumulation Of Different Types Of Denture Base Materials, Sara Fikry Dr, Ayman Amin, Eman Khedr, Fatma Makkeya

Dentistry

No abstract provided.

Analytical Solutions For Transitional Flow Around Hydrometeors: Implications For Particle Dynamics And Atmospheric Modeling, Ahmad Talaei, Timothy J. Garrett

Physics Student Research

Accurate modeling of hydrometeor dynamics is critical for advancing weather and climate predictions. However, this remains a long-standing challenge in atmospheric science, particularly within the transitional Reynolds number regime, due to the lack of analytical solutions to the Navier–Stokes equations. This study presents two analytical solutions for two-dimensional, incompressible, and viscous flow around a sphere, addressing the gap between low and high Reynolds number regimes. The first framework, an extension of classical expansion methods using hypergeometric, provides a direct analytical relation that characterizes separation angle across the transitional regime. To address post- separation dynamics, a second formulation based on a …

10-21-25 Bor Hsc Committee Agenda, Patricia Serna

HSC Committee (A subcommittee of the UNM Board of Regents)

10-21-25 BOR HSC Committee Agenda

A Translation Of Akira Mizubayashi's Reine De Coeur, Zachary N. Knudson-Swain

Department of Modern Languages and Literatures: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Akira Mizubayashi's Reine de Coeur is a story about intergenerational trauma, and the ability music has to mend broken bonds. This translation is an attempt to bring the musicality of his language into English and convey Mizubayashi's unique cultural perspective in an English language context.

Advisor: Jordan Stump

Will Labor-Saving Automation Save Western Agriculture?, Lynn Hamilton, Bryan Lohmar, Michael Mccullough

Agribusiness

Among the most salient and intractable challenges facing labor-intensive western agriculture is the rapidly rising cost of labor, driven primarily by reduced availability of workers. Unlike field grains, oilseeds, and cotton, producers of fresh fruit and vegetables still rely extensively on hired manual labor to carry out multiple tasks, particularly harvesting. Nearly one third of total U.S. agricultural labor expenses occur in California alone, a state dominated by fruit, vegetable and horticultural (FVH) crops (Win, Rutledge, and Maredia, 2024). To address the rising cost of labor, producers have been adopting several innovations leading to automated irrigating, weeding, and crop protection …

Illuminated Magazine - Fall 2025, School Of Graduate Studies, East Tennessee State University

Illuminated: Graduate Student Research Magazine

• 2: Editorial Staff
• 5: Graduate Students and Advisors
• 6: ETSU’s First Master of Music Cohort Finds Its Voice on Campus
• 9: Where Are They Now? Jacob Mitchell
• 10: Characterizing and Enhancing Carotenoid Production in Tomato Plants
• 14: Where Are They Now? Jeremiah J. Flake
• 15: In the Gaps of the System: Centering BIPOC Mothers in Maternal Mental Health
• 18: Roles of Female Musicians in Appalachian Bluegrass
• 20: Where Are They Now? Alexis Moser
• 21: From Guyana to Tennessee: Bridging Gaps in Women’s Mental Health Care
• 24: Where Are They Now? Megan Roberts
• 26: Characterizing User Experience in AI Chatbots within …

**Human Capital Migration And International Trade: A Comparative Case Study Of Germany And Austria, 2000 To 2024**, Jahnvi Jha

2025 Fall Honors Capstones Projects - Archive

This study examines migration of people and international trade in Germany and Austria between 2000 and 2024. Both countries saw sharp rises in immigrant populations, with foreign-born residents reaching 18 percent in Germany and 22 percent in Austria, while their exports grew to record levels. The research explores whether human capital migration like workers bringing skills, education, and networks has complemented or substituted trade. Evidence shows migration often reduces barriers to commerce by creating trust, demand for home-country goods, and professional connections. Skilled workers in high-tech industries further boost export capacity. Contrary to fears that migrants might weaken competitiveness, the …

Transforming Educators: Uncovering Factors In Secondary Education Premise Shift To Active Processing Structures Using A Transcendental Phenomenological Approach, Matthew J. Flugum

Education Doctorate Dissertations

The skills students will need to be successful in an unpredictable future differ from those needed to thrive today. Where the teachers of today were acculturated in systems of knowledge acquisition through systems of transmission, the future of learning requires active processing of new information. Students will need to meta-learn to upskill and reskill in an ever changing environment. Learning environments need to shift in order to support students to learn these skills requiring teachers to adjust traditional systems of structuring learning. This transcendental phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of secondary educators who have undergone a transformative shift in …

Table Of Contents (V. 32, No. 1)

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Border Decriminalization As A State Project: Lessons From Marijuana And Assisted Suicide Legalization Across The United States, Victor C. Romero

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

My prior work argued for the decriminalization of border crossings without proof of specific intent to violate another law (like drug trafficking), which is even less likely to happen now than it was when the piece was published, given the current presidential administration’s zealous deportation strategy and Congress’s seeming acquiescence. As such, I advocate for a second-best solution involving federal-state cooperative agreements wherein border states abutting both Mexico and Canada are given the option by the federal government to pass local legislation decriminalizing border crossings into their states as their communities desire. To the extent that the current presidential administration …

The Demonization Of America's Economic Engine, Ediberto Roman

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

In a 2013 book entitled Those Damned Immigrants: America’s Hysteria Over Undocumented Immigration, I warned of a conservative political trend that I believed would lead to an all-out assault on undocumented immigrants. This trend occurred despite the fact that these immigrants are critical economic boons to our economy.

On his first day in office in 2025, President Trump made the book’s warnings prophetic. That day, President Trump issued a series of executive orders, including 10 focused on limiting entry into the United States and questioning many who previously entered the United States legally. These orders include, 1) enhanced deportation …

Behind The Prompt: The Environmental Impact Of Llm Inference, Lucy Hegenderfer, Isaac Huang

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

As the size and demand for large language models (LLMs) increase, the environmental impact of computational inference often exceeds training; yet industry lacks a standardized method of calculating this expanding environmental footprint. Complexity arises with task-specific computational demands, infrastructure overhead, and various GPU architectures, making cross-model assessments burdensome. Combining environmental engineering and computer science principles by validating Jegham et al.’s meta-model, we predict the carbon emissions and water consumption during inference, providing metrics to raise user awareness of AI’s growing environmental footprint. Additional work supports integration into a multi-agent conversational system that encourages responsible scheduling and prompting, guiding the user …

Mixed Reality In Human–Robot Interaction For Collaborative Applications, Evan Reid, Caitlin Osorio

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

This project explores the use of Extended Reality (XR) technologies to enhance human- robot interaction in industrial contexts. Building upon prior research in affective and cognitive state recognition during human-cobot collaboration, this study investigates how natural hand and head gestures, captured through Meta Quest passthrough mode, can be used to communicate human intent to a Universal Robotics e-Series collaborative robot. The XR system provides users with an immersive, real-world visual interface while tracking motion and position in real time. The captured gestures are interpreted through a custom software pipeline that integrates machine learning models and rule-based logic to trigger adaptive …

Eggbeater Antenna Design 915 Mhz, Anshul Deshmukh

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

The Sal-E cube sat mission that is planned for launch in 2026 includes a 902-928 MHz receiving module called the Space Quacker Advanced Development (SQUAD) module. The SQUAD module uses the LoRa modulation format for unlicensed uplink to the satellite using the 902-928 MHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band. The goal of the SQUAD module is to demonstrate the link robustness of the LoRa communication standard to a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite using this ISM band. To demonstrate this communication link, a 902-928 MHz uplink ground station needs to be established at Cal Poly. The goal of this …

Ai-Driven Embedded Camera System For Real-Time Traffic Anomaly Detection, Isaac Pruett

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

In this project, we will collaborate with Caltrans District 5 (covering San Luis Obispo County and surrounding regions) to develop a small, battery-powered, camera-based embedded system utilizing an NVIDIA Jetson board and neural networks to detect highway traffic anomalies. The device will analyze real-time traffic flow patterns and send alerts regarding detected anomalies. Unlike the stationary commercial camera systems currently in use, the proposed system offers increased mobility, affordability, and will give Caltrans engineers improved access over system outputs.

Analysis And Evaluation Of Backtracking Settings For Energy Yield Optimization At The Cal Poly Solar Farm, Kayla Go-Oco

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

The Cal Poly Solar farm has been built as a single axis tracking facility with two different types of panels. Both conventional single cell solar panels and twin cell solar cells have been used in its construction. Twin Cell panels typically perform better than their conventional counterparts when shaded by other panels in the row in front of them in a fixed tilt system. However neither module performs well when even a small portion is shaded. This project will access the system API to access data for the field and process to determine the energy yield improvements that can be …

Exploring Impact Of Student’S Proximity To Summer Camp And Demographics On Their Interests In Engineering, Yamil Balcells

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

EPIC is a one-week Cal Poly program where middle-and high-school students explore engineering through hands-on projects in a university setting. In partnership with the Migrant Education Program (MEP), EPIC reserves spots for migratory students and provides bilingual counseling and support. These services ensure equitable access and a welcoming environment for students developing English proficiency.

Ai Agents For Search And Rescue (Ai4sar), Nathan Huang, Lakshana Viswa

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

The goal of this summer research activity is to expand the capabilities of a system developed in the larger AI in Search and Rescue project. This project supports volunteer organizations participating in the search for missing persons by providing a basic framework for the collection and organization of relevant information, augmented with specific components that utilize a variety of AI methods. The focus of the summer research will be on the development of agent components for selected roles and tasks in a search and rescue mission. The agents utilize generative AI methods such as Large Language Models (LLMs) to provide …

Stretchable Mechanoluminescent Devices For Energy Harvesting And Real-Time Force Sensing, Lucas Taliaferro, Phoebe Ong

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Our group has been developing a novel manufacturing technique to fabricate flexible sensing devices using electrostatic force. Previously, we focused on utilizing nanomaterials as the sensing materials to measure strains. Building on our experience with the manufacturing technique, we will move forward to incorporate other smart materials in the flexible device to achieve self-powered sensors. Besides, to better understand the fabricated material properties, we are interested in characterizing the microstructural behavior of the material networks via microscopic imaging and finite element simulations. The students will have the opportunity to closely work with Dr. Wang’s interdisciplinary research group.

Analyzing Wearable Sensor Data From Individuals Undergoing Motor And Neurological Rehabilitation, Nolan William Turk

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

An ongoing study funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) is focused on developing computational models of rehabilitation for people post-stroke. Stroke affects around 800,000 people per year in the US, and often leaves people with limited motor (movement) and neurological (brain-based) capability. Wearable sensors may allow clinicians to better understand how these individuals recover, and to better design therapies and interventions. We are seeking students who can use existing software, and perhaps adapt the software to extract, analyze, and visualize detail from study participants. This project will involve with the Cal Poly PI, and collaborators from physical therapy. This …

Radiative Heat Transfer Using Spectrometers, Metztli Singha

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Radiative heat transfer and the fundamental understanding of the electromagnetic spectrum, ranging from infrared to ultraviolet, are crucial topics for space environments and aerodynamic re-entry systems. The advancement of the aerospace curriculum in these areas will lay the cornerstone for undergraduate students focusing on experiential learning. A specific laboratory experiment involving black body radiation and modes of heat transfer, with a particular emphasis on radiation, will be scoped, designed, and fabricated during the SURP performance period. The outcomes of this work will standardize the introductory courses on heat transfer specific to aeronautics and astronautics concentrations, which is mainly lacking outside …

Experimental Study Of Flexible Wing Design For Low Subsonic Flow, Blake Shaffer, Timothy Barry

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

The aim of this project is to study experimentally the structural stability of highly flexible wings under low subsonic flow conditions. The experiments will be carried out at the low-speed wind tunnel in the Aerospace Engineering department. As part of this project, the student will design and build a variety of different flexible wing structures and test their performance in the wind tunnel--the experiments will involve pressure, deflection, and strain measurements. Both additively manufactured and built-up structures will be explored as part of this project. The project will also require the student to perform finite element simulations for the wing …

Approximating The Maximum Weighted Independent Set Problem Empirically, Sue Sue

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

In this project we investigate approximation algorithms for the maximum weighted independent set (MWIS) problem in random graphs that approximate real-world graphs, such as social networks. The problem involves finding a large collection of nodes in a network (vertices in a graph) such that no two nodes are directly connected to one another. Applications of the MWIS problem are broad and include clique-finding algorithms as well as the use of large independent sets in distributed algorithms. We build on prior work by the mentor with a SURP 2024 and senior project, in which preliminary findings suggested that a standard greedy …

15cm Gridded Ion Thruster, Arjan Reyes

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

This research focuses on optimizing the configuration of a 13cm ion thruster for long term efficiency. Ion thrusters produce thrust for spacecraft when they are in orbit. The thruster needs to be efficient enough to last for the lifetime of the spacecraft as well as through its deorbit procedure. Thruster efficiency is achieved through optimizing the distribution of the high velocity beam of charged particles at the exit that impacts fatigue patterns on voltage grids. The shape of the beam is determined by the placement of magnets on the thruster walls. An experiment to test configurations for increasing efficiency through …

Spacecraft Reaction Wheel Simulation Testbed, Shiva Pulmamidi, Daniel Kim

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

There are three typical methods used to control the attitude (or orientation) of spacecraft in orbit. They are momentum exchange devices (reaction wheels and control moment gyroscopes), magnetic torquers, and thrusters (both cold and hot gas). The PolySim research group is currently developing a spacecraft attitude dynamics simulator utilizing reaction wheels. The simulator floats on a spherical air bearing and is balanced to accurately simulate the rotational motion of a spacecraft in orbit (not including the orbital motion). As a continuation of that project, we have completed the development of spacecraft attitude simulator using cold gas thrusters to control the …

Building Pathways To Computer Science Careers For Latinx Students Through Multilingual Collaborative Block-Based Programming, Valerie Ponce, Priscilla Garcia

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

The underrepresentation of Latinx students in computer science highlights the need for innovative and inclusive educational approaches. This project addresses challenges such as limited access to educational resources and the demand for multilingual learning tools by developing a co-located, collaborative, game-based programming environment. Designed for use on phones, tablets, and laptops, this tool supports English, Spanish, and Mixtec, facilitating broader engagement. By promoting peer collaboration and interactive learning, our approach challenges traditional notions of solitary programming and reinforces the idea that expertise is shared, fostering an inclusive and equitable learning environment.

Seismic Resilience Of Timber Structures, Mia Wootton, Allison Nocon, Mikayla Caruthers, Ava Fineza, Rebecca Slutsky, Min Thit Kant

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Wood houses dominate the construction landscape in the United States (U.S.), with over 94% of new homes constructed in 2022 being wood framed. New Zealand shares a similar construction landscape, with building practices for wood houses like those in California. Nevertheless, the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence damaged nearly three quarters of the housing stock in the region. A total of 150,000 homes were damaged, with about one fifth exceeding NZ$100,000 in damage. To assess the likelihood of economic losses of California’s timber houses, a shake table testing campaign is underway at the California Polytechnic State University Advanced Technology Laboratory in …

Augmented Reality Application For Real-Time Coastal Data Visualization, Nithyasri Palanisamy

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

This project aims to develop an Augmented Reality (AR) application that overlays real-time coastal environmental data onto physical landscapes when viewed through AR devices such as smartphones and mixed reality headsets. By integrating data from machine learning models, computer vision-based event detection, coastal sensors, and geospatial mapping technologies, the application will provide users with an immersive and interactive experience, enhancing their understanding of coastal dynamics and environmental changes. The application will focus on observing coastal phenomena such as rip currents, tracking endangered coastal species and marine mammals, monitoring crowd levels on beaches, etc. Data sources will include NOAA's National Data …