Digital Commons Network^™

Zero Waste Soap Vending Machine, Betty Hasse, Nicholas O'Connor, Lizzie Veechi, Klayton Dasilva, Kevin Perri

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Projects

The Zero Waste Soap Vending Machine project aimed to address the growing issue of single-use plastic waste by designing an innovative, sustainable soap dispensing system. This project’s primary objective was to create a vending machine capable of dispensing three forms of soap – liquid, powdered, and bar – while reducing plastic waste by enabling customers to refill their own containers. With a focus on accessibility and environmental sustainability, the design process aimed to produce a modular, user-friendly solution. Together with URI’s Plastics CoLab, the team collaborated with both domestic and foreign partners, such as Dr. Vinka Craver and Everyday Eco …

Nuwc Uuv Internal Impeller Capstone, James Roggero, Marcello Guider, Max Mullen, Connor Marot

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Projects

This project focuses on evaluating and implementing an internal impeller system for a compact Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) intended for naval use. The UUV is designed to operate within tight spatial, energy, and performance constraints associated with launch from a sealed torpedo tube. The main objective was to identify and test commercial water pump solutions, including screw pumps and jet pumps, capable of providing sufficient thrust while maintaining efficiency and compactness.

Throughout the project, the team conducted iterative CAD modeling, integration testing, and component fit evaluations. Several commercial jet pumps were analyzed for flow characteristics, size compatibility, and thrust potential. …

Battery Thermal Runaway Pressure Relief Mechanism, Enrique Echevaria, Larry Lambiase, Madeline Macalister, Matthew Salisbury-Dowling, Ryan Tona

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Projects

Thermal runaway in lithium-ion batteries is a serious safety concern, especially as these batteries become more common in electric vehicles and energy storage systems. This report presents the design and testing of a pressure relief mechanism aimed at safely venting pressure buildup during thermal runaway events. Our goal was to create a system that responds quickly, is reliable, and can potentially operate in underwater environments. To test the prototype, we measured how much pressure it took to displace the lid, with results showing that it reached our target displacement of ½ inch at just under 0.85 psi. The data showed …

Magseal Assembly Press Project, Sophia Harper, Aj Coppola, Nicholas Giorgi, Nate Mendoza, Ryan Tocco

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Projects

MagsSeal is a leader in the magnetic seal industry and provides uniquely designed seals to much of the aerospace and automotive communities. With highly regulated customers like these, MagSeal’s magnetic rotor seals are held to the highest standard of quality. Currently, MagSeal utilizes a hand operated arbor press to seat the carbon seal ring into the magnetic rotor casing. This poses two issues: there is little consistency in the pressing force applied to their seals and some operators are not able to press seals due to the labor-intensive nature of this task. The MagSeal carbon seal press project aims to …

Capstone Final Report: Coal To Nuclear – Nuclear Power Solutions, Owen Horiagon, James Russell, Thomas Scorpio, Nate Segar

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Projects

This project focuses on repurposing the retired Brayton Point coal plant into a next-generation clean energy facility by integrating a small modular reactor (SMR) to power a 250 MW AI data center. The purpose is to demonstrate a sustainable and technically sound solution that addresses both the rising demand for computational power and the need to decarbonize legacy infrastructure. Our objectives include designing and validating the NuScale SMR process, ensuring reliable integration with existing site assets, maintaining strict safety and licensing standards, and achieving zero net carbon emissions. The scope of work encompasses the complete system design, site retrofit planning, …

05.05.2025 Ored Connect, Liz Williamson

ORED Newsletter

Research Showcase Photos

Showcase Raffle Winners

Chancellor's Award for Research and Creative Scholarship

Video of the ORED website

Keeping Flight-Ready Aircraft Secure On The Tarmac Air Force Using New Wheel Chocks Developed By Udri, University Of Dayton

News Releases

When a strong wind blows across an airfield tarmac, a small block of wood or plastic is the only barrier preventing a multimillion dollar aircraft parked outside from rolling away. Unless the block fails.

Initial Scripts And Final Code Data For E2021-260 Study 1, Undergraduates' Access And Usability Of The Contentdm Interface And Irb2022-263 Study 2, Faculty Needs Assessment Of The Library Dam System, Lindsey Memory, Rebecca A. Wiederhold, Abby Beazer, Greg Seppi, Nicole Lewis, Elizabeth Smart, Brent Ellingson

ScholarsArchive Data

Included are the initial scripts and the final qualitative thematic codes (created using the grounded method) of two IRB studies completed by the BYU Library's Digital Collections Systems Management Committee. Study 1, "Undergraduates' Access and Usability of the CONTENTdm Interface" (BYU IRB E2021-260) administered a usability test and an oral survey/interview, resulting in two datasets: codes from video observational data of undergraduate subjects using the library's digital asset management system, CONTENTdm, to complete ten pre-set usability tasks, and also codes from open-ended interview questions about those undergraduate students' perceived effectiveness in the system, and their preferences in a library digital …

Rescue Of The First Mitochondrial Membrane Carrier, The Mpic, By Tat-Mediated Protein Replacement Treatment, Samar Zabit, Orly Melloul, Michal Lichtenstein, Erin L. Seifert, Haya Lorberboum-Galski

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

The mitochondrial phosphate carrier (mPiC), encoded by the nuclear gene SLC25A3, is synthesized with an N-terminus mitochondrial targeting sequence (MTS), enabling its import into the mitochondria. mPiC imports inorganic phosphate (P_i) into the mitochondrial matrix for ATP production and other matrix phosphorylation reactions, as well as regulates mitochondrial Ca²⁺ uptake and buffering of matrix Ca²⁺. PiC also imports copper (Cu), crucial to COX subunit holoenzyme assembly. Variants in SLC25A3 exist and lead to mPiC deficiency (MPCD), cause a rare autosomal recessive disease with no current cure; patients with MPCD usually die within the first …

Successful Strategies Utilized By Business Leaders To Balance Tax Planning With Profitability, Quarnelia Patterson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The absence of business tax planning strategies can lead to a higher tax burden. Business owners are concerned because a higher tax burden may result in lower after-tax earnings and reduced cash flow. Grounded in the PESTLE analysis framework, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry study was to explore successful strategies that business leaders use to balance tax planning with profitability. The participants were eight small business owners located in the southwest United States who actively engaged in tax planning. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of publicly available documents. Through thematic analysis, nine themes were …

Probation Officers Perceptions Of Probationers Economic Barriers To Successfully Complete Probation In Eastern North Carolina, Dwayne Ponton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative phenomenological study explored probation officers’ perceptions of the economic barriers that prevent probationers in Eastern North Carolina from successfully completing probation. Challenges such as unemployment, financial sanctions, housing instability, and debt were identified as key obstacles contributing to noncompliance and recidivism. Grounded in Merton’s Strain Theory, the study addressed a gap in research by focusing on the experiences of officers who directly supervise probationers facing economic hardship. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with twelve officers and analyzed using thematic analysis. The study was guided by two research questions: (1) What economic barriers prevent probationers from successfully completing …

Recent U.S. Government Policy Literature On Critical And Strategic Minerals, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Critical and strategic minerals have become increasingly important in U.S. government civilian and military policymaking in recent years. This is demonstrated by the heavy use of such minerals in many critical civilian and military infrastructures. This work will discuss how this subject has been addressed in laws, presidential documents, and works by government agencies along with congressional oversight committees and support agencies. It will stress how the United States is heavily dependent on strategic minerals from adversarial foreign countries such as China and will examine U.S. efforts to increase its ability to produce such materials in the United States by …

Evaluating The Impact Of Initial Injury Severity On Post-Traumatic Joint Contracture In A Rat Elbow Model, Genevieve Jarrell

Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Independent Study

Post-traumatic joint contracture (PTJC) is a common complication following elbow injuries, often leading to stiffness, pain, and impaired limb function. A simple elbow dislocation model in Long-Evans rats has been validated to replicate clinical PTJC. However, real-world elbow trauma frequently involves more complex injuries such as chronic instability or fracture dislocation. The objective of this study was to evaluate outcomes of two newly developed, more severe elbow injuries in vivo for the first time. A three-tiered injury model of increasing severity was implemented: Tier I (simple dislocation), Tier II (instability), and Tier III (fracture dislocation). Mechanical hyperalgesia thresholds, forelimb strength, …

Frequency Up-Conversion Electromagnetic Energy Harvester For Generating Electrical Power From Vibration Of Beams Under Moving Load, Md Ismail Monsury, Adamaris Sanchez, Mohsen Amjadian, Constantine Tarawneh

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper studies a single-resonator electromagnetic energy harvester that employs an impact-driven frequency up-conversion mechanism to convert low-frequency vibrations of a multi-span beam, subjected to successive moving loads, into electrical power. The harvester consists of a cantilever beam made of plastic, serving as the resonator, with a thick square copper coil attached to its free end. This coil moves relative to two stationary cubic neodymium permanent magnets, each positioned on one side of the coil. To expand the harvester’s operational bandwidth, a stopper is positioned beneath the resonator, inducing controlled mechanical impacts as the cantilever beam vibrates. These impacts effectively …

Numerical Study Of A Locally Resonant Frictional Metamaterial For Seismic Vibration Control Of Liquid Storage Tanks, Shayan Khosravi, Mohsen Amjadian

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Liquid storage tanks (LSTs) are critical infrastructure components, storing essential fluids in facilities such as oil refineries and nuclear power plants. However, their vulnerability to seismic damage, including tank wall buckling and anchor uplift due to fluid-structure interaction and sloshing dynamics, necessitates advanced protective measures. This study introduces the Locally Resonant Frictional Metamaterial (LRFM) system as an innovative seismic base-isolation (SBI) technology to mitigate earthquake-induced effects on LSTs. The LRFM system consists of a periodic lattice framework with friction-based resonators designed to attenuate seismic waves by generating low-frequency bandgaps (0–20 Hz), which is a critical range for mitigating impulsive seismic …

How Much Should Consumers With Mild To Moderate Hearing Loss Spend On Hearing Devices?, Vinaya Manchaiah, Steve Taddei, Abram Bailey, De Wet Swanepoel, Hansapani Rodrigo, Andrew Sabin

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: This study examined the relationship between hearing device price and sound quality. Method: A novel consumer-centric metric of sound quality (“SoundScore”) was used to assess hearing devices’ audio performance. Each hearing device is tested with two fittings. The “Initial Fit” is designed to approximate the most likely fitting for an individual with a mild-to-moderate sloping sensorineural hearing loss. The “Tuned Fit” includes adjusting parameters optimized to hit prescriptive fitting targets (NAL NL2) on an acoustic manikin. Each fitting is evaluated across five dimensions. Both fittings are combined using a weighted average to create a single number from 0 to …

Hybridize Functions: A Tool For Automatically Refactoring Imperative Deep Learning Programs To Graph Execution, Raffi Khatchadourian, Tatiana Castro Vélez, Mehdi Bagherzadeh, Nan Jia, Anita Raja

Publications and Research

Efficiency is essential to support responsiveness w.r.t. ever-growing datasets, especially for Deep Learning (DL) systems. DL frameworks have traditionally embraced deferred execution-style DL code—supporting symbolic, graph-based Deep Neural Network (DNN) computation. While scalable, such development is error-prone, non-intuitive, and difficult to debug. Consequently, more natural, imperative DL frameworks encouraging eager execution have emerged but at the expense of run-time performance. Though hybrid approaches aim for the “best of both worlds,” using them effectively requires subtle considerations to make code amenable to safe, accurate, and efficient graph execution—avoiding performance bottlenecks and semantically inequivalent results. We discuss the engineering aspects of a …

Examining The Impact Of Reentry Programs On The Employability Of African American Ex-Offenders Entering The Workforce In The State Of Michigan, Lawrence Gene Caldwell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American ex-offenders in Michigan have faced numerous challenges when trying to secure employment after incarceration. Despite the well-documented difficulties of reintegration, their personal experiences and perceptions of these obstacles remain largely unexplored. Successful reintegration has required individuals to break free from the behaviors and social patterns reinforced during their time in prisons. This generic qualitative study examined the role of reentry programs in addressing these challenges and emphasizes the need to reassess current criminal justice practices to better support formerly incarcerated individuals. This generic qualitative study focused on the employment struggles faced by African American ex-offenders and the broader …

Mitigating Supply Chain Disruptions In The Retail Warehousing Industry, Terricka Nichole Townsend

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Retail warehousing stability is increasingly threatened by global uncertainties and supply chain disruptions, requiring urgent and innovative strategies. This issue is critical for retail warehousing managers and supply chain leaders, as their ability to respond impacts organizational resilience, business continuity, and customer satisfaction. The purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore strategies used by retail warehousing managers to mitigate the negative impacts of supply chain disruptions on business stability. The situational crisis communication theory and attribution theory provided the conceptual framework for understanding how retail warehousing managers communicate and respond to supply chain disruptions while maintaining stakeholder trust …

Hybridize Functions: A Tool For Automatically Refactoring Imperative Deep Learning Programs To Graph Execution, Raffi Khatchadourian, Tatiana Castro Vélez, Mehdi Bagherzadeh, Nan Jia, Anita Raja

Publications and Research

Efficiency is essential to support responsiveness w.r.t. ever-growing datasets, especially for Deep Learning (DL) systems. DL frameworks have traditionally embraced deferred execution-style DL code—supporting symbolic, graph-based Deep Neural Network (DNN) computation. While scalable, such development is error-prone, non-intuitive, and difficult to debug. Consequently, more natural, imperative DL frameworks encouraging eager execution have emerged but at the expense of run-time performance. Though hybrid approaches aim for the "best of both worlds," using them effectively requires subtle considerations to make code amenable to safe, accurate, and efficient graph execution—avoiding performance bottlenecks and semantically inequivalent results. We discuss the engineering aspects of a …

“I Was Just Doing My Job”: An Oral History Of Vietnam Veterans And The Impact Of Their Voices In Collective War Memory, Alyssa Morris

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This master's thesis explores how oral histories from Vietnam veterans provide vital counter-narratives to traditional, often impersonal, military histories. Inspired by the author's grandfather, a Vietnam veteran, the project collects and analyzes ten interviews conducted as part of the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project. The study emphasizes how oral history not only preserves overlooked personal stories but also restores humanity and empathy to historical understanding. Not only does this project highlight the findings of the interviews but also details the process the author went through before and during the interviews, accompanying that is advice on best practices and how …

Fayetteville State University Spring Commencement May 9, 2025, Fayetteville St University

Graduation Exhibit

Program for Fayetteville State University Spring Commencement May 9, 2025

Keynote Speaker: Mayor Mitch Colvin, City of Fayetteville Mayor 2017-2025

Nuwc Uav Release From A Uuv, Callum Melrose, Isaac Hernandez, Nick Ensign, Clayton Peel

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Projects

This design report focuses on the development of an innovative system that enables the deployment of a small encapsulated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from a submerged unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV). Addressing a significant need within the underwater marine community, this capability has applications in advanced scouting, aerial imaging, and enhancing situational awareness. The project centers on designing a UUV hull form or modifying an existing design to incorporate a specialized payload section capable of housing and deploying an encapsulated UAV in submerged conditions.

The primary design challenges include integrating the payload system without compromising the hydrodynamic efficiency, stability, or operational …

Autonomous Drone Launch Pad, Jennifer Radulski, David O'Connor, Zach Smith, Colby Landry, David Janczar

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Projects

Launch Tech was tasked by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) to create an autonomous drone launch pad to be used offshore for reconnaissance missions by the United States military. NUWC provided the team with $2,000 to design, test, and assemble a single-use launch pad made out of a flexible composite material that fits inside a 3-inch outer diameter by 1-foot-long cylindrical capsule. The capsule is to be released from an unmanned underwater vehicle, float to the water’s surface, and, upon command, open to expose the launch pad. It must be able to hold the drone in position during transit, …

Team 16h Hybrid Rocket Motor Stand, Lilian Allory, Amelia Lambert, Ethan Leary, Chris Silveira, Matthew Zannini

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Projects

This project focuses on the design and construction of a hybrid rocket motor test stand to be used in a future hybrid rocket class that will be offered at the University of Rhode Island. Team 16H began coordination with sponsor, Dean Marchese, in September 2024 to develop a problem definition and customer requirements. The test stand should have the ability to measure and record essential parameters such as thrust, chamber pressure, and mass flow rate. To ensure user safety, the implementation of a remote-control ignition system is required. The table is expected to consume gaseous oxygen with an inline nitrogen …

Nasa University Student Launch Initiative (Nasa Usli), James Collier, Chris Grivers, Ryan Hirsch, Alex Jedson, Jack Lague

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Projects

The NASA University Student Launch Initiative (NASA USLI) is an annual engineering competition that challenges university teams to design, build, and launch high-powered rockets (HPRs) capable of meeting specific objectives. For the 2025 competition, the primary mission is to accurately predict the rocket's apogee, demonstrating precision in design and execution. The University of Rhode Island’s Mechanical Engineering Capstone Team 17H designed, built, and flown the rocket, using the engineering method. The team began by reviewing literature, patents, and prior competition entries to gain a thorough understanding of high-powered rocketry and to identify proven design strategies. Customer requirements were carefully analyzed, …

Preludios Colombianos: A Recording Project Of The Piano Preludes By Adolfo Mejía And The Preludes Op.48 And Op.56 By Guillermo Uribe Holguín, Natalia Vanegas Escobar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Preludios Colombianos is an audio recording album dedicated to the piano works of Colombian composers Adolfo Mejía Navarro and Guillermo Uribe Holguín, performed by pianist Natalia Vanegas Escobar. The album features Uribe Holguín’s Preludes op. 48 and op. 56 and Mejía’s Four Preludes, offering listeners a focused look at two important yet underrepresented voices in classical music. Despite the significance of these composers in the Colombian national repertoire, many of their pieces have never been professionally recorded, and some have no audio record whatsoever. This project responds to that need, providing accessible, high quality, and more performance interpretations of these …

Single Vesicle Surface Protein Profiling And Machine Learning - Assisted Dual Image Analysis For Breast Cancer Detection, Mitchell Lee Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Single vesicle molecular profiling of cancer-associated EVs is increasingly recognized as a powerful tool for cancer detection and monitoring. Mask and target dual imaging offers a straightforward method to quantify the fraction of molecularly targeted EVs in biofluids at the single vesicle level. However, accurate and efficient dual imaging analysis remains challenging due to interference from false signals in mask images and the need to process large volumes of clinical sample data. A fully automated dual imaging analysis method based on machine learning, integrated with dual imaging single-vesicle technology (DISVT), for breast cancer detection at various stages is presented here. …

Optimal Placement Of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Using Modified Artificial Hummingbird Algorithm In An Electric Grid, Sravan Kumar Dumpeti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The rapid adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs) necessitates to optimize the grid through strategic placement of Electric Vehicle Charging Station (EVCS). Conventional algorithms such as Greywolf Optimization Algorithm and Particle Swarm Optimization have been used for the placement of EVCS, but they have difficulties in dealing with dynamic and complex environments. With this background, this thesis proposes a Modified Artificial Hummingbird Algorithm (MAHA) for optimal placement of EVCS in the IEEE 9-bus, 57-bus, and 118-bus systems. The first approach uses a single objective function that minimizes transmission losses due to EV charging, while the second approach considers a multi-objective function …

Invisible Scholars, Emmaline Payne

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

In the United States, every year, there are approximately 1.3 million students who experience homelessness, an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. Homelessness among students has a significant impact on their academic performance, mental health, and behavior. Factors like higher absenteeism, constant movement, and lack of support can all contribute to decreased academic achievement. Ultimately, this leads to students having to repeat grades or not graduating high school, compromising their abilities to succeed in the future. In addition to the decrease in academic achievement, behavioral and mental challenges exacerbated by the stress of housing instability also …