Engineering Commons^™

2023 - The Fourth Annual Fall Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Fall 2023 Symposium of Student Scholars, held in November 2023. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

From Rookies To Synthesis: Agile Solutions For Sustainable Doctoral Studies, Maija Taka, Jaana Suviniitty, Olli Varis

Research Papers

Modern doctoral education in engineering lies at the intersection of three topical phenomena: firstly, the surge of wicked sustainability concerns and the subsequent burgeoning demand for cross-disciplinarity. Secondly, the rapidly developing new technologies and global knowledge economy provide a thriving problem-solving potential, although – thirdly – this requires proactive and innovative collaboration beyond the scope of a single discipline. Thus, doctoral education needs new practices to ensure that students are equipped with new kinds of competencies to solve unpredictable and wicked sustainability problems. In order to reach these demands, we need to favor collaboration over competition. Here we approach these …

Development Of The New Hasslein Caed Collaborative, Catie Dines

Construction Management

This paper outlines the development and execution of the new Hasslein CAED Collaborative student competition which engages students of all five majors in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design in a Request for Proposal style competition. CAED houses students studying Architecture, Architectural Engineering, City and Regional Planning, Construction Management, and Landscape Architecture. There is little opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration within the CAED, despite our future career paths being heavily intertwined. This competition followed research by Greta Stout, class of 2022, on the benefits and support of interdisciplinary collaboration at Cal Poly SLO in CAED. The competition is named after …

Skip The Grid: Empowering The Navajo Nation Through Solar Energy, Estevan Marcel Hurtado

Construction Management

Skip the Grid is an interdisciplinary service project through California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) where students and faculty partnered with sponsors including SOLV Energy and Goal Zero, and facilitation by Heart of America, an educational equity non-profit, to bring solar power to 27 families of school aged children in the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation is a historically disadvantaged community which lacks the infrastructure and financial capacity to provide electrical service to about a third of the families living on the reservation. Families in the Red Mesa and Chinle School Districts were the focus for this …

The Torii Project, Edward Anthony Sanchez Pascua

Construction Management

This is a summary of the Torii Project: how the project came to be, and the process behind the preconstruction of installing the structure. A Torii is a Japanese gate structure in Japanese Shinto practices, as the structure is a frame for a significant space. The project was initially started by the Japanese Student Association, and has grown over time become an interdisciplinary design build project involving architects, civil engineers, landscape architects and construction management majors. The design came from Cal Poly Architecture Alumni Amir Hossler who has studied the construction of Toriis in Japan and was the main source …

The Design And Construction Of A Radio Telescope, Avery Elizabeth Bunting, Kira Hope Tolman

Architectural Engineering

Two architectural engineering students and an electrical engineering student worked together to design and build a radio telescope that is capable of using hydrogen line astronomy to map the galaxy. The telescope is made entirely out of aluminum, which, combined with small deflection limits, made for an iterative design process that focused primarily on constructability and supporting the desired outcomes of the electrical side.

The Center For Centering Dome, Olek Piechaczek, Ryan M. Scharf

Architectural Engineering

The Center for Centering seeks to create a large-scale healing center, conducive to individual centering of the mind and body. This mobile installation provides a relaxing, enclosed space while still maintaining a connection to the outdoors. The clients liked the idea of having a pop-up installation that could be easily set up as a touring display. With a deadline for installation looming in June 2022, a team of students had five months to design and manufacture the structure.

In winter 2022, the students developed custom geometry to minimize the number of individual parts and built a ¼ scale model of …

Where Did They Come From? Why Did They Go? How Engineering Students’ Perceptions Cultivate Experiences And Influence Behaviors, Sara Campbell Vick

Theses and Dissertations

Engineering undergraduate students have opinions and perceptions of engineering disciplines and engineering undergraduate students do not always matriculate and graduate in precisely the same discipline. Understanding how these two characteristics of engineering undergraduate students interact to inform behaviors is important for engineering educators and administrators to increase and improve recruitment and retention among their students.

This dissertation approached each characteristic of engineering students, first separately and then together. A nationwide survey of undergraduate engineering students found significant differences in how students perceive various engineering disciplines along several paired-term anchored scales. These differences were equally significant when scores were considered in …

2023- The Twenty-Seventh Annual Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Twenty-seventh Annual Symposium of Student Scholars, held on April 18-21, 2023. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

Construction Of Geological Guarantee System For Green Coal Mining, Wang Shuangming, Geng Jishi, Li Pengfei, Sun Qiang, Fan Zhangqun, Li Dan

Coal Geology & Exploration

Large-scale and high-intensity mining of coal resources has induced damage to geological conditions and ecological environment in coal mining areas. It is of great significance to study the coupling mechanism of geological structure-groundwater environment-ecological environment dynamic evolution caused by coal mining. Development of the theory and technology of geological guarantee for green coal development is also critical for ensuring the high-quality development of coal industry in China. In additional to the current coal mining technology, research status of geological guarantee for green development of coal is analyzed in this paper Scientific connotation of “system of geological guarantee for green development …

Creativity, Craftsmanship, And Connection: Large-Format Sculpture Design, Jacqueline L. Puga, Gordon Hoople

The STEAM Journal

Artistry is a concept that is not usually explored in engineering yet is an invaluable skill that touches everything from product design to systems thinking. This past summer I developed conceptual designs for a large format sculpture that required connecting engineering knowledge with artistic vision. The initial phase required constant inspiration and creativity. The first step was to look at previous sculptures showcased throughout the world, such as at venues like “Burning Man,” to understand the possibilities or limitations of the space provided. Sketching varied and numerous ideas was essential in our design process. Next, we took our favorite ideas …

Centering Meaning-Filled Design Within Engineering Education: Recommendations On How To Integrate Interdisciplinary Architectural Design Charrettes, Community Engagement, Sustainability Principles, And Adapted Agile Methodologies Into A Student-Centered, Project-Based Engineering Program, David D Gillette, Michael Haungs, Thomas Fowler

Practice Papers

The Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies program (LAES) is a hybrid engineering and humanities degree housed in both the engineering and liberal arts colleges. LAES requires the same required math and science courses of standard engineering degrees, adding upper-level concentrations split equally between advanced engineering and humanities courses.

LAES was designed for retaining and recruiting a diversity of students in engineering, and to address recent innovations in industrial practice, technology design, and community-centered education. Through fifteen years of trial and error, the LAES program has developed a set of meaning-filled design guidelines for project work, combining engineering and humanistic problem …

2022 - The Third Annual Fall Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Fall 2022 Symposium of Student Scholars, held on November 17, 2022. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

Comparing Oranges Versus Grapes As A Metaphor Of The Nurse+Engineer, Daniel B. Oerther, Sarah Oerther

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Design Justice In Community-Oriented Engineering Pedagogy And Practice, Michael S. Reyna

Master's Theses

While engineering service-learning projects are seen as a favorable way for students to reinforce curricular learning while gaining cultural awareness, the outcomes of these projects center student benefits over partner community wellbeing. For these projects, and in other engineering contexts, various scholar-activists have conceptualized numerous principles and methods to center justice and equity in engineering outcomes. This research project and its associated intervention involved collecting scholarship and methods in engineering and social justice, and attempted to integrate these ideas into the practices of a local humanitarian service-learning engineering team. The collected scholarship centered around the topics of Design Justice, feminist …

San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden Alternative Learning Space- Preconstruction, Jonah Kirmse

Construction Management

This paper will review the process behind the preconstruction efforts for the creation of an alternative learning space within the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden. The SLO Botanical Garden is a nonprofit that serves the local community by supporting public interest in the natural environment. The project sought to aid in the garden’s aforementioned mission by building upon their ability to provide outdoor education spaces. The project’s eventual completion was a collective effort that spanned across multiple disciplines, representing the building industry. The original intention of the project group was to complete the project from concept to construction, but delays …

San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden Children's Learning Center Deck - The Preconstruction, Dakota Reynolds

Construction Management

This project team consisted of three construction management majors and one architectural engineering student. The goal of this project was to build a deck at the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden, but due to setbacks in design, permitting, and communication with the owner, the group was unable to achieve this goal. The goal then shifted, and this group focused on delivering a preconstruction package that would be given to new students to build the deck. In addition, the architectural engineer will still be a part of this new group to make sure the project runs smoothly. This pre-construction package includes …

San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden - Children's Garden Observation Deck, Troy James Kauffman

Construction Management

This paper will explain the preconstruction process for an observation deck in the San Luis Obispo Botanical Gardens, specifically the children’s garden. The children’s garden is a subsection of the botanical gardens dedicated to educating children through outdoor learning. The San Luis Obispo Botanical Gardens reached out to the Cal Poly Construction Management department in need of a team to create an outdoor learning space. Four students were interested in the project and decided to pursue it. The team for this senior project is an interdisciplinary group consisting of 3 construction management students and 1 architectural engineering student. The team …

Caed Hasslein Student Competition, Greta R. Stout

Construction Management

This paper outlines the development of the first CAED Hasslein Student Competition at Cal Poly, SLO. The College of Architecture and Environmental Design at Cal Poly, SLO has not yet been successful in creating a platform to engage students of all five majors to collaborate in an educational atmosphere. This project aims to challenge students to work in teams made up of all five disciplines in a Request for Proposal-style competition. This paper focuses on how the idea of this competition came to be and the steps that were taken to successfully write the competition problem statement. These steps included …

Air Wear, Ani M. Svadjian, Ada A. Tadeo, Deepthi Ravuru

General Engineering

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals have experienced an overwhelming increase in patients needing respiratory assistance. Our client identified the need for a sustainable, affordable, and portable outpatient device that will provide supplemental oxygen and assisted breathing to speed up the patient recovery process. Our team accomplished to design a device that contains a more sustainable oxygen supply method, has a longer functional duration, is safer and ergonomic, as well as compact.

Increasing The Effectiveness Of K-12 Stem Worshops Through Targeted Context And Creative Technolgies, Melina Lopez

Master's Theses

Economic projections reveal a need for one million more Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) professionals over the next decade than the United States is producing at the current rate. As a result, STEM education is a major focus of recent legislation and funding in Congress as the number of STEM professionals is inadequate to support innovation and the ever-changing economy. In response to the urgent need for more competitive STEM professionals, there has been a widespread implementation of workshops, organizations, and school programs aimed at amplifying K-12 student STEM literacy and interest. Some programs are even created to specifically …

2022- The Twenty-Sixth Annual Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Twenty-sixth Annual Symposium of Student Scholars, held on April 19, 2022. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

Law School News: National Housing Advocate Named To Lead Rwu's New Real Estate Initiatives 02/08/2022, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

Define “Learning Engineering” With The Trap Framework, Ke Zhang, Meina Zhu

Administrative and Organizational Studies

While the term “learning engineering” was first coined by Herbert [1]; it is becoming more salient recently. But there is not a commonly shared understanding of learning engineering as a professional or an academic field. Thus, we explored a range of resources, including scholarly publications and discussions, websites and initiatives of selected professional organizations, resources from related USA government and agencies, recent job posts and learning engineering degree programs to find relevant rhetoric, descriptions, curricula, task forces and other resources on learning engineering. Based on a critical synthesis of the above-mentioned materials, we argue that learning engineering is an emerging …

2021 - The Second Annual Fall Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Fall 2021 Symposium of Student Scholars, held on November 18, 2021. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

Making Space For Social And Emotional Learning In Science Education, Erin Ingram, Kristie Reddick, Jessica M. Honaker, Gwen A. Pearson

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is known to improve student outcomes but is rarely combined with STEM. In this paper we present an action research study to examine the impact of a STEM + SEL curriculum intervention to address a real-world school conflict. One hundred sixth–eighth graders and four teachers participated in an in-person facilitation of a SEL Arthropod curriculum, DIFFERENT. After the intervention, students completed open-ended couplet statements about arthropod behavior, tarantulas, and humans designed to measure sentiment change. Answers were manually coded using inductive coding on a scale of negative (1) to positive (5). Statement sentiments significantly shifted from negative …

Hand Strength And Dexterity Enhancer, Julia Ann Denison, Autumn B. Rexford, Melissa A. Kurani, Christina K. Fong

Biomedical Engineering

Good Grips created the hand strength and dexterity enhancer project to meet the challenge presented by Bill Phelps. He has Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM), an inflammatory muscle disease characterized by progressive muscle weakness and atrophy. Bill has limited strength in both hands and lost the ability to bend his fingers, making it difficult to grip anything. He needed a device that would help with everyday tasks such as writing, lifting, and holding various objects.

Our team consists of four engineering students attending Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. We researched, designed, manufactured, and tested a device that would fulfill the problem …

Engineers In Action Bridge Program - Creation Of The Cal Poly Chapter, James Foad

Construction Management

The purpose of this project was to establish a chapter of Engineers in Action at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. Engineers in Action is a non-profit organization which is dedicated to constructing footbridges in underserved countries. Bridges are linked to many benefits for those without reliable access year-round. Chapters of this organization work to design, fund, and build the footbridges in remote locations consisting of West Virginia, eSwatini, and Bolivia. The plan for the chapter was to establish a founding team which can work together to both recruit new members, and complete the tasks needed to successfully …

2021- The Twenty-Fifth Annual Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Twenty-fifth Annual Symposium of Student Scholars, held on April 29, 2021. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

Mapping Renewal: How An Unexpected Interdisciplinary Collaboration Transformed A Digital Humanities Project, Elise Tanner, Geoffrey Joseph

Digital Initiatives Symposium

Funded by a National Endowment for Humanities (NEH) Humanities Collections and Reference Resources Foundations Grant, the UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture’s “Mapping Renewal” pilot project focused on creating access to and providing spatial context to archival materials related to racial segregation and urban renewal in the city of Little Rock, Arkansas, from 1954-1989. An unplanned interdisciplinary collaboration with the UA Little Rock Arkansas Economic Development Institute (AEDI) has proven to be an invaluable partnership. One team member from each department will demonstrate the Mapping Renewal website and discuss how the collaborative process has changed and shaped …