Engineering Commons^™

Extraterrestrial Life: The Possibility Of A Human-Alien Interaction, Ariana M. Piscoya

CAFE Symposium 2024

We all have heard of at least one case where someone assured having seen a flying extraterrestrial object. There are thousands of thousands of videos we can find online that “prove” the existence of aliens. In the hypothetical case where aliens are really out there, why haven't we been able to talk to them and look at them face-to-face? A human-extraterrestrial interaction has not yet been achieved for two reasons. First, alien energy is much more powerful than that of humans, so it would require thousands of thousands of years for the human race to develop a technology able to …

Creatively Making Through Failure, Spencer W. Ashnault

CAFE Symposium 2023

This work of art is a 3D Map of Rome, Italy that uses laser cutting and 3D printing techniques to create. The project and technique is explained by the artist and author Spencer Ashnault.

Biofeedback Technologies As Extended Cognition: A Philosophical Analysis, Haesoo Park

Student Publications

Every year technologies become more sophisticated and more accessible. Some have become a seamless extension of mind, so much so that they are better understood no longer as tools, but as integral parts of how our mind works. Biofeedback devices are examples of such technologies that are increasingly used in institutional contexts and for personal use. They offer a presumed scientific and objective basis for life decisions and behavioral health interventions, as well as a promise of new forms of self-knowledge. Yet in the very design of biofeedback technologies are cultural and institutional values that are rarely critically appraised. This …

Policy Strategies To Solve The U.S. Recycling Crisis, Flavia M. Scotto D'Antuono

Student Publications

Following China’s Operation National Sword in 2018, the politics and economics of recycling have increasingly come under scrutiny as many examine whether it remains a worthwhile endeavor. Differences across municipalities, changing prices of goods, contamination, mislabeling, and involvement by the plastics industry has further confused the issue. This paper examines to what extent a national recycling policy would be effective and what form it may take using several case studies - whether it be mandatory recycled content minimums, extended producer responsibility, or allowing the industry to phase out completely,

The Primarily Undergraduate Nanomaterials Cooperative: A New Model For Supporting Collaborative Research At Small Institutions On A National Scale, Steven M. Huges, Mark P. Hendricks, Katherine M. Mullaugh, Mary E. Anderson, Anne K. Bently, Justin G. Clar, Clyde A. Daly Jr., Mark D. Ellison, Z. Vivian Feng, Natalia I. Gonzalex-Pech, Leslie S. Hamachi, Christine L. Heinecke, Joseph D. Keene, Adam M. Maley, Andrea M. Munro, Peter N. Njoki, Jacob H. Olshansky, Katherine E. Plass, Kathryn R. Riley, Matthew D. Sonntag, Sarah K. St. Angelo, Lucas B. Thompson, Emily J. Tollefson, Lauren E. Toote, Korin E. Wheeler

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The Primarily Undergraduate Nanomaterials Cooperative (PUNC) is an organization for research-active faculty studying nanomaterials at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), where undergraduate teaching and research go hand-in-hand. In this perspective, we outline the differences in maintaining an active research group at a PUI compared to an R1 institution. We also discuss the work of PUNC, which focuses on community building, instrument sharing, and facilitating new collaborations. Currently consisting of 37 members from across the United States, PUNC has created an online community consisting of its Web site (nanocooperative.org), a weekly online summer group meeting program for faculty and students, …

Flooding, Landslides, Wildfires, Air Pollution, And Income: Risk In California, Brittany Bondi, Alyssa J. Kaewwilai

Gettysburg Social Sciences Review

California is infamously known for its likelihood of environmental hazards such as flooding, landslides, air pollution, and forest fires which can be attributed to the natural climate of the area as well as anthropologically influenced climate change. Air pollution also poses potential threats and dangers to the civilians of California as increasing populations and uses of fossil fuels continue to contribute to the growing issue of climate change. The goal of this study was to examine and analyze the geospatial trends environmental hazards in California such as landslides, air pollution, flooding, and forest fires. A weighted test, zone and slope …

The Pioneering Legacy And Consequence Of Wernher Von Braun, Ethan S. Wilt

Student Publications

The fundamental research question of this paper revolves around the idea of; would it have been possible for the United States to land on the Moon by the close of the decade if it hadn’t been for the effort, influence, and work of Wernher von Braun? The secondary question of the paper is what significant accomplishments and work did von Braun contribute to the United States space flight program that consequently led to the success in 1969? Through the effort, work, and influence of Wernher von Braun, it was possible for the United States to land on the Moon in …

The Continuing Quest For Missile Defense: When Lofty Goals Confront Reality, Peter J. Pella

Gettysburg College Faculty Books

For almost three quarters of a century, the United States has spent billions of dollars and countless person-hours in the pursuit of a national missile defense system that would protect the country from intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) carrying nuclear warheads. The system currently in place consists of 44 long-range antiballistic missiles stationed in Alaska and California to protect the United States from a possible nuclear weapon carrying ICBM attack from North Korea. After all this effort, this system is still imperfect, being successful only 10 out of 18 tests.

This book will provide an historical description of past efforts in …

The Gettysburg Economic Review, Volume 10, Spring 2017

Gettysburg Economic Review

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Airline Behavior On Aircraft Accidents, Anneliese S. Brown

Gettysburg Economic Review

The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of specific airline business decisions on aircraft accident propensity. Airline safety affects everyone and has large regulatory and policy implications. Existing research has focused largely on three areas: airline financial health, safety and the resulting effects of accidents. I use both Poisson and Negative Binomial models to study two different airline features: low-cost carriers and flight length, and how they relate to the probability of an aircraft accident. Based on results using a Generalized Negative Binomial model, I find statistically significant evidence at the 99% confidence level that a 1-unit …

Introduction To Mips Assembly Language Programming, Charles W. Kann

Open Educational Resources

This book was written to introduce students to assembly language programming in MIPS. As with all assembly language programming texts, it covers basic operators and instructions, subprogram calling, loading and storing memory, program control, and the conversion of the assembly language program into machine code.

However this book was not written simply as a book on assembly language programming. The larger purpose of this text is to show how concepts in Higher Level Languages (HLL), such as Java or C/C++, are represented in assembly. By showing how program constructs from these HLL map into assembly, the concepts will be easier …

Digital Circuit Projects: An Overview Of Digital Circuits Through Implementing Integrated Circuits - Second Edition, Charles W. Kann

Open Educational Resources

Digital circuits, often called Integrated Circuits or ICs, are the central building blocks of a Central Processing Unit (CPU). To understand how a computer works, it is essential to understand the digital circuits which make up the CPU. This text introduces the most important of these digital circuits; adders, decoders, multiplexers, D flip-flops, and simple state machines.

What makes this textbook unique is that it puts the ability to understand these circuits into the hands of anyone, from hobbyists to students studying Computer Science. This text is designed to teach digital circuits using simple projects the reader can implement. But …

Fearless Friday: Kirsten Crear, Kirsten Crear

SURGE

Even in her last semester here at Gettysburg, Kirsten Crear ’14 is fearlessly working to make changes for the future of the campus community. This semester, Kirsten introduced a STEMinists club on campus that will give female students who are STEM (an acronym for Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics) majors the opportunity to come together and create a community, share and discuss the difficulties they face as women in their fields of study, and support and mentor each other as they prepare to enter their fields.

Kirsten is passionate, driven, and determined, taking the initiative to bring this group of women together on campus …