Engineering Commons^™

Mobile Educational Forum, Suzanne Lien, Alexandria Shearer

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

Good education is essential for youth around the world. However, many communities in the developing world do not have access to basic knowledge and resources, like HIV prevention, womens rights, and life skills. As a result, the youth in these communities grow up and face difficult substandard lives. The Mobile Educational Forum addresses these issues by enabling a central party to distribute educational information to youth in emerging markets by making use of resources they already have on hand--mobile phones. Through our mobile web application, young people not only receive valuable information, but are also able to engage in discourse …

Thermoelectric Cookstove, Christine Horman, Matthew Lee, Mark Wagner

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

A fuel efficient cookstove tailored to the needs of Nicaraguan small business owners that incorporated insulation and thermoelectric power generation was built and validated. There is a 4 inch layer of pumice rock insulation around the combustion chamber, which significantly reduces convective heat losses to the environment. The stove's ventilation system is powered by the electricity generated by thermoelectric generators. Preheated air is forced into the combustion chamber, which increases the combustion efficiency, reducing the fuel consumption and the harmful smoke produced. Through various testing methods, we found that the controlled airflow to the charcoal fuel allows the stove to …

Phase Change Material In Automated Window Shades, Quinlan Adler, Jake Gallau, Alexander Zatopa, Ali Nash

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

The purpose of this report is to detail the development process for a phase change material window shading system, which stores solar thermal energy and later releases it indoors to provide nighttime space heating. To do this, wax-filled louvers with thermally absorptive front faces were developed and outfitted with a control system, which utilized historical weather data to orient the louvers to specific solar azimuthal angles, thus maximizing the thermal absorption. The system was tested against other common window treatments in a pair of thermally comparable testing structures, and was found to provide energy savings as high as 50%.

The Santa Clara, 2013-05-23, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.

The Santa Clara, 2013-05-16, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.

The Santa Clara, 2013-05-09, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.

Making Climate Data Relevant To Decision Making: The Important Details Of Spatial And Temporal Downscaling, Evan H. Girvetz, Edwin P. Maurer, Philip B. Duffy, Aaron Ruesch, Bridget Thrasher, Chris Zganjar

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering

This paper examines potential regional-scale impacts of climate change on sustainability of irrigated agriculture, focusing on the western San Joaquin Valley in California. We consider potential changes in irrigation water demand and supply, and quantify impacts on the hydrologic system, soil and groundwater salinity with associated crop yield reductions. Our analysis is based on archived output from General Circulation Model (GCM) climate projections through 2100, which were downscaled to the 1,400 km2 study area. We account for uncertainty in GCM climate projections by considering two different GCM's, each using three greenhouse gas emission scenarios. Significant uncertainty in projected precipitation creates …

The Santa Clara, 2013-02-14, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.

The Santa Clara, 2013-01-17, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 54 Number 3, Winter 2013, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

16 - TO CATCH A THIEF by Vince Beiser. Mathematician George Mohler has helped equip police in Santa Cruz and L.A. with an algorithm that predicts where crimes might happen next. Is this the future of policing?

22 - HOW TO PREVENT A BONFIRE OF THE HUMANITIES by Michael S. Malone '75, MBA '77. A veteran chronicler of Silicon Valley looks at why the high-tech industry needs-and wants-folks who know how to tell a story.

26 - A POEM, A PRAYER, AND A MARTINI FOR THE RHINO Two conversations with Chancellor William J. Rewak, S.J.-who's just published his first collection …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 55 Number 1, Fall 2013, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

6 - ONE IN A MILLION By Michael E. Engh, S.J. A note of thanks from the president to SCU alumni. For the Leavey Challenge, you came through in record numbers to secure a $1 million challenge grant for the University.

20 - GOOD LIGHT: A PHOTO RETROSPECTIVE with Charles Barry. For a quarter century he has told Santa Clara's stories in photographs. Here are a few.

26 - YES, BUT IS IT THE RIGHT THING TO DO? By Sam Scott '96. From business to government to college campuses, it's not always a question that gets asked. But here's how …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 53 Number 3, Winter 2012, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

18 - MY FIGHT, MY FAITH By Steven Boyd Saum. As head of the CIA, Leon Panetta '60, J.D. '63 restored confidence in the agency and oversaw the mission to find Osama bin Laden. Now, as secretary of defense in an age of budget austerity, he has to make sure the Pentagon doesn't break the bank-and that the nation doesn't break faith with the men and women who serve.

24 - GENERAL JOE By Sam Scott '96. When Joseph Peterson '72 signed up for ROTC as an undergrad, he planned to complete his military service and then move on. Nearly …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 54 Number 2, Fall 2012, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

18 - WE, ROBOTS By John Deever. Adventures with the Robotics Systems Laboratory by land, sea, and sky. And in orbit.

20 - SARAH KATE WILSON VS. GODZILLA By Jeff Gire. Tackling big problems- like attracting more women to engineering and transferring mountains of data through the air.

22 - DELUGE AND DROUGHT By Erica Klarreich. Lessons in how to wedge more data into less space-and build a smarter energy grid.

24 - BUILDING BIOMEDICAL TESTS By Melissae Fellet. Where engineering meets biology, the work ranges from diagnosing voice disorders to tracking toxicity in the brain.

26 - THE LONG …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 53 Number 4, Spring 2012, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

20 - WHAT WILL YOU BE? By David Mckay Wilson. San Francisco's Immaculate Conception Academy has found a work-study program that gives low-income students what they need. Starting with a bigger view of the world.

22 - BUCKY BRONCO CONFIDENTIAL By Jeff Gire And Sam Scott '96. Who wears the costume today may be classified information. But here are a few secrets revealed-including how Bucky came to be.

26 - TALKIN' DUST BOWL BLUES By David Mckay Wilson. The ghost of Woody Guthrie stalks the stage-with Rob Tepper '00 playing the role. This year marks the centennial of the iconic …

Solar Powered Water Purification System, Alina Carlson, Reece Kiriu, Andrew Nosé, Christopher Sugii, Erin Taketa, Alex Tamai

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

Santa Clara University's 2011-2012 Solar-Powered Water Purification System team is developing a solution to create a water distillation system, heated by solar troughs and solely powered by photovoltaic (PV) panels that can produce clean, drinkable water. This device would balance cost and efficiency to be marketable to lower-income locations, such as developing countries that suffer from shortages of clean water. In accomplishing this, the team will ensure that the system is sustainable and requires minimal maintenance.

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 52 Number 2, Fall 2010, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

16 - JUSTICE, EDUCATION, AND THE CATHOLIC IMAGINATION By Keith Warner, O.F.M. A religious vision of a sustainable future is less about politics than ethics. It means drawing on deep spiritual currents in the Catholic tradition-and environmental concern as if people mattered.

22 - WRITING THE ISLAND An essay in the words and images by John Seibert Farnsworth and Charles Barry. A journey to the Sea of Cortez-to paddle and dive, to hear the island speak, to look carefully, to write, to come home sunburned and transformed.

30 - INTERNET, WE HAVE A PROBLEM. By Sam Scott '96. One fine …

Climate Change Impacts On Water Demand And Salinity In California's Irrigated Agriculture, Gerrit Schoups, Edwin P. Maurer, Jan Hopmans

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering

This paper examines potential regional-scale impacts of climate change on sustainability of irrigated agriculture, focusing on the western San Joaquin Valley in California. We consider potential changes in irrigation water demand and supply, and quantify impacts on the hydrologic system, soil and groundwater salinity with associated crop yield reductions. Our analysis is based on archived output from General Circulation Model (GCM) climate projections through 2100, which were downscaled to the 1,400 km2 study area. We account for uncertainty in GCM climate projections by considering two different GCM's, each using three greenhouse gas emission scenarios. Significant uncertainty in projected precipitation creates …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 51 Number 4, Spring 2010, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

14 - BENDING LIGHT By Steven Boyd Saum. They wanted to show that green living is not a compromise. So, for the international Solar Decathlon, the SCU-led Team California built a house of light and wonder. And it was dazzling enough to win No. 3 on the planet.

22 - CONNECT THE DOTS By Scott Brown '93. From border security to disaster preparedness, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano '79 has one immense portfolio. She's also the point person on immigration. How to put those together?

28 - THIS PLACE WE CALL HOME By Kristina Chiapella '09 '09. Generations ago, …

Applied Climate-Change Analysis: The Climate Wizard Tool, Evan H. Girvetz, Chris Zganjar, George T. Raber, Edwin P. Maurer, Peter Kareiva, Joshua J. Lawler

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering

Background: Although the message of ‘‘global climate change’’ is catalyzing international action, it is local and regional changes that directly affect people and ecosystems and are of immediate concern to scientists, managers, and policy makers. A major barrier preventing informed climate-change adaptation planning is the difficulty accessing, analyzing, and interpreting climate-change information. To address this problem, we developed a powerful, yet easy to use, web-based tool called Climate Wizard (http://ClimateWizard.org) that provides non-climate specialists with simple analyses and innovative graphical depictions for conveying how climate has and is projected to change within specific geographic areas throughout the world. Methodology/Principal Findings: …

Observed 1970-2005 Cooling Of Summer Daytime Temperatures In Coastal California, Bereket Lebassi, Jorge González González, Drazen Fabris, Edwin P. Maurer, Norman L. Miller, Cristina Milesi, Paul Switzer, Robert Bornstein

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering

This study evaluated 1950–2005 summer [June–August (JJA)] mean monthly air temperatures for two California air basins: the South Coast Air Basin (SoCAB) and the San Francisco Bay Area (SFBA). The study focuses on the more rapid post-1970 warming period, and its daily minima temperature Tmin and maxima temperature Tmax values were used to produce average monthly values and spatial distributions of trends for each air basin. Additional analyses included concurrent SSTs, 40-yr European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Re-Analysis (ERA-40) sea level coastal pressure gradients, and GCM-downscaled average temperature Tave values. Results for all 253 California National Weather Service …

Projected Climate-Induced Faunal Change In The Western Hemisphere, Joshua J. Lawler, Sarah L. Shafer, Denis White, Peter Kareiva, Edwin P. Maurer, Andrew R. Blaustein, Patrick J. Bartlein

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering

Climate change is predicted to be one of the greatest drivers of ecological change in the coming century. Increases in temperature over the last century have clearly been linked to shifts in species distributions. Given the magnitude of projected future climatic changes, we can expect even larger range shifts in the coming century. These changes will, in turn, alter ecological communities and the functioning of ecosystems. Despite the seriousness of predicted climate change, the uncertainty in climate-change projections makes it difficult for conservation managers and planners to proactively respond to climate stresses. To address one aspect of this uncertainty, we …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 49 Number 1, Summer 2007, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

8 - A CENTURY OF BRONCO BASKETBALL, By Jed Mettee and Steven Boyd Saum. Celebrating the first hundred seasons.

12 - A FAMILY SHOW By Steven Boyd Saum. Meet new men's basketball coach Kerry Keating.

14 - A SPACE THAT TALKS TO NATURE By Miriam Schulman. A team of SCU students aim to win the Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon. And save the planet.

19 - EPITAPH FOR THE JOURNEY A poem by Paul Mariani.

22 - THE BUZZ ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY By John Farnsworth. When we talk about "sustainability," what are we really talking about?

26 - THE GREEN TAX …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 48 Number 4, Spring 2007, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

8 - ARCHAEOLOGISTS OF THE CARIBBEAN By Monte Lorenzet. Eye patch and peg leg-we all know what makes a pirate. Or do we? Only recently have scientists taken a serious look at the archeology of piracy, with SCU's Russ Skowronek one of the hearties unearthing facts buried beneath centuries of myth.

12 - ARE PEOPLE GETTING CRAZIER? By Thomas G. Plante. From what the media offers every day, you can't help but think the world is going to hell in a handbasket. What's really going on? And what can we do about it?

21 - A TEACHABLE MOMENT Q&A with …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 49 Number 3, Winter 2007, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

14 - TOUGH CALL By Jim Shepard. Mike Carey '71 reveals what it takes to earn your stripes as a head ref in the NFL.

16 - REDEFINING NATURE By Steven Boyd Saum. Is it the end of wilderness as we know it? And could genetically modified crops be better for the environment? Read what SCU scientists are saying.

18 - THE PERSON IN FRONT OF YOU A transglobal photo essay by David Pace.

24 - PANETTA ON IRAQ By Farid Senzai. A Q&A with Leon Panetta '60, J.D. '63, member of the Iraq Study Group and chief of staff …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 47 Number 4, Spring 2006, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

8 - A DREAM OPPORTUNITY by Monte Lorenzet. Santa Clara University's sleep lab is one of just a handful of similar research facilities at undergraduate institutions. Students, alumni, faculty, and the research community are all benefiting from the fledgling lab.

10 - SCIENCE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE by Kim Kooyers. Social entrepreneurs use technology to address some of the world's urgent needs. Last November, some of these innovators were honored at the Tech Museum Awards, an international awards program.

14 - GIGANTES Y CABEZUDOS by Elizabeth Kelley Gillogly '93. In an intensive workshop featuring seasoned artists from Spain, SCU students explored …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 48 Number 3, Winter 2006, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

8 - WELCOME HOME, STEVE By Steven Boyd Saum. Basketball superstar Steve Nash '96 comes home to Santa Clara for a unique honor: a ceremony retiring his Bronco jersey. In a convocation address, he tells how Santa Clara changed his life. Now he wants the University to take its mission global.

12 - THE SCHOOL OF HOPE By Martha Ellen Stortz. Scholar and teacher Bill Spohn earned deep affection and the respect of the Santa Clara community in his years directing the Bannan Center for Jesuit Education. When he was stricken with cancer, he and his wife, Marty Stortz, looked …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 47 Number 2, Fall 2005, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

6 - THE DRIVE TO CREATE by Elizabeth Kelley Gillogly '93. Albert Hoagland, an adjunct professor at SCU for more than 20 years, helped to build the first disk drive. Now is he working to preserve the history of magnetic disk storage.

10 - UNFINISHED MESSAGE by Toshio Mori. We share an excerpt from a collection of short stories by Mori, whose work highlights the plight of Japanese immigrants in the U.S. during World War II. The book is a part of the California Legacy Series, a partnership between SCU and Heyday Books.

14 - THE FAMILIAR STRANGER By Cynthia …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 46 Number 4, Spring 2005, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

8 - 'AN EXTRAORDINARY EVENT' By Elizabeth Kelley Gillogly '93. SCU Music Professor Hans Boepple is a gifted pianist and dedicated teacher.

10 - EMBRACING DIFFERENCES By Adam Breen. Senior Aaron Uchikura spent a summer helping children in Moscow orphanages.

12 - THE KOKO CONNECTION By Victoria Hendel De La O. Senior Tierra Wilson's perseverance landed her a job as a gorilla research assistant and caregiver.

16 - A ROTATION IN ETHICS By Rita Beamish '74. Students learn about the ethics of health care by shadowing doctors and nurses at O'Connor Hospital in San Jose.

Gcip Water And Energy Budget Synthesis (Webs), J. Roads, R. Lawford, E. Bainto, E. Berbery, S. Chen, B. Fekete, K. Gallo, A. Grundstein, W. Higgins, M. Kanamitsu, W. Krajewski, V. Lakshmi, D. Leathers, Dennis P. Lettenmaier, L. Luo, Edwin P. Maurer, T. Meyers, D. Miller, K. Mitchell, T. Mote, R. Pinker, T. Reichler, D. Robinson, A. Robock, J. Smith, G. Srinivasan, K. Verdin, K. Vinnikov, T. Vonder Haar, C. Vörösmarty, S. Williams, E. Yarosh

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering

As part of the World Climate Research Program's (WCRPs) Global Energy and Water-Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Continental-scale International Project (GCIP), a preliminary water and energy budget synthesis (WEBS) was developed for the period 1996–1999 from the “best available” observations and models. Besides this summary paper, a companion CD-ROM with more extensive discussion, figures, tables, and raw data is available to the interested researcher from the GEWEX project office, the GAPP project office, or the first author. An updated online version of the CD-ROM is also available at http://ecpc.ucsd.edu/gcip/webs.htm/. Observations cannot adequately characterize or “close” budgets since too many fundamental processes …

Detection Of Intensification Of The Global Water Cycle: The Potential Role Of Friend, Alan D. Zeigler, Justin Sheffield, Eric F. Wood, Bart Nijssen, Edwin P. Maurer, Dennis P. Lettenmaier

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering

Diagnostic studies of 14-year, 2 — 2°, Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model off-line simulations of the global terrestrial water budget suggest that, given the annual variability in the major components of continental hydrological cycles (precipitation, evaporation, and runoff), several decades to perhaps centuries of measurements may be needed to detect with high confidence the intensification predicted by recent global climate model (GCM) studies simulating plausible global warming scenarios. Furthermore, these measurements may need to originate from a wider geographic expanse than is currently investigated within large-scale hydrological assessment programmes, such as the Global Energy and Water Experiment (GEWEX). Smaller, geographically …