Engineering Commons^™

Development Of Catalytic Chromia-Based Aerogels, Fiona Fitzgerald

Honors Theses

Over one billion automobiles are in use around the world, the majority of which employ internal combustion engines. Catalytic converters are used to convert the toxic compounds found in car exhaust -- carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and hydrocarbons -- to less harmful gases. The typical catalytic converter employs as catalysts expensive raw materials (platinum, palladium and/or rhodium) wash-coated onto an alumina-based ceramic substrate. Aerogel materials have high surface area and thermal stability, properties that make them attractive for catalysis applications. Aerogels made with transition metal oxides are candidates to replace platinum in the catalytic converter. Chromium oxide (chromia) materials …

Sol Retractor: Rapidly Deployable Film-Based C-Section Retractor, Casey Lee, Silas Cleveland, Jose Dolores Valdivieso, Joseph Perks

Honors Theses

Cesarean Sections (C-sections), a surgery conducted for baby delivery, can be divided into four distinct categories; Category 1 and 2 are considered emergency c-sections, and Category 3 and 4 are scheduled c-sections [2]. A comparative study from 2016 analyzed the difference of need for postoperative treatment between the Collins or the Alexis O retractor ( n = 100). The Alexis O C-Section retractor resulted in 19% of women requiring postoperative treatment, including medication, monitoring, and an extended stay at the hospital. The Collins resulted in 43% of the patients requiring postoperative treatment (p = 0.001) [5]. In emergency C-sections, surgical …

A Novel Device To Remove Kidney Stone Fragments From The Ureter, Madeline Feinberg, Christina Pavlovsky, John Kasel

Honors Theses

Every year kidney stones affect 654,000 Americans and 25% of these cases require a ureteroscopy which is performed on patients with kidney stones greater than 4 mm in the ureter. A holmium laser is used to rupture the kidney stone resulting in fragmentation of the stone. If not removed, these residual fragments can cause pain and may require a secondary procedure to remove them. The most common method for removing stone fragments is inserting a basket device through a port on the ureteroscope, encapsulating individual stone fragments, and manually removing the device. This device requires multiple insertions to remove the …

Breathe Easy: A More Efficient Way To Avoid Tracheostomy Airway Blockages, Olivia Zimmerman, Kathleen Swanson, Katelynn Russ

Honors Theses

ZIMMERMAN, OLIVIA Breathe Easy: A More Efficient Way to Avoid Tracheostomy Airway Blockages

Department of Biomedical Engineering, June 2020.

ADVISOR: Professor Cotter and Professor Khetan

An Improved Method For Hospital Acquired Pressure Ulcer (Hapu) Prevention, Julia Beekman, Jillian Yeager, Megan Morrissey

Honors Theses

Hospital acquired pressure ulcers (HAPUs), also called bedsores, are damage to the skin and/or underlying tissue caused by prolonged pressure on the bony areas of the body, with around 20% of pressure ulcers occurring in the heel region. Currently, the most common practice for HAPU prevention is arbitrary manual repositioning of patients by nurses every 1-2 hours. The goal of our project was to address HAPUs in the heel region of low mobility patients through an ulceration risk sensing system. Our team has created a wearable ulceration risk assessment system that combines individual patient risk data with real time pressure …

Optimization Of Union College’S Microgrid To Meet All Load With A Least-Cost, Low-Carbon Energy Mix, Caitlin Mcmahon

Honors Theses

A microgrid is a localized electric grid that generates some or all of the power used to meet its load. Union College currently has a microgrid that meets 70 percent of the campus’ load and is connected to the main grid. It is made up of a cogeneration plant as well as solar photovoltaic panels and wind turbines, which are renewable energy sources. The goal of this project is to determine the least cost, low-carbon energy mix that meets 100 percent of the campus’ load. The issue with solar and wind power is that they are variable based on time …

Coffee Can Radar System, Dale Coker

Honors Theses

A Radio Detection and Ranging (“radar”) system detects a target and accurately determines its range and velocity using radio frequency (RF) waves. In the presence of a target, these RF waves are reflected, received, and processed. Until recently, radar systems have been too expensive to implement as undergraduate research projects, primarily because of the cost of the associated RF components. Recently, MIT has developed a low-cost radar system as part of an open-source course. Therefore, one objective of this project is to design and construct a radar system based on the MIT design. A further objective is to develop a …

Derivation And Exploration Of Analytical Aircraft Stability Analysis, Roderick Landreth

Honors Theses

A comprehensive measure of the in-flight stability of an aircraft is essential, though it can take a large amount of resources to do accurately and usefully. Small companies and colleges often don't have the resources to attain accurate experimental or analytical data to describe stable flight before potential failure. This composition investigates methods of completing a static and dynamic stability analysis for an aircraft feasible for a college, small business or hobbyist to complete, with the goal to eliminate the 'barrier of entry' concerning a lack of information and resources. A sample analytical calculation for static stability of Union College's …

Human Facial Emotion Recognition System In A Real-Time, Mobile Setting, Claire Williamson

Honors Theses

The purpose of this project was to implement a human facial emotion recognition system in a real-time, mobile setting. There are many aspects of daily life that can be improved with a system like this, like security, technology and safety.

There were three main design requirements for this project. The first was to get an accuracy rate of 70%, which must remain consistent for people with various distinguishing facial features. The second goal was to have one execution of the system take no longer than half of a second to keep it as close to real time as possible. Lastly, …

A Revolutionary Approach To Transsphenoidal Surgery: The Pedg, Paidamoyo Ewing, Lavonia Duncan, Giselle Perkowski, Erendira Garcia Pallares

Honors Theses

Approximately 1500 pituitary tumors diagnosed each year are tough textured microadenomas found mainly in patients aging from 55-80 [1]. Tough textured tumors in the pituitary gland can cause hormonal imbalances and vision changes. For our Capstone Project, we focused on designing an endonasal device, the Pituitary Endonasal Deep Grasper (PEDG), that improves the efficiency of tough textured pituitary tumor removal by improving upon various mechanisms in Transsphenoidal Surgery including rotation, tip grasping, suction, and handle control. Our device contains a comfortable handle that allows for better control and precision during the procedure. We designed a grasping mechanism that is strong …

Breathe Easy: A More Efficient Way To Avoid Tracheostomy Airway Blockages, Katelynn Russ, Kathleen Swanson, Olivia Zimmerman

Honors Theses

Over 100,000 people receive tracheostomies each year in the United States when mechanical ventilation is needed for longer than 48 hours, a patient has a chronically obstructed airway, or the patient is unable to protect their airway from aspiration. A tracheostomy is inserted into a patient’s trachea in order to modify their airway through a tracheotomy procedure. A tracheostomy tube alters the natural lining of an airway which normally has a 5-50 μm thick layer of mucus. An airway with a tracheostomy tube produces more mucus than the average airway of a healthy person, and it also limits the patient’s …

Breathe Easy: A More Efficient Way To Avoid Tracheostomy Airway Blockages, Kathleen Swanson, Katelynn Russ, Olivia Zimmerman

Honors Theses

Over 100,000 people receive tracheostomies each year in the United States when mechanical ventilation is needed for longer than 48 hours, a patient has a chronically obstructed airway, or the patient is unable to protect their airway from aspiration. A tracheostomy is inserted into a patient’s trachea in order to modify their airway through a tracheotomy procedure. A tracheostomy tube alters the natural lining of an airway which normally has a 5-50 μm thick layer of mucus. An airway with a tracheostomy tube produces more mucus than the average airway of a healthy person, and it also limits the patient’s …

Three-Phase Pulse Width Modulated Ac/Dc Rectifier And Dc/Ac Inverter, Carmen Ngo

Honors Theses

Electric vehicles use inverter and rectifier circuits in order to convert power from one type to another. They run on direct current batteries, but their motors can run on direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC). There is a need for both of these circuits if the motor runs on AC. The objective of this project is to successfully replicate driving and braking in an electric vehicle, and understand its power flow. Both systems should start to convert the input power as soon as the source is “on” and should continue this conversion without interruption. In the driving system, a …

An Improved Method For Hospital Acquired Pressure Ulcer (Hapu) Prevention, Jillian Yeager, Megan Morrissey, Julia Beekman

Honors Theses

Hospital acquired pressure ulcers (HAPUs), also called bedsores, are damage to the skin and/or underlying tissue caused by prolonged pressure on the bony areas of the body, with around 20% of pressure ulcers occurring in the heel region. Currently, the most common practice for HAPU prevention is arbitrary manual repositioning of patients by nurses every 1-2 hours. The goal of our project was to address HAPUs in the heel region of low mobility patients through an ulceration risk sensing system. Our team has created a wearable ulceration risk assessment system that combines individual patient risk data with real time pressure …

An Improved Method For Hospital Acquired Pressure Ulcer (Hapu) Prevention, Megan Morrissey, Jillian Yeager, Julia Beekman

Honors Theses

Hospital acquired pressure ulcers (HAPUs), also called bedsores, are damage to the skin and/or underlying tissue caused by prolonged pressure on the bony areas of the body, with around 20% of pressure ulcers occurring in the heel region. Currently, the most common practice for HAPU prevention is arbitrary manual repositioning of patients by nurses every 1-2 hours. The goal of our project was to address HAPUs in the heel region of low mobility patients through an ulceration risk sensing system. Our team has created a wearable ulceration risk assessment system that combines individual patient risk data with real time pressure …

Ventilator: An Analysis Of The History, Design, And Current World Implications, Joana Santos

Honors Theses

Due to the sudden COVID-19 pandemic, many countries around the world were not prepared to provide such large amounts of artificial mechanical ventilators to its citizens, causing a shortage around the globe. Artificial ventilators have been continuously developed and improved since the 1900s, and because of their importance in the healthcare industry, technological advancements continue to be made today. This thesis aims to guide its readers through the history of the artificial ventilator, which leads to some of the designs seen in hospitals and intensive care today. It will also show some of the designs that have been developed in …

Redesigned Endoscopic Bite Block For Geriatric Patients, Kayla Fisher, Katherine Gregory, Owen Corey

Honors Theses

Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is an examination of the interior of the esophagus, stomach, and beginning of the small intestine. Upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopies are used to diagnose ulcers, cancers, and gastrointestinal tract diseases, as well as to collect biopsy samples. In 2008, over 55 million procedures were performed with GI endoscopic devices [1]. In order to keep the mouth propped open during this procedure, a bite block is used. This bite block ensures that the patient will not bite down on the endoscope during the procedure. Geriatric patients are more likely to have poor dental health due to medications they take, …