Engineering Commons^™

Following Distance Coach, Erik Clemens

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Improper following distance reduces a driver's time to respond in emergencies.

• Humans struggle to adjust following distance with speed
• Older vehicles do not include assistive technology

The Following Distance Coach:

• Adjusts appropriate following distance with speed
• Is easy to install in any vehicle
• Allows drivers to focus on other driving tasks
• Alerts drivers if they forget safe habits

Gesture Controlled Drone, Parker Mortensen

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Drones are difficult for beginners to control easily. This causes fewer people to pick up the hobby due to frustration.

This project aims to give users an easier method to pilot a drone by using a familiar controller and integrated functions for actions that are more difficult for a beginner.

Autonomous Weather Quad-Copter, Usu Department Of Electrical And Computer Engineering

Electrical and Computer Engineering

• The purpose of this project is to create an autonomous quad-copter that can collect weather data from user-specified locations and return safely.
• For the scope of this project, the drone will only capture temperature and humidity data with some sensors.
• The user first inputs the coordinates for the drone to start collecting data at, and then the drone scans a in a grid starting from that point.
• After the drone returns from its flight, the data will be displayed on the user’s computer

Biometric Trigger Lock, Tyson Olsen

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Purpose: To provide an intermediate storage option for firearm owners that is portable and accessible.

• 505 accidental firearm deaths in 2013
• Many of these are preventable by better storage solutions
• Many gun owners are in search of a more accessible storage option.
• This is NOT a perfect solution to firearm storage.
• Other methods are still needed for complete security.

Tag Wall Work Order Management, Bryce Halling

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Working in a bike shop, I saw firsthand how inefficient it is for a shop to track work on paper. With commerical software options being very expensive, I decided to make a solution that better suits the needs of shops like the one I worked at.

What Tag Wall is:

• A simplified work order management software.
• A low-cost alternative for shops working on a budget.
• A flexible solution adaptable to many use cases

Wireless Charging Electric Vehicle, Alan Mathias, Austin Waldvogel, Clark Corry, Koby Sullivan

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Create a wireless charging system to charge an electric vehicle each lap as it drives over a charging pad. This vehicle would have competed in the “Gear Up Competition.” In this competition, students design and race an electric vehicle to complete the most laps before the battery depletes.

Android Based Geolocation Application, Esteban Womack, Cayden Anderson

Electrical and Computer Engineering

The objective of our project is to make an app which finds the location of a radio transmitter, a process known as radio geolocation. Radio geolocation is the process of finding a geographical location of a radio frequency transmitter. These transmitters range across the frequency spectrum from cell phone transmission, radio towers, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, walkie talkies, etc.

Pirate Rover, Joshua Wooten

Electrical and Computer Engineering

The overall objective was to create a rover that can:

• Drive on its own
• Sense objects in its path and avoid them
• Detect metallic objects
• Alert the User where these objects are located

Portable Hiking Repeater, Jonathan L. Hunt Iii

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Hiking and spending time in the wilderness is a common hobby. But as fun as it may be, much of it is spent out of cell phone reception. While it can be refreshing to have a break from our constant “connected-ness”, if someone is injured or lost without means of communication the results can be deadly.

The Portable Hiking Repeater was designed to mitigate these risks. A repeater is a simple device that receives and retransmits radio signals. By making one small and portable, hikers could easily bring one on their trip and leave it in a strategic location.

Then …

Mono-Wheel Autonomous Vehicle, Avon Van Noy

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Problem:

The colonization of other planets, i.e. Mars, require pre-human operations. The low atmospheric density and geomagnetic fields allow for an increased amount of radiation to reach the planet’s surface. Building base structures from the planet's regolith can help protect the future inhabitants from radiation.

Solution:

The Mono-Wheeled Autonomous Vehicle will have a split mono-wheel to allow for orbital rotations, a screw and bolt system for raising and lowing the body, a LIDAR to map the area around the vehicle, and a mesh network for communication between all vehicles. A prototype of this system was made to its fullest, based …

Multifunctional Reconfigurable Antenna, Glendyn King

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Using a higher frequency band for wireless communications allows a higher data rate and bandwidth, However, loss is a function of frequency. The higher the frequency the higher the loss. An approach to over coming this obstacle is to build better antennas. An antenna that can reconfigure itself to account for factors such as weather, polarization, etc. can help mitigate the problems met at higher frequencies.

The project to solve the problems of legacy antennas was to build an aperture coupled patch antenna. This was interrupted halfway through the semester and the project had to be redesigned. These two Designs …

International Future Energy Challenge Power Supply For Nanosatellites, Parker Ames, Keith Bird, Ashley Buxton, Brad Dyer, Matt Hansen, Joshua Zaugg

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Objective: build a nanosatellite power supply that matches the requirements for the IFEC 2020 competition

Internet Time Management System, Mckay Ransom

Electrical and Computer Engineering

• The Internet Time Management system is a method to help manage how people spend time on the internet.
• The system can regulate or suspend internet access over a local network.
• The system is meant to be used by people who want to hold themselves accountable for how they spend their time on the internet. 

Laser Tennis, Katelyn Johnson

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Motivation

• I wanted to create a game to play with my nieces and nephews
• I wanted to gain more experience using a microcontroller
• A fun game to play that does not involve staring at a screen

Features

• Has two different play modes
• Can be played anywhere there is space and a flat surface
• Made of durable materials meant to last a long time

The Redesign And Rebuild Of The S.R. 81 Bridge, Benjamin Ashley, David Ward, Ethan Durocher, Jacob Wilding

Civil and Environmental Engineering

• The bridge crossing is on S.R. 81 which spans the Bear River

• The bridge was built initially in 1859

• The bridge was condemned in the 1990’s and in the early 2000’s was washed out

• The redesign will meet needs of community with the ability to have farm equipment cross safely

• Built to withstand the 100-year flood

• Project will address and alleviate concerns brought up from original bridge washout

Student Steel Bridge Competition, Usu Department Of Civil And Environmental Engineering

Civil and Environmental Engineering

A recreational trail, located in Katy Trail State Park, Missouri, experienced wash out due to historic floods during the spring and summer of 2019. The wash out has become a new water way that needs to be crossed by a trail for walkers, joggers, bicyclists, and equestrians. A steel bridge has been chosen by the local government to solve this problem due to its versatility, ease of prefabrication, ability for rapid erection, superior strength to weight ratio, durability, and high level of recycled content.

The local government has set basic parameters for the design of this steel bridge. These parameters …

Highway 89/91 Wildlife Crossing, Camden Gillins, Eduardo Hueramo, Ethan Schow, Carson Winger

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Highway 89/91 is a major arterial connecting Brigham City to Cache Valley through Wellsville Canyon. There are several existing underpass wildlife crossings along the route that are infrequently used by deer and other large wildlife. The Utah Division of Wildlife wishes to improve wildlife crossings in the area because the underpass crossings have some of the lowest usage rates in Utah. Due to the abundance of wildlife in Wellsville Canyon, the stretch of Highway 89/91 experiences frequent wildlife-vehicle collisions.

CE Squared Engineering presented four possible alternatives for a wildlife crossing near mile marker 8 in Wellsville Canyon. Each alternative was …

Pedestrian Bridge: Jbs Meat Processing Facility Hyrum, Ut, Daniel Cox, Wyatt Lantz, Jake Leatham, Jake Makin, Michael Rasmussen

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The JBS meat processing facility in Hyrum, UT, requested an engineering assessment and design for a safe pedestrian route from JBS’s west employee parking lot to the inside of the JBS facility. JBS employs over 1000 people many of whom park their vehicles in the company’s west employee parking lot. JBS employees currently must cross 1200 west from the west parking lot via a crosswalk with faded paint and frequent traffic traveling at speeds of 40-45 mph. The purpose of this project is to create a safer and more convenient entrance into JBS’s facility from the company’s west employee parking …

Great Western Rv Park, Jairus Anderson, Clark Brown, Brennan Rees, Ty Rees

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Royal Developments LLC has requested the development of a parcel in a rural community in Wayne County. The proposed property is located between Bicknell and Torrey alongside Highway 24. The economic growth requires a need for more capacity of overnight stay. Within the rural area, it is home to diverse scenery that attracts millions of visitors every year around the world. Royal Developments plans to develop an RV park and cabins with JCR Engineering in the Bicknell area for visitors to stay.

North Davis Sewer District Wastewater Treatment Plant Additions, Amy Carmellini, Jessica Cooper, Kailey Jorgensen, Madeline Tennant, Nikki Vause, Travis Whitfield

Civil and Environmental Engineering

North Davis Sewer District (NDSD) wastewater treatment plant must alter their treatment process to reduce total phosphorus (TP) and total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) in their effluent. NDSD treats ~19 MGD using biotowers and trickling filters then discharges final effluent to Farmington Bay (FB) of the Great Salt Lake (GSL) (Figure 1).

Alterations to NDSD’s treatment process must meet lower TIN and TP standards by year 2020 while planning for population increases through year 2050. Relocation of NDSD’s outfall from FB to Gilbert Bay (GB) would allow NDSD to meet less stringent standards.

NDSD plant operators prioritize reliability (40%), cost (30%), …

Fish Lake Recreation Area And Fishing Pier, Jesse Mott, Collin Pace, Matthew Crump, Matthew Day, Elliot Naulu

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Fish Lake, located in Fishlake National Forest, has restricted access to shoreline fishing opportunities because of an invasive weed called Eurasian Milfoil. The National Forest Service plans to address this issue by providing fishing opportunities to visitors beyond the weed line, which requires access 100 feet out from the shoreline.

In addition to providing improved fishing access, the Forest Service wants to develop the site with a parking lot, sidewalk, and restroom. The parking lot needs to accommodate at least 26 vehicles and fit in the narrow strip of land between the existing highway and Fish Lake.

San Rafael Swell Recreational Vehicle Campground Design, Emily Fica, Aaron Olney, Tyler Kendall, Paola Muñoz, Devin Shelley

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) hired Starry Night Engineering to design a campground North of exit 131 on I-70. The site is located near the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area and is open for public use. BLM is concerned about insufficient traffic regulations and harm to vegetation and other natural resources due to the recent surge of recreational use in the San Rafael Swell area. RVs and off-road vehicles are the predominate source in the area.

Figure 1 shows landscape destruction at the site due to insufficient roads and lack of traffic regulations. BLM asked Starry Night Engineering to …

Dry Canyon Well In Smithfield City, Utah, Colby Bench, Zachary Benson, Tyler Daniels, Steven Fuhr, Timothy Price, Sammie Stubbs

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The purpose of the Dry Canyon Well project is to provide an additional water supply to Smithfield City. Smithfield City anticipates a 100% increase in population over the next 40 years. To accommodate the future demand, Smithfield City hired T&S Engineers to design a well. T&S Engineers designed the chlorination system, pump house, pipeline to a nearby storage tank, and gravel road to access the well.

Garley Canyon Recreation Area, Kathryn Margetts, Kyler Olsen, Mariah Rasmussen, Caitlin Roundy, Matthew Solomon, C. Jack Tousley

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Carbon County, UT has commissioned Jones & DeMille Engineering (JDE) to design and construct a reservoir at the mouth of Garley Canyon. To attract people from around Utah to visit Garley Reservoir, JDE has partnered with Trail Blazing Development Engineering (TBD) to design an outdoor recreation area. To accommodate diversity, plans for the recreational area included a road connecting a day-use area, a traditional campground, and an RV campground. Amenities considered included access to clean drinking water, pavilions in the day-use area, and restroom facilities. TBD Engineering analyzed alternative options and designed the recreational area with the best combination of …

Box Elder Creek Trail And Bridge Design, Turky Al-Osaimi, Braiden Amata, Spencer Nielson, Michael Ruiz-Leon, Devon Vigil

Civil and Environmental Engineering

There is a light footpath that begins at Mayors pond in Brigham City and follows the Box Elder Creek north to the surrounding neighborhoods. The path is marked with faded pink utility ribbons. The footpath crosses through difficult terrain and twice through a dry creek bed. There is not a stable creek crossing. Residents seeking to use the current path are potentially exposing themselves to difficult crossings and unstable terrain.

The Brigham City Trails Task Force desires to construct a pedestrian trail for the community to safely recreate. The trail will connect residential areas to Mayors Pond. The proposed trail …

Viking Engineering Design Of Norse Code For The Usu Concrete Canoe Club, Paul Consalvo, Morgan Stewart, Josephine Bennion, Lihan Zhu, Hunter Payne

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This project provides the USU Concrete Canoe (USUCC) team a design for a concrete canoe to submit to the ASCE National Concrete Canoe Competition (NCCC). The competition requires a design provided through a technical proposal and prototype. Viking Engineering (ViE) provides canoe design, concrete mix design, technical assistance for the competition’s proposal, and prototype construction, which includes demolding. Viking Engineering proposes a Viking- themed, Shallow-Vee hull canoe design with a prototype titled Norse Code for submission.

Application Of A Self-Disinfecting Surface For Hemodialysis, Jace Parkinson, Katelyn Parkinson, Alice Pack, Tara Pendleton, Andrew Gagon

Biological Engineering

Hemodialysis mimics kidney function for patients with chronic kidney failure (Figure 1). Infection is the second leading cause of death in patients with end stage renal disease and sepsis accounts for more than 75% of these infectious deaths. In order to treat dialysis patients with bacterial infection, TiO₂ nanoparticles (Degussa P25, 25 nm diameter) may be incorporated into the hollow fiber membrane, in the vascular access, or be suspended in the dialysate. TiO₂ nanoparticles combined with UVA light are used to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Design Of A Mobile Dialysis Kit For Use In Emergency Situations, Nate Barney, Rachel Israelsen, James Vandermeyden, Norah Visker

Biological Engineering

Without hemodialysis (HD), water and waste quickly build up in a renal patient’s bloodstream. HD is typically performed 3 times a week for 3-5 hours per session and consumes large amounts of power and water. Emergencies put strain on an already difficult schedule. There may be a struggle to provide the resources and locations necessary for dialysis treatments in these situations. Our solution to this problem is a mobile, self-sufficient, hemodialysis kit. It requires a battery capable of storing power for multiple dialysis sessions, a water purifying system, the NxStage System One home-dialysis unit, and a vehicle to transport everything. …

Fabric Hip Brace For Hip Replacement Postoperative Use, Jacob Barney, Laurel Hendricksen, Evan Perez

Biological Engineering

A well-recognized complication associated with hip replacement surgery is the dislocation of the hip joint following surgery. The risk of dislocation is highest in the first few months following surgery. To reduce risk of dislocation, the patient is required to wear a metal hip abduction brace. The function of the brace is to regulate flexion, extension, and abduction (forward, backward, and sideway) movements in the hip.

The aim of this project is to develop an alternative design to current post-operative hip braces, presented in the form of a mockup. The main specifications were to remove the metal pieces and replace …

Martian Fertilizer - Analysis Of The Nitrogen Fixing Capabilities Of Rhodopseudomonas Palustris, Aj Walter, Caleb Walker, Drew Porter, Kade Derrick

Biological Engineering

A significant barrier to human survivability on Mars is becoming self-sufficient on in situ resources. To this end, a process must be developed to fix nitrogen from atmospheric gasses into usable materials for agriculture. Rhodopseudomonas palustris has the capacity to fix nitrogen gas into ammonium (NH₄⁺) under anaerobic photoheterotrophic conditions.