Engineering Commons^™

President’S Message: Advancing The Tide Of Technology Education, Ethan B. Lipton

Publications

The article presents information relating to the field of technology education. Vigorous change continues in the study of technology and the delivery of technology education because of the integrating nature of technology and the need to prepare students for developing technological world to meet changing human needs. Significant strides have been made in the evolution of technology education of which we should all be very proud. In the last decade alone, the International Technology Education Association has provided the leadership for a wide range of initiatives designed to enhance technology education through technology, innovation, design, and engineering experiences at the …

Coming To Terms With Engineering Design As Content, Theodore Lewis

Publications

This article addresses the challenges posed by engineering design as a content area of technology education. What adjustments will technology teachers have to make in their approach to teaching and learning when they teach design as engineering in response to the new standards? How faithful to engineering as practiced must their approach be? There is already some advocacy in the literature that greater attention will need to be paid to mathematics and science, where these subjects underpin design. Cotton (2002) proposed that mathematical theories should be applied to design in technology education classrooms, and that students should be encouraged to …

Women: Support Factors And Persistence In Engineering, John R. Duncan, Yong Zeng

Reports of Center Studies

Limited information is available regarding the factors that promote persistence by women in engineering programs. Stated simply, the problem is that the number of women engineers continues to fall short in comparison to the gender ratio of women to men in the population in the U.S. (BEST, 2002) and worldwide (Hersh, 2000). More women engineers are needed in general and in proportion to male engineers. This study addressed two questions. (1) What are the factors that support women in engineering? and (2) What are the factors that attract women to and help them to persist in a career in engineering? …

National Center For Engineering And Technology Education, Christine Hailey, Thomas Erekson, Kurt Becker, Maurice Thomas

Publications

The article reports that the overall impact of the National Center for Engineering and Technology Education (NCETE) is to strengthen the nation's capacity to deliver effective engineering and technology education in the K-12 schools. Further, it informs that the National Science Foundation established the Centers for Learning and Teaching (CLT) program to address needs in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. The CLT program has three goals, based upon stated national needs. First, CLT are expected to renew and diversify the cadre of national leaders in STEM education. The CLT includes partners with strengths in engineering and in …

Beneficial Reuse And Sustainability: The Fate Of Organic Compounds In The Land-Applied Waste, M. R. Overcash, Ronald C. Sims, J. L. Sims, K. C. Nieman

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Land application systems, also referred to as beneficial reuse systems, are engineered systems that have defined and permitted application areas based on site and waste characteristics to determine the land area size requirement. These terrestrial systems have orders of magnitude greater microbial capability and residence time to achieve decomposition and assimilation compared with aquatic systems. In this paper we focus on current information and information needs related to terrestrial fate pathways in land treatment systems. Attention is given to conventional organic chemicals as well as new estrogenic and pharmaceutical chemicals of commerce. Specific terrestrial fate pathways addressed include: decomposition, bound …

Optimizing Integrated Water Resources Management: Data, Tools, And Examples, Richard C. Peralta

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Best utilizing water resources requires coordinating their availability and use in time and space. Required can be: spatially and temporally distributed data; simulators to predict system response to stimuli; procedures for defining management goals, constraints, and scenarios; optimizers to compute optimal management strategies; and appropriate strategy implementation techniques. Here, a strategy is a set of controllable groundwater extraction and injection rates and surface water diversions. Simulation/optimization (S/O) models couple simulators and optimizers to compute optimal strategies for posed management problems. S/O models are becoming more commonly used for policy, planning, system design, and management. For example, water planners and managers …

Real-Time Registration And Display Of Confocal Microscope Imagery For Multiple-Band Analysis, Scott E. Budge, A.M. Mayampurath, J.C. Solinsky

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Multiple images acquired in real-time from a confocal microscope in different illumination wavebands are used to construct a three-dimensional understanding of living cell signal propagation. Registration, fusion, and display of these images are performed in real-time using field programmable gate array (FPGA) technology to allow the biological scientist to observe time critical signaling processes as they occur. The registration and display system operates at a rate of up to 15 frames/s, and performs dark offset correction and noise reduction, followed by non-linear correction for lens warp and focal plane tilt, and finally correction for spatial mismatch between the different wavebands. …

Developed Pumping Strategies For Mather Afb Tce Plume, Richard C. Peralta, Bassel Timani

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Accomplishments prior to BCT Meeting/Phone Conference of 14 October 2004 Prior to 14 October 2004, the best pumping strategy USU achieved manually completely contains both PCE and TCE1 (within revised containment zones proposed by USU on that date), at the end of years 2, 3, 4, 5 and 5-year intervals thereafter. This strategy uses two new extraction wells (USUE3 and USUE4). The strategy did not utilize a recently constructed well EW-12B. USU did not previously know about EW-12B and the well package USU received did not indicate a well at its location, cell (3,58,43). On 14 October, USU also learned …

Optimización Para El Normado, Planeamiento, Diseño Y Manejo Del Agua Subterránea, Richard C. Peralta

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Los modelos de Simulación/optimización (S/O) junta modelos de simulación y optimización para calcular estrategias óptimas para el manejo del agua subterránea ante problemas de optimización propuestos. Una estrategia es un conjunto de caudales de extracción e inyección de agua subterráneas distribuidas espacial y temporalmente. Los modelos S/O están llegando a ser más comúnmente usados para el desarrollo de normas, planeamiento, diseño del sistema y manejo. Por ejemplo, los encargados del manejo y planificación del agua algunas veces deben decidir como controlar el uso del agua subterránea para originar un futuro favorable y evitar serios problemas. Los modelos S/O pueden ayudar …

Calibration Of Plasma Impedance Probe On The Floating Potential Measurement Unit, Krishna Kishore Kurra

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Charging of the International Space Station (ISS) is identified as a potential space hazard for astronauts. Floating potential measurement unit (FMPU) was developed to address this issue. This project is aimed at developing a procedure for the calibration of Plasma Impedance Probe, one of the four probes housed by FPMU. Non-linear curve fits are used to find the calibration coefficients and the equations are symbolically solved to obtain the load magnitude and phase from the pulse code modulated (PCM) data. There is a brief discussion of various methods tried during this process. The results are compared with the actual test …

Hydraulic Characteristics Of Labyrinth Weirs, Corwin M. Willmore

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Primarily, half-round crest labyrinth weirs were tested in this study with the side leg angle (a) ranging between 7 to 35 degrees. Historical data was primarily limited to quarter-round data. This study presents data and equations for estimating the discharge coefficient for labyrinth weirs with both half-round, quarter-round, and two Ogee-type crest weir shapes . A method is presented for comparing the flow capacity between weirs in order to determine the most efficient weir at a given Ht/P. For a labyrinth weir with the crest shape,# of cycles (N), and the cycle width (w) held constant, the discharge coefficient (Cct) …

Interim Sediment Management Plan For First Dam, Logan River, Thirumurugan Bose

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Sediment is a serious problem in the management of dams all over the world. In this project an interim sediment management plan for First Dam, on the Logan River in northern Utah, is discussed. The objective of the plan is to control the sediment budget of the reservoir in such a way that other reservoir maintenance activities (e.g., unusual draw downs for structural repairs) will produce minimal downstream environmental impacts on water quality and aquatic resources.

This report presents a detailed literature review of the various sediment management practices used for reservoir sediment control. It also discusses the downstream effects …

Digital Design For A Sweeping Langmuir Probe Board, Omar Morales

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In-situ probing of the Earth's upper atmosphere has greatly contributed to the understanding of the ionosphere's variations and structures. The purpose of this research project has been to develop the digital component of a Swept Langmuir Probe that will be used on a sounding rocket to be launched through the equatorial ionosphere. The probe will make measurements of the plasma density and temperature in the ionosphere.

The digital component uses an FPGA to perform three main functions in parallel which are generating a sweeping voltage on the probe, sampling data channels, and communicating measured data to external devices. The FPGA …

Field Calibration Of The Float Method In Open Channels, Jorge Escurra

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Surface velocity coefficients were calculated at five locations in three different irrigation canals in Logan, Utah. First, the total flow' rate was measured using current meters and calculated cross-sectional flow area. Second , the surface velocity was measured using four trials of the float method , and the average float travel time was calculated for each location and measurement instance. The measurements were taken on different days for various water depths in the canals. Third, the surface and mean cross-sectional velocities were divided , yielding the surface velocity coefficient, for every measurement at each of the five locations. Several channel …

Women In Aviation, Kari Anne Sparks-Webb

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

My goal during my enrollment in the USU Professional Pilot Program is to further the advancement of women in the aviation industry and increase the number of women in the flight program. So, when it came time to choose my senior project there was no better choice for me than to exhibit at the Women in Aviation Convention. It would be a huge step for the school and a great opportunity for me and other students in the program.

A Fleet Tracking System Using G.P.S. And Radios, John Mulholland, Matthew Warner, Matthew Waldron, Eric Widdison

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Doc Warner's Alaska Fishing LLC is a growing business operating out of Excursion Inlet, Alaska. Based in Bountiful, Utah, this company has experienced large amounts of growth in the past few years, and as a result has needed to make quick adaptations to accommodate larger groups of people fishing with them. Doc Warner's offers a unique experience in that they do not charter boats, but rather allow their guests to captain the boats. The number of vessels that might be fishing at any time has increased from four to more than twenty in the last three years. This large increase …

Analytical And Numerical Investigation Of A Mechanically Stabilized Earth Wall On I-15, Aaron S. Budge

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation is the culmination of extensive research into the behavior of a mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) wall at I-15 and 3600 South in Salt Lake City, Utah. The wall is about 30 ft tall and is constructed on a compressible, soft clay foundation. Research on this project has included extensive instrumentation and monitoring of stresses and deformations in the wall and its foundation, a study of the effects of drilling and sampling method on disturbance of samples, and extensive laboratory testing to determine strength and deformation properties of soils at the site. The results of these portions of the …

Shear Wave Velocity Profiling Of Poorly Characterized Geologic Units In Salt Lake Valley, Utah, Jeff W. Gilbert

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Shear wave velocity profiling in poorly characterized geologic units was successfully completed at 44 sites in and around the Salt Lake City metropolitan area by a team from Utah State University, Utah Geological Survey, and University of Utah Seismograph Stations. The sites tested in the Salt Lake Valley have been used to redefine site response geologic units Q02, Q03, and Q04 within the valley, and refocus future research in geologic units along the Wasatch Front.

This testing was carried out using the USU mobile source trailer and combining the results of Spectral Analysis of Surface Waves and refraction testing. Results …

Modeling Of The Interactions Between Forest Vegetation, Disturbances, And Sediment Yields, Erkan Istanbulluoglu, David G. Tarboton, Robert T. Pack, Charles H. Luce

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The controls of forest vegetation, wildfires, and harvest vegetation disturbances on the frequency and magnitude of sediment delivery from a small watershed (∼3.9 km2) in the Idaho batholith are investigated through numerical modeling. The model simulates soil development based on continuous bedrock weathering and the divergence of diffusive sediment transport on hillslopes. Soil removal is due to episodic gully erosion, shallow landsliding, and debris flow generation. In the model, forest vegetation provides root cohesion and surface resistance to channel initiation. Forest fires and harvests reduce the vegetation. Vegetation loss leaves the land susceptible to erosion and landsliding until the vegetation …

Implications Of On-Ground Nitrogen Loading And Soil Transformations On Ground Water Quality Management, M. Almasri, Jagath J. Kaluarachchi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper presents a modeling approach based on a geographic information system (GIS) to estimate the variability of on-ground nitrogen loading and the corresponding nitrate leaching to ground water. The methodology integrates all point and nonpoint sources of nitrogen, the national land cover database, soil nitrogen transformations, and the uncertainty of key soil and land use-related parameters to predict the nitrate mass leaching to ground water. The analysis considered 21 different land use classes with information derived from nitrogen sources such as fertilizer and dairy manure applications, dairy lagoons, septic systems, and dry and wet depositions. Simulations were performed at …

Bie6810 - Biochemical Engineering, Spring 2004, Ron Sims

Biological and Irrigation Engineering - OCW

Biochemical processes, thermodynamics, and kinetics are used in the application of engineering principles to analyze, design, and develop processes using biocatalysts. Processes covered in the course include those that are involved in the formation of desirable compounds and products or in the transformation, or destruction of unwanted or toxic substances.

Bie6300 - Irrigation & Conveyance Control Systems, Spring 2004, Gary P. Merkley

Biological and Irrigation Engineering - OCW

This is a course regarding measurement of flow rates and water levels. Calibration, design, and selection of open-channel flow measurement structures. Design of irrigation conveyance and distribution system infrastructure.

Bie6150 - Surface Irrigation Design, Spring 2004, Wynn Walker

Biological and Irrigation Engineering - OCW

This course was originally developed for the United States Department of Agriculture. It contains nearly 20 video lecture presentations with accompanying slides in English, Arabic, and French, an online textbook, homework assignments, and downloadable surface irrigation simulation software also developed by Dr. Walker. This course highlights design and evaluation of surface irrigation systems, field measurements for evaluating and improving uniformity and efficiency, simulation of surface systems, and land leveling computation and equipment. Note: The simulation software is designed to run on a PC only.

Cee6880 - Soil-Based Hazardous Waste Management, Spring 2004, Ron Sims

Civil and Environmental Engineering - OCW

Engineering management of hazardous wastes present in the vadose zone, including extraction, containment, and biological, chemical, and physical destruction technologies. Aspects include engineering characterization, problem definition, treatment, and monitoring. Analysis and design emphasized through problems, examinations, and report writing.

Technical Requirements: A PC is required to run the Fugacity Calculator.

Ece3260 - Science Of Sound, Spring 2004, Paul Wheeler

Electrical and Computer Engineering - OCW

Welcome to Science of Sound. This course is offered as a regular class Fall Semesters on the USU campus in Logan, Utah. It is also available over the internet Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters, or as a yearlong independent-studies course. In each case, work is submitted using the internet. The only difference in the regular class held Fall semester is that students meet with the professor three times a week to discuss the material in the text. A teaching assistant is assigned to answer questions via the internet. The course consists of reading the text, supplementing concepts using the Internet, …

A Turn To Engineering: The Continuing Struggle Of Technology Education For Legitimization As A School Subject, Theodore Lewis

Publications

In the long march from manual training, the subject which today we call technology education has always had to contend with the question of its legitimacy as valid school knowledge. In this regard, it shares a similar history of struggle with other subjects whose initial entry into the curriculum was based on a utilitarian rather than an academic rationale. Goodson (1983) documents such cases (e.g. geography and biology) showing how in their struggle for acceptance, the primary strategy of advocates was to try to enhance the academic bona fides of their subject. He explained that utilitarian knowledge is associated with …

Technology And Mathematics Standards: An Integrated Approach, Chris Merrill, Mark Comerford

Publications

The article focuses on the use of standards-based teaching and learning that has been gaining significant attention in the education world. State and national associations now base their specific subject area or discipline solely on standards, i.e., International Technology Education Association (ITEA), National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), National Science Education Association (NSEA). Moreover, at the public school level, state boards of education are holding school districts accountable for teaching standards-based curricula. It is with the latter definition in mind that the authors created a standards-based, integrated technology and mathematics lesson using the design and construction of stair systems.

Standards-Based Curriculum Development For Pre-Service And In-Service: A “Partnering” Approach Using Modified Backwards Design, Steve Shumway, Jared Berrett

Publications

The article reports that technology teacher educators across the nation are considering what changes will be made to their pre-service teacher education programs to implement the standards in Standards for Technological Literacy (STL) (ITEA, 2000/2002) and to help future teachers learn to develop and teach curriculum that is based on those standards (Custer& amp; Wright, 2002). A recent survey (Reeve, Nielson,& amp; Meade, 2003) revealed that in Utah, a majority of teachers have a copy of the standards and are supportive of them, but they want help implementing standards-based technology education in their classrooms. Initially, a self-evaluation of the teacher …

Critical Issues And Problems In Technology Education, Robert C. Wicklein

Publications

The article informs that to address the need of identifying a comprehensive base for the critical issues and problems, research was conducted to ascertain the perspectives of classroom teachers, university professors, and supervisors of technology education. In addition, the entire population of 132 university department heads/program leaders in technology teacher education, as well as the total population of 55 state and regional supervisors, were selected to receive the survey questionnaire. The critical problem items, insufficient quantities of qualified technology education teachers, inadequate understanding by administrators and counselors concerning technology education, and inadequate understanding by general populace concerning technology education, were …

Software For Optimizing International Water Resources Management, Richard C. Peralta, S. Wu

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The Simulation/Optimization MOdeling System (SOMOS) has modules adapted for a range of international water resource management needs. The SOMOA module is best for field groundwater and conjunctive water management situations. It employs several analytical simulation models and several optimization methods to give appropriate optimal guidance for situations having sparse data. SOMOA requires understanding of the limitations of common analytical equations. It does not require experience in finite difference or element numerical modeling. SOMOS also has modules ideal for situations in which there is sufficient data for numerical modeling or aquifer and stream-aquifer systems. Emphasized here are SOMOA and its applications …