Engineering Commons^™

The United States Aviation Industry And The Professional Pilot Training Environment, Andrew Marvin

Honors Theses

This study provides background and analysis of the legislation enacted following the crash of Colgan Air 3407, and the impact that the more stringent qualifications have had on aspiring professional pilots. Participants in the study include professional pilots and aspiring professional pilots, governmental law-making agencies such as the United States (U.S.) Congress and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), major and regional airlines, and collegiate flight training programs. The study drew from the National Transportation Safety Board investigation (NTSB) of Colgan Air 3407, federal regulations regarding pilot training and certification standards, and current airline hiring and training programs.

Findings of this …

Solar Tracking And Lighting Design For A Multimedia Sculpture, Alexandra Ferguson

Honors Theses

A lighting system utilizing solar energy was built to illuminate a wireframe multimedia sculpture. Increased power generation from the solar cells was achieved using a solar tracking mechanism. Color-selectable light emitting diodes were used to provide the user with unlimited customization options. A digital control system was designed using an Arduino® microcontroller to configure the color of the lights and the positioning of the solar panel. The sculpture will create a sense of community and sustainability among students at the school.

Designing An Accessible Hall Effect Thruster, Matthew Baird

Honors Theses

A group of three Mechanical Engineering students have selected to design a 200 W Hall Effect Thruster to fulfill the Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering senior design project. Preliminary studies were performed on the theory behind electric propulsion and plasma physics. The group designed the Western Hall Thruster and used COMSOL Multiphysics® simulation software to refine the magnetic circuit. The group then fabricated and performed magnetic testing of their thruster in Western Michigan University’s Aerospace Laboratory for Plasma Experiments. This testing will seek to prove that a standard research HET can be built by universities without substantial financial resources.

Modeling Product Cooling For Baked And Snack Crackers, Jenna Hagenloch

Honors Theses

The cooling of snack crackers, after the baking process is an important step prior to packaging. A model was developed for cooling the crackers. The model allows for the adjustment of multiple operating conditions, such as temperature, depth of the crackers, and the speed of the line. The completed model provides the user with the ability to predict cooling requirements and to validate pre-existing equipment operating conditions. The model will aid in the design of new equipment as well as modifications to improve existing installations to operate within the desired specifications for each process.

An Algorithm For Constrained One-Step Inversion Of Spectral Ct Data, Rina Foygel Barber, Emil Y. Sidky, Taly Gilat Schmidt, Xiaochuan Pan

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

We develop a primal-dual algorithm that allows for one-step inversion of spectral CT transmission photon counts data to a basis map decomposition. The algorithm allows for image constraints to be enforced on the basis maps during the inversion. The derivation of the algorithm makes use of a local upper bounding quadratic approximation to generate descent steps for non-convex spectral CT data discrepancy terms, combined with a new convex-concave optimization algorithm. Convergence of the algorithm is demonstrated on simulated spectral CT data. Simulations with noise and anthropomorphic phantoms show examples of how to employ the constrained one-step algorithm for spectral CT …

Pilot Source Study 2015: Us Regional Airline Pilot Hiring Background Characteristic Changes Consequent To Public Law 111-216 And The Faa First Officer Qualifications Rule, Elizabeth Bjerke, Guy Smith, Maryjo Smith, Cody Christensen, Thomas Carney, Paul Craig, Mary Niemczyk

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

This report is the first article in a series called Pilot Source Study 2015. Public Law (PL) 111-216, passed by the US Congress in 2010, and the subsequent FAA Regulation, Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations Rule, abruptly changed the pilot hiring situation for US air carriers operating under 14 CFR Part 121. PL 111-216 became effective on August 1, 2013; thereafter, pilots were not eligible to be first officers in Part 121 air carriers unless they were certificated as Air Transport Pilots (ATP) with 1,500 hours of flight time, with some flight hour reductions for …

Life Alert System For Vulnerable Adults Who Live Alone, Bohyun Ahn

Undergraduate Research Symposium

As medical technology and the standard of living have improved, the number of vulnerable adults who live alone has increased. Asking for help themselves may be impossible if they have a medical or life issue. Some accidents may go unnoticed for individuals living alone. When accidents regarding vulnerable adults occur, it may take days or weeks to become known by family or neighbors. To solve this problem, a life alert system was designed for vulnerable adults in their homes. To demonstrate the system, A fusion of different sensors were set up in a booth to detect the user’s motion over …

15th Annual Undergraduate Student Symposium, Farquhar Honors College

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The Undergraduate Student Symposium, sponsored by the Farquhar Honors College, presents student projects through presentations, papers, films, and poster displays. The event serves as a “showcase” demonstrating the outstanding scholarship of undergraduate students at NSU. The symposium is open to undergraduate students from all disciplines. Projects cover areas of student scholarship ranging from the experimental and the applied to the computational, theoretical, artistic, and literary. They are taken from class assignments and independent projects. Project presentations can represent any stage in a concept’s evolution, from proposal and literature review to fully completed and realized scholarly work. As in past symposia, …

Nasa Selects Usu Engineering Team For Small Rocket Motor Research | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

April 18, 2016 – Aerospace engineering students at Utah State University are leading exciting new research into the future of small rocket motors. The team of undergraduate students, led by Professor Tony Whitmore, will get a $200,000 NASA grant to better understand how a new generation of “green” rocket motors could help revolutionize the space industry.

Phased Array Antenna Investigation For Cubesat Size Satellites, Kien Dang

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the College of Science Morehead State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science by Kien Dang on April 18, 2016.

Investigation On The Effect Of Recycled Asphalt Shingle (Ras) In Portland Cement Mortar, Jinwoo An, Boo Hyun Nam, Heejung Youn

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Tear-off roofing shingle, referred to as Reclaimed asphalt shingle (RAS), is the byproduct of construction demolition and it is a major solid waste stream in the U.S. Reuse of this byproduct in road construction sector can contribute to the success of materials sustainability as well as landfill conservation. Ground RAS has similar particle distribution as sand and its major component includes aggregate granules, fibers, and asphalt. To promote the beneficial utilization of RAS, this study evaluates the effect of RAS in cement mortar when used as replacement of sand. In addition, the study investigates how cellulose fibers from RAS behave …

Evaluation Of Resistance To Rutting And Moisture Susceptibility On High Rap Content Asphalt Concretes Using Hamburg Wheel Tracking Device, Sungun Kim

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Reclaimed or recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) stands for materials that are removed and reprocessed asphalt pavement materials. It is usually from asphalt road maintenance and reconstruction. Past research has proved that the use of RAP will save natural resources by incorporating the old asphalt and aggregates into the new asphalt paving material production. This practice results in cost reduction in roadway construction and maintenance, and thus benefits both the agencies and the public. However, there is a concern over the strength and durability of the pavements containing high RAP content because the old asphalt binder and aggregates aged by traffic …

Application Of Web Published Virtual Instruments In Delivering Engineering Instructions And Performing Experimental Research, Shahnam Navaee

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

In this presentation the special utility of the LabVIEW Virtual Instruments published as HTML files is documented and discussed. The Virtual Instruments (LabVIEW programs) created using the software's web publishing tool can be used to complement the effectiveness of the classroom instructions and extend the reach of engineering researchers in more effectively conducting laboratory and field experimentation. The Virtual Instruments (VIs) created as web documents can be placed on a web-server and made available to users at remote locations. These files can enhance the collaborations and interactions among individuals at these stations. For example, the created VIs for a course …

Emotion Recognition Using Fuzzy Clustering Analysis, Tejal Udhan

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

This research project investigates using fuzzy clustering algorithms for emotion recognition. Emotion recognition has gained significant attention in recent years in applications such as artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, speech and voice recognition. The ability of a computer or machine to understand human emotion and respond to users in a more human way can lead to significant advances in conversational speech recognition systems, improved quality of life in persons with speech disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease and even in voice response systems, such as Google Voice or Apple’s Siri. Experimental results in this area can inform discovery and innovation of machine …

Particle Boards Created From Modified Lignin, Robbie Kazen

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

My name is Robert Kazen, a student directed under Dr. Rafael Quirino currently working on the Lignin Modification project. The research project involves the isolation of lignin from black liquor, a byproduct produced by the paper pulping industry. Isolated chemically the lignin was then modified using two methods, (1) acrylation acid and (2) transesterification with tung oil modifications. The black liquor obtained was sent by the Arizona Chemical and Herty Advanced Materials Development Center. Currently the tung oil modification gives the most valuable product physically and its products will be mainly used for particle board creation and testing. The tung …

Accelerated Insulation Recycling System (Airs), Debalina Ghosh

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Construction and demolition waste accounts for 52 % of the total landfilled space. While many advances in disassembly sequencing in buildings have been proposed to recycle concrete, steel, and tile associated with construction and demolition waste, the insulation contained within every building persists as a significant environmental challenge to recycle and reuse. Adding to this problem is the fact that when petroleum based foams are incinerated, it emits carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, isocyanine, acrylonitrile, and hydrogen cyanide in levels exceeding those allowed by the EPA, posing a significant threat to the environment and human health. Design for Disassembly (DfD) approach …

Wire + Arc Additive Manufacturing, Micheal Santangelo

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Additive manufacturing is a rapidly developing technology which promises to drastically reduce the cost and waste associated with manufacturing parts. However, current systems of additive manufacturing used for creating metal parts which are suitable for use in the aerospace, automotive, and defense industries are complex, expensive, and not robust enough to produce a wide range of part features and geometries. A relatively new method, called wire arc additive manufacturing(WAAM) is a low cost option that can create parts which have a near-net shape, and only require a small amount of post processing before they are ready for use. This system, …

Warning Systems Evaluation For Overhead Clearance Detection, Clayton Rogers

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

The accurate detection of road vehicle heights is a need that arises in departments of transportation across the nation. Usually, this dimension is required to solve various transportation issues. In particular, numerous bridges in the state of Georgia have been affected by repetitive crashes of tall vehicles against their structural elements. As an example, a recent inspection report of the Houlihan Bridge over the Savannah River documents damages resulting from numerous hits by overheight vehicles. This case emphasizes the urgency of finding preventive measures. To address this issue, a number of solutions are investigated. The known methods of vehicle height …

Autonomous Methods In The Application Of Simple Swarm Capabilities, Joseph Watt Iii

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Swarm technology is a relatively new aspect to the drone industry. It involves multiple drones being able to communicate with each other and relay this back to the user. From this standpoint one operator can control all of them at once while only giving directions to one or more. This involves the use of different autonomous algorithms, similar to autopilot where programs fly the plane, that relay to one another on what adjustments to make or where to go. This idea is very useful in search and rescue operations where it might be too dangerous to insert a human. Also …

Measuring Frequency Availability For Cognitive Radio Networks By Means Of Adaptive Threshold, Isaac Cushman

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Radio Frequency spectrums designated by the FCC broadcast almost all mediums of communication, in both licensed and unlicensed bands, within the United States. As technology rapidly grows however, the availability of open frequencies will quickly decrease. Our goal is to design and experimentally test a system that allows for secondary users to access frequency bands that are not currently being optimally used by the primary users and also determine the effects of mobility on the ability for a sensor to accurately find frequencies by determining an appropriate power level for communication. We set up experimental scenarios in order to test …

Fabrication Of Nano-Scale Metal Organic Framework (Mof) Loaded Nanofibrous Membrane For Enhanced Gas Adsorption Performance, Wahiduz Zaman

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Nitrogen storage capacity was investigated on a highly efficient adsorbent nanoparticle called Metal Organic Framework (MOF). A copper-based MOF called MOF-199 has been synthesized from subsequent reaction of Copper nitrate (10 wt.%), Trimesic Acid (8 wt.%) and Triethylamine (0.3 wt.%). TEA served as a deprotonating agent to form small particles. The reactants were mixed in a solution of Dimethylformamide (DMF), Ethanol and Deionized water (1:1:1) and vigorously sonicated for an hour at room temperature. This yielded single blue octahedral MOF crystals which were later washed with mother solution and extracted via centrifuge. The MOFªs were later activated for gas adsorption …

Impact Of Clustering Microgrids On Their Stability And Resilience During Blackouts, Mahmoud S. Saleh, Ammar Althaibani, Yusef Esa, Yassine Mhandi, Ahmed Mohamed

Publications and Research

In this paper, the impact of clustering multiple microgrids during blackouts, on their stability and supply availability, will be investigated. Microgrids have the capability of satisfying their emergency loads during blackouts. However, distributed energy resources (DERs)-dominated microgrids are affected by the uncertainty of their input energy supply, e.g. impact of solar irradiance on photovoltaic (PV) output. Moreover, an individual islanded microgrid is prone to instability issues due to large sudden load/generation changes. In order to increase the supply security, and enhance system stability, we propose to use the existing distribution grid infrastructure, if applicable, during blackouts to form microgrid clusters. …

14-02 Developing Public Health Performance Measures To Capture The Effects Of Transportation Facilities On Multiple Public Health Outcomes, Colleen Casey, Stephen Mattingly, Jianling Li, James Williams

Transportation Research Center Reports

Increasingly, federal transportation and public health agencies are working together to identify transportation investments that improve public health. Investments in transportation infrastructure represent one method to utilize transportation to improve public health outcomes. The ideal transportation investment is one that not only provides safe access for pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders, but it also promotes more utilitarian or recreational trips for walking and biking in an environment of safe air quality. However, public health objectives can be at conflict when designing transportation infrastructure to support active commuting. For example, infrastructure investments may be made that promote physical activity through …

Structural Evaluations Of Bridges With Smartphones, Garrett P. Martindale, Dean Whitfield, Jeremiah Dixon

UCARE: Research Products

According to the 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, published by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the United States has a bridge rating of C+. The C rating is classified by ASCE as a mediocre standing. Infrastructure that is awarded the C rating shows general signs of deterioration and requires attention.

Our Hypothesis: Smartphones have become readily available to anyone and is a relatively cheap device. They have instruments within them that can capture and collect usable data. An application can be downloaded to record the smartphone’s acceleration. The acceleration data can be used to evaluate vibrations within …

Finding Specific, Topic Related Information From A Sea Of Social Media Posts, Scott J. Duberstein, Daniel Asamoah, Derek Doran, Shu Z. Schiller

Celebration of Undergraduate & Graduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Materials

As social media continues to become an incredible mode of communication in daily life dealing with the exchange of information, these systems provide authors a platform where they can share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences about a number of topics. Harnessing the information expressed publicly through these modes can be incredibly powerful: public perceptions, signals, and data about a variety of specific topics could be extracted and studied from these posts. However, there is a common trade-off in collecting information about a topic from social media: the more specific the topic, generally, the more challenging it is to extract meaningful …

Gait And Tremor Monitoring System For Patients With Parkinson’S Disease Using Wearable Sensors, Shyam Vignesh Perumal

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Typically, a Parkinson’s disease (PD) patient would display instances of tremor and bradykinesia (slowness of movement) at an early stage of the disease and later develop gait disturbances and postural instability. So, it is important to measure the tremor occurrences in subjects to detect the onset of PD. Also, it is equally essential to monitor the gait impairments that the patient displays, as the order at which the PD symptoms appear in subjects vary from one to another.

The primary goal of this thesis is to develop a monitoring system for PD patients using wearable sensors. To achieve that objective, …

Wright State University's Celebration Of Research, Scholarship And Creative Activities Book Of Abstracts From Friday, April 15, 2016, Wright State University Office Of Undergraduate Research And Stemm Activities

Celebration of Undergraduate & Graduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Materials

The student abstract booklet is a compilation of abstracts from students' oral and poster presentations at Wright State University's Annual Celebration of Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities on April 15, 2016.

Comparing Network Centrality Measures Of Non-Traditional Students In An Introductory Physics Class, Emily N. Sandt, Adrienne L. Traxler

Celebration of Undergraduate & Graduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Materials

The goal of this research was to compare different models of network influence for students. Two research questions were composed: 1. How do common centrality measures compare when ranking students' network influence? 2. Do centrality values of non-traditional students show different trend than traditional students?

Nondestructive Evaluation & Radar Imaging Using Terahertz Signals, D. Amal Mirando, Michael D. Higgins, Sonya Sokhey, Matthew Larson, Douglas T. Petkie

Celebration of Undergraduate & Graduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Materials

Nondestructive imaging is a method of examining a material without direct contact that additionally does not alter the properties of the material. The terahertz imaging system currently in development uses the principle of interferometry (a Michelson Interferometer) such that frequency modulated terahertz signals are split and directed to the object under study and a reference mirror; then the detector will acquire the intensity of the combined reflected signals that contains information about the objects in the path of the beam.

Evaluation Of A Brief Marriage Intervention For Internal Behavioral Health Consultants In Military Primary Care, Ashley L. Evans, Jeffrey A. Cigrang, Tatiana D. Grey, James V. Cordova, Elizabeth Najera, Rosalyn S. Pace, Abby D. Fields, Michael A. Glotfelter, Jennifer A. Mitchell, Jolyn Tatum

Celebration of Undergraduate & Graduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Materials

Military couples face significant challenges to their relationships including demanding schedules, multiple deployments, and frequent moves. Despite the high costs of chronic marital distress, very few military (or civilian) couples seek marriage therapy. The military services and the VA system have implemented collaborative care models in primary care where internal behavioral health consultants are integrated into primary care. Integrated primary care can reduce the stigma of behavioral health services and may increase the odds that couples would seek help earlier. There are no established couple interventions designed for use in primary care. The purpose of this presentation is to describe …