Engineering Commons^™

Airport Innovations And Innovators, Jennifer A. Torres

Student Publications and Presentations

Airports are facing challenges from increased capacity, funding airport infrastructure projects, finding new sources of revenue, to developing new talent. With all of these challenges, airport leadership seek alternative solutions and innovate personnel to produce customer-centric airport designs. New methods of funding are providing high-cost renovations to large airports such as LaGuardia (Plotnick, 2017, Oct. 5). Other airport leadership has developed commissions such as the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast to lure significant aerospace companies to their community (The Editorial Board, Florida Today, 2017, Oct. 27). Airport leaders are also active in bringing large flight schools and redeveloping …

Plasmon-Enhanced Optical Sensing By Engineering Metallic Nanostructures, Peng Zheng

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The world’s booming population projected to reach 10 billion by 2050 causes enormous stresses on environmental safety, food supply, and healthcare, which in return threatens human civilizations. One of the most promising solutions lies at innovating point-of-care (POC) sensing technologies to conduct detection of environmental hazards, monitoring of food safety, and early diagnosis of diseases in a timely and accurate manner. The discovery of surface-enhanced spectroscopy in the 1970s has significantly stimulated research on light-matter interaction which gives rise to enhanced optical phenomena such as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), plasmon-enhanced fluorescence (PEF), and particularly, they have found enormous applications in …

Blockchain For Trustful Collaborations Between Immigrants, Citizens And Governments, Chun-Wei Chiang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Immigrants usually are pro-social towards their hometowns and try to improve them. However, the lack of trust in their government can drive immigrants to work individually. As a result, their pro-social activities are usually limited in impact and scope. Although blockchain technology have the potential to solve the trust issue, people are not familiar with the technology and they have no idea why it is trustworthy. Previous research showed that the adopting user interface properly can increase people's trust in technology. This paper studies the interface factors that ease collaborations between immigrants and their home governments. We specifically focus on …

Investigation Into Integrated Free-Form And Precomputational Approaches For Aerostructural Optimization Of Wind Turbine Blades, Ryan Timothy Barrett

Theses and Dissertations

A typical approach to optimize wind turbine blades separates the airfoil shape design from the blade planform design. This approach is sequential, where the airfoils along the blade span are pre-selected or optimized and then held constant during the blade planform optimization. In contrast, integrated blade design optimizes the airfoils and the blade planform concurrently and thereby has the potential to reduce cost of energy (COE) more than sequential design. Nevertheless, sequential design is commonly performed because of the ease of precomputation, or the ability to compute the airfoil analyses prior to the blade optimization. This research investigates two integrated …

Insulting Words: "They Are Animals!", Carolyn A. Ristau

Animal Sentience

As Chapman & Huffman state, creating divisive human categories has rationalized atrocities committed against the “other.” Labeling neighboring warring villagers as “animals” is considered a despicable insult. Yet contemporary scientific views of many animals grant them thinking and conscious faculties, and the capacity for impressive achievements, many unattainable by humans. Robots, too, can accomplish many similar feats. But the essential reason we must protect animals is not because of their admirable abilities, but their capacity for consciousness, for suffering. Robots are not conscious. Participants in the human-animal debate should not complain about changing criteria for determining human uniqueness. New and …

Engineering Vs. Engineering Technology: Toward Understanding The Factors Infuencing The Academic And Career Pathways Of African American Students, Lesley M. Berhan, Anne M. Lucietto

School of Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

In our preliminary study we conducted an online survey of students enrolled in four year engineering technology programs. The main objective of the survey was to gain insight into the students’ high school preparation, path to major, curriculum and institution, and future plans. The data was analyzed and summarized using descriptive statistics and other qualitative methods such as content analysis. We report on the results of the survey and outline how these results will inform the next phase of the research.

Thin-Film Lithium Niobate Photonics For Electro-Optics, Nonlinear Optics, And Quantum Optics On Silicon, Ashutosh Rao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ion-sliced thin-film lithium niobate (LN) compact waveguide technology has facilitated the resurgence of integrated photonics based on lithium niobate. These thin-film LN waveguides offer over an order of magnitude improvement in optical confinement, and about two orders of magnitude reduction in waveguide bending radius, compared to conventional LN waveguides. Harnessing the improved confinement, a variety of miniaturized and efficient photonic devices are demonstrated in this work. First, two types of compact electrooptic modulators are presented – microring modulators, and Mach-Zehnder modulators. Next, two distinct approaches to nonlinear optical frequency converters are implemented – periodically poled lithium niobate, and mode shape …

Mode-Locked Laser Based On Large Core Yb3+-Doped Fiber, Fei Jia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The thesis reviews principle of laser cavity and gives a general introduction to modelocked laser (MLL). By using Yb3+-doped fiber as gain medium, passive MLL cavity is developed in experiment, aiming to obtain femtosecond pulses with high pump power from 25W to 35W. The gain medium fiber with 65µm core diameter is cleaved with one flat end and another angled. Pump laser with 976nm wavelength is coupled into Yb3+ -doped fiber to excite signal from 1020nm to 1040nm in the core. 9W is threshold for laser setup. After locking all modes, picosecond pulses are output from laser cavity and coupled …

Analysis And Design Of Non-Hermitian Optical Systems, Ali Kazemi Jahromi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

From a very general perspective, optical devices can be viewed as constructions based on the spatial engineering of the optical index of refraction. Sculpting the real part of the refractive index produces the wide variety of known passive optical devices, such as waveguides, resonators, gratings, among a plethora of other possibilities for managing the transport of light. Less attention has been directed to engineering the imaginary part of the refractive index – that is responsible for optical gain and absorption – in conjunction with the real part of the refractive index. Optical gain is the building block of amplifiers and …

Nonlinear Dynamics In Multimode Optical Fibers, Mohammad Amin Eftekhar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Multimode optical fibers have recently reemerged as a viable platform for addressing a number of long-standing issues associated with information bandwidth requirements and power-handling capabilities. The complex nature of heavily multimoded systems can be effectively exploited to observe altogether novel physical effects arising from spatiotemporal and intermodal linear and nonlinear processes. Here, we have studied nonlinear dynamics in multimode optical fibers (MMFs) in both the normal and anomalous dispersion regimes. In the anomalous dispersion regime, the nonlinearity leads to a formation of spatiotemporal 3-D solitons. Unlike in single-mode fibers, these solitons are not unique and their properties can be modified …

Single Mode Wavelength-Tunable Thulium Fiber, Dong Jin Shin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Thulium fiber lasers have the broadest emission wavelength bandwidth out of any rare-earth doped fiber lasers. The emission wavelength starts from 1.75μm and ends at around 2.15μm, covering a vast swath of the eye safe wavelength region and intersecting with a large portion of mid-infrared atmospheric transmission window. Also, thulium fiber lasers provide the highest average output power of any other rare-earth doped fiber lasers in these wavelength regimes, making them uniquely suited for applications such as remote sensing. At the moment, high power beam propagation of continuous wave laser through the atmosphere in the mid-infrared range is yet to …

2 Micron Fiber Lasers: Power Scaling Concepts And Limitations, Alex Sincore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Thulium- and holmium-doped fiber lasers (TDF and HDF) emitting at 2 micron offer unique benefits and applications compared to common ytterbium-doped 1 micron lasers. This dissertation details the concepts, limitations, design, and performance of four 2 micron fiber laser systems. While these lasers were developed for various end-uses, they also provide further insight into two major power scaling limitations. The first limitation is optical nonlinearities: specifically stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and modulation instability (MI). The second limitation is thermal failure due to inefficient pump conversion. First, a 21.5 W single-frequency, single-mode laser with adjustable output from continuous-wave to nanosecond pulses …

Video Quality Prediction Under Time-Varying Loads, Obinna Izima, Ruairí De Fréin, Mark Davis

Conference papers

We are on the cusp of an era where we can responsively and adaptively predict future network performance from network device statistics in the Cloud. To make this happen, regression-based models have been applied to learn mappings between the kernel metrics of a machine in a service cluster and service quality metrics on a client machine. The path ahead requires the ability to adaptively parametrize learning algorithms for arbitrary problems and to increase computation speed. We consider methods to adaptively parametrize regularization penalties, coupled with methods for compensating for the effects of the time-varying loads present in the system, namely …

Mechanical And Material Characterization Of Advanced Materials For Tissue Regeneration, Bailey Kylara Ricketts Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

In natural disasters and military deployment operations, injury to long bone can cause extensive damage and be difficult to treat and heal quickly. Explosive devices and trauma often produce long-bone (>2-cm length) wounds that are more complicated than common fractures. Due to the size and complexity of these injuries, they can be difficult to treat in a battlefield environment and take a long time to heal completely and properly. Even after the long healing period, these injuries often require rehabilitation to strengthen the muscles that have weakened in the wounded limb. For military applications especially, these effects can put …

Computer-Aided Design (Cad) Certifications: Are They Valuable To Undergraduate Engineering And Engineering Technology Students?, Rustin Webster, R. Ottway

School of Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

The acceptance of computer-aided design (CAD) certifications in industry has emerged over the last decade. As a result, instructors are beginning to incorporate certification exams into engineering and engineering technology (ET) curricula. Unfortunately, minimal evidence-based research has been conducted to explore the value gained from obtaining such a certification(s). The claims made by the CAD software vendors and resellers are that their certifications are, in general, valuable and beneficial to students. The purpose of this research is twofold: 1) to explore the perceived general value of the SOLIDWORKS certification program, the general benefit(s) of obtaining a SOLIDWORKS certification(s) for students, …

How Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Recognize Facial Expressions Displayed By A Rear-Projection Humanoid Robot, Farzaneh Askari, Huanghao Feng, Anibal Gutierrez, Timothy Sweeny, Mohammad H. Mahoor

Electrical and Computer Engineering: Graduate Student Scholarship

Background: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience reduced ability to perceive crucial nonverbal communication cues such as eye gaze, gestures, and facial expressions. Recent studies suggest that social robots can be used as effective tools to improve communication and social skills in children with ASD. One explanation has been put forward by several studies that children with ASD feel more contented and motivated in systemized and predictable environment, like interacting with robots.

Objectives: There have been few research studies evaluating how children with ASD perceive facial expression in humanoid robots but no research evaluating facial expression perception …

A Pilot Study On Facial Expression Recognition Ability Of Autistic Children Using Ryan, A Rear-Projected Humanoid Robot, Farzaneh Askari, Huanghao Feng, Timothy D. Sweeny, Mohammad H. Mahoor

Electrical and Computer Engineering: Graduate Student Scholarship

Rear-projected robots use computer graphics technology to create facial animations and project them on a mask to show the robot’s facial cues and expressions. These types of robots are becoming commercially available, though more research is required to understand how they can be effectively used as a socially assistive robotic agent. This paper presents the results of a pilot study on comparing the facial expression recognition abilities of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with typically developing (TD) children using a rear-projected humanoid robot called Ryan. Six children with ASD and six TD children participated in this research, where Ryan …

The Utah Snow Load Study, Brennan Bean, Marc Maguire, Yan Sun

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Recent reports of snow related building collapses across the western United States in early 2017 highlight the importance of snow load considerations in building design. Specifying such design snow loads requires a proper balance between safety and economy. As articulated by Nowak and Collins (2012): "Conceptually, we can design [a] structure to reduce the probability of failure, but increasing the safety...beyond a certain optimum level is not always economical." It is the search for this optimum level of safety that has motivated the development of design ground snow loads at state and local levels.

Modeling The Effect Of Gi Implementation In The Red Butte Creek Area: The Case For "Not All Gi Is Created Equal", Rosa A. Fernández Valasquez, Ryan Dupont

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

• Background on the Project
• Review of Work Evaluating Organic Matter Impacts from Stormwater Discharges to Jordan Using High Frequency Data
• Modeling Approach for Stormwater Runoff and Pollutant Loading in Intermountain Region
• Model Flow & Pollutant Load Calibration
• GI Implementation Results
• Implications

Mse Annual Report 2018, Department Of Materials Science And Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Department of Materials Science and Engineering Annual Reports

Table of Contents

• Faculty and Staff News
• STEM Feature
• Student News
• Senior Design Teams
• Graduate Student News
• Outreach
• Alumni News
• By the Numbers
• Michigan Tech Foundry Fund

Electrical And Computer Engineering Annual Report 2018, Department Of Electrical And Computer Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Annual Reports

• Welcome New President and Dean
• Faculty Directory
• Faculty Highlights
• Exciting Challenges for Expert Teacher
• Mobility Research: Sumit Paudyal
• Mobility Research: Chee-Wooi Ten
• Mobility Research: Bruce Mork
• Faculty Profile and Department Award
• Faculty Publications
• Staff Profile and Directory
• Graduate Student Awards and Degrees
• Student Highlights
• Senior Design
• Enterprise
• Enterprise and Undergraduate Student Awards
• ECE Academy Class of 2018
• External Advisory Committee
• Contracts and Grants
• Department Statistics

Biom 3110: Medical Physiology (Syllabus), Bradford D. Pendley

Biomedical Engineering Syllabi Archive

Course Description: Basic principles of human physiology and how these are applied in medicine and biomedical engineering problem and devices; physiological principles using appropriate mathematical and engineering models to construct an understanding of how the body works as an integrated system.

In Vivo Raman Spectroscopy For Biochemical Monitoring Of The Human Cervix Throughout Pregnancy, Christine M. O'Brien, Elizabeth Vargis, Amy Rudin, James C. Slaughter, Giju Thomas, J. Michael Newton, Jeff Reese, Kelly A. Bennett, Anita Mahadevan-Jansen

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Background

The cervix must undergo significant biochemical remodeling to allow for successful parturition. This process is not fully understood, especially in instances of spontaneous preterm birth. In vivo Raman spectroscopy is an optical technique that can be used to investigate the biochemical composition of tissue longitudinally and noninvasively in human beings, and has been utilized to measure physiology and disease states in a variety of medical applications.

Objective

The purpose of this study is to measure in vivo Raman spectra of the cervix throughout pregnancy in women, and to identify biochemical markers that change with the preparation for delivery and …

Evaluation Of Driver Behavior At Highway-Railroad Grade Crossings Based On Environmental Conditions And Driver Demographics, Alawudin Salim

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Although the total number of highway-railroad grade crossing (HRGC) accidents has significantly decreased in recent decades, they remain as one of the highest causes of injuries and fatalities in rail transportation. It is known that driver behavior is the leading cause for accidents at HRGCs, but there is less understanding on the reason for these inappropriate behaviors. This research uses the Strategic Highway Research Program 2 Naturalistic Driving Study (SHRP 2 NDS) data and a behavior scoring methodology developed at Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech), to evaluate driver behavior when traversing HRGCs. More specifically, it uses a two-sample t-test to …

Pressure Measurements Inside Multiple Cavities Of A Torque Converter And Cfd Correlation, Edward De Jesus Rivera

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

A torque converter was instrumented with 29 pressure transducers. The pressure transducers were located in multiple cavities. The instrumented cavities included, four transducers mounted on the impeller shell, on the channel between blades. Six transducers mounted on the pressure and suction sides on the middle streamline of a turbine blade. Another seven transducers mounted on the pressure and suction sides of the core, middle and shell streamlines of a stator blade. Seven transducers mounted on the torque converter clutch cavity. Finally, five on the cavity between the pressure plate and the turbine shell. The torque converter was part of a …

Generalizable Modeling Of Charge Transport In Single Electron Transistor Devices: Application To Thermal Sensitivity In Semiconducting Island Systems, Paniz Khanmohammadi Hazaveh

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Electronic devices, especially MOSFETs, have been dimensionally scaled down to enhance operation of integrated circuits, addressing challenges such as current leakage, fluctuation of intrinsic semiconductor properties, and power dissipation. Reaching dimensions below 20 nm, there are fundamental limitations that are difficult to overcome, driving alternative device paradigms to be sought utilizing the quantum mechanical behavior of electrons. Single electron transistor (SET) devices are examples of a new generation of low-power transistors designed to transport information via single electron tunneling through one or more islands separated by tunnel junctions. Experimentally explored SET devices have shown that there are advantages to using …

The Par-Fect Stream: Indian Creek Restoration At Indian Trails Golf Course, Joe Jackson, Ben Vandyk, Heidi Boeve, Kyle Vandeweert

Student Papers and Reports

Indian Creek, a tributary to Plaster Creek flows through Indian Trails Golf Course. During rainfall events, the 1000 acre watershed, consisting of mostly impervious surfaces collects rainfall and sends it into Indian Creek.

Core And Uncore Joint Frequency Scaling Strategy, Vaibhav Sundriyal, Masha Sosonkina, Bryce Westheimer, Mark Gordon

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Energy-proportional computing is one of the foremost constraints in the design of next generation exascale systems. These systems must have a very high FLOP-per-watt ratio to be sustainable, which requires tremendous improvements in power efficiency for modern computing systems. This paper focuses on the processor—as still the biggest contributor to the power usage—by considering both its core and uncore power subsystems. The uncore describes those processor functions that are not handled by the core, such as L3 cache and on-chip interconnect, and contributes significantly to the total system power. The uncore frequency scaling (UFS) capability has been available to the …

Improved Design Of Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Generator For Small-Scale Wind Turbine, Mojtaba Eldoromi, Sajjad Tohidi, Mohammad Reza Feyzi, Naghi Rostami, Reza Emadifar

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Recently, much attention has been given to axial flux permanent magnet generators due to some advantages such as high efficiency, high power density, and higher torque compared to radial flux generators. In addition, increased number of poles makes them appropriate for low-speed applications such as wind power generators. In this study, an axial flux permanent magnet synchronous generator with unique features such as high power density is designed for small-scale wind turbines. The structure of generator includes a rotor and a stator. The generator is designed and then analyzed by Flux 11.2 software. The analysis includes the effects of air …

Average Modeling And Evaluation Of 18-Pulse Autotransformer Rectifier Unit Without Interphase Transformers, Shahbaz Khan, Xiaobin Zhang, Husan Ali, Haider Zaman, Muhammad Saad, Bakht Muhammad Khan

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

This paper presents an improved average model and evaluation of an 18-pulse autotransformer rectifier unit (ATRU) in differential delta configuration. Average models remove the switching behavior of diode rectifiers and high bandwidth transients, which not only facilitates simulation of power systems by reducing computational cost but also enables impedance-based stability analysis for large complex power systems. To experimentally validate the proposed average model, a 2-kW, 18-pulse ATRU has been tested and the results of the derived model are compared with those of the switching model and experimental prototype. Computed transfer function of load impedance from the proposed average model closely …