Engineering Commons^™

Skip The Grid: Bringing Power To Navajo Nation Through Off-Grid Solar Systems, Maggie Papaharisi

Construction Management

Skip the Grid is an interdisciplinary service-learning project where California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) students partner with Heart of America and SOLV Energy to install off-grid solar systems for families in the Navajo Nation who do not have reliable access to electricity. Due to the remote location and high cost of infrastructure, a significant portion of households lack basic utilities, making access to lighting, refrigeration, and power difficult. During the 2026 project, a team of students from multiple disciplines spent several months preparing before traveling to Arizona, where installation teams completed solar systems in 50 homes over three days. …

Skip The Grid: Powering The Navajo And Hopi Reservations, Casey A. Nuti

Construction Management

Skip the Grid is an interdisciplinary service project targeted at providing essential off-grid power to families of the Navajo and surrounding sovereign nations. This year a group of twenty-three students and four faculty from California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) helped plan and execute the insulation of solar power and other essential amenities on the Navajo and Hopi reservations. Many families that live on the reservation are below the U.S. poverty  line and obtaining grid power can be extremely difficult given the rigorous permitting requirements as well as the remote location of many of their homes. This service project is …

Solar Charging Station For Construction Gang Boxes​, Scott J. Burfield

Construction Management

This senior project explores the feasibility of a solar-powered charging system that attaches to the top of a construction gang box or knack box. The purpose of the project is to provide a cleaner and more convenient way to charge tool batteries and small devices on construction sites. Adding on, it will reduce reliance on generators, extension cords, and temporary power setups by being supplemental support. Research included interviews with construction electricians, product selection, cost estimating, energy calculations, and an evaluation of constructability and project risks. The proposed design uses a 100-watt solar panel, a portable power station, and a …

Construction Of Lightly Reinforced Concrete Walls And Foundations For Fiber Reinforced Polymer Testing, Aidan D. Seed, Coulter Langmaid, Ryan R. Bousfield, Bennett B. Steiger

Construction Management

This paper details the construction of two cast-in-place concrete walls with attached footings, built to continue ongoing research into Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) retrofitting conducted by California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Architectural Engineering (ARCE) department. The project was located inside the College of Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED) High Bay testing facility and is part of a multi-year effort to evaluate FRP wrap as a seismic retrofitting option for lightly reinforced concrete walls dating to the pre-1980s. Formwork from the previous year's senior project was reused for this effort, and a two-phase pour was utilized and executed by …

Greek Row At Cal Poly: Addressing Student Housing, Neighborhood Conflict, And Town-Gown Relations, Christopher Linn Green

Construction Management

This study evaluates whether centralized Greek housing near Cal Poly could serve as a long-term planning solution for reducing neighborhood conflict, improving student housing opportunities, and creating a more organized environment for fraternity and sorority life. The research was developed in response to ongoing concerns in San Luis Obispo involving student housing pressure, fraternity activity in residential neighborhoods, and code enforcement challenges. Two surveys were used to gather stakeholder perspectives. One survey of Cal Poly students and one survey of individuals who work in San Luis Obispo. Student responses showed strong support for a centralized Greek Row, with most respondents …

U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers Information Session At California Polytechnic State University, Jack Durham Abernathy

Construction Management

This paper presents a detailed analysis of an information session coordinated by Jack Abernathy with the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on May 14, 2026, at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo. An Army Corps of Engineers info session creates a critical step for undergraduates where they have a professional environment to network with industry professionals and explore unique career paths that may have not been previously considered. The presentation exposed attendees to the history of the Corps of Engineers, employee occupations, and USACE’s varying mission sets. A representative from the USACE Sacramento District brought forward professional …

Self-Healing Concrete In Compression With Crystalline Admixtures, Nathaniel Paul Warfield

Construction Management

The construction industry is steadily pursuing sustainable and regenerative materials that extend service life and reduce maintenance requirements. Self-healing concrete containing crystalline admixtures represents one such technology. This study evaluated the compressive strength performance of a commercially available high-strength concrete with and without a crystalline self-healing admixture. Three 6-inch by 12-inch cylinders were cast using Quikrete High Strength Concrete. One cylinder served as the control specimen, while two cylinders contained Penetron Admix at approximately 1% of cement weight. One admixture cylinder was intentionally cracked after 14 days to allow time for healing before testing. All specimens were tested in compression …

Understanding Cmu Construction Sequencing Through Scheduling Application, Tristan J. Roberson

Construction Management

Concrete Masonry Unit (CMU) wall systems are used very often in all types of construction including commercial and residential. With this said, the scheduling logic behind their installation can often be unclear for students and people new to the industry. The purpose of this project is to analyze CMU construction sequencing and demonstrate how it integrates within an overall project schedule. This study was conducted using interviews with industry professionals, review of CMU manufacturing processes, and development of a simplified Critical Path Method schedule in Microsoft Project. Information from CMU professionals regarding manufacturing processes and lead times were incorporated based …

Improving The California Boulevard Railroad Underpass: A Feasibility Study Of Persistent Barriers And Practical Improvement Strategies, Jacee D. Carpenter

Construction Management

The California Boulevard railroad underpass in San Luis Obispo has served as an informal pedestrian route for Cal Poly students since pedestrian access across the adjacent railroad tracks was restricted in 2009. Despite its frequent use, the underpass presents challenges related to lighting, drainage, surface conditions, and seasonal flooding that affect safety and accessibility. Previous studies documented these concerns and proposed improvement concepts; however, no significant physical improvements have been implemented. This project evaluates the factors contributing to the lack of improvements and examines practical strategies for enhancing the underpass within existing regulatory, environmental, and jurisdictional constraints. Methods included a …

Developing A Preparation Manual For The Asc Region 6 & 7 Reno Competition, Addyson Mae Demasters

Construction Management

The Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Region 6 & 7 Competition is one of the most prestigious student construction management competitions in the United States. Success in the competition requires technical knowledge, effective communication, time management, and strategic preparation. The purpose of this senior project was to develop a comprehensive Competition Preparation Manual for future Cal Poly Construction Management students competing in the ASC Reno Competition. The manual was created through the collection and analysis of information from previous competitors, team captains, competition retrospectives, and the author's personal experience participating in ASC Reno competitions. Surveys were sent to students in …

Small-Scale Rainwater Harvesting: A Sustainable Practice For Single-Family Homes In Southern California, Azzah R. Bensrhir

Construction Management

Southern California is prone to drought and struggles with low water supplies. Los Angeles and San Diego County have enacted outdoor water regulations that aim to reduce the overall reliance on municipal and groundwater supplies. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is a feasible way for single-family homeowners in Southern California to contribute to water conservation efforts. To determine the feasibility of installing, maintaining, and understanding overall challenges and costs of small-scale rainwater harvesting systems, four interviews were conducted with residents of Los Angeles and San Diego County who have owned and operated a RWH system for more than five years. The results …

Multiplexed Fabry-Pérot High-Temperature Sensing Based On Dispersive Microwave-Photonic Frequency-Time Domain Analysis, Ruimin Jie, Chen Zhu, Bohong Zhang, Koustav Dey, Jie Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a multiplexed high-temperature Fabry-Pérot (FP) fiber sensing system interrogated by dispersive microwave-photonic frequency-time domain analysis (DM-FTDA). In the proposed architecture, incoherent broadband probing light is modulated by radio-frequency (RF) signals and then reflected by a parallel network of hollow-core photonic crystal fiber FP (HCPCF-FP) sensors. A chirped fiber Bragg grating provides strong dispersion to map the composite FP spectral response into a well-defined microwave transfer function. Unlike conventional optical Fourier-domain multiplexing that requires deliberate cavity-length allocation, the proposed approach achieves multiplexing via delay-dominated discrimination. Distinct delay fibers are assigned to each sensor branch, and an …

Quantum And Conventional Informatics Studies Of Synthesis Energetics And Defect Formation In Nitride Crystal Epitaxy, Andrew Steven Messecar

Dissertations

Machine learning is a valuable approach for the processing and analysis of complex information. By estimating relationships from recorded data, machine learning methodologies can be effective strategies for pattern recognition, enabling investigations and technological applications based thereon. The potential for improved understanding of high-dimensional data has drawn interest towards machine learning from across the sciences, including the research and development of new and improved material systems. In the context of experimental materials research, much of the reported efforts to incorporate machine learning into conventional practice have been primarily focused on either the enhanced analysis of characterization experiment data or the …

Building Services Engineering May/June 2026

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Computational Insights Into Nucleosome Dynamics In Epigenetics Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations, Rutika Patel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Nucleosome core particles (NCP) are the building blocks that form a highly organized and compact chromatin structure. Nucleosomes package DNA in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells. The NCP consists of about 147 base pairs of DNA wrapped around the histone octamer, with 1.65 superhelical turns in a left-handed manner. The histone octamer is composed of two copies of H3, H4, H2A, and H2B. Together with histone H1 and linker DNA, they further assemble into a higher-order chromatin structure. The nucleosome complex is stabilized by electrostatic interactions between positively charged histone residues and the negatively charged DNA backbone. To effectively access …

Can Generative Ai Make Farming Decisions? Current Status And Future Pathways: A Case Study In Row Crop Production With Chatgpt, Nipuna Chamara, Yufeng Ge, Joe Luck, Yu Pan, Saleh Taghvaeian, Cory Walters, Christopher Proctor, Daran Rudnick, Daren Redfearn

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The agricultural decision-making process is experience-based, knowledge-dependent, time-sensitive, complex, and driven by historical data. Planting, fertilization, irrigation, and chemigation are key categories in farm decision-making, and currently there is no one-shot decision-support tool that covers all these activities. Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) models are more advanced than traditional machine learning and deep learning models. These models have been trained on vast amounts of data from the internet, allowing them to accept unstructured data in various forms and generate human-like text, solutions to problems, and scenario predictions. Given this capability, we became interested in exploring the potential of generative AI in …

Foundation For A Digital Beamforming System Using Software Defined Radio, Daniel Cruz Guerrero, Shiron Bendrihem, Benjamin Tucker

Electrical Engineering

This report demonstrates a basis for the foundation of a software-defined radio (SDR)-based digital beam forming system. Specifically, a discussion of time, frequency, and phase synchronization is had in the absence of costly hardware like an OctoClock. Furthermore, this report digs deep into the design process and device characterization of a 4-way Wilkinson Power Divider, which is a necessary hardware component for phase calibration. SDR synchronization and calibration are critical in any digital beamforming system.

Design And Characterization Of A Pulsed Electric Field Chamber For Microalgae Lysis, Connor Strutin

Electrical Engineering

Microalgae are a promising renewable source of biofuel due to their high lipid content and rapid growth rates; however, algae cells must be electroporated (lysed) to release these lipids. The system developed in this project applies short (40 μs–10 ms), high-intensity (up to 33 kV/cm) pulsed electric fields (PEF) across cell membranes to enable electroporation.

Our lab-scale PEF chamber generates uniform, high-intensity electric fields using parallel-plate electrodes with sub-millimeter spacing. The system is designed to efficiently lyse microalgae cells for lipid extraction and biofuel production.

Maximum Power Point Tracking For Photovoltaic Cells, Rodrigo Menchaca-Ramirez, Jesus Martinez, Steven Rodriguez

Electrical Engineering

Unlike an ideal DC Power Supply, a solar panel does not operate with linear I-V Characteristics. The voltage and current characteristics of a solar panel change based on irradiance, temperature, weather conditions, and load demand. Because of these factors, solar panels do not always operate at their Maximum Power Point, which can lead to significant power losses. Maximum Power Point Tracking is used to adjust the panel operating point so that more usable power can be delivered to the load.This project developed a Maximum Power Point Tracking system using an STM32 Nucleo-L4A6ZG microcontroller and an LT8705A DC-DC converter stage. The …

Test Bench Pcb Design For A Vlsi Grid Cell Chip, Nicholas Bruk, Jason Alexandar

Electrical Engineering

This report presents the design, implementation, and validation of a custom printed circuit board (PCB) test bench for a VLSI grid cell emulation chip. The final board provides two independently adjustable 5V supplies using LM317 linear regulators, eleven potentiometer-controlled bias voltages, high-impedance buffering of analog outputs via an MCP6022 dual operational amplifier, and buffering of digital outputs using a 74HC244 buffer IC. The design includes a 40-pin DIP socket for the VLSI chip, extensive test-point headers for probing, and a 9V battery input for portable operation. Five fully functional boards were fabricated using ExpressPCB and assembled with through-hole components. An …

Design And Parametric Testing Of A Transimpedance Amplifier For Low-Power Biomedical Applications, Stanlon Tan, William Chung, Brandon Wu

Electrical Engineering

This project developed and evaluated an optical sensing system for detecting changes associated with glucose concentration. The system combined a laser-diode, cuvette sample holder, photodiode, resistive-feedback transimpedance amplifier, high-resolution analog-to-digital converter, and microcontroller. Parametric testing evaluated the effects of input current and feedback resistance on transimpedance gain, output range, and linearity. Firmware was developed to configure the ADC, average repeated conversions, monitor measurement variation, convert raw digital counts into voltage using a source-meter calibration equation, and compare sample measurements with a water reference. A cuvette enclosure maintained alignment between the laser-diode, sample, and photodiode while reducing external optical interference. Testing …

Performance Evaluation Of Roadside Unit-Assisted Wireless Communication For Connected Vehicles, Keyrollos A. Hanna, Ethan M. Nguyen

Electrical Engineering

This project presents the design and implementation of a wireless communication network intended to improve situational awareness between vehicles and reduce the likelihood of multivehicle collisions. Two TurtleBot3 Burger platforms equipped with Raspberry Pi computers were used to simulate vehicles operating within a shared environment. Communication latency and packet loss were evaluated under multiple operating conditions, including direct vehicle-to-vehicle communication and communication assisted by a roadside unit (RSU). The results were analyzed to determine whether the proposed system could transmit warning messages with sufficient speed and reliability for collision prevention applications. The project demonstrates the feasibility of low-cost vehicle communication …

Simulation Of Silicon Neurons With Memristive Synapses For Ai Accelerators, Marcus Ivey, Kelvin Shi

Electrical Engineering

This project seeks to design and simulate a neuromorphic spiking neural network (SNN) that implements the logical AND and logical OR operation through the interaction of a Leaky Integrate-and-Fire (LIF) output neuron and memristive synapses modeled using the Biolek formulation. Two pulsed inputs are transmitted through memristive devices whose conductance serves as the synaptic weights. A supervised Hebbian training strategy, implemented in MATLAB, is employed to adjust the synaptic conductance according to the Hebbian delta rule. The proposed framework demonstrates how elementary logical computation may arise from biologically motivated learning processes embedded in hardware-realistic neuromorphic circuits. The study provides a …

Wildlife Tracking Via Uav&Rf, Nam Ah Nguyen

Electrical Engineering

Animal tracking collars transmit very-high-frequency (VHF) beacon signals so researchers can locate tagged wildlife in terrain where direct visual tracking is difficult. This project develops a radio-frequency (RF) wildlife tracking prototype in which a UAV carries a receiving antenna and receiver over the search area to detect the collar signal and send measurements to a ground station. A transmitter test device was built to emulate a tracking collar. An STM32 microcontroller reads keypad input, controls a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), tunes a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) to the selected VHF frequency, and sends the RF signal through an amplifier and antenna. The …

Uav Trio Formations For Aerial Pest Deterrence With Vision-Based Bird Monitoring, Benjamin Andrew Ly, Chris Kwon, Christian Joseph Macaranas

Electrical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Portable Food Pasteurization Using Pulsed Electric Fields (Pef), Thomas E. Mcmillan Iii

Electrical Engineering

Foodborne illnesses remain a significant public health concern, motivating continued development of alternative food pasteurization technologies. Pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment is a non-thermal pasteurization method that inactivates microorganisms through electroporation while minimizing thermal degradation of food products. The long-term objective of this project was development of a portable PEF food pasteurization system.

An iterative design approach was used to investigate generation of the high-voltage pulses required for PEF treatment. Multiple pulse forming network topologies were evaluated through simulation, leading to selection of a solid-state Marx generator architecture. A low-voltage five-stage prototype was designed, constructed, and tested to validate the …

Pv Performance Evaluation Study At Cal Poly Solar Farm, Eva Paola D. Calderon

Electrical Engineering

This photovoltaic (PV) system performance evaluation study aims to assess the performance of Cal Poly’s Gold Tree Solar Farm, which produces 4.5MW of solar energy. The evaluation concerns itself with the reliability of the PV system that can be affected by weather conditions, component malfunctions, and degradation of the PV modules. Under the International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems (IEA-PVPS) Task 13 objectives of reliability and maintenance, this study is necessary to contribute towards improvements in analysis and mitigation strategies for long term usage. Existing operational monitoring data from 2018 to 2025 is the focus timespan, providing real world data …

A Broadband, Dual Polarized Antenna For The Radio Neutrino Observatory In Greenland, Laken Baker

Electrical Engineering

Neutrinos contain information necessary to determine the origins of the universe and cosmic events because they can travel long distances with minimal interaction, preserving information about their cosmic origins. Since neutrinos interact with ice sheets resulting in RF radiation, antennas have been developed to detect RF transmissions.

A compact 'vane structure' (see Fig. 1a) dual-polarized broadband antenna model has been developed, constructed, and characterized according to input reflection coefficient, and co and cross-pol E and H plane radiation patterns using HFSS and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s anechoic chamber for the Radio Neutrino Observatory in Greenland (RNO-G) [1]. Its design …

Wireless Communication In Autonomous Vehicles, Kaylie Bao, Nicholas Andrews, Mark Negus

Electrical Engineering

This project focuses on developing and testing a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication system using Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) based on the IEEE 802.11p standard. The system uses the NXP i.MX 8XLite V2X Evaluation Kit, which includes the SAF5400 modem for wireless communication in the 5.9 GHz band.

The main goal of this project was to establish reliable communication between two V2X evaluation boards and to verify that custom, user-defined data could be transmitted between them. Through iterative testing, we were able to successfully send and receive custom 802.11 frames using the provided command-line tools and achieve consistent communication between nodes. …

Vlsi Spike Encoder For Spiking Neural Networks With 4-Bit Sar Adc, Jack Marshall, Wyatt Tack, Cameron Young, Ryken Thompson

Electrical Engineering

A spike encoder forms the interface between sampled data, such as image data or a sensor signal, and a spiking neural network by converting numerical input samples into discrete spike events. Unlike conventional artificial neural networks, spiking neural networks use spare, even-driven computation instead of continuous-valued activations. This makes them attractive for low-power embedded systems, biomedical electronics, and other edge applications where energy consumption, physical area, and thermal limits are important design constraints.

This project develops a modular spike encoder architecture for spiking neural networks with selectable support for temporal, rate, multi-spike, and delta encoding. Prior work has shown that …