Engineering Commons^™

Three-Dimensional (3d) Printed Microneedles For Microencapsulated Cell Extrusion, Chantell Farias, Roman Lyman, Cecilia Hemingway, Huong Chau, Anne Mahacek, Evangelia Bouzos, Maryam Mobed-Miremadi

Bioengineering

Cell-hydrogel based therapies offer great promise for wound healing. The specific aim of this study was to assess the viability of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells immobilized in atomized alginate capsules (3.5% (w/v) alginate, d = 225 µm ± 24.5 µm) post-extrusion through a three-dimensional (3D) printed methacrylate-based custom hollow microneedle assembly (circular array of 13 conical frusta) fabricated using stereolithography. With a jetting reliability of 80%, the solvent-sterilized device with a root mean square roughness of 158 nm at the extrusion nozzle tip (d = 325 μm) was operated at a flowrate of 12 mL/min. There was no significant …

The Status Of The Local Community In Mining Sustainable Development Beyond The Triple Bottom Line, Sisi Que, Liang Wang, Kwame Awuah-Offei, Yao Chen, Wei Yang

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Mineral products provide essential fuels and raw materials for industrialization and our daily life, but their influences on other aspects of life need to be taken into consideration. While the whole world benefits from mining's contributions, most of the resulting detrimental impacts on the environment and society fall on the local communities. The participation of the local community is one solution to decrease the risks from community-related problems. Subsequently, the requirements of mining sustainable development can be met. A literature review was conducted on mining sustainability and stakeholder participation, and the shortcomings of existing research and difficulties of further study …

Next Generation Protocol: Innovating A Resilient Future, Andrew Steven Rudnick, Jamie Cannady, Joe Decesaro, Juan A. Ortiz Salazar

Materials Engineering

Conventional practices do not account for product life beyond end-of-sale – these practices are not sustainable. We have developed an end-of-life protocol that includes a metric that we call the Recovery Rating. The objectives of this Next Generation Protocol, beyond supporting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, are to encourage the production of goods designed for recovery and to promote the collaboration between consumers, the public, and the private sector to recover goods at their end-of-life. The Recovery Rating that we propose evaluates and quantifies recovery potential of products. The Recovery Rating, which is normed against embodied energy from the …

Solar And Rain Catching Canopy. Urban Oasis, Afolabi Ibitoye, Langston Clark, Elena Zimareva, Evan Banks, Alexander Aptekar

Publications and Research

The Urban Oasis is designed to work within existing “pocket parks” in New York City as a combined rainwater collector, personal electronics charging station and resting designation for New Yorkers. Intended to not only lessen the demand on the city power grid by using renewable energy to charge devices, the urban oasis is also intended to mitigate grey water overfill in New York’s combined sewer system and, in general, serve as a model for responsible environmental stewardship in urban areas.

The important technical aspects of the canopy specifically analyzed were:

a) how much rainwater could the canopy be expected to …

Assessment Of Sustainability And Resilience In Transportation Infrastructure Geotechnics, Jasaswee T. Das

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Transportation infrastructure, such as roads, embankments, bridges, railroads, airports, docks, and canals, serve as pathways for the mobility of people, goods, and services, and form the backbone of cities and communities. The construction, operation, and rehabilitation of these facilities put significant strain on the local, state, and federal agencies, including depletion of natural resources, and contributing to the global carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions. Further, these features stimulate anthropocentric development in a region which affects the land-use patterns and influences the demography of communities. In recent years, most transportation infrastructure are typically designed to withstand external and internal disturbances …

Medicial Clinic At Mission Twentyfive35 Vocational Village - Dominican Republic, Sarah C. De Los Reyes

Construction Management

This community medical clinic will be the first of its kind in the rural town of Villa Tapia, Dominican Republic It is Phase II of a five-phase master plan drafted by religious organization Mission Twenty-Five35, founded by the Romano family The team consists of Cal Poly undergraduate students: Griffin Chierici (Architecture), Erica Croft and Tommy Sidebottom (Architectural Engineering), and Sarah De Los Reyes (Construction Management), backed by the guidance and support of non-profit organization Journeyman International and A/E firm Smith Group JJR The task was to design a clinic that would serve as a pediatric and urgent care center but …

A Comparative Study Of The Leed And Well Building Standards, Brent J. Zavada

Construction Management

Our current environmental and public health conditions have led our industry to create sustainability standards that address both of these current problems. With the addition of the WELL Building Standard, the first standard to solely focus on human health and wellness, it is now possible to promote public health, environmental conservation, and owner profits all in one project. This study looks to overlap the well-known LEED Certification standards with the new WELL standards to assist project teams in fully understanding what needs to be accomplished in order for their project to be on track for both certifications. It is meant …

Student Led Service-Learning Initiative: Installation Of Photovoltaic Water-Pump Systems In The Ecuador Amazon Rainforest, Kelly M. Williams

Construction Management

The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) student chapter at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California was selected by an association called ELECTRI International to participate in their Student Community Service Initiative program. The goal of the program is to “Encourage construction management and electrical engineering students to take an active role in improving access to electricity in developing communities” (“Student Passport Program”). This paper summarizes the findings of a student-led project made possible by ELECTRI International’s program. The project included coordinating, funding, and executing a project to facilitate the installation of photovoltaic water pump systems to indigenous …

The Setty Family Foundation 2018 Ashrae Applied Engineering Competition, Joshua Heath

Construction Management

The Setty Family Applied Engineering Challenge tasked my project group with designing a temporary shelter specifically for refugees in Eastern Europe to be used by governments, municipalities, and humanitarian agencies that is cost effective, portable, sustainable, and provides all necessary domestic needs. After months of research and design, we have developed the PolyShelter ; an eight-person structure erected to provide comfortability and safety to those in need. PolyShelter is designed to withstand the harshest of climates, provide exceptional insulation, and incorporate a rainwater collection system sufficient enough to support each unit. PolyShelter proves itself to be an economically viable solution …

Sustainability Children's Book, Linden Cheek

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

As human driven climate change continues to alter our planet, persuading the general public to adopt sustainable living practices has become increasingly important. Storytelling has long been a part of human culture, and recent studies have emphasized the power of storytelling to influence the audience as a means of changing behavior. This project attempted to teach sustainable principles to primary school children through the creation of a scientific children’s book. The book communicated the maxim of “reduce, reuse, recycle” by tracing a fictitious story of a town where children frequently buy new toys and throw the old toys away. The …

Ecological Footprint Of Flood Mitigation Structures At The Absecon Inlet, Eduardo Garcia, Mackenzie Carr, Jason Loeffler

STEM Student Research Symposium Posters

The primary goal of this clinic project is to measure the ecological footprint of the flood mitigation structures in Absecon Inlet. This area is prone to floods due to rising sea levels and storms. Beaches and boardwalks were affected during numerous hurricanes including: Jose (2017), Andrea (2013), Sandy (2012), Irene (2011), and Hanna (2008). Seawalls, sand dunes, and jetties were constructed to protect the shoreline from these floods based on the studies conducted by the US Army Corp of Engineers. In this clinic, we assess the effect of these man-made structures on the ecology of the surrounding areas. The ecology …

Feasibility Analysis For Reclaim Device During Shotcrete Application, Cameron Neil Berkins

Construction Management

Shotcrete application has proven advantages over cast-in-place concrete under many different situations. Ease of access, minimal formwork, and higher productivity are prime examples. Its uses have exponentially increased through technical innovations to improve the ready-mix, nozzlemen technique, application surfaces, and to ensure higher dependability of the equipment. Unfortunately, concrete waste is still one of the highest percentages of overall waste in the construction industry. Shotcrete rebound, the material that falls from the wall due to lack of cohesion during installation, has slowly been reduced due to ready-mix alterations over the years, but effective recycling processes have yet to be implemented. …

Conversion Of Biomass To Liquid Hydrocarbon Fuels Via Anaerobic Digestion: A Feasibility Study, Ahmad Naqi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The use of biomass as a potential feedstock for the production of liquid hydrocarbon fuels has been under investigation in the last few decades. This paper discusses a preliminary design and a feasibility study of producing liquid hydrocarbon fuels from biomass through a combined biochemical and thermochemical route. The process involves anaerobic digestion (AD) of the biodegradable portion of the biomass to produce methane rich gas. The methane rich biogas stream is purified by removing contaminants and upgraded to liquid hydrocarbon fuel in a gas to liquid facility (GTL) via thermochemical conversion route. The biogas conversion involves two major steps: …

Unified Approach To Sustainability, Resiliency And Risk Assessments, Thomas Robbins, Bhaskar Chittoori, Amit Gajurel, Robert Hamilton

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Generally, researchers consider sustainability and resiliency aspects of infrastructure projects independently, without considering the relationship that exists between them. Unified approaches that combine sustainability, resiliency, and analyze risk are very minimal. This paper proposes a unified approach to assessing sustainability, resiliency, and risk for infrastructure via evaluating the performance of a tailings dam under various earthquake magnitudes. A tailings dam is typically in operation for many years, which means they may have a direct impact on the local environment, society, and economy. Due to the extended life of the dam, the probability of a major event occurring that could negatively …

Modular Product Architecture’S Decisions Support For Remanufacturing-Product Service System Synergy, Johnson Adebayo Fadeyi

Wayne State University Dissertations

Remanufacturing is identified as the most viable product end-of-life (EOL) management strategy. However, about 80% of manufactured products currently end up as wastes. Besides other benefits, the product service system (PSS) could curtail the main bottlenecks to remanufacturing namely quantity, quality, recovery time of used product, and negative perception of remanufactured products. Therefore, the integration of PSS and remanufacturing has been increasingly recommended as an enhanced product offering. However, an integration that is informed by mathematical analysis is missing. Meanwhile, the variables that bolster the performance of PSS and remanufacturing are substantially influenced by product development (PD) decisions. Among the …

Maximum Recovery Of Mechanical Energy Through Work Integration: A Work Exchange Network Synthesis Approach, Aida Amini Rankouhi

Wayne State University Dissertations

Sustainable development has become a key concern in industries, largely due to natural resource depletion, global competition, and environmental pressure. Despite the efforts for sustainability improvement, still over a half of energy consumption is wasted in manufacturing sectors, where the chemical industry is responsible for an energy efficiency lower than it should be. Many attempts have been made to recover the thermal energy using heat integration techniques. Although process work is more expensive than process heat, no efficient solution has been studied to recover mechanical energy yet. In chemical plants, many process streams need to be pressurized or depressurized in …

Integrated Strategies For Sustainable Wastewater-Based Algal Biofuel Production And Environmental Mitigation In The Us, Javad Roostaei

Wayne State University Dissertations

Integration of algae cultivation with wastewater treatment has received increasing interest as a cost-effective strategy for biofuel production. However, there has been no full assessment of algal biofuel production with wastewater on macro-scale by taking into account wastewater resources, land availability, CO2 emission resources, and geographic variation. This research addressed and evaluated the use of wastewater for algae cultivation, in terms of modeling and laboratory experiments. The first goal of this research was to develop a spatially explicit lifecycle model, by integrating life cycle assessment (LCA), and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis, for the evaluation of the environmental and economic …

Perspectives On Designing For A Sustainable Future; Products For The Developed And Developing Worlds, Pearl O'Rourke, Colm O'Kane, Keith Colton

Conference Papers

The aim of a sustainable product solution is to fulfil a user need while creating a net positive sustainable impact - environmentally, socially and economically [1]. The concept of sustainability can be complex for a product design student to come to terms with, since the creation of new physical products consumes the Earth’s scarce natural resources [2]. So, should we ideally have no new products in the future? More likely, we should hope to have more sustainably aware product designers, working for companies that need to - due to regulations or consumer preferences - produce and provide more sustainable product …

Precise Energy Efficient Scheduling Of Mixed-Criticality Tasks & Sustainable Mixed-Criticality Scheduling, Sai Sruti

Masters Theses

"In this thesis, the imprecise mixed-criticality model (IMC) is extended to precise scheduling of tasks, and integrated with the dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) technique to enable energy minimization. The challenge in precise scheduling of MC systems is to simultaneously guarantee the timing correctness for all tasks, hi and lo, under both pessimistic and optimistic (less pessimistic) assumptions. To the best of knowledge this is the first work to address the integration of DVFS energy conserving techniques with precise scheduling of lo-tasks of the MC model.

In this thesis, the utilization based schedulability tests and sufficient conditions for such …

Apple Pomace Consumption Favorably Alters Hepatic Lipid Metabolism In Young Female Sprague-Dawley Rats Fed A Western Diet, Roy Chris Skinner, Derek C. Warren, Soofie N. Lateef, Vagner A. Benedito, Janet C. Tou

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Apple pomace, which is a waste byproduct of processing, is rich in several nutrients, particularly dietary fiber, indicating potential benefits for diseases that are attributed to poor diets, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD affects over 25% of United States population and is increasing in children. Increasing fruit consumption can influence NAFLD. The study objective was to replace calories in standard or Western diets with apple pomace to determine the effects on genes regulating hepatic lipid metabolism and on risk of NAFLD. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned (n = 8 rats/group) to isocaloric diets of AIN-93G and …

Understanding The Consequences And Costs Of Climate Change On Texas Pavements, Megha Sharma

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Over the several centuries, the global temperatures have been rising, and the rate of rising in temperature has increased significantly in the last century. The increase in temperature and precipitation can substantially influence performance life of pavements because of their continuous exposure to climate. The climate parameters like temperature and precipitation are considered in the pavement design to reflect the influence of climate factors on the performance of the pavements. Currently, designers use the historical weather patterns while designing pavements. Since the climate is changing, the estimated service life of the pavement will be reduced significantly if the historical data …

Integration Of Biology, Ecology And Engineering For Sustainable Algal‑Based Biofuel And Bioproduct Biorefinery, James Allen, Serpil Unlu, Yaşar Demirel, Paul N. Black, Wayne R. Riekhof

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Despite years of concerted research efforts, an industrial-scale technology has yet to emerge for production and conversion of algal biomass into biofuels and bioproducts. The objective of this review is to explore the ways of possible integration of biology, ecology and engineering for sustainable large algal cultivation and biofuel production systems. Beside the costs of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorous, and fresh water, upstream technologies which are not ready for commercialization both impede economic feasibility and conflict with the ecological benefits in the sector. Focusing mainly on the engineering side of chemical conversion of algae to biodiesel has also …

Behavior And Temporal-Based Effects Of Sustainable Self-Consolidating Concrete In Bridge Structures, Hayder Hussein Alghazali

Doctoral Dissertations

"The main objective of this study was to investigate the performance of sustainable self-consolidating concrete (SCC) for highway bridge structures. Two types of concrete were utilized in this study: high volume fly ash-self consolidating concrete (HVFA-SCC) and high strength-self consolidating concrete (HS-SCC). This dissertation consists of two major parts: a laboratory study developing and investigating the overall performance of HVFA-SCC and a field study of time-dependent field-based behavior of HS-SCC in Bridge A7957 MO, USA. In the first part, an experimental program was conducted to develop a new class of SCC incorporating up to 70% cement replacement with fly ash. …

Guayule Plant Extracts As Binder Modifiers In Flexible (Asphalt) Pavement Mixtures, Steven Michael Lusher

Doctoral Dissertations

"The guayule (pronounced, 'why-YOO-lee') plant is a woody perennial shrub that is native to areas of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, and is a well-documented source of high-quality natural rubber. The U.S. needs a domestic source of natural rubber to allay concerns about its future availability. Cultivation of guayule in North America has been attempted many times since the late 19th century, and companies, including major tire manufacturers, are again investing in guayule research. However, full-scale commercialization of guayule rubber needs established markets for the two basic by-products of guayule rubber extraction: the plant resins (primarily non-rubber compounds) …

An Interdisciplinary Model For The Development Of Alabama Oil Sands, Daniel Edward Smith

All ETDs from UAB

In July 2013, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by the Governors of the states of Alabama and Mississippi to jointly conduct a comprehensive geologic, engineering, and legal assessment of oil sands resources associated with the Hartselle Sandstone formation including the identification of environmental best practices associated with developing these resources. Pursuant to the MOU, the Geological Survey of Alabama (GSA) began a limited geological evaluation of the potential development of Alabama’s oil sand resources. This dissertation compliments those GSA efforts by identifying and assessing environmental and social sustainability risks associated with the potential development of Alabama’s oil sands …

Accelerated Construction Of Roadways: Life Cycle Assessment And Environmental Impacts, Sudipta Ghorai

Dissertations - ALL

Sustainability refers to a long-term perspective of economic, social, and environmental progress, which not only addresses the present conditions but also includes the needs of future generations. The massive network of roadways in United States has the potential to contribute considerably towards achieving sustainability in the infrastructure sector. The “triple bottom line” of sustainability, if incorporated in roadway development projects, can address issues like climate change, environmental protection, funds optimization, and social equity. This study focuses on the life cycle assessment (LCA) of arterial improvement projects. Preservation treatments help in extending the remaining service life of roads; but at the …

How Are We Being Informed About Climate Change?, Elisa Perpignan, Oluwasegun O. Seriki, Rollis Jiofack, Derrick Agyapong

Conference papers

Scientific poster ‘How is Europe being informed about Climate Change?’ This poster was presented as part of the research results that have been delivered on behalf of the Women Partnership for the 'Climate change, migration & me Challenge' which was organised part of the Young Water Professional program of the Amsterdam International Water Week.

The poster won the second prize with the team comprising Elisa Perpignan, Derrick Agyapong, Rollis Jiofack, Oluwasegun Seriki (participating online out of respectively Ghana, Burkina Faso and Ireland), from the case: European Pact for Water. The team was selected to attend the Planetary Security Conference – …

A Comparative Investigation Of Industry, Academics' And Students' Perceptions On Essential Sustainability Knowledge, Competencies And Skills, Lloyd Scott

Conference papers

Design and construction educational programmes offered throughout the world play a vital role in sustainability education by producing professionals knowledgeable and competent in sustainable practices. It is extremely important to align the sustainability knowledge of the graduates to the industry expectations. This paper compares industry expectations about essential sustainability knowledge with both academics and students perceptions of requisite knowledge about sustainability. A three stage mixed research approach was adopted for the study. Essential sustainability knowledge expected from recent graduates was identified through literature review and surveys of architectural design and construction firms. Students enrolled in architecture and construction programmes were …

Best Management Practices: A Community-Based Approach To Construction And Installation, Nathanael J. La Breche

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

The Wabash River Enhancement Corporation (WREC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving both the health of the Wabash River and the surrounding terrestrial areas. In an effort to improve water quality, their urban cost-share program focuses on supporting green projects within a critical region surrounding the Great Bend of the Wabash River. In this essay, a Purdue student describes his experience as leader of a six-member group who worked with WREC to locate a suitable site within this critical area and implement a green project. They selected the Lighthouse Baptist Church, located in Lafayette, Indiana, since it was experiencing …

Characterization Of High Oleic Acid Biodiesel: Improving Biofuel Properties, James M. Muskat, Nathan Mosier

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

In 2016, the world produced an amount of biofuel equivalent to 82,306,000 tonnes of oil. A portion of the biofuels produced was categorized as biodiesel. While still growing as a fuel alternative, current biodiesel fuels are at risk for causing increased engine coking, lower engine performance and durability, oil ring sticking, carbon deposits, and gelling of lubricating oil. Due to these primary issues, biodiesel cannot completely replace petroleum diesel as a fuel source. Instead, biodiesel is commonly blended with petroleum diesel at 5% and 20% (B5 and B20) in the U.S. to create a mixture that has acceptable fuel properties. …