Engineering Commons^™

Engagement In Technical Student-Run Organizations: How Do This Effect The Students’ Well-Being And What Does It Mean To The Future Of Education?, Ingrid Berg Sivertsen

Practice Papers

Loneliness among Norwegian students has never been higher than after the Covid-19 pandemic (Lervåg et al. 2022). In recent surveys, over 50% of Norwegian students report they felt troubled by loneliness (Lervåg 2022, Tekna 2022). One article written by a student representative implies that loneliness may be counteracted if engineering students participate in student organizations, and that the universities needs to facilitate for that (Nitschke 2022). Engineering students worldwide engage in student-run organizations (SRO) where they design, develop, and build technical solutions (Li et al. 2023, Dol 2016). At the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) those student organizations …

Fostering A Sustainable Future Through Inclusive Design, Samara Omar, Kate Youmans, Aubrey Wigner, Henry Archer, Carrie Mcclelland

Practice Papers

Fostering a sustainable future requires a balance between human necessities, societal institutions, and environmental systems; and this delicate equilibrium is best attained through strategic and innovative design. With this, and the growing diversity of our communities, it is imperative to equip engineering students with inclusive perspectives that allow them to critically assess the socio-technical elements of sustainable design. Recent research within engineering education has elevated the importance of empathy as a design practice and inclusivity as a design principle; exploring topics of bias and exclusion are essential to this work. As part of a first-year design course, we introduced these …

Comparing Engineering Students Perceptions Of Online And Traditional Face To Face Environments During A Problem And Project Based Learning (Pbl) Module, Sean O'Connor, Jason Richard Power, Nicolaas Blom, David A Tanner, Eamonn Stack Mulvihill

Practice Papers

Research examining the future of engineering education has highlighted forthcoming challenges for engineering institutions, such as increasing cohort sizes, limited budgets and a demand for the delivery of flexible, diverse and student-centred curricula. To this end, scholars have suggested the use of problem and project based learning (PBL) methodologies that can be implemented within hybrid learning environments. This paper examines and compares students' perceptions of a PBL module that was delivered by means of online and traditional face-to-face environments. The goal of this paper is to highlight the students' voice over other stakeholders to provide valuable insights into their preferences …

Problems Without Solution? Challenges Of Climate Change And Sustainability In Engineering Education, Sahra Dornick

Practice Papers

The issues of climate change and sustainability are urgent and critical concerns of our time. The rise of climate disasters, such as floods, droughts, forest fires, and hurricanes, poses a threat to the survival of humans, animals, and plants. Despite scientists having warned about the impending dangers of high CO2 emissions, particularly from the global North for many years, there has been no political or technical solution in sight.

Engineers are known for being problem-solvers, but what happens when the problem is complex and the consequences of technical interventions are hard to predict? In my paper, I propose measures to …

Re/Upskilling The Agricultural Labour Force: Micro-Credentials As Innovative Lll Strategy, Vladana Vidric, Christina Paulus, Simon Grebner, Maximilian Treiber, Martin Mayr, Andreas Mandler

Practice Papers

Industry 4.0 had a strong impact on globalization by changing the workforce and increasing access to new skills and knowledge. According to the World Economic Forum, by 2025, 50% of all employees will need reskilling due to new technology. Industry 5.0 addresses long term prospects such as sustainability, resilience and human-centricity regarding efficiency and productivity. Agriculture is the most exposed economic sector to climate change with cascade effects on agro ecosystems. Innovations in the agricultural sector are inevitable to ensure food security and social and environmental sustainability. This paper presents two Erasmus+ projects that highlight the importance of future engineering …

Comparing The Iwl-Mvm-Rs And Minstrel-Ht Rate Adaptation Algorithms Under Different Local Error Conditions, Luhan Wang, Mark Davis

Conference papers

WLAN technology has grown rapidly and now provides increasingly reliable and fast wireless connectivity. A number of Rate Adaptation Algorithms (RAAs) which are designed to select the optimal line rate according to the channel conditions have been proposed. Iwl-Mvm-Rs RAA which is implemented in the Intel wireless chips and Minstrel-HT RAA which is implemented in the Linux kernels are two such well known algorithms. Many existing papers evaluate these two algorithms with regard to device mobility and signal fading. However, the causes of frame errors can be divided into two categories: weak signal reception and collisions. Therefore, in this paper, …

Thermoelectric Properties Of Cement Composite Analogues From First Principles Calculations, Esther Orisakwe, Conrad S.N. Johnston, Ruchita Jani, Xiaolo Liu, Lorenzo Stella, Jorge Kohanoff's, Niall Holmes Dr., Brian Norton, Ming Qu, Hongxi Yin, Kazuaki Yazawa

Articles

Buildings are responsible for a considerable fraction of the energy wasted globally every year, and as a result, excess carbon emissions. While heat is lost directly in colder months and climates, resulting in increased heating loads, in hot climates cooling and ventilation is required. One avenue towards improving the energy efficiency of buildings is to integrate thermoelectric devices and materials within the fabric of the building to exploit the temperature gradient between the inside and outside to do useful work. Cement-based materials are ubiquitous in modern buildings and present an interesting opportunity to be functionalized. We present a systematic investigation …

Simultaneous Measurement Of Gas Pressure And Temperature Using A Microbubble Resonator Combined With An Fbg, Ketan Dong, Ke Tian, Chuanzhen Zhao, Huibin Li, Jibo Yu, Angzhen Li, Xiaoling Sun, Elfed Lewis, Gerald Farrell, Pengfei Wang

Conference Papers

We propose and demonstrate a microbubble resonator combined with a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) for simultaneous measurement of gas pressure and temperature. The approach used allows for very close proximity (<200 >μm) between the FBG and the microbubble resonator. The microbubble resonator is fabricated in a section of hollow-core fiber (HCF), spliced to a single-mode fiber (SMF) with a pre-inscribed FBG to form a single-ended open structure. Fresnel reflection from the HCF cleaved end means that broadband light is reflected backwards in the same direction as the Bragg wavelength from the FBG. A tapered fiber couples the reflected broadband light …

Tunable Erbium-Doped Fiber Ring Laser With A Polymer Micro Bottle Resonator, Anuradha Rout, Zhe Wang, Zhuochen Wang, Yuliya Semenova

Conference Papers

A new tunable fiber laser structure based on an erbium-doped fiber ring laser (FRL) and a polymer-based microbottle resonator (PMBR) as the wavelength selective filter is proposed and demonstrated. The tunability of the laser output in response to axial strain of up to 253.6 με applied to the PMBR is demonstrated experimentally. When the strain was applied to the PMBR’s long axis, the central lasing wavelength shifted towards shorter wavelengths in a linear fashion. The laser's strain sensitivity was determined to be 0.69 pm/με. The proposed strain-tunable PMBR laser offers the advantages of simple structure, low cost, robust performance, and …

Third Arkansas Record Of Mountain Bluebird (Sialia Currucoides), With Notes On Habitat And Behavior, G. R. Graves

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides) breeds in western North America and winters east to the Great Plains from Nebraska to Texas (Johnson and Dawson 2020). Vagrants are occasionally reported in eastern North America, mostly from November through March, but relatively few wintering records have been documented in the lower Mississippi Valley east of 96° W longitude and south of 37° N latitude.

Academy Presidents And Institutional Members, Academy Editors

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Tensiography And Liquid Drop Metrology, David Kennedy, Des Carbery, Norman Mcmillan

Conference Papers

This research focused on drop metrology and the use of camera technology and vibration analysis influence on theoretical and practical tensiography. Drop shape and Tensiography are explained and how they relate to each other. Studies shows a relationship between vibration frequency and surface tension of liquids. However they also reveal the need for a theoretical understanding of the vibration tensiotrace of drops. Camera studies on large diameter dropheads used in tensiography are explored. Various image analysis methods were investigated for determining drop shape from camera images. Examination of the digital image reveals measurement issues. High speed camera images reveal new …

Evaluating The Sustainability Of Paper And Plastic Substitute Material Limex, E.-Lexus Thornton, Avery Hartley, Daniel Caudill, Martin Gamesu, Julius M. Schoop, Fazleena Badurdeen

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

With the increasing decline in the environment and natural resources it is important to find new ways in which manufacturing can increase the sustainability of the world. This study seeks to compare LimeX, a state-of-the-art paper and plastic alternative primarily made of limestone, with conventional paper and plastic materials. For a better understanding of LimeX as a material, a brief investigation of the mechanical and chemical properties will be performed through experimentation and analysis. In addition, this paper aims to evaluate the sustainability of LimeX through the analysis of metrics relating to the triple bottom line (environmental impacts, economic impacts …

Cancer Immunotherapy: A Breakthrough In Patient Care, Abdou-Samad Kone, Nour El Imane Issam Salah, Amina Ghouzlani, Abdallah Badou

Health Sciences

Cancer is one of the world's leading causes of death. Conventional therapies, such as surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, have improved patient management and have shown overwhelming progress. However, the incidence and mortality rates among cancer patients are still extremely high, at approximately 20,5 % and 10,6 % for both sexes, respectively. This may be due to the heterogeneity of tumors, their special microenvironment, and the development of resistance to certain conventional therapies. The concept of immunotherapy provided a new perspective on patient treatment. The interaction of tumor cells with their microenvironment depends on different factors and conditions that promote …

A Hybrid Multifunctional Physicochemical Sensor Suite For Continuous Monitoring Of Crop Health, Nafize Ishtiaque Hossain, Shawana Tabassum

Electrical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This work reports a first-of-its-kind hybrid wearable physicochemical sensor suite that we call PlantFit for simultaneous measurement of two key phytohormones, salicylic acid, and ethylene, along with vapor pressure deficit and radial growth of stem in live plants. The sensors are developed using a low-cost and roll-to-roll screen printing technology. A single integrated flexible patch that contains temperature, humidity, salicylic acid, and ethylene sensors, is installed on the leaves of live plants. The strain sensor with in-built pressure correction capability is wrapped around the plant stem to provide pressure-compensated stem diameter measurements. The sensors provide real-time information on plant health …

Incorporation Of Poly(Tfema) In Perovskite Thin Films Using A Supercritical Fluid, Kasey Handy, Gary C. Tepper

Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Publications

A new process is reported for the incorporation of a fluoropolymer into a solid perovskite film. Poly(trifluoroethyl methacrylate) [CH₂C(CH₃)(CO₂CH₂CF₃)]_n was delivered to methylammonium lead iodide (CH₃NH₃PbI₃) perovskite films by crystallizing the film in supercritical carbon dioxide/ethanol containing the dissolved fluoropolymer. The surface was characterized before and after fluoropolymer exposure using scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and contact angle measurements. The results indicate that the fluoropolymer was incorporated into the perovskite film during the supercritical fluid crystallization process. The incorporation of a hydrophobic fluoropolymer …

Disrupting Engineering Education, Euan D. Lindsay, Roger G. Hadgraft, Fiona Boyle, Ron Ulseth

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

Traditional engineering education approaches are recognizable around the world – lectures, tutorials, laboratories, some projects. With the emergence of Industry 4.0, the world in which engineers practice is evolving at an ever-increasing rate, combining a greater focus on complex sociotechnical problems with new technologies and increasingly powerful design tools. In general, the engineering curricula have not adapted quickly to this change, but there is a shift in expectations of who and what engineering students should be. Engineering curricula are becoming more flexible, as are the learning environments in which they are implemented. This chapter draws upon the Doblin 10 types …

Supporting Women In Engineering And Technology Through A Collaborative Practice And Support Network Using Targeted Interventions, Michelle Looby, Marie Armstrong, Una Beagon, Emma M Dunne, Svetlana Hensman, Farrah Higgins, Paula Kelly, Isabelle Killane, Susan Lynott, Orla Mcmahon, Bahareh Pahlevanzadeh

Practice Papers

Despite ongoing efforts to recruit and retain women in third level engineering programmes in Ireland, there is still a lack of diversity in these programmes with typically fewer than 20% of students being female. This paper will describe the evolution of a female focused university wide network called WITU (Women in Technology United), which aims to retain female students in engineering and technology programmes, and to increase the number of gender minorities coming onto these programmes. It is also a response to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly, SDG 4 (quality education), and SDG 5 (gender equality), and addresses actions highlighted …

The “Who” In Engineering: Sociotechnical Engineering As Memorable And Relevant, Diana A. Chen, Marissa H. Forbes, Gordon D. Hoople, Susan M. Lord, Joel Alejandro Mejia

School of Engineering: Faculty Scholarship

Does emphasizing the role of people in engineering influence the memorability of engineering content? This study is part of a larger project through which our team developed a new undergraduate energy course to better reflect students’ cultures and lived experiences through asset-based pedagogies to help students develop a sociotechnical mindset in engineering problem solving. In this study, students in the class were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews (n=5) to explore our effectiveness in helping them develop a sociotechnical mindset around energy issues and conceptualize engineering as a sociotechnical endeavor. This study focuses on an activity during the interview where …

Controlled Release Of Flurbiprofen From 3d-Printed And Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Processed Methacrylate-Based Polymer, Truc T. Ngo, Jae D. Kim

School of Engineering: Faculty Scholarship

The ability to engineer and predict drug release behavior during treatment is critical to the design and implementation of effective drug delivery systems. In this study, a drug delivery system consisting of a methacrylate-based polymer and flurbiprofen was studied, and its release profile in a controlled phosphate-buffered saline solution was characterized. The polymer, which was 3D printed and processed in supercritical carbon dioxide under different temperature and pressure settings, showed sustained drug release over a prolonged period. A computer algorithm was used to determine the drug release time duration before reaching steady state and the maximum drug release at steady …

Bio-Inspired Sutures: Simulating The Role Of Suture Placement In The Mechanical Response Of Interlocking Structures, Melissa M. Gibbons, Diana A. Chen

School of Engineering: Faculty Scholarship

The hardest anatomical components of many animals are connected at thin seams known as sutures, which allow for growth and compliance required for respiration and movement and serve as a defense mechanism by absorbing energy during impacts. We take a bio-inspired approach and parameterize suture geometries to utilize geometric connections, rather than new engineering materials, to absorb high-impact loads. This study builds upon our work that investigated the effects of the dovetail suture contact angle, tangent length, and tab radius on the stiffness and toughness of an archway structure using finite element analysis. We explore how increasing the archway segmentation …

Classification And Characterization Of Damage In Composite Laminates Using Electrical Resistance Tomography And Supervised Machine Learning, Julia Diaz-Escobar, Paulina Díaz-Montiel, Satchi Venkataraman, Arnoldo Díaz-Ramirez

School of Engineering: Faculty Scholarship

Electrical resistance tomography (ERT) is a nondestructive evaluation technique that uses the internal conductivity variations of materials to assess structural integrity. Due to the low instrumentation required, the widespread use of ERT in the aerospace industry for monitoring the accumulation of damage in aircraft components can lead to significant reductions in inspections and maintenance costs. However, implementing the ERT method for mapping the damage state of structural components made of carbon fiber reinforced polymeric (CFRP) composites is challenging due to the inability of this method to distinguish between damage modes such as delamination and matrix cracking. This article explores the …

Protocol Optimization And Reducing Dropout In Online Research, Halee Staggs, Colleen Mills-Finnerty

School of Engineering: Faculty Scholarship

Online research has advantages over in-person research; it’s cost-efficient, scalable, and may increase diversity. Researchers collecting data online can assess protocol performance with classification models like a decision tree. However, challenges include attrition, lack of testing environment controls, technical limitations, and lack of face-to-face rapport and real time feedback. It is necessary to consider human factors of the teleresearch process from recruitment to data collection. Here we document the impact of protocol optimizations on social media engagement and retention between a pilot sample of Veterans (n = 26) and a post-optimization sample of both Veterans and civilians (n = 220) …

A New Method For Controlling Fractional Linear Systems, Subramanian V. Shastri, Kumpati S. Narendra, Lihao Zheng

School of Engineering: Faculty Scholarship

The study of fractional linear time-invariant (LTI) systems has been an area of active research over the past thirty years. Results indicate that such systems are becoming important in the representation of certain types of dynamical behavior in biology and engineering. Several methods have been developed for the representation, identification, and control of fractional LTI systems. The primary purpose of this paper is to introduce a new approach to their control. Its principal contribution is the transformation of a fractional LTI system into one without fractional terms (standard LTI system) using feedback and feedforward compensation. While the former may be …

“These Different Ideas, Traditions, And Values Make My Thinking Unique And Creative”: Bringing Native Hawaiian Ways Of Knowing To Engineering Education, Austin Morgan Kainoa Peters, Susan M. Lord

School of Engineering: Faculty Scholarship

Contribution: This article focuses on the study of Native Hawaiian student experiences in engineering education. Telling these stories illustrates the importance of legitimizing and appreciating different knowledge types in engineering as we move toward a more inclusive and sustainable field. Background: Native Hawaiian engineering students live oppressive realities due to the history of settler colonialism and occupation that attempted to erase their culture and ways of knowing, including in engineering education. This study shows how students overcome these realities to enact their ways of knowing in a field where it is not always respected. Informing the field of ways to …

Merit Study Of Battery Or Hydrogen Energy Storage For Large Scale, Combined Wind And Solar Electricity Generation, Ashley K. Moore

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

In the past several years, the energy sector has experienced a rapid increase in renewable energy installations due to declining capital costs for wind turbines, solar panels, and batteries. Wind and solar electricity generation are intermittent in nature which must be considered in an economic analysis if a fair comparison is to be made between electricity supplied from renewables and electricity purchased from the grid. Energy storage reduces curtailment of wind and solar and minimizes electricity purchases from the grid by storing excess electricity and deploying the energy at times when demand exceeds the renewable energy supply. The objective of …

Tolle Lege Works Published In 2023, Mcquade Library

Bibliographies

Compiled Tolle Lege bibliography of works published by members of the Merrimack College Community in 2023. Works include journal articles, books, book chapters, conference presentations and posters, and more.

Towards Explainable Ai Using Attribution Methods And Image Segmentation, Garrett J. Rocks

Honors Undergraduate Theses

With artificial intelligence (AI) becoming ubiquitous in a broad range of application domains, the opacity of deep learning models remains an obstacle to adaptation within safety-critical systems. Explainable AI (XAI) aims to build trust in AI systems by revealing important inner mechanisms of what has been treated as a black box by human users. This thesis specifically aims to improve the transparency and trustworthiness of deep learning algorithms by combining attribution methods with image segmentation methods. This thesis has the potential to improve the trust and acceptance of AI systems, leading to more responsible and ethical AI applications. An exploratory …

Effects Of Exciting And Relaxing Music On Heart Rate Variability, Pratik S. Mahajan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Heart rate variability (HRV) and music have been demonstrated to have a relationship in previous literature. The primary objective of this study is to further investigate that relationship by observing HRV during periods of listening to relaxing and exciting music and comparing the results to a baseline as well as the other condition. The secondary objective of this study is to investigate the efficacy and potential usage of the Polar H10 chest strap monitor in measuring HRV parameters. The results of the Polar H10 will be compared to the iWorx TA-220 and iWorx-ECG12, the existing gold standard in HRV and …

Data-Driven Biomedicine Investigation Of Genetic And Infectious-Based Diseases Using Omics Data And Data Science Methodologies., Diing Agany

Dissertations and Theses

The binary model of existence consists of health and disease, with health being complete physical, mental, and social well-being and disease being a pathological process. Humanity has been plagued by genetic and infectious diseases since civilization's dawn. These diseases cause changes in this model at the system biology level. Omics technologies, data science methodologies, and big data are being used to study these changes at the molecular level, leveraging biological processes' interconnectedness. Also, advanced computational methodologies are essential for efficient analytics and actionable discovery. In this dissertation, genetic and infectious-based diseases are investigated using omics data and data science methods …