Engineering Commons^™

A Fragility Framework For Surface Erosion With Application To Earthen Dam Breaching, Ege C. Kurter, Ayman Mokhtar Nemnem, M. Hanif Chaudhry, Jasim Imran

Faculty Publications

Overtopping failures of earthen dams are a growing concern under intensifying extreme rainfall. This study introduces a probabilistic fragility framework that combines hydrologic modeling, hydraulic analysis, and soil erodibility to assess erosion risk under uncertain load and resistance. Fragility curves derived from Monte Carlo simulations quantify erosion initiation and severity as functions of rainfall depth and excess shear stress. Application to multiple dams affected during the 2015 South Carolina floods reproduces observed outcomes ranging from complete breach to no damage. The framework also captures cascading effects, where failure of an upstream structure increases downstream loading and erosion potential. Compared with …

Enhancing Nitrogen Removal In High Permeability Bioretention Media: The Combined Role Of Biochar, Wood Chips And Hydraulic Design, Joshelyn Guimaray

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Urban stormwater runoff can transport high nutrient loads to receiving waters, leading toeutrophication, harmful algal blooms, and the formation of hypoxic zones. Bioretention systems are a form of green infrastructure designed to mitigate these impacts, but their application in dense, ultra-urban environments is often limited by large land area requirements. This has led to the adoption of high permeability media (HPM) to accommodate higher hydraulic loading rates (HLRs) and reduce the system footprint. However, conventional HPM systems often show inconsistent removal of dissolved nitrogen species due to short hydraulic retention times (HRTs), a lack of organic carbon, and insufficient anoxic …

Energy-Efficient Photocatalysis: Toward Practical Degradation Of Waterborne Pollutants, Mary Worbington

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Freshwater scarcity poses a growing threat to human welfare and society, with 4 billion people experiencing severe shortages at least one month of the year and half a billion affected year-round. Rising demand from population growth and development combined with the impacts of climate change on water supplies further intensifies this crisis, underscoring the need for improved water reclamation and treatment technologies. Photocatalytic advanced oxidation processes have great potential for chemical-free, energy-efficient degradation of waterborne pollutants, provided long-standing issues including poor light management, mass transfer limitations, and high charge carrier recombination rates are addressed.

Here, we report the development of …

Toward Autonomous Pavement Inspection: An End-To-End Vision-Based Framework For Pci Computation And Robotic Deployment, Nada El Desouky, Ahmed Torky, Mohamed Elbheiri, Mohamed Eid, Mohamed Ibrahim

Civil Engineering

Advancements in robotics and computer vision are transforming how infrastructure is monitored and maintained. This paper presents a novel, fully automated pipeline for pavement condition assessment that integrates real-time image analysis with PCI (Pavement Condition Index) computation, which is specifically designed for deployment on mobile and robotic platforms. Unlike traditional methods that rely on costly equipment or manual input, the proposed system uses deep learning-based object detection and ensemble segmentation to identify and measure multiple types of road distress directly from 2D imagery, including surface weathering, a key precursor to pothole formation often overlooked in previous studies. Depth estimation is …

A Study Of Nonlinear Duffing Equations Using The Haar Wavelet Method, Kumbinarasaiah S., Yeshwanth R., Nandeesh K C.

Mansoura Engineering Journal

The main goal of this study is to solve Duffing equations, which are nonlinear differential equations (DEs), using the Haar wavelet technique. The solutions to this equation for an externally pushed and damped oscillator show intriguing dynamic behavior. Mathematicians have recently become more interested in wavelet analysis because of its real-world applications. A few real-world problems have been considered to assess the current methodology. Here, the (OMI) Operational Matrix of Integration and collocation points transform the non-linear ODEs into a system of nonlinear algebraic equations. The resulting system of algebraic equations is then solved using the Newton-Raphson technique to retrieve …

Design Considerations For Conversational Agents To Assess The Social-Emotional Well-Being Of Young Children In Low-Income South African Communities, Lucretia A. Williams, Elizabeth A. Ankrah, Catherine E. Draper, Caylee J. Cook, Franceli L. Cibrian, Jesus A. Beltran, Kimberley D. Lakes, Gillian R. Hayes

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

A variety of digital technologies have been used to support early childhood development (ECD) programs in low-income South African communities. Even though technology has provided opportunities to increase access to health interventions, the lack of trust and socio-economic constraints under which these tools would need to work pose complex challenges. We examine home visitors’ work processes, experiences, and preferences of a conversational agent to support their work of administering social-emotional well-being assessments to young children ages 0-5. Analysis of the results of focus groups with 51 home visitors indicates the need for designing conversational agents that support ECD in the …

Osc-Net: A Multi-Fidelity Machine Learning Model For Organic Solar Cells, Haizhou Yang, Adam Wold, Junlin Ou, Jeromy J. Rech, Wei You, Yi Wang

Faculty Publications

Organic solar cells (OSCs) have emerged as a promising renewable energy technology, offering advantages such as lightweight design, semitransparency, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. Power conversion efficiency (PCE) is a key device performance parameter for OSCs, defined as the ratio of the electrical power output generated by the device to the incident solar power input. Despite significant advances, the development of high-performance OSCs remains a labor-intensive process, heavily dependent on expert experience, involving extensive synthesis, characterization, and iterative optimization. Data-driven methods offer a promising alternative for accelerating material discovery, but their effectiveness is often limited by the scarcity of high-quality experimental data. …

The Science And Economics Of 3d-Printed Filament Recycling, Michael Domingo, Dane Freund, John Mcswiggin, Adam Meadows

Sustainability Conference

In recent years, 3D printing has grown rapidly, both in homes and commercially. This has led to increased demand for plastic filaments, many of which contribute to plastic waste. This project explores the potential of recycling household plastics into 3D printing filament, promoting sustainability and creating a circular economy. Materials like PLA, PETG, ABS, and polypropylene can be recycled or even composted. Existing research has shown that recycled filaments can maintain comparable tensile strength to their virgin counterparts, depending on the recycling process. Furthermore, implementing circular economy practices for plastics could save billions annually by mitigating pollution and reducing landfill …

Localized Nuclear Utility For Erau Environmental Improvement, Timothy Schroeder, Jacob Blanton, Christopher Anderson

Sustainability Conference

The reliance of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) on energy supplied by Florida Power & Light (FPL), which currently draws large amounts of power from fossil fuel sources, is continuously suboptimal both environmentally and financially. This study proposes assessing the feasibility of deploying a campus scale nuclear reactor tailored to ERAU’s power consumption profile. This serves as a path toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting dependence on external fossil fuel generation. The methods used are primarily literature review(s), and numerical analysis on comparable use cases. The literature reviews focused on design theory and yield of nuclear reactors on a …

Aura Aero, A Perspective On Sustainability And Resilience, Mattia Padulo

Sustainability Conference

Since its foundation, AURA AERO has committed to tackle aviation related environmental impacts, through an incremental industrial approach that has allowed the company to become the first fully fledged aircraft manufacturer among the new players in the field of Advanced Air Mobility. AURA AERO product policy has been gradually shaped to scale-up towards bigger, smarter, greener products, and is now enriched by unmanned technologies, as an adaptation to newer societal demands induced by the current geopolitical context. The presentation will give an update on the latest company and product developments, and particularly those related to the INTEGRAL E - the …

Optimizing Driving Waveforms To Enhance Inkjet Printing Speed, Chao Jan Sui, Wenchao A. Zhou

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Inkjet printing has been extensively employed across various industrial applications due to its capability to produce high-resolution outputs and accommodate a diverse range of materials. However, its printing speed (volumetric printing rate or volumetric productivity) has remained a bottleneck for large-scale manufacturing. This study introduces a new strategy aimed at enhancing the speed of piezoelectric inkjet printing by optimizing waveform parameters. Expanding on our prior work, which analyzed the relationship between driving signal parameters and key factors like droplet volume and jetting frequency, we now focus on optimizing these parameters to maximize printing speed. To establish a fair comparison across …

Optimization Of Rheological Models Using Machine Learning-Based Surrogates, Sourav Saha

LSU Master's Theses

This study addresses the challenge of accurately modeling flows of complex, multiphase media through fluid machines, where highly viscous, compressible, and shear-thinning behavior of the medium complicates the construction of predictive models. Such media include slurries, biomass, foods, and other materials of high value and societal importance. A high-fidelity CFD model of a screw-type fluid machine with an outlet flow restriction is developed. The flowing medium is treated as a single-phase, compressible, non-Newtonian fluid. The model incorporates a non-linear pressure-dependent density model and a strain-rate-dependent viscosity law (Cross power law). A parametric study is conducted by varying key rheological parameters …

Lithological Modeling And Aquifer Characterization Of The Coastal Lowlands Aquifer System In Texas, Emmanuel Egyin Hayford

LSU Master's Theses

The Texas Coastal Lowlands Aquifer System (CLAS) is a crucial water resource for the Gulf Coast, serving millions through municipal, agricultural, and industrial supplies. However, its sustainability is increasingly threatened by factors such as population growth, saltwater intrusion, land subsidence, and climate change. A significant limitation is the absence of a comprehensive, data-rich, three-dimensional lithologic model that accurately represents the intricate structure and geometry of the aquifer. Existing models are overly simplistic, treating the hydrogeologic unit as laterally uniform and failing to capture its true hydrogeologic complexity. This study addresses this gap by developing the first high-resolution 3D lithologic model …

Advancing Power System Reliability And Security With Efficient And Resilient Graph Neural Network Frameworks, Seyed Hamed Haghshenas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Enhancing the reliability and security of smart grids is critical for ensuring their seamless operation and resilience against disruptions. The increasing integration of distributed energy resources, advanced measurement devices, and cyber-physical elements introduces both opportunities and challenges for grid management. While these advancements provide enhanced visibility and operational control, they also expose the grid to vulnerabilities from cyber-physical stresses, such as cyber-attacks, equipment failures, and fluctuating power demands. Traditional methods for reliability assessment and threat detection often rely on model-based approaches that struggle to adapt to the complexity and dynamic nature of modern smart grids. These limitations necessitate novel data-driven …

Abdominal Ultrasound Image Dataset For Organ Classification And Disease Detection, Sifat Zina Karim

Research Data

This is a dataset of Ultrasound (US) images of abdominal organs. US imaging is widely accessible and a very common diagnostic tool, as it is non-invasive and does not involve radiation risk. This dataset was curated solely for research in deep learning, with potential applications in supervised, semi-supervised, and unsupervised learning to support disease detection in resource-constrained settings.

The dataset comprises 5,468 unique images organized into ten anatomical categories: Abdominal Aorta (0), Gallbladder (1), Hepatic Vein (2), Kidneys (3), Liver (4), Ovaries (5), Pancreas (6), Portal Vein (7), Spleen (8), and a composite Pelvic Urinary/Reproductive category (9), comprising the Urinary …

Utilizing A Virtual Firewall Appliance For Introducing And Reinforcing The Concepts And Implementation Of Devices To Improve Security In A Computing Environment, Stanley Mierzwa, Christopher Eng

Center for Cybersecurity

The educational realm of higher education cybersecurity curriculum continues to evolve to provide more opportunities for experiential hands-on and work role-related practical applications of technology solutions. Gaining greater competencies is quickly becoming a normal requirement for such programs that are designated by the National Security Agency Center of Academic Excellence programs. The work roles of cybersecurity include a variety of knowledge, skills, and abilities, depending on the category of the activity or task. Firewalls have been a staple cybersecurity, network security, and information security device and strategy to protect organization networks and computing environments. This paper will provide details and …

Non-Reciprocal Coupling Of Minimal Active Colloids Under Confinement: Rotating Ferromagnetic Janus Particles Near Boundaries, Amrutha Raghu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Active colloids are microscopic particles that convert energy at the single-particle level into sustained motion and dynamically evolving assemblies. Their ability to transform continuous energy input into controlled motion opens new frontiers in microrobotics, adaptive materials, and targeted transport. Yet, achieving efficient propulsion at the microscale remains fundamentally challenging because viscous forces dominate while inertia becomes negligible. Unlike macroscopic systems that sustain propulsion through momentum, active colloids must harness non-reciprocal interactions with the surrounding fluid to generate persistent, time-irreversible motion. Studying minimal active systems—the simplest realizations that still capture the essential physics—provides a powerful route to uncover the non-equilibrium principles …

Design Rules For Soft Materials: Insights From Precision Bottlebrush Polymers, Michael R. Dearman

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The rational design of soft materials requires a fundamental understanding of how molecular architecture governs macroscopic properties. This dissertation establishes predictive design rules for branched soft materials by exploiting the structural homogeneity of precision bottlebrush polymers (dispersity_SC, Đ_SC = 1.0). Using discrete macromonomers (Đ = 1.0) to eliminate side chain dispersity, this work systematically varies backbone and side chain lengths, chemistry, and topology to uncover universal relationships between molecular parameters and thermal or interfacial behavior. A critical backbone length (N_BB^*) is identified, above which glass transition temperature (T_g) …

Integrating Augmented Reality (Ar) Into Industrial Engineering Education: Supporting Assembly Line Operations In Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory, Fidan Abdullayeva

LSU Master's Theses

The rapid development of innovative technology underscores the importance of preparing students to meet industry expectations. This study aims to design, develop, and integrate Augmented Reality (AR) applications into Industrial Engineering (IE) education, specifically within LSU’s IE 2400 System and Work Methods course. The research incorporates technology like Microsoft HoloLens 2 into laboratory exercises. It seeks to enhance students’ comprehension and visualization of complex industrial systems and concepts, while familiarizing them with AR technology’s potential in the manufacturing industry. The AR application features functionalities tailored to support specific roles. These include AR-enhanced assembly manuals for Assemblers and quality inspection tools …

The Functional Efficiency Of Healing Gardens Elements And Its Impact On The Functional Aspect Of Hospitals, Menna Allah Hesham Mohammed, Heba Mohamed Abdou

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Communication with nature has a positive effect on human health and well-being in different civilizations all time. But technological development caused the production of purely functional buildings that are far from communicating with nature, although some buildings contain gardens to achieve communication with nature, their elements are poor. Therefore, healing gardens are considered one of the main elements to raise the efficiency of the functional performance of the health building because they contain the resting places and healing departments. Therefore, this study focuses on determining the functional criteria for the elements of the garden that must be considered when designing …

Effects Of Yttrium And Barium Trace Impurities On The Dielectric Properties Of  Srtio3 (111) Single Crystals At Cryogenic Temperatures, Hung Trinh, Alan Devoe, Fatih Dogan

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Commercially available single crystals of (111) SrTiO₃ were found to contain impurities of varying amounts that strongly affected their dielectric performance at cryogenic temperatures. Three crystals with total impurities of 111, 126, and 625 ppm, primarily of barium and yttrium, were analyzed. Relative permittivity (εr) and loss tangent were investigated with high resolution as a function of temperature (4 K to 100 K), DC voltage (0 V/cm to 800 V/cm), and frequency (100 Hz to 1 MHz). An impurity level as low as ≈500 ppm barium resulted in an increase of the maximum permittivity (εm) to approximately 50,000 at …

Seeing What Matters: Safety-Critical Semantic Segmentation Via Transfer Learning On Construction Sites, Obiora J. Odugu

LSU Master's Theses

Autonomous robots are increasingly deployed on construction sites for tasks such as progress monitoring, inspection, and safety assessment. For these robots to operate effectively, they must perceive and interpret complex, dynamic environments populated by workers, machinery, and unstructured terrain. Achieving reliable perception depends on high performing semantic segmentation models trained on large volumes of annotated data—an expensive and logistically challenging requirement in construction due to privacy restrictions, variable site access, and slow digitalization. This research addresses the challenge of limited labeled data by investigating transfer learning as a label-efficient approach for construction-site segmentation. Specifically, it explores whether road construction imagery—abundant …

Preparation, High-Temperature And Low-Temperature Performance Evaluation Of Bio-Based Polyurethane Modified Asphalt, Junfeng Gao, Guixiu Guo, Hainian Wang, Chonghui Wang, Dongzhao Jin

Michigan Tech Publications

To achieve sustainable and environmentally friendly development of pavement materials, it is essential to identify alternative materials to reduce dependence on petroleum resources. This study aims to functionalize castor oil (CO) with isocyanates to prepare bio-based polyurethane-modified asphalt (Bio-PUMA), determine its optimal preparation parameters, and evaluate the effects of Bio-PU content and isocyanate index (R) on the high- and low-temperature performance of Bio-PUMA. The orthogonal experimental design (OED), grey correlation grade analysis (GCGA), penetration, softening point, ductility, and viscosity were conducted to determine the preparation process and evaluate the performances of Bio-PUMA. The results show that the preparation factors affecting …

Scientific Characterization Of Historic Mortars Dating From The 15th-Century Of A Historical Building In Algeria: A Case Study, M. E. Belgacem, N. Rabahi-Touloum, R. Neves, Y. Ouldkhaoua

Journal of Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies

This research investigates the historic mortars (Aggregate/Binder (A/B) ratio) of a historical patrimony building, dating from the 15th century, in Algeria, for restoration purposes. It is well known that thorough characterization is essential for successful restoration. To this end, several techniques, including Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), optical microscope were used to characterize the historic mortars. A mechanical test was used to characterize the compressive strength of a historic mortar. For a comprehensive characterization, A/B ratios were estimated using both Digital Image Analyses (DIA) and chemical analyses. The results obtained provided clear information on …

Encapsulation Of Corrosion Inhibitors: Methods, Preparation, And Emerging Applications, Mahdi M. Hanoon, Baha. S. Mahdi

AUIQ Technical Engineering Science

Corrosion remains a critical global challenge, imposing substantial economic, safety, and environmental burdens across infrastructure, transportation, marine, and energy sectors. Traditional corrosion inhibitors, while effective, suffer from rapid depletion, uncontrolled release, environmental risks, and limited long-term stability. Encapsulation of corrosion inhibitors has emerged as a transformative strategy, enabling controlled and stimuli-responsive release, improved stability, and self-healing capabilities. This mini review provides a comprehensive overview of encapsulation technologies, including polymeric microcapsules, inorganic carriers, hybrid systems, and advanced nanoengineering approaches. Preparation methods, ranging from physical and chemical routes to emerging microfluidic and electrospinning techniques, are critically examined. Furthermore, the article highlights state-of-the-art …

Gaming Chronicles: Nintendo Part 2 (2005-2025), Ashley S. Mcguire

Patent Coloring Books

Patent coloring book

Resonant Body Communication For Neurodivergent Contexts: A Multimodal, Temporally Elastic Blueprint For Inclusive Biometric Systems, Piper Hutson, James Hutson

Faculty Scholarship

Prevailing emotion-sensing systems privilege a facial-and-gaze paradigm that encodes neurotypical tempo, channel priority, and expression classes, thereby mischaracterizing or erasing neurodivergent communication. This article advances a design-oriented framework for biometric sensing that centers resonant body communication: temporally extended, multimodal, and environmentally situated patterns of posture, gesture, rhythm, and interoception that carry affective meaning. Through an integrative methodology that synthesizes cognitive neuroscience, embodied arts practices, and human–computer interaction, the study formalizes a theoretical model with four pillars: temporal elasticity, multimodal sensory hierarchies, resonant gestures and rhythmic entrainment, and environmental attunement. Building on this model, the article specifies technical requirements for next-generation …

A Convolutional Neural Network Approach To Breast Cancer Tumor Boundary Detection, James Leah Matlosz

Master's Theses

Breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer and often goes undetected in its initial stages due to its subtle symptoms. As the tumors grow, they become more difficult to surgically remove with clean borders. To minimize the chance of recurrence, a 2D convolutional neural network is developed in this work for delineating tumor boundaries. Specifically, the U-shaped network model is trained, validated, and tested with longitudinal MRI scans of patients diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoing neoadjuvant therapy. For training, image masks were generated as ground truths using signal enhancement ratio segmentation, thresholding, and contour detection. The …

Stress-Relaxation And Failure Properties Of Spinal Ligaments In Pigs With And Without Scoliosis-Like Deformity, Christian D'Andrea, Mattan Orbach, Dogerno Norceide, Madeline Boyes, Axel Moore, Jacob Jordan, Thomas Schaer, Anita Singh, Patrick Cahill, Edward Vresilovic, Brian Snyder, Sriram Balasubramanian

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

This study addresses the need for accurate tissue material properties in computational models of the spine. Fundamental to functional spinal unit (FSU) biomechanics are the stress-relaxation and failure properties of the interspinous and intertransverse ligaments (ISL and ITL, respectively). These were measured and compared in normative and scoliotic spines using a Yorkshire pig model. Skeletally immature female pig spines were posterolaterally tethered to induce scoliosis. 23 ISLs and 17 ITLs excised from normative and scoliotic spine segments underwent stress-relaxation and failure tests. Group comparisons tested the effects of scoliosis (magnitude, convexity versus concavity), spinal level (thoracic, lumbar), and pig age. …

Collaborative Opportunity: Growing A Community Around Integrated Engineering, Rebecca Bates, Emanuela Tilley, Jenna Carpenter, Susan Lord

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

Integrated Engineering is emerging across the world. One commonality among programs is a desire to innovate in ways not seen as possible within traditional engineering disciplines. The inclusive pedagogical approaches seen in integrated engineering programs offer promise for truly transforming engineering education. These student-centered approaches align with caring pedagogies and provide sustainable infrastructure for supporting diverse student experiences. Innovation in engineering education can be challenging to implement and can be challenging to sustain. Community support can make a positive difference. Building on a series of community conversations at multiple international conferences as well as an international symposium in London during …