Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

The Enduring Threats Of California Wildfires: How Construction Companies Must Adapt, Connor Welch

Construction Management

California wildfires are among the most pervasive and commonly occurring natural threats to the state. Especially considering the incremental increase in frequency and destruction of wildfires, there is a crucial need for modernized policies aimed at both preventative measures as well as viable responses. My project will analyze how the exponentially growing prominence of California wildfires has affected the landscape of the construction business, revealing the need for modernized protocols that could aid in prevention. These factors include the full scope of short and long term economic damages inflicted by wildfires, fluctuations in labor and material prices, and resulting disruptions …

Users Background And Perception Of Robotic Demolition Equipment, Matthew Elston Jones

Construction Management

Robotic demolition equipment or demolition robots are robots that resemble excavators without the cab, that can be controlled by an operator at a safe distance. This equipment can access hazardous environments and provides versatility in the demolition methods possible. Robots have become a popular choice for contractors looking for a competitive advantage. Currently there is little research about the demolition robot market and how the industry views the technology. This research first seeks to answer background questions on the users and their experience with demolition robots. The research also answers perception questions such as the benefits, drawbacks, and reasons for …

Covid-19 Impact On Construction Companies And Responses To The Pandemic, Justin Kyle Reno

Construction Management

The end of 2019 and throughout 2020 brought along the COVID-19 pandemic which majorly impacted the construction industry. For construction work to continue through the pandemic, adjustments to procedures and protocols were made that satisfied city and state requirements to reduce the virus spread. Since the virus is deemed highly contagious it is much easier to contract than a common flu, making containment for any potential spread a high priority. Understanding different companies’ responses to the pandemic at the construction jobsite level provides opportunities to implement procedures to stop the spread of the virus. Using in-depth interviews, this paper examines …

Understanding Culture Within The Construction Industry Through Lifelong Learning (Slo 24), Skylar Schrank

Construction Management

Understanding cultural differences is a crucial step for the success of a construction firm. Creating a common ground for diversifying the perspectives of individuals in the construction industry will prove to progress the success of a company and the projects that are a part of these firms. This study guide will define what culture means for construction, the different types of cultures in the construction industry, as well as how to implement cultural background in our education for cultural understanding. The result will be an understanding on how culture poses a risk to construction and how these risks can be …

Returning To Learn By Doing, Jeremiah W. Miller

Construction Management

The objective of my senior project was to help return the Cal Poly SLO Construction Management Department to their hands-on labs after the COVID-19 Pandemic forced all learning to go virtual. To return to hands-on labs, I needed to create a set of protocols that faculty and staff could use before, during, and after the labs to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These protocols needed to be simple enough that professors could use them every day and effective enough to make students feel safe to continue attending in person labs. If these protocols were to be accepted, they would need …

Virtual Recruiting: The Impact Of Virtual Interviews & Hiring Events On Construction Students, Abram G. Briones-Colman

Construction Management

Recruitment from college construction programs was drastically altered by not being allowed to gather in person in large groups for the majority of 2020. Companies could no longer recruit in person as they had at past college events, and instead connected and communicated with students virtually. The construction management department at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), bridged this gap between recruiting companies and current students, at a virtual career fair using a collaborative hub built on Microsoft Teams. Data was gathered from students via a survey after attending this first departmental virtual fair, to measure impacts …

The Feasibility Of Real Time Location Systems In Construction, John O. Brouse Iv

Construction Management

The construction industry is becoming increasingly sophisticated by implementing new computer-based technologies to improve safety, efficiency, accountability, and many other aspects. One new type of technology that is becoming increasingly popular in other labor based industries is real time locating systems. These systems allow for managers to keep accountability of a variety of assets in a manufacturing facility or industrial center. Recent research has shown the benefits and potential uses of these systems on construction jobsites. This paper seeks to analyze the potential for Real Time Location Systems (RTLS) to be used on construction jobsites and compare the different RTLS …

Analysis Of Working From Home Vs Working At The Office, As A Construction Company In The Bay Area, Kyle M. Ruff

Construction Management

In 2020, working from home has become an increasingly popular trend amongst construction offices across the Bay Area to combat the spread of COVID-19. This meant that employees who used to commute were now able to work from home. This paper analyzes the impacts working from home has on the productivity, work-life-balance, and overall well-being of a Bay Area construction office employees . A survey was issued to the estimating department of a large general contractor in the Bay Area, with the intent of finding the impact working from home had on the three aspects of working life, as previous …

Diversity And Inclusion In The Workplace: A Comparative Analysis Between A Large And Small Company, Andrew K. Hernandez

Construction Management

The construction industry in recent times have seen an increase in inclusivity and diversity among the workplace. The industry seems to make improvements and steps to create an overall accepting workforce. However, there is still a need to produce a more inclusive work environment. There are many organizations and legal requirements that push for improving diversity throughout companies, but still the industry struggles to do so. Improving diversity in the workforce can reach out to more personnel with talent and skill to possibly attack the trade labor shortage in this industry. Analytical research methods in these reports were used to …

Application Of Autonomous Equipment In Heavy Civil Construction, Roman J. Ruffino

Construction Management

The prevalence of autonomous vehicles in our everyday lives is continually growing. Automobile manufacturers such as Tesla have made great strides in building a car that can safely navigate the world around it and respond to sudden changes. There is great potential in the heavy civil construction industry for equipment such as bulldozers, scrapers, and transport vehicles to add another level of safety and efficiency to the worksite. The goal of this research will be to determine whether a contractor would actually apply this technology, or if it isn’t practical for everyday use. This paper will examine the current state …

Pismo Beach Lions Club Sidewalk Replacement, Ramon Hernandez Jr

Construction Management

The objective of this senior project was to provide a long lasting and safe sidewalk for all the people that attend the Lions Club for future events. The idea came to be after talking to Karen Walsh, and how many previous visitors had tripped and fallen from the uneven sidewalk. The sidewalk was originally poured over 30+ years ago, and it was time for a newly built pathway. The project involved creating an estimate, schedule and coordinating with the club to see the project all the way through. The new sidewalk is now built stronger than ever before and is …

Organize, Prepare, And Painting Project: Pismo Beach Lions - Club, Luis Badillo

Construction Management

This paper explains the management process and execution of a project based senior project painting for a nonprofit. The main aim of the project was to give back to a charity organization that offers their time and energy to support their local community. This project occurred during the COVID 19 pandemic, and appropriate safety protocols were used including in communicating with the club representatives. The Pismo Beach Lions Club building was weathered and in need of fresh paint. The original color logo of the Lions Club is blue and white and was preferred that the building remain the same colors. …

Case Study: Effects Of Covid-19 On A Mid-Size San Francisco Commercial General Construction Company, Andrew G. Maxwell Jr

Construction Management

The Covid-19 pandemic has had an adverse effect on the commercial construction industry. New safety procedures and regulations set by local government and health officials have made it difficult for construction to proceed at the efficiency level it had prior to the pandemic. The San Francisco Bay Area was subject to strict protocols starting in March of 2020 that vastly limited the capability of construction companies to perform work. This case study looks into the ways in which a mid sized commercial general construction contractor from the San Francisco Bay Area was impacted by Covid-19 and the methods they used …

Implementation Of Bluebeam To The Fundamentals Of Construction Management Course, Kirk Arena

Construction Management

This project based senior project was brought about by Paul Weber and Matty Reed and was originally intended to take the paper-based binders from the Fundamentals to Construction Management course and organize these binders in Bluebeam. Bluebeam is an industry standard for nearly all construction projects, and an early adoption of the software could allow students to familiarize themselves with a tool that they will use after college or during internships. After deliberating with Paul, we concluded that we could better educate students by creating exercises that allow students to learn the tools available in Bluebeam through interactions in the …

Incorporating Shear Resistance Into Debris Flow Triggering Model Statistics, Noah J. Lyman

Master's Theses

Several regions of the Western United States utilize statistical binary classification models to predict and manage debris flow initiation probability after wildfires. As the occurrence of wildfires and large intensity rainfall events increase, so has the frequency in which development occurs in the steep and mountainous terrain where these events arise. This resulting intersection brings with it an increasing need to derive improved results from existing models, or develop new models, to reduce the economic and human impacts that debris flows may bring. Any development or change to these models could also theoretically increase the ease of collection, processing, and …

Impact Of Soil Properties On Removal Of Emerging Contaminants From Wastewater Effluent During Soil Aquifer Treatment, Lauren N. Riley

Master's Theses

This study evaluates soil properties that impact the effectiveness of soil aquifer treatment (SAT) as a polishing step to the remove two classes of ECs from wastewater effluent: pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), and engineering nanomaterials (ENMs). In recent years, it has been determined that elevated levels of emerging contaminants (ECs) are being released into the environment with wastewater effluent. ECs are proven to cause adverse environmental and health effects as a result of long-term exposure. It is important to evaluate sustainable solutions to improve the current methods of wastewater treatment to address these ECs.

Soil aquifer treatment (SAT) …

Pre-Construction Documents For A Mobile Food Assembling & Distribution Station, Winnie He

Construction Management

On Christmas Eve of 2018, Jessica He Liu, a chef in Los Angeles opened her home to friends and family to volunteer and help assemble food boxes and personal hygiene products and distributed these goods out to those in need. What started off as a goal to spread kindness during the holidays, became a yearly traditional non-profit volunteering event for those families involved. In March 2020, the deadly COVID-19 pandemic took the world by surprise, causing a copious amount of social distancing guild lines to be formed and enforced. Although there was still a slight hope that the pandemic would …

Implementing Project Management Software Into A Small Residential Construction Company, Collin Peter Martin

Construction Management

Over the past twenty years, the popularity of web-based project management software in the construction industry has grown tremendously. Today, there are a variety of different project management software companies that aim to specifically serve the construction industry. Many construction companies have committed significant financial and personnel resources to the implementation of project management software. The largest users of project management software in the construction industry are large commercial and/or heavy civil construction firms. This is because of the large and complex nature of the projects these companies typically work on. Small residential construction companies deal with projects that are …

Recycling Cigarettes Into Concrete, Jonathan R. Rosete

Construction Management

The objective of my senior project is to find a solution for the growing amount of improperly disposed cigarette butts on our planet. To accomplish this, I created and tested concrete cylinders mixed with different amounts of used cigarettes. It is my goal that we will be able to recycle cigarette butts and incorporate them into our everyday concrete use. By adding cigarettes to our mixes, I also understand their will be concerns with its potential strength. However with this in mind, it is my intention that these current mixes will only be used for non-structural concrete. In the following, …

Content Development For Leadership (Slo 23), Jaime A. Olmedo

Construction Management

As the construction industry evolves, the curriculum that prepares future builders must change and account for new ideas and concepts as well. In September of 2020, the Construction Management department at the California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) gave the opportunity to five senior level students to assist them with research on how to develop content and programming for the five extra student learning outcomes and have it count toward their senior project. These five students, each being paired up with a student from CM 461, were asked to produce a study guide and survey questions for one of the …

Understanding Slo 22 - Lifelong Learning, Madeleine Zetterquist

Construction Management

This paper is an informative overview of the student learning objective SLO 22, lifelong learning, in relation to the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Construction Management Department. The student learning objective of lifelong learning is an existing university objective for Cal Poly, however, recently has also become a department specific objective for Construction Management. This senior project explores what lifelong learning means to the Construction Management department. Further, the paper explores how the current outcomes of this objective may improve to more closely embody the department mission. These findings will allow for emphasis on lifelong learning in order …

Implementation Of An Open-Source Digital Image Correlation Software For Structural Testing, Nicole V. Buck

Master's Theses

This thesis investigates the appropriateness of a simplified, open-source digital image correlation (DIC) software for use in quasi-static, structural testing utilizing two-dimensional (2D) DIC measurements. DIC is a non-contact optical measurement technique that uses computer vision to track unique attributes on the surface of an object. For structural testing, traditional instrumentation such as displacement sensors and strain gages are impractical for full field measurements due their limited ability to capture large amounts of data. However, over the past decade, DIC has proven a successful method for full-field kinematics measurements, making it an appealing tool for collecting high densities of accurate …

Dairy Manure Flushwater Treatment By Algae Raceway Ponds And Aerated Biofilm Reactors, Darin Son

Master's Theses

Nitrogen removal technologies can help dairy industries meet their nutrient management needs. This thesis investigated two separate treatment technologies for total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) removal: algae raceway ponds and aerated biofilm reactors. Six 1000- liter algae raceway ponds and four 1000-liter tote tanks, each equipped with 10 sheets of nonwoven geotextile (i.e., thermally bonded or needle-punched) biofilm substrate, were used to treat the effluent from a flush dairy in central coastal California (TAN = 251 mg/L, cBOD5 = 204 mg/L). For the algae raceway ponds (TAN loading rate = 7 - 35 g/m³-day among 7-, 10- and 14-day hydraulic residence …

Development Of Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks For Enhancing Post-Combustion Co2 Capture, Dustin Lee

Master's Theses

Post-combustion CO₂ capture is a promising approach for complementing other strategies to mitigate climate change. Liquid absorption is currently used to capture CO₂ from post-combustion flue gases. However, the high energy cost required to regenerate the liquid absorbents is a major drawback for this process. As a result, solid sorbents have been investigated extensively in recent years as alternative media to capture CO₂ from flue gases. For example, metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are nanoporous materials that have high surface areas, large pore volumes, and flexible designs. A large number of MOFs, however, suffer from 1) low CO …

How Mandatory Stretches Increase Safety In The Workplace, Alec Pitts

Construction Management

The construction industry is one that revolves around safety. Without safety this industry fails. Jobsite safety keeps companies afloat longer whether it's financially, physically, or even mentally. This senior project dives into the benefits of mandatory stretching prior to each work day. This study also questions contractors and tests the stretches and their results. These benefits include muscle warm ups, increase of focus, added flexibility, increased range of motion, and even mental awareness. The idea of these morning stretches means more upfront costs for less costs later down the road. These stretches are an extra form of insurance when completed …

Analyzing The Safety Effects Of Edge Lane Roads For All Road Users, Marcial F. Lamera

Master's Theses

This thesis acts as one of the first studies that analyzes the safety effects of Edge Lane Roads (ELR) for all road users. This is important since ELRs can be a solution to many issues, such as alleviating congestion, increasing multimodality along roadways, and reducing maintenance costs. ELRs in both North America and Australia were observed. Starting with the North American ELRs, the following study designs were employed to estimate the safety of ELRs: (a) yoked comparison where each ELR installation was matched with at least two comparable 2-lane roads to serve as comparison sites and (b) an Empirical Bayes …

Investigation Of Modeling Strategies For Slender Lightly Reinforced Concrete Shear Walls, Jenna Marie Williams, Tracy Destiny Doan

Architectural Engineering: Graduate Reports

A large number of pre-1980’s non-ductile reinforced concrete (RC) structures in California utilizing RC shear walls to resist seismic lateral forces have been identified as deficient by industry practitioners. These non-ductile wall systems are typically lightly reinforced and lack adequate boundary element detailing. Analytical studies suggest these walls are susceptible to brittle, compression-controlled failure modes due to damage from concrete crushing and bar buckling. Furthermore, poor behavior of lightly reinforced concrete walls was observed in many recent earthquakes, for example in Chile (1985), New Zealand (2010/2011) and Mexico (2017). This has generated concern among engineers in high seismic regions around …

Entrepreneurial Based Project: Minority Owned Guardrail Installation Company, Nicholas Rubio

Construction Management

This company will provide commercial and highway guardrail installation services to the Northern California Region. The organization will retain a Minority Owned Business Certification and will operate under a Class C-32 License for Parking and Highway Improvement. Due to the large backlog of guardrail projects and the lack of qualified contractors in Northern California, the company plans to partner with existing firms that are unable to take on work. After firmly establishing ourselves in the private commercial market, the organization plans to migrate to public road work where the Minority Owned title can provide more benefit. Through this process we …

The Use And Explanation Of The Phase Angle In Forced Vibration Testing, Nicholas R. Slavin, Ryan D. Thornton

Architectural Engineering

Forced vibration testing is a tool used to characterize a structure’s dynamic properties. When subjecting a structure to a forced harmonic load, the results help define the structure’s fundamental frequencies and dominant mode shapes. However, when conducting testing, it is difficult to determine the contributions of each mode to the response at a given location in the structure. The recorded response from a forced vibration test is a combination of unknown modal constituents. Excitation may not result in the pure, single mode response that the experimenter desires, but may instead result in a combination of modal responses that obscure the …

Comparing The Effectiveness Of Osha-10 Online And In-Person Safety Courses: Case Study, Timothy R. Bartolomei

Construction Management

Since 1970, the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) was designed to create a safe workplace for everyone, has increased safety awareness, and decreased occurrences of injury and death on construction-related job sites. Until 2001, construction safety education was taught through face-to-face interaction between an instructor and an employee. However, in 2001, safety courses became available through multiple online platforms with the ability to be completed virtually. Online safety courses provide an alternative from face-to-face training and allow the employee to complete the training at their own pace. However, some research indicates that online safety courses are not as effective …