Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Learning Assistant And Instructor Communication: Impacts On Perceived Efficacy, Jahangir Rassouli, Laura Ríos

Physics

The Learning Assistant (LA) Model was co-developed by Richard McCray and Valerie Otero at the University of Colorado Boulder in 2003. In this model, senior undergraduate students serve as facilitators for group discussion in lower-division courses, and employ evidenced-based practices for promoting inquiry and active learning [1]. Since its inception, the LA model has grown to various departments, disciplines, and universities.

At California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), the LA program in the physics department is still in its early stages. As such, it is an environment rich for exploration into the affordances, limitations, and benefits of …

Combining Machine Learning And Empirical Engineering Methods Towards Improving Oil Production Forecasting, Andrew J. Allen

Master's Theses

Current methods of production forecasting such as decline curve analysis (DCA) or numerical simulation require years of historical production data, and their accuracy is limited by the choice of model parameters. Unconventional resources have proven challenging to apply traditional methods of production forecasting because they lack long production histories and have extremely variable model parameters. This research proposes a data-driven alternative to reservoir simulation and production forecasting techniques. We create a proxy-well model for predicting cumulative oil production by selecting statistically significant well completion parameters and reservoir information as independent predictor variables in regression-based models. Then, principal component analysis (PCA) …

An [O Iii] Search For Extended Emission Around Agn With Hi Mapping: A Distant Cloud Ionized By Mkn 1, Erin Darnell Knese, William C. Keel, Greg Knese, Vardha N. Bennert, Alexei Moiseev, Aleksandra Grokhovskaya, Sergei N. Dodonov

Physics

Motivated by the discovery of large ionized clouds around AGN, and particularly the large fraction of those that are consistent with photoionized gaseous tidal debris, we searched for [O III] emission around Seyfert galaxies previously mapped in H I, many with extended gas features. Of 26 Seyfert galaxies, we find one spatially extended emission feature, a discrete cloud projected ≈12 kpc SW from the centre of Mkn 1 and spanning a transverse extent of 8 kpc. Optical spectroscopy (Kast/Lick and SCORPIO/BTA) of this cloud confirms its association with the Mkn 1–NGC 451 galaxy pair, closely matching the kinematics of nearby …

Free Space Detection And Trajectory Planning For Autonomous Robot, Zachary Ross Winger

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Autonomous robots need to know what is around them and where it is safe for them to move to. Because having this ability is so important, Dr. Seng and myself have created a model to predict the free space in front of his autonomous robot, Herbie. We then use this prediction to enforce a driving policy to ensure Herbie drives around safely.

Non-Toxic Soil Thickeners For Reducing Mudslide Intensity, Mitchell William Jensen

Materials Engineering

This project was intended to be a continuation of senior project work done last year by a group consisting of two Materials Engineering students and a Soil Science student. Their report was crucial in identifying a range of food thickeners that could be capable of performing in the mud thickening application. All thickeners that were chosen both this year and last year are biocompatible, to alleviate some toxicity concerns. The food thickeners all belong to a class of compounds known as colloids. Since water is the fluid being thickened, these compounds are more accurately referred to as hydrocolloids. Hydrocolloids are …

Corrosion Prevention, Matthew Walker

Physics

In Insulated Solar Electric Cooking (ISEC), heating is done by passing current through a chain of diodes directly connected to a solar panel (Gius et al, 2019). It is crucially important that the wires remain conducting, but not conduct to any metal surface that might short the heating circuit. Corrosion of any wires will cause a loosening of the mechanical (twisted) wire connection and could result in a loss of electrical connection completely, or undesired increased resistance.

The Strawberry Rhizosphere Microbiome: Role On Plant Health And Nutrition, Eric Michael Boyd

Master's Theses

Microbial-root associations are important to help plants cope with abiotic and biotic stressors. Managing these interactions offers an opportunity for improving the efficiency and sustainability of agricultural production. By characterizing the bacterial and archaeal community (via 16S rRNA sequencing) associated with the bulk and rhizosphere soil of sixteen strawberry cultivars in two controlled field studies, we explored the relationships between the soil microbiome and plant resistance to two soilborne fungal pathogens of strawberry (Verticillium dahliae and Macrophomina phaseolina). Overall, the plants had a distinctive rhizosphere microbiome relative to the bulk soil, with higher abundances of known beneficial bacteria …

Estimating Evapotranspiration Of A Riparian Forest Using Sap Flow Measurements, James R. Solum

Master's Theses

To close the water use budget of irrigated agricultural fields in floodplains with substantial riparian corridors, it is necessary to understand groundwater usage by dominant phreatophytic vegetation, particularly when the primary source of water for irrigation comes from groundwater abstraction. We report here results of estimated evapotranspiration (ET) of a riparian forest, which were based on measurements of sap flow in phreatophytic vegetation within a riparian corridor. The riparian corridor was within a study area 75 to 140 meters wide in the lower portion of the Scotts Creek watershed, which is bounded to the west by the Pacific Ocean in …

Design And Implementation Of A Deterministic And Nondeterministic Finite Automaton Simulator, Camron C. Dennler

Computer Science and Software Engineering

The purpose of this project is to assist students in visualizing and understanding the structure and operation of deterministic and nondeterministic finite automata. This software achieves this purpose by providing students with the ability to build, modify, and test automata in an intuitive environment. This enables a simple and efficient avenue for experimentation, which upholds the Cal Poly ideal of Learning by Doing.

Readers of this report should be familiar with basic concepts in the theory of finite state machines; a general understanding of object-oriented programming is also necessary.

Mechani-Kits Senior Design Project, Jake Utley, Sophie Carson, Vincent Seguin

Mechanical Engineering

Studies suggest that when designed and executed well, hands-on activities can enhance student understanding of key mechanics concepts. Current products are expensive and typically not designed to meet a variety of learning objectives. Through the Mechanics of Inclusion and Inclusivity in Mechanics grant, the Cal Poly Physics and Engineering Departments are seeking to incorporate new hands-on activities into their courses. Our team has designed three inexpensive ”MechaniKits” to be used in physics, statics and dynamics courses [1]. This Final Design Review outlines our findings, objectives, and final designs for this project. It also explains our manufacturing and design verification plans. …

Conceptual Design Of A South Pole Carrier Pigeon Uav, Kendrick M. Dlima

Master's Theses

Currently, the South Pole has a large data problem. It is estimated that 1.2 TB of data is being produced every day, but less than 500 GB of that data is being uploaded via aging satellites to researchers in other parts of the world. This requires those at the South Pole to analyze the data and carefully select the parts to send, possibly missing out on vital scientific information. The South Pole Carrier Pigeon will look to bridge this data gap.

The Carrier Pigeon will be a small unmanned aerial vehicle that will carry a 30 TB solid-state hard drive …

Host Plant Resistance In Strawberries To Anthracnose And Colonization Of Crown And Root Tissue By Verticillium Dahliae And Macrophomina Phaseolina, Omar A. Gonzalez-Benitez

Master's Theses

Strawberries are considered an important crop in California where in 2018 it was in the top 5 valued fruit and vegetable commodities valued at $2.84 billion accounting for 88% of the total U.S. production. Strawberry production can be severely impacted by soilborne pathogens that can affect strawberry roots, crowns and leaves which can result in plant mortality. As much as 50 to 60% mortality can occur in one field. Pathogens responsible for such losses include Colletotrichum acutatum (syn.C. nymphaeae), Macrophomina phaseolina and Verticillium dahliae. With the phaseout of methyl bromide, host resistance and an understanding of host-pathogen interactions …

Attacking Computer Vision Models Using Occlusion Analysis To Create Physically Robust Adversarial Images, Jacobsen Loh

Master's Theses

Self-driving cars rely on their sense of sight to function effectively in chaotic and uncontrolled environments. Thanks to recent developments in computer vision, specifically convolutional neural networks, autonomous vehicles have developed the ability to see at or above human-level capabilities, which in turn has allowed for rapid advances in self-driving cars. Unfortunately, much like humans being confused by simple optical illusions, convolutional neural networks are susceptible to simple adversarial inputs. As there is no overlap between the optical illusions that fool humans and the adversarial examples that threaten convolutional neural networks, little is understood as to why these adversarial examples …

Analysis Of Biofilm Remediation Capacity For Octenyl Succinic Anhydride (Osa), A Bioactive Food Starch Modifier Compound, Matthew R. Borglin

Master's Theses

Matthew R. Borglin

This thesis demonstrates efficacy of Octenyl Succinic Anhydride (OSA), as a biofilm sanitizer. Biofilms allow bacteria to adhere to solid surfaces with the use of excreted polymeric compounds. For example, surfaces found in food production or processing facilities such as the interior of a raw milk holding tank, are some of the most susceptible to biofilm contamination. When present, biofilms can cause a variety of negative effects, which include; reduction of product shelf life, corrosion, and outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. The close association of biofilms with the majority of foodborne illness cases led the US Environmental Protection …

Temperature And Salinity Distributions And Flushing Time Estimates In A Low-Inflow California Estuary, Sydney N. Wewerka

Physics

This study examines the temperature and salinity distributions in Morro Bay, a small, seasonally LIE located on the central coast of California. In Morro Bay, eelgrass (Zostera marina; a temperate seagrass), like all seagrasses, is a critical habitat-forming species that supports a large variety of invertebrate, fish, and bird species in the estuary (MBNEP, 2018). Since 2007, eelgrass in the estuary has declined by over 90%, with most losses occurring in the back regions (i.e., head) of the estuary (MBNEP, 2018). Near the mouth, eelgrass meadows have remained resilient, indicating that gradients in environmental conditions throughout the bay may be …

Quantum Random Walk Search And Grover's Algorithm - An Introduction And Neutral-Atom Approach, Anna Maria Houk

Physics

In the sub-field of quantum algorithms, physicists and computer scientist take classical computing algorithms and principles and see if there is a more efficient or faster approach implementable on a quantum computer, i.e. a ”quantum advantage”. We take random walks, a widely applicable group of classical algorithms, and move them into the quantum computing paradigm. Additionally, an introduction to a popular quantum search algorithm called Grover’s search is included to guide the reader to the development of a quantum search algorithm using quantum random walks. To close the gap between algorithm and hardware, we will look at using neutral-atom (also …

Design Of A 5 Degree Of Freedom Kinematic Stage For The Dual Crystal Backlighter Imager Diagnostic, Nicholas Nguyen

Master's Theses

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is home to the world’s most energetic laser. The facility is one of the leading centers in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments to research and understand sustainable fusion energy. To fully document and understand the physics occurring during experiments, precise diagnostics are used for a wide range of purposes. One diagnostic, the crystal backlighter imager (CBI), allows for X-ray imaging of the target at late stages of its implosion.

The aim of this project was to increase the current capabilities of the CBI diagnostic with the addition of a second crystal. This thesis focuses on …

Writing For Each Other: Dynamic Quest Generation Using In Session Player Behaviors In Mmorpg, Sean Christopher Mendonca

Master's Theses

Role-playing games (RPGs) rely on interesting and varied experiences to maintain player attention. These experiences are often provided through quests, which give players tasks that are used to advance stories or events unfolding in the game. Traditional quests in video games require very specific conditions to be met, and for participating members to advance them by carrying out pre-defined actions. These types of quests are generated with perfect knowledge of the game world and are able to force desired behaviors out of the relevant non-player characters (NPCs). This becomes a major issue in massive multiplayer online (MMO) when other players …

Exploring Opportunities For A New Community Garden In Santa Fe Springs, Camille Kelem

City and Regional Planning

No abstract provided.

Towards Security And Privacy In Networked Medical Devices And Electronic Healthcare Systems, Isabel Jellen

Master's Theses

E-health is a growing eld which utilizes wireless sensor networks to enable access to effective and efficient healthcare services and provide patient monitoring to enable early detection and treatment of health conditions. Due to the proliferation of e-health systems, security and privacy have become critical issues in preventing data falsification, unauthorized access to the system, or eavesdropping on sensitive health data. Furthermore, due to the intrinsic limitations of many wireless medical devices, including low power and limited computational resources, security and device performance can be difficult to balance. Therefore, many current networked medical devices operate without basic security services such …

Effect Of Polymer Design And Coating Formulation On The Water Uptake And Sensitivity Of Acrylic Water-Borne Films, William Z. Thompson

Master's Theses

Water-borne latex coatings represent a safer, more user-friendly, and environmentally responsible alternative to solvent-borne coatings, and are growing in popularity each year. However, these coatings often exhibit unfavorable performance when exposed to water for extended periods of time. This prolonged exposure often results in water uptake, which may give rise to other detrimental effects such as a decrease in modulus, blushing or water-whitening, reduced serviceable life, and softening of the film. In this study, various polymer composition latex design spaces are studied to develop an understanding of how water uptake can be modulated and minimized using common synthetic approaches. Factors …

Using Generative Adversarial Networks To Classify Structural Damage Caused By Earthquakes, Gian P. Delacruz

Master's Theses

The amount of structural damage image data produced in the aftermath of an earthquake can be staggering. It is challenging for a few human volunteers to efficiently filter and tag these images with meaningful damage information. There are several solution to automate post-earthquake reconnaissance image tagging using Machine Learning (ML) solutions to classify each occurrence of damage per building material and structural member type. ML algorithms are data driven; improving with increased training data. Thanks to the vast amount of data available and advances in computer architectures, ML and in particular Deep Learning (DL) has become one of the most …

A Study Of The Design Of Adaptive Camber Winglets, Justin J. Rosescu

Master's Theses

A numerical study was conducted to determine the effect of changing the camber of a winglet on the efficiency of a wing in two distinct flight conditions. Camber was altered via a simple plain flap deflection in the winglet, which produced a constant camber change over the winglet span. Hinge points were located at 20%, 50% and 80% of the chord and the trailing edge was deflected between -5° and +5°. Analysis was performed using a combination of three-dimensional vortex lattice method and two-dimensional panel method to obtain aerodynamic forces for the entire wing, based on different winglet camber configurations. …

Altering An Epoxy-Amine Thermoset's Performance Through Varying Mix Ratios, Kiersten M. Smith

Master's Theses

Epoxy resins are used in a number of different industries and therefore have application-specific material requirements, from satellites that require materials that operate in space, to paints and coatings that require high scratch resistance and mechanical durability, to medical devices, designed to be in continuous contact with biological fluids. Commercial epoxy products come with manufacturer’s information explaining the epoxy properties and recommended preparation processing conditions, which may include epoxy resin to curing agent mix ratio (Part A : Part B), cure time, and cure temperature, for example. Due to proprietary reasons, it can be difficult to understand why these values …

Cal Poly Pier Master Plan, Troy A. Lawson

Master's Theses

The Cal Poly Pier (Pier) Master/Facility Plan (FP) document provides the vision of the future for the Pier, a marine science research facility. The Plan facilitates project development and management of the Pier while meeting university and department research goals. Specifically, the FP document establishes goals and strategies to direct long-term development of the Pier, streamlines agency approval and permit requirements, provides context for pier management, and assists the permitting process for future development as it relates to regulatory permits and programmatic growth on the Cal Poly Pier to help meet goals of the Center for Coastal Marine Sciences (CCMS). …

An Overview Of Lasers And Their Applications, Luis Cristian Giovanni Guerrero

Physics

This paper is an overview of lasers and their applications. The fundamentals of laser operation are covered as well as the various applications of advanced laser systems. The primary focus is to highlight some of the technological advancements made possible by lasers in the last half-century.

Viable Renewable Energy Sources And Storage For The Retired Power Plant In Morro Bay, Ca, Teresa Netro

Physics

This project will investigate renewable energy production and storage options possible for the Morro Bay Power Plant and provide a recommendation for the energy portfolio of the renovated site. These suggestions can be tested at the Morro Bay facility before being extended to the nearby Diablo Nuclear Power Plant.

Formation Pathways In Brightest Cluster Galaxies: Measuring The Distribution Of Ages, Metallicities, And Hydrodynamics Of Stellar Populations, Priscilla E. Holguin West

Physics

Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs) are the most massive galaxies in the local universe and have had the full age of the universe to build. This makes their formation and evolution history particularly interesting as they offer a glimpse at potential evolutionary pathways for younger systems. We present the radial profile of ages, metallicities, and preliminary classification of companions to 23 BCGs observed using the SparsePak instrument on WIYN by running the STARLIGHT stellar population synthesis models. This analysis of the BCGs’ stellar populations is done by separating each BCG into different regions, and preliminary results of the stellar populations for …

An Investigation Of Diode Failure, Nicholas James Adams

Physics

Solar electricity can be used to cheaply cook food and charge electronic devices. We investigate the viability of using diodes as heating elements for insulated solar electric cooking (ISEC). In addition, information on designing and constructing ISEC compatible phone chargers and rechargeable LED lighting systems is included.

Integrated Visionaries, David Ocelotl Garcia, Eden Knapp, Catherine Trujillo

Creative Works

Integrated Visionaries, David Ocelotl Garcia, University Art Collection, College of Science and Mathematics. Acrylic on board.

Cal Poly’s College of Science and Mathematics unveiled a 22’ by 6’foot diversity-themed mural on May 26, 2017 in the main lobby of the Warren J. Baker Center for Science and Mathematics (No. 180). The mural—“Integrated Visionaries”—represents the study and research of science and mathematics while considering themes of inclusivity, diversity and community. It integrates a stylized approach that allows viewers to see themselves in the mural. This catalog is based on the onsite installation and opening reception for the mural in May 2017.