41530 research outputs found
Sort by
Development of a Reaction Wheel System for Cal Poly’s Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics Simulator
Full text linkThe Cal Poly Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics Simulator (SADS) is an ongoing project to develop a system capable of simulating the attitude dynamics and kinematics of a rigid body in space. Actuations on the SADS are performed by reaction wheels, however the current reaction wheels have various issues that decrease system performance and are not independent of the SADS. The reaction wheel developed as part of this thesis will be designed to improve performance and set out design specifications tailored to the SADS, serve as an independent assembly that can be transferred to other systems, and provide a general outline for reaction wheel development for any system. The reaction wheel system developed as part of this thesis is not meant to be a state-of-the-art reaction wheel or implement new technologies, rather develop a reaction wheel system in a low-cost educational environment.
The reaction wheel was designed to provide a momentum capacity of 0.500 N m s, a wheel inertia of 1.698 × 10−3 kg m^2, a maximum spin rate of 2760 rpm, and an SADS angular acceleration of 7.23 × 10−5 rad/s^2. In testing, the measured values resulted in a momentum capacity of 0.463 N m s (7.36% below the design value), a wheel inertia of 1.716 × 10−3 kg m^2 (1.08% above the design value), and a top speed of 2577 rpm (6.63% under the target). The SADS angular acceleration was 9.04 × 10−3 rad/s^2, exceeding the angular acceleration requirements
Multibeam Communication with Digital Sparse Arrays
Full text linkThe thesis presents a novel approach to maximizing spectral efficiency by utilizing spatial spectrum sharing in digital sparse arrays through non-uniform element configurations. A genetic algorithm approach is developed to optimally place the array elements to achieve maximum beam orthogonality and isolation. The proposed method is compared against three different configurations, namely purely random, random with jitter, and the Van Der Corput sequence (a low-discrepancy sampling approach). Simulated results demonstrate that the genetic algorithm and jitter methods successfully meet design specifications for beam orthogonality, average interelement spacing, and computational time. At the same time, the random and Van Der Corput methods failed to satisfy the performance metrics. The genetic algorithm, in particular, produces a more consistently high beam orthogonality while maintaining faster convergence than the jitter approach. Overall, the thesis contributes to the recent demands of efficient spectrum utilization by means of high-isolation multibeam communication utilizing sparse digital arrays
De/colonizing Education Research with Lessons from the Field
No full textAcademia is a reproductive site of settler colonialism (Mayorga et al., 2019) with practices and systems that exclude diverse identities. For universities to become more inclusive spaces, we must dismantle colonialist ideologies. One way is to consider alternative research approaches (Smith, 2021). This paper presents narratives from lessons in the field of research and teaching. The narrative encourages faculty and students to disrupt the status quo and normalize de/colonized research approaches in academia (Bhattacharya, 2021)
Skip the Grid: Bringing Solar to the Navajo Nation
No full textSkip the Grid is a student-driven, interdisciplinary initiative dedicated to improving access to electricity for families of the Navajo Nation. The project focuses on educational equity by addressing barriers to home study, such as insufficient lighting and energy. These issues stem from the Navajo Nation\u27s remote nature and the families\u27 access to resources. In March of 2025, a group of 24 students and faculty from California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), representing six different educational departments, traveled to Arizona to partner with the Chinle Unified School District in addressing educational equity in the Navajo Nation. The effort allowed students to apply their technical skills in renewable energy and engage with a community facing infrastructure resource challenges. Through Cal Poly\u27s collaboration and commitment to Learn by Doing, the effort to service 40 families in the Navajo Nation was successful
R.A.C.E. Matters Precast Concrete Bench Construction
No full textThis paper presents a narrative detailing the design and construction process undertaken by an interdisciplinary team of students from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, representing the Construction Management, Architecture, and Architectural Engineering departments. The team collaborated to design, fabricate, and install three precast concrete benches for the nonprofit organization R.A.C.E. Matters. The project began in Fall 2024 and culminated in the installation of the benches at sites managed by the San Luis Obispo Conservancy: Pismo Preserve, the Octagon Barn, and Kathleen’s Overlook. Each bench will serve as a platform for murals, visually depicting diverse racial experiences. This paper focuses primarily on the design and construction phases, emphasising the collaborative effort required across disciplines. Particular attention is paid to the challenges encountered in balancing design aspirations with practical constructibility, along with the logistical complexities of coordinating a large, diverse team. Throughout this senior project, students gained hands-on experience in interdisciplinary collaboration, a key aspect of professional practice in construction and architecture. Overall, the project introduced students to the process of carrying out a project from start to finish, broadening their technical skill sets and reinforcing the importance of communication and compromise in real-world construction environments
Skip The Grid: Empowering Navajo Students Through Solar Energy and Education
No full textThe Skip the Grid project by our California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) team was more than just installing solar panels. It was about making a real difference in people’s lives. We focused on helping families in Chinle, Arizona, a community where many households do not have access to electricity, clean water, or fresh food. These are basic needs that support students’ ability to learn and succeed. Without lights to do homework or warm meals to stay healthy, it becomes harder for kids to concentrate or dream about going to college. To help address these challenges, our team installed solar power systems in 40 homes across Chinle. These systems gave families a reliable source of electricity, something many of us take for granted. We also worked with local elementary and middle schools, where we led hands-on workshops with students. One of the activities involved building small cars powered by solar energy. These fun projects helped students understand how solar power works and sparked their interest in science and engineering. Most importantly, they showed young students what is possible for their future. Our goal was simple: to bring light, opportunity, and hope to communities in need through clean energy and education. This project was not just about providing power; it was about inspiring the next generation, supporting student success, and creating positive change in places that are often overlooked. Skip the Grid reminded us that even small actions can have a big impact when rooted in purpose and compassion
Preconstruction Management of the Cat Condos Project at Thousand Hills Pet Resort
No full textThis paper presents the preconstruction phases of the Cat Condos Project at the Thousand Hills Pet Resort, and the many challenges which were necessary to realize its completion. The Son Care Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in San Luis Obispo with many focuses such as outreach for veterans, prison rehabilitation, youth development, and other charitable pursuits. The Thousand Hills Pet Resort is a subsidiary of the Son Care Foundation which provides holistic boarding services to felines and canines alike, all the profits generated by the Thousand Hills Pet Resort are donated to sustain the Son Care Foundations’ charitable endeavors. The project’s deliverables consisted of four Cat Condos, three of which are designed identically to be 8’-1/2” tall, 3’- 7 1/2” long, and 2’- 4” wide. The fourth design measured 8’ – 1/2” tall, and 3’- 3” long and wide. This design deviation serves the Owner’s desire for the fourth Condo to occupy the entire southwest corner of the office up to the width of the mounted desk next to which it is situated. Each Condo is completed with wall mounted stairs, platforms for the cats to rest upon, scratching posts, as well as galvanized mesh for containment
AS-995-25 Resolution to Establish a 2026-2028 Academic Catalog
No full textResolves that the initial Cal Poly Academic Catalog under the semester calendar be two academic years in duration from 2026 to 2028
Enhancing Non-Player Character Dialogue in Video Gages: An Evaluation of Large Language Model-Generated Responses
No full textAs video games increasingly emphasize narrative depth and player immersion, the quality of Non-Player Character (NPC) dialogue has become crucial for creating engaging gaming experiences. This thesis investigates the potential of Large Language Models (LLMs) to generate high-quality NPC dialogue by comprehensively evaluating four state-of-the-art models: Gemma 3 27B, Mistral 7B, QWEN 2.5, and LLAMA 3.1. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining human evaluation (N=50 participants) with AI-based assessment across five key benchmarks: coherence, personality expression, engagement, style/tone appropriateness, and overall quality. Participants evaluated 32 dialogue samples (8 per model) generated for a fantasy game context featuring two distinct characters. Statistical analysis using ordinal mixed-effects models revealed significant differences in performance across models and benchmarks. Mistral 7B consistently outperformed other models, particularly in personality expression and engagement metrics. The study also examined the correlation between human and AI evaluation methods, finding weak positive correlations across benchmarks, suggesting AI evaluators cannot reliably substitute for human judgment in dialogue quality assessment. These findings have important implications for game developers seeking to leverage LLMs for scalable, dynamic dialogue generation while maintaining narrative quality
Liquid Crystal Enhanced Conductivities of Mixed Ionic-Electronic Conducting Polymers
No full textAs renewable energy sources such as wind and solar have been increasingly implemented in recent years, the demand for more advanced stationary storage backups have increased. Currently, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are the leading energy storage technology that provides high specific energy and power density. Functional coatings in LIBs have emerged as a transformative technology to address current battery challenges, i.e. conformal coatings for protective layers of battery components and slurry coatings for electrode manufacturing. Modern cathodes comprise a mixture of redox-active lithium particles, conductive carbon black additives, and a flexible polymer binder. Such a multicomponent electrode is structurally complex displaying porous morphology. It is evidenced that mixed ion-electron conducting polymers (MIECPs) can serve as multifunctional binders to eliminate both carbon black additives and porosity leading to enhanced device performance. In this work, we report supramolecular chemistry to synthesize liquid crystalline MIECPs as new multifunctional polymer binders. Non-covalent bonding between carboxylate poly(3-alkylthiophene)s and ionic liquid (IL) surfactants results in supramolecular MIECPs. This research utilizes a liquid crystal (LC) assembly pathway from solution to solid state to tailor charge transport nanochannels of both ions and electrons. Specifically, defect-free LC monodomains containing unidirectional alignment are obtained through mechanic shearing. Both electronic and ionic conductivities are evaluated as a function of LC alignment and a possible mechanism is proposed to interpret simultaneously
high electronic and high ionic conductivities. We believe that supramolecular MIECPs in this work serve as an advancement in binder technology, being able to serve as a multifunctional binder that exhibits superior conductivity to their counterparts, allowing for producing of high-performance batterie