41530 research outputs found
Sort by
Listen to Black Women: Newsgathering in Digital Third Spaces
Get PDFThis teaching activity re-introduces the concept of digital third spaces and how to use them as complementary newsgathering tools. Students are tasked with visiting these spaces to listen to Black women. In other words, they will observe content and engage in conversations with digital third space visitors to better educate themselves on the topics, issues and concerns of Black women and learn how to take this information and formulate story ideas for improved news coverage of and about Black women
Real #HotGirl Sh*T: Practical application of intersectional re-presentation instruction
Get PDFThis critical commentary outlines how the Real #HotGirl Sh*T: Megan Thee Stallion & Mediated Hip Hop, Black Feminist and Communication Pedagogy promotes active learning via popular culture and digital media, and it provides a practical model for employing intersectionality in classroom settings. Previous critical media pedagogy exploring minority media re-presentation primarily focused on the effects of master narratives produced by traditional media. This syllabus\u27s incorporation of social and digital media helps students understand how collective minority groups use and interact with media as a political tool to challenge re-presentational regimes. More importantly, this syllabus employs real-world examples of popular culture that students engage in their everyday communication practices. This pedagogical approach challenges students to assess their online behaviors and understand the re-presentational impact of their work as future media and communication practitioners. Finally, this syllabus’s incorporation of vertical education practices demonstrates the evolutional intersections of past and current stereotypes associated with Black womanhood. Thus, this syllabus moves forward re-presentation instruction with an intersectional framework that helps instructors better understand how to appropriately implement intersectionality within the classroom
Coffee Cactus
Get PDFCoffee is one of the most well known and enjoyed drinks in the world. So many people go out to coffee shops to get work done, catch up with friends, or just to simply enjoy a local cup of coffee. Yet, many people find it difficult to bring that experience into the comfort of their own homes or have found tools that bring a personal and unique experience. Espresso machines, coffee tools, and unique terminology can be very intimidating for someone who is just starting to learn about coffee or wants to grow their own at home experience. The problem is that there is a disconnect between the market of specialty coffee and at home use.
As discussed in an article by Ready Set Eat, there are a lot of different tools and equipment you can get when making specialty coffee at home. The article lists: “whole bean coffee, filtered water or water filter, scale, dark-colored ceramic or glass container, coffee grinder, automatic drip coffee maker, French press, or water kettle, coffee filters,” and that is just to name a few. These items can be very confusing and a person might not know where to start. While the Coffee Cactus tool might seem like a more advanced place to start, I believe that it will start interest in specialty coffee and the info pamphlet will guide the individual into learning more about at home use.
I will be working with a friend who is creating the Coffee Cactus espresso tool, forming the brand identity and marketing strategies to be able to appeal to our target market, being young adults that enjoy the specialty coffee at home experience.
My main objective for this project is to take the Coffee Cactus espresso distribution tool and create a brand surrounding it that makes the at home specialized coffee experience engaging, more accessible and easy to understand, spark interest in unique coffee tools, and overall widen the market for fun coffee tools that people can collect and invest in.
This will include: a logo, branding guide, pamphlet to go with the espresso tool when purchased, and graphics for social media posts and marketing. The goal is to get the Coffee Cactus tool into a coffee shop in San Luis Obispo and generate sales through the store and through social media orders. The results will be determined by in store and online sales, along with social media analytics and rates of engagement (such as follows, clicks, shares, etc.)
GrC DEI Handbook
Get PDFThe GrC Student Advisory Board developed a DEI Committee consisting of student members and faculty advisors to amplify resources and equal opportunities for the department in the Spring of 2023. For the Graphic Communication major at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, having a DEI Committee is valuable for several reasons, particularly given the context of Cal Poly lacking diversity. In fact, Cal Poly is considered the only predominantly white institution of the 23 CSU campuses, and also the whitest public university in California. A DEI Committee in GrC significantly contributes to creating a more inclusive, productive, and innovative environment in the department and at Cal Poly SLO as a whole. It’s a step towards not just enhancing the educational experience for all students but also preparing them to enter a global workforce that values and practices diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Since this committee was recently launched and is experiencing early stages of development, the expectations and structure remain slightly vague and raised confusion and miscommunication among group members. In order to create a lasting impact on the behalf of the GrC DEI Committee, the handbook aims to unite and strengthen members through a meaningful purpose, clear expectations, and strong foundational structure. This handbook has been created in a digital format to be easily accessible for both student and faculty committee members. It is designed to serve as a comprehensive guide, addressing any queries the committee may encounter. All committee members are encouraged to engage with the content by editing, adding to, reformatting, or revising the handbook to enhance its effectiveness and functionality. Maintaining the handbook\u27s relevance by regularly updating it with the most helpful information contributes to the long-term success of the GrC DEI Committee. Implementing the GrC DEI Committee handbook as a reliable guiding tool will maximize the positive impact of the DEI Committee and enhance the training and development of members for years to come
Hand Tremor Stabilizer
Get PDFThe Hand Tremor Stabilizer project represents a significant advancement in assistive device technology, aimed at improving the lives of individuals affected by hand tremors due to conditions such as essential tremor or Parkinson\u27s disease. Throughout the design process, our team engaged in a comprehensive approach that included rapid prototyping, iterative testing, and direct feedback collection from potential users. This process was instrumental in refining the device to meet specific user needs effectively.
Key customer requirements that guided the design of the Hand Tremor Stabilizer included ease of use, portability, washability, accuracy of motion control, comfortable grip, breathability, a natural feel during use, and affordability. To meet these specifications, the device was designed as a wearable wrist brace/glove that incorporates a novel damper mechanism. This mechanism is specifically engineered to detect and suppress unintended tremor movements in the fingers and wrist, thereby enabling smoother and more controlled writing and other fine motor activities.
The functionality of the Hand Tremor Stabilizer was validated through a series of pilot tests, including spiral line tracing, line tracing, and sentence writing tests, coupled with qualitative feedback from initial users. These tests demonstrated a notable improvement in writing accuracy among participants, without hindering the natural writing process. Moreover, the device was found to be effective in dampening tremors, thereby confirming its potential to significantly enhance the quality of life for individuals with hand tremors
PLC Course Development
Get PDFThe goal of this project is to design and construct the first lab experiment for the newly developed EE435 laboratory course. The experiment entails PLC programming to automate LED lighting in a simulated building. Starting with why PLCs are used, how to use the interface of EcoStruxure Control Expert V15.0 and practice using logic to control the dimming of a Light Emitting Diode (LED) to sustain a certain number of lumens consistent in a zone. Through the lab manual developed in this project, students will gain experience of creating logic designs using Function Block Diagram (FBD) and learn the layout of the software, EcoStruxure Control Expert V15.0. The use of LED drivers for controlling LED lighting in a zone demonstrates how PLCs are used in industrial settings to automate lighting operation that save energy; thus, the cost associated with energy use. Students will visually see their logic design in a simulated building where the indoor lighting adjusts to the outdoor light in real time. Using ControlExpert, software for Schneider Electric product, logic was successfully created to dim and brighten light according to external ambient light. A 3D model of the simulated building was also developed to allow future modifications and improvements to be easy and accessible
3D Pano Inpainting: Scene Construction Using A Single Input Panorama
Get PDFCreating 360-degree 3D content has gained traction in the past few years, being used for Virtual Reality environments. However, creating such content is challenging because it requires a multi-camera setup or a collection of images from different perspectives. This paper proposes 3D Pano Inpainting, a pipeline capable of transforming a single equirectangular panoramic RGBD image into a complete 360° 3D virtual reality scene represented as a textured mesh. Our methodology is as follows: we estimate a consistent depth map for the input panorama; we use a pre built framework to convert the image and its depth map into a textured mesh with inpainted background edges; we account for wrapping the resulting mesh around the viewer’s perspective for better immersion in VR headsets. Additionally, we evaluate our method’s effectiveness in producing consistent novel views through the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), structural similarity index (SSIM), and learned perceptual image patch similarity (LPIPS) between a rendering produced from the ground truth image and depth map to that produced from our model. Furthermore, we compare our model’s scores with those of a non-inpainted textured mesh
Introduction to the Special Issue: Feminist Approaches to Graduate Level Instruction and Mentorship
Get PDFThis abstract highlights the need for research and information on teaching approaches specifically tailored to the instruction of graduate students. While extensive research exists for undergraduate pedagogy, the nuances and differences in a graduate classroom require specialized attention. This special issue aims to provide a platform for exploring effective teaching methods and best practices that incorporate feminist epistemologies, including intersectionality, critical pedagogies, decolonial methods, and liberatory practices. By addressing the unique challenges and opportunities in graduate education, this issue aims to improve the quality of instruction and pedagogical practices for graduate students. The goal is to create an inclusive, equitable, and diverse learning environment that recognizes and addresses power dynamics while ensuring that feminist pedagogy training is applicable and impactful in a graduate setting
