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Tread: A Digital Solution for Sustainable Travel
Full text linkThis senior project aims to create an eco-tourism website that promotes sustainable and ethical travel by connecting users with local businesses, communities, and culturally respectful experiences. As mainstream tourism increasingly contributes to environmental degradation and social displacement, this platform will provide responsible alternatives by avoiding over-touristed destinations and favoring underrepresented areas. It will allow users to book flights, lodging, and activities while educating them on the consequences of over-tourism. Through a combination of intuitive user interface, thoughtful user experience, engaging visual design, and curated educational content, the website will serve not only as a booking platform but as a digital advocate for responsible travel. The project will emphasize accessibility, ethical design, and user trust, ultimately encouraging more mindful and sustainable travel behaviors
Effects of Nutrition Education on Metabolic Risk Factors in Male Hispanic Farmworkers
No full textHispanic farmworkers are an underserved and understudied population with disproportionately high risk for type II diabetes mellitus, driven by both genetic susceptibility and compounded effects of lifestyle, occupational, and socioeconomic factors.To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess both body composition and biochemical markers over time in male Hispanic farmworkers receiving a culturally tailored nutrition education intervention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in body composition and blood biomarkers across a six-month hybrid intervention that delivered educational materials remotely while conducting in-person assessments on the farm site.
Body composition and metabolic markers were assessed at baseline, midpoint, and post-intervention. Participants (n=15) received weekly nutrition education and completed in-person assessments that included bioelectrical impedance analysis and fasting blood work.
Results of this study indicated no statistically significant changes in body composition or blood biochemistry. However, there was a 30% increase in fasting insulin and a corresponding increase in HOMA-IR from baseline to post-intervention, suggesting early shifts in insulin sensitivity. Body composition remained relatively stable, with small non-significant increases in BMI and body fat percentage, and a slight reduction in waist circumference.
These findings suggest that although the intervention did not yield significant improvements, it may have helped mitigate worsening health markers during a period of occupational stress and seasonal change. This study demonstrates the feasibility of conducting community-based assessments in this population and supports the need for longer, more interactive interventions to improve metabolic health among male Hispanic farmworkers
The Effect of Food and Temperature Acclimation on the Proteomic Response to Heat Shock in the Mussel Mytilus
No full textThe ecological factors affecting the heat-shock response have been well investigated over the last decades. However, the effect of food availability has not received much attention despite a likely role in modifying stress tolerance limits. Here we acclimated the intertidal mussel Mytilus californianus to four conditions of low–high food, nearshore (low) and aquaculture (high) phytoplankton levels, combined with low-high (20 °C and 30 °C) aerial temperatures. We simulated circadian-entrained circatidal rhythms, before exposing whole mussels to an acute 33 °C 6 h aerial heat stress and allowed for 1 h and 24 h recovery at acclimation conditions. A parallel group in the same experiment was simultaneously exposed to sirtuin inhibitors; although mentioned briefly, this aspect will not the focus in the present thesis.
Our results demonstrate the fundamental role of food availability in attenuating proteomic changes in core carbohydrate and one carbon metabolism, indicating the folate and methionine cycles as central hubs for providing precursors for histone methyltransferases, and producing purines that likely serve as indicators of energy status. We confirm the importance of food availability on oxidative stress responses, especially the scavenging of hydrogen peroxide and the maintenance of reduced glutathione levels. While low food induced the canonical complement of heat-shock proteins, with an emphasis on endoplasmic reticulum chaperones, it was several subunits of the chaperone-containing T-complex, mainly responsible for folding of cytoskeletal proteins, that showed acclimation-specific responses. Similarly, several proteasomal subunits increased across acclimation groups, while the ubiquitin receptor ADRM (Rpn13) varied in response, indicating changes in the type of protease activity. Histone modifiers such as histone kinases and high-mobility groups proteins were prevalent in all groups, specifically in high temperature – low food mussels. Heat stress also induced different splicing factors and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins indicating graded differences in alternative splicing among acclimation groups. Within the translational space, changes in ribosomal protein subunits suggest enhanced mRNA selectivity while translation initiation proteins were stable and only elongation factors increased. Cytoskeletal changes indicated actin stress fiber formation in addition to enhanced cross-linking, bundling, and reinforcement of cell adhesion attachments of actin fibers. While we identified members of many signaling pathways, specific increases in p38 MAPK and stress-activated protein kinase (cJun N-terminal kinase) suggest that high aerial temperatures better prepared mussels for an acute heat stress. The MAPK module may also modify prostaglandin synthesis, the role of which we can only hypothesize. While low temperature-low food (LTLF) induced the full complement, both low temperature-high food (LTHF) and high temperature-low food (HTLF) were prepared to limit the response, while high temperature-high food (HTHF) mussels showed an in-between stress response, leaving us to hypothesize there is a trade-off to high food levels in preparation for an acute stress response
Drone Package Delivery System
Full text linkIn response to the demands of the 2025 C-UASC (California Unmanned Aerial Systems Competition), our team developed an autonomous drone payload delivery system capable of two distinct delivery modes: a precision-controlled descent and a high-speed aerial drop. Designed for modular integration with UAV platforms, the system prioritizes reliability, accuracy, and simplicity under desert environmental conditions. Our solution features a custom winch mechanism with a programmable stepper motor, a passive mechanical hook for tension-based release, and a servo-actuated trapdoor for high-altitude drops. The design was extensively tested for structural integrity, motor torque requirements, drop precision, and electronics reliability—culminating in a robust prototype. This project demonstrates how practical engineering design, iterative prototyping, and system-level testing can converge to meet the rigorous demands of real-world challenges
Power Transmission System Demo
Full text linkProfessor Ramanan Sritharan and ME 329 students need a high-quality Power Transmission System, a detailed report, and robust Excel spreadsheet including all calculations that can serve as an example for students in the ME 329 lab
Hydropower Collegiate Competition
Full text linkThe Cal Poly SLO HCC team presents a feasibility study and engineering design review package for retrofitting the non-powered Ritschard Dam in Colorado into a hydroelectric facility as part of the 2025 Hydropower Collegiate Competition. Through a rigorous and multi-staged assessment of plausible dam sites in the western US, the team has chosen the Ritschard Dam in Colorado to implement an electromechanical component designed to accommodate a large range of flowrates stemming from a large variance in upper reservoir capacity due to geographical and climate effects. The team evaluated non-powered dams based on technical feasibility, electric grid proximity, power generation potential, environmental considerations, economic potential, and regional energy goals. Following this initial screening, a weighted design matrix approach was used to score prospective dams against one another using the criteria along with risk and safety considerations and societal effects. Among the final candidates, the Ritschard dam stood out for its high-power generation potential (5.7 MW), sub 1 mile proximity to the electrical grid, and alignment with the ambitious Colorado state climate plan aiming to eliminate carbon emissions by employing 100% renewable energy sources by 2040. The dam primarily serves to supply downstream communities and agricultural entities with a stable water supply but contains infrastructure to incorporate power generation equipment, representing a fantastic opportunity to bolster Colorado’s renewable energy supply. During the summer months the Ritschard dam has an excess of 68,000 acre-feet of active water storage supplied by snowmelt from the Wolford Mountain. A hydraulic height of 122 feet allows for a maximum generation potential of 5.7 MW. In the winter months, that level of active water storage dips to 53,000 acre-feet, representing a huge potential loss in energy generation potential. This change in reservoir storage necessitates an adaptive hydroelectric facility that can preserve the agricultural water supply and make use of all excess water for energy generation. Wicket gates, or guide vanes, add directionality, control flow, and allow for hydropower turbines to operate at their most efficient point. This component addresses the key climate driven challenges at the Ritschard Dam. To justify the implementation of a wicket gate assembly to the Ritschard dam, the team utilized a MATLAB Simulink simulation, modeling a PID controlled wicket gate system that dynamically adjusts flow rates and synchronized power output. Virtual testing such as finite element analysis was conducted on the wicket blades, as well as kinematic studies of the assembly linkage to validate the design’s structural integrity and ensures the component is fit to operate under steady state conditions. A scaled prototype was created and tested, demonstrating autonomous control in response to user inputted flow rates simulating the various input flow as seen on a monthly basis at the Ritschard Dam. Risk assessments were conducted to address operational, structural, and environmental concerns with the design and suggest mitigation strategies like increased monitoring, mechanical redundancy and electrical bypass systems. By leveraging existing infrastructure and incorporating autonomous control systems, the team has proposed an economically viable, low impact solution that would expand Colorado’s renewable energy supply
Combustion Liner Optimization
Full text linkSolar Turbines provides gas power generation solutions, focusing on gas turbine engines and compressors. The Gas Turbine Products Engineering (GTPE) team at Solar Turbines needs a way to efficiently and cost-effectively maintain the combustion liner of the Taurus model gas turbine at or below the cold-side temperature target. The current system involves a manufacturing process with ergonomic concerns and uncertain cooling effectiveness.
To address this, our team proposed a new combustion liner system featuring impingement cooling. We provided Solar Turbines with heat transfer models of both the existing and proposed designs, demonstrating improved cooling performance. Additionally, a prototype of the proposed solution was manufactured and tested to validate the design
Improvements to Cal Poly\u27s Hybrid AC/DC House
Full text linkThis senior project details the improvements made to Cal Poly’s Hybrid AC/DC House project. The previous state of the house experienced issues with proper reading of the current power being drawn from the connected AC sources, as well as with the system’s multiple-input single-output converter, where thermal overheating of specific FETs prevented the system from reaching its maximum output power. The updates made to the AC/DC house include improved code to prevent faulty readings and display failure and a cleaned-up power monitoring board that removes noisy signals and allows for the correct power implementation to be displayed. In addition, the MISO implements additional ground planing, as well as an adjustment to the board FETs by adding gate resistance to reduce noisy signals and selecting transistors with a lower drain-source resistance to reduce losses and heat generation. Results of the power management system include fully monitorable AC and DC power metrics displayable on a touchscreen, as well as breadboard circuitry that removes the common ground faults present in the original design. The MISO board shows proper operation with a single parallel supply up to 400W with 98% efficiency, as well as proper operation with dual supplies up to 300W with 99% efficiency. Additionally, the operation of these boards reduces the full-load operation temperature after ten minutes of continuous power delivery from that of the previous design
Lab Building with Atrium
Full text linkThis report includes a prescriptive and performance-based analysis on a university life sciences building hereafter referred to as “Lab Building”. The code-based analysis includes the review of the following components: Occupancy classification and construction type, Egress, Control areas, Structural fire protection, Fire alarm and fire sprinkler systems, and Smoke control.
The Lab Building is of type IB construction and is four stories above grade with one story below grade. The building uses a non-separated mixed occupancy approach with Group A- 3 bring the most restrictive occupancy classification. Additionally, the building is fully sprinklered with a fire alarm and emergency voice alarm communication system and an atrium smoke control system.
A performance-based analysis was also conducted to analyze the smoke control system within the building’s atrium and determine if an appropriate design fire would overwhelm the system and conflict with the building’s life safety strategy. Pathfinder and Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) models were used to estimate the building’s available safe egress time (ASET) afforded to occupants to compare with the required safe egress time (RSET).
The two design fires analyzed in the performance-based analysis include an axisymmetric plume fire (Design Fire 1) and a balcony spill plume fire (Design Fire 2). Design Fire 1 was located on the atrium floor directly beneath the atrium opening and grew to 5,300 kW in 194 seconds. This fire assumes the sprinklers at the atrium roof do not activate due to an expected low smoke temperature at that height.
Design Fire 2 was located on the first floor underneath the second floor slab where sprinklers are provided. The closest sprinkler head activated 118 seconds which corresponded to a peak heat release rate of 1,908 kW.
Both design fires have a significant fuel package that is larger than what would be expected in the atrium floor to indicate why atrium floors are prescriptively permitted to only contain low hazard fuels. The results reveal that the chosen fuel package yields a significant amount of smoke production which overwhelms the smoke control system. As a result, the time to untenable conditions occurs before occupants can safety evacuate. The quantitative results are summarized as follows:
Design Fire 1: Level 4 had the largest RSET of 397 seconds with no safety factor and an ASET of 128 seconds. The net difference observed between the RSET and ASET was smaller for Levels 2 and 3.
Design Fire 2: Level 4 had the largest RSET of 442 seconds with no safety factor and an ASET of 423 seconds. A larger net difference of approximately 100 seconds was observed between the RSET and ASET for Levels 2 and 3.
As previously mentioned, the chosen design fire fuel load is much larger than what would be present on the atrium floor. This substantiates why the code does not allow high fuel loads to be provided on an atrium floor
Studies on the Effects of Cap Management on the Oxidation–Reduction Potential, Phenolic Composition, and Sensory Properties of Red Wines
No full textCap management during alcoholic fermentation of red wines plays a critical role in modulating the phenolic and volatile extraction from grape solids, influencing the homogenization of chemical and temperature gradients, while imparting oxygen to the must. Different cap management alternatives are also thought to influence the evolution of the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP). It is critical to understand how different cap management protocols affect these variables to design a cap management protocol tailored to wine style and varietal. This thesis investigated the effects common commercially applied cap management protocols, as well as the efficacy of novel, automated gas mixing protocols as potential alternatives to labor-intensive cap management. Additionally, this research sought to investigate how some specific and contrasting phenolic and chemical makeup between grape varietals may respond to varying cap management protocols.
In the 2023 and 2024 vintages, contrasting cap management protocols were applied to Pinot noir and Petite Sirah wines from the Central Coast of California. These include the commercially traditional protocols of punch-downs and pump-overs, as well as no cap management with and without various automated air or nitrogen gas mixing regimes. The ORP was monitored during alcoholic fermentation of the gas mixing wines of the 2023 vintage, and all wines of the 2024 vintage. The results detailed how cap management regimes can be designed to produce targeted ORP evolutions. Additionally, the results detailed the effects of these protocols on the phenolic and volatile composition of the wines.
In the 2023 vintage, Pinot noir and Petite Sirah wines were produced with the following cap management protocols: punch-downs (PD), pump-overs (PO), no cap management (NoCapMgmt), and two gas mixing protocols, whereby air or nitrogen (N2) gas was injected into the bottom of the fermentation vessel for 1 h, twice daily, (AirMix; N2Mix). These varietals were chosen as representations of how wines of typically low (Pinot noir) and high (Petite Sirah) phenolic potential may respond differently to contrasting cap management protocols. ORP of AirMix wines reached peaks of 340 mV and 240 mV in Pinot noir and Petite Sirah, respectively, while N2Mix wines were consistently below −50 mV during alcoholic fermentation. At pressing, PD wines contained more total phenolics than PO wines in Pinot noir, but not in Petite Sirah. However, PD wines of both varietals in the 2023 vintage increased flavan-3-ol concentrations when compared to all other treatments. NoCapMgmt wines contained \u3e50% increases in esters, when compared to PD wines, revealing the effects of physical mixing on CO2 stripping of volatiles. Of all volatiles, the largest differences were seen in isoamyl acetate. AirMix wines showed decreased astringency and increased red fruit character, while N2Mix wines had higher color saturation as perceived by sensory analysis. Neither AirMix nor N2Mix wines showed detectable reductive aromas at 3 months of bottle aging despite receiving no cap management other than gas injections.
In the 2024 vintage, Pinot noir and Petite Sirah wines were produced using five and six cap management protocols, respectively: PD; PO; AirMix; and N₂Mix; as well as ORP-control through air injections triggered by ORP measurements ≤-40 mV (RedoxConAir), and, in Pinot noir only, N2 additions paired to inject gas simultaneously with respective RedoxConAir replicates (RedoxConN2). ORP, reduced glutathione (GSH), and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) were monitored throughout a 10-day alcoholic fermentation in all wines. This study revealed the temporary effects of oxidative pump-overs on the ORP of wine. PO wines exhibited peaks in ORP of ≥100 mV during pump-overs, whereas PD wines increased 20-40 mV during punch-downs during peak fermentation. At pressing, the ratio of GSH:GSSG was correlated with the prevailing ORP of the wines before pressing (p\u3c 0.04), suggesting the glutathione redox couple is an effective marker of the oxidative or reductive history of a wine. AirMix wines showed similar phenolic losses to the 2023 wines. In further continuity with the 2023 vintage, PD wines extracted more flavan-3-ols, and wines with the least physical mixing and degassing (2023, no cap management; 2024, RedoxConAir) retained significantly more esters, namely, isoamyl acetate.
Collectively, these findings confirm that different cap management protocols distinctly affect the ORP of wine fermentations, and in turn affect their chemical makeups. Gas injection protocols can serve as viable, automated alternative or supplementation to manual cap management in cases of favorable fermentation size and geometry. Differences in phenolic response between Pinot noir and Petite Sirah underscore the importance of varietal context in designing a cap management protocol. However, the ORP does not appear directly related to the oxidation or extraction of phenolic compounds and alternatively is better suited as a tool to regulate volatile sulfur compound production and yeast performance. Lastly, automated gas mixing systems present an opportunity to design fermentation strategies that align with stylistic goals while improving efficiency and consistency in wine production