41530 research outputs found
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Civility War
Get PDFCivility War is a poster series that examines contemporary civil conflicts in contemporary world history and the precedent it sets for American political polarization. The early 2010s marked the beginning of America’s current ascent to historical highs for incidences of politically-fueled violence in the forms of hate crimes and domestic terrorism. With the documentation of the effects of similar circumstances available today in the digital age, spreading awareness for the human cost of using violence for political aims is highly topical. This project also attempts to address the aversion university students have to publicly discussing political opinions, as less than half of college students feel comfortable doing so. With increasing tensions in America due to its stark polarization, this reduces the likelihood of student engagement in protesting injustices and promoting change to the same degree as the past generations of university activists that have historically been catalysts for positive growth in American society. This project endorses benevolent attitudes towards democratic government practices and sharing knowledge with others in good faith. The pursuit of knowledge, even in the wake of politicized anti-intellectual sentiment, is important to ensure a peaceful national future and is a bipartisan civic duty
Performance of Neural Networks on FPGA for Embedded Devices using HLS4ML Framework
Get PDFAs machine learning models such as neural networks are investigated for their applications across many fields, the demand for models that can be implemented on an embedded device grows. Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) have become an attractive option for implementing these models in hardware. This thesis considers the viability of FPGA implementations for machine learning on low-resourced embedded systems. The hls4ml project is a promising prospect for machine learning on FPGA devices. To test hls4ml, we used a model trained on the MNIST digits dataset, which was then synthesized for the PYNQ-Z2 device. We fine tuned the performance by changing the reuse factor and quantization used by hls4ml. These designs were tested on throughput, latency, power usage, and utilization of resources on the device. We found significant changes in the accuracy and classification speed using relatively minor changes in the precision of the overall model. Other frameworks and design strategies found in literature were also compared
Urban Agriculture Technical Advisory
Get PDFThis project serves as a senior capstone, aimed at exploring the potential of urban agriculture to address critical challenges in sustainability, food security, and community development within California cities. This project highlights practical and innovative approaches to urban farming that can be adopted or adapted to suit the unique needs of urban areas across the state
Float Element Design
Get PDFI have spent the last three years as a Design team member of Cal Poly Rose Float, the last year as a Design Lead. As a member of the design team, I followed blueprints, bent pencil steel into shape, and welded those pieces together. I worked as part of a team, and eventually led my own small team. Cal Poly Rose Float teaches its members many skills and abilities. Not just bending and welding metal, but also teamwork and leadership skills. However, it doesn’t teach us everything. Every leadership member gives input on the overall theme and design of the float. However, the exact design of the float and all of its elements is done by only one person each year, the Scales Coordinator. One person compiles all the input, creates a 3D model of the entire float and each element, and creates blueprints for them. A design member works under a design lead, and a design lead coordinates a team of members to build an element. However, even the design leads have very little control over what they build, only following blueprints. This means that Cal Poly Rose Float Design fails to teach most of its members a very important aspect of float design; how to actually design floats
Investigating the Viability of Voucher Payments as a Development Plan
Get PDFCalifornia currently has a shortage of affordable housing, and Housing Choice Vouchers, also known as Section 8 housing, are one state funded solution to it. However, even once those in need of affordable housing are approved for vouchers they can have trouble finding suitable housing at a fair market price due to stigmas associated with voucher renters. This project investigates whether developers and property managers can actually use the voucher programs to their advantage to make a profit, or if that stigma is warranted. Developers can design their units in a way that appeals to these renters, and then accept them as renters rather than rejecting them like many other properties do. This project uses a case study of a proposed development to provide a basis to examine the pros, cons, and possible uses of this development strategy
Examining Construction-Phase Challenges in Mass Timber Projects: Insights from Industry Professionals
Get PDFMass Timber has emerged as an innovative structural alternative in the construction industry, based on its sustainability advantages and comparable level of performance to traditional materials such as steel and concrete. This engineered wood, including Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT), Glue-Laminated Timber (glulam), and Nail-Laminated Timber (NLT) is characterized by its ability to scale up for large format projects and lower environmental impacts. However, there are practical challenges that happen during the construction phase of mass timber projects. This research aims to explore specific challenges that contractors, architects, and structural designers have encountered during their past or current experiences working with mass timber. Through the qualitative analysis of the semi-structured interviews, a number of significant challenges were found: storing and protecting mass timber materials against moisture and UV damage, supply chain and procurement issues created, insufficient workforce readiness and training, and construction codes that are still developing. In the future, it is recommended that a survey which incapsulates the purpose of these interviews be shared to a wider population of industry professionals
Student Planners, City Futures: A CRP Documentary
Get PDFStudent Planners, City Futures, is a documentary following Professor Dave Amos and 22 students as they prepare a draft of Grover Beach’s General Plan Circulation Element update. Students in their final year in Cal Poly’s City & Regional Planning program take CRP410 – Community Planning Lab I and CRP 411 – Community Planning Lab II during fall and winter quarter as their capstone planning studio. Each studio completes a different project each year. For the 2024-2025 school year, Professor Amos’s section was tasked with completing a General Plan Circulation Element update for the City of Grover Beach. The film follows the studio students through all the phases of the planning process: existing conditions, visioning, goal development, policy development, and community outreach. Through these efforts, students gain a better understanding of the Grover Beach community and their vision for the future of transportation in their city. Students navigate the struggles of planning including interactions with the public, conflicting ideas, lack of engagement, and the trials and tribulation of policy writing. There is much fun to be had, as well. This includes painting buses, designing posters, and handing out Halloween candy. In the end, students reflect on what they’ve learned from the process and their time in CRP as they get ready for their next steps