41530 research outputs found
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Restorative Justice Circles as Pedagogy: Enacting Abolitionist Values and Practices
No full textThis article shares the experiences of seven peers from a university course on Restorative Justice (RJ). The authors describe their use of Circle as a pedagogical tool that created a learning environment which eroded traditional hierarchy, promoted open communication and togetherness, and challenged carceral logic(s). Their course readings and discussions built opportunities for members of the class—each coming from different backgrounds and spaces of understanding—to grow and find ways to be in community that did not rely on shame and punishment. Though the authors ended their experience in different places of understanding and commitment to abolitionist principles, they felt a sense of unity that allowed them to conceptualize “a Better World.
Story Exchange Walls: Bridging Community and Carceral Spaces through Writing
No full textThe “story exchange wall” activity that follows expands the scope and accessibility of stories that can contribute to building infrastructures grounded in abolition-minded practices of care and relationality. Story exchange walls are built upon the premise that: a) not all community voices are heard; b) there is value in pursuing understanding across discourse communities; and c) writing is an engaging method for encouraging dialogue on social issues and dismantling misconceptions about system-impacted people and their community commitments and contributions. Through a series of written and displayed dialogues, mobile story exchange walls offer a dynamic tool for engaging social issues and connecting often disparate community members. Further, by insisting on a collaborative and inclusive ethos, the story exchanges encourage the co-construction of knowledge, communal solidarity, and a collective radical imagination
Toward More Just Futures: Abolitionist pedagogy and lived experience in criminology courses, curriculum and degree program
No full textThis paper discusses the collaborative and ongoing interventions to the Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice (BCCJ) programme taught on the unceded lands of the Bedegal people on which the University of New South Wales, Australia, is built. Abolitionist feminist positionalities (Davis et al., 2022, p. 2) are central in implementing transformative pedagogies that interrupt and dismantle mainstream criminological pedagogies and practices that cause and perpetuate carceral harms. Core to achieving these aims is our long commitment to working with and learning from those with lived experience of carceral systems and developing institutional systems that facilitate long-term support for this work
Laser Flow Diagnostics on a Thin Circular Disk at a Low Reynolds Number
No full textThis thesis investigates the flow behavior of thin circular disks at various incidence angles in a low Reynolds number regime. Experiments were conducted using a Stereo Particle Image Velocimetry (SPIV) with Class 3B and 4 lasers in the Cal Poly water tunnel. This work includes establishing a reliable measurement setup to ensure consistent camera imaging throughout the study. Research outcomes contribute to the advancement of aerodynamics of continuously varying leading edge sweep. Emphasis is on the three-dimensional flow features near the leading edge and the ramifications of a blunt edge on the vortex induced lift. SPIV fields show near-body and off-body three-component velocity fields. Time averaged data sets were used to capture vortical flow structures, vortex lift force, and shedding phenomenon on the lee-side and wind-side
GreekMate: Communicating Startup Value Through Design and Marketing
No full textThis project examines how design and marketing can improve communication for early-stage software by applying these principles to GreekMate, a candidate management tool built for student organizations. The software functioned well but lacked a strong brand identity and clear value communication. Using Diffusion of Innovation Theory and research on UX strategy, the project focused on redesigning the brand system and marketing website to make the product easier to understand and more appealing to its audience. The redesign included a new visual direction, updated hierarchy, clearer feature explanations, and a more energetic style that aligned with student expectations. Informal user feedback suggested that the new design increased trust, clarity, and relevance. The results show that intentional communication design can support adoption, strengthen credibility, and help early-stage tools present their purpose more effectively. This project highlights the importance of integrating design into the early stages of software development rather than treating it as a secondary step
SAL-E: Responsive Space Pathfinder Mission
No full textThe main objective of the SAL-E mission is to grow the Cal Poly CubeSat Lab’s (PolySat) capabilities in rapid spacecraft design and testing, as well as to provide the current generation of students with the opportunity to design, test, integrate, and communicate with a satellite. This summer we will mainly be focusing on aspects of spacecraft test and integration, as we prepare for our satellite handoff in the Fall. Specifically, we will be conducting satellite assembly, Thermal Vacuum Chamber (TVAC) Testing, Vibrations Testing, and software validation and testing on the flight unit satellite. Students participating in this multidisciplinary SURP will gain hands-on experience with many aspects of the spacecraft testing and integration cycle while ensuring SAL-E will be ready for launch
Sustainable Development of Sensing Materials for Structural Health Monitoring
No full textSensing technologies play significant roles in structural health monitoring (SHM) systems for monitoring and assessing structural conditions in real-time, which can enhance the safety and reliability of various structures. While engineered nanomaterial (ENM)-based sensors have remarkable potential to transform conventional sensing devices, large volume of ENMs released into the environment can significantly jeopardize the environment and public health. Thus, there is a pressing need to develop next-generation sensing materials in a more eco-friendly and sustainable manner. The goal of this interdisciplinary proposal is to sustainably develop sensing nanocomposites for monitoring structural damage by re-using waste materials as nano-/micro-scale functional material components. This project will lay the foundation for developing innovative, mechanically robust, and sensing structural materials in an eco-friendly, scalable, and low-cost manner
AI Fact-Checking Claims in Videos
No full textThis project investigates the use of acoustic signals captured during Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing to predict part quality and detect process anomalies. Traditional quality monitoring in FDM often relies on visual inspection or post-process evaluation, which can be slow and inconsistent. This research explores a low-cost, non-contact alternative using microphones and accelerometers to capture real-time audio and vibration signatures of the printing process. By applying signal processing and machine learning techniques to these acoustic signals, the project aims to classify part quality and identify defects such as under-extrusion, layer misalignment, or nozzle clogging. The outcomes have potential applications in smart manufacturing, predictive maintenance, and low-cost quality assurance systems
Predicting Newsworthiness of California Bill Discussions
No full textAmong various California bill hearings, it is crucial to identify which hearings are most likely to receive media coverage, as this highlights the importance of the bill and the hearing, while also underscoring its societal impact. Digital Democracy, established at Cal Poly’s Institute for Advanced Technology and Public Policy, provides users access to a distinctive dataset and information about state legislative committee hearings, hearing transcripts, assets, bill information, etc.
This thesis presents a machine learning framework for predicting whether California legislative bills are likely to receive media coverage. Drawing on a dataset of legislative ”tip sheets” provided by Digital Democracy and media coverage records from CalMatters, we developed a semantic similarity-based mapping engine to identify relevant bill-article pairs, achieving 93% precision through manual validation. This approach expanded our dataset from 424 manually verified pairs to 1,824 samples (3.3× increase), enabling more robust model training.
We evaluated various machine learning algorithms. Our best-performing model, XG-Boost, achieved 89.91% accuracy, 90.81% precision, and 89.90% F1-score. Feature importance analysis revealed that temporal features dominate predictions, accounting for 62.3% of total importance.
The results demonstrate that machine learning models can effectively predict media attention for legislative bills, providing a practical foundation for media resource allocation, legislative transparency, and predictive analysis in political journalism and public affairs
Using Classroom Response Systems for Feminist Pedagogy in Large Classes
No full textMost practitioners using feminist pedagogy assert small, discussion-based classrooms are best suited for creating power-sharing spaces where students are co-creators of knowledge. While we do not disagree that small classes are well-matched for feminist pedagogy, we challenge the assumption that feminist pedagogy cannot be practiced in large classes. This article explores how Top Hat, a web-enabled classroom response system (CRS), can be used to facilitate feminist pedagogy in a large Introduction to Women’s Studies class. Using data on student perceptions of the CRS, as well as instructor reflections on a technology-centered feminist classroom, this work suggests CRS can be used to approximate many aspects of feminist pedagogy, especially a sense of participation and engagement in the otherwise impersonal landscape of the large University classroom