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Can a collective body be neutral? A critical commentary on body neutrality in times of shared campus trauma
Full text linkIn this critical commentary, we take a performance studies approach to examine one of the key elements of body neutrality, namely that it “recognises that: (1) our feelings about our body change constantly so are best mindfully observed without judgement” (Pellizzer & Wade 2023 p. 437). Ultimately, we argue that body neutrality is a limiting practice in times of trauma in two major ways. First, body neutrality assumes a body that ends at where the skin does, rather than theorizing bodies as relational. We instead agree with theorist Erin Manning who defines the body as “a field-effect in a complex relational milieu that includes the sense of its limits—a body-envelope—but in no way stops there” (2016 p.113). In other words, the body is always relational and is both self-contained in the skin, but also porous, affected and affecting. A performance studies approach to body neutrality helps examine, illustrate, contest, and shape this relational body. Second, and related, we argue that there are times when we should offer critique on the changes in our bodies, especially when those changes are wrought by the trauma of gun violence. Body neutrality should not lead to neutrality about the environments we find our bodies in
To eat or not to eat: Body neutrality in the context of educator eating disorders
Full text linkAcademia, like many other industries, polices its members through explicit and implicit systems of oppression: thinness, patriarchy, accessibility, and whiteness. Previous research has argued that professors who meet the criteria of current beauty standards (e.g., thinness, attractiveness) experience higher student evaluations, more opportunities for promotion, and better overall academic success than those in diverse body shapes and sizes. As a result, decoupling one\u27s sense of self-worth from these expectations based in power can prove challenging. The present critical reflection and commentary explores the perceptions of two academics with histories of eating disorders (e.g., anorexia and binge-eating disorder), disordered eating, and body dysmorphia, on the idea of achieving body neutrality in academia
Cardiac Arrhythmia Detection Using Deep Learning Methods
No full textCardiac arrhythmias and heart conditions are a significant cause of mortality globally. This thesis outlines machine learning (ML) methods capable of taking and classifying data taken from patients via electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. It explores two datasets, the often-studied MIT-BIH dataset and the newer and more robust CSN-ECG dataset. Three main ML model architectures were used—a simple convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture, a Residual Neural Network (ResNet) architecture, and a transformer architecture using the cutting-edge attention mechanisms its known for to classify.
Results demonstrated that the simple CNN network performed best on the MIT-BIH dataset with a 99.0% accuracy, with the ResNet-18 performing second best with a 98.5% accuracy. Only the ResNet-18 and transformer models were tested on the CSN-ECG dataset, and the ResNet-18 performed best on that dataset with a macro-averaged F1 score of 90.0%. The transformer performed poorly for both datasets due to its model complexity and overfitting. Future potential extensions of this research could be tuning the transformer, the addition of more robust data augmentation for the MIT-BIH dataset and the use of transfer learning, and the use of hybrid models for CSN-ECG database
University Avenue Bike Plan
Full text linkThe University Avenue Bike Plan provides recommendations for bicycle infrastructure along the 1.7-mile University Avenue corridor in Palo Alto, California. The plan includes background, existing conditions, community engagement, alternatives of conceptual designs, and implementation tools. The University Avenue Bike Plan builds on Palo Alto\u27s Bike and Pedestrian Transportation Plan and informs the multiple University Avenue related projects and plans that are underway
Petals to Pigment: The Creative Exploration of Natural Dyeing
Full text linkPetals to Pigment: The Creative Exploration of Natural Dyeing is a collection of clothing and materials dyed with flowers, foliage, bugs, and other natural elements. In this project, I explored the creative potential of sustainable, non-toxic dyes as an alternative to synthetic options. Using natural dyes, I developed designs that are environmentally conscious as well as one-of-a-kind. By practicing experimental dyeing techniques, including varying mordants and extraction methods, I collected data and analyzed it to assess color variability, fabric interaction, and dye longevity.
Alongside the dyed textiles, I designed a digital magazine documenting my process that includes descriptions, dye samples, and techniques on the environmental impact of synthetic dyes and the creative process of natural dyeing. I designed the magazine entirely using Adobe InDesign, applying principles of typography, layout design, and visual hierarchy, drawing from my background in graphic communication
Stylezine: The Intersection of Tech and Fashion
Full text linkUsing my passion for web development, branding and fashion, I created a website that functions as a fashion resale platform tailored towards college students. My goal was to create a community where like-minded individuals can connect, while reducing fashion’s footprint on the planet. Currently, fast fashion is responsible for 10% of all carbon emissions, and garment workers often earn as little as $200 a week (Hardy, 2024). As younger generations become more aware of these impacts, the demand for slow fashion and second-hand shopping continues to grow. Through this project, I raised awareness about sustainable fashion, reduced the industry’s environmental footprint, and created a user-centric website that encourages self-expression and individuality
Gather: Combating Food Insecurity with Accessible Solutions
No full textt Throughout my college experience, I have met countless students struggling to maintain a healthy lifestyle, in large part because they do not have the resources to cook healthy meals, are on tight budgets, lack transportation, and simply do not have the time. Through my senior project, I aim to address the issue of food insecurity for college students by completely redesigning and prototyping a concept developed collaboratively with my team members, Callie Russo and Reilly Yuen, during the UX Fest SLO competition (Maldonado, Russo, & Yuen, 2024). This intuitive app, Gather, would link food-insecure college students\u27 CalFresh profiles to connect them with nearby food supplies. The app will offer community-driven delivery choices, collaborations with food banks and charitable organizations, and integrated nutritional education. Additionally, the app would feature AI-powered recipes and inventory forecasting to maximize an individual\u27s food management while reducing waste
Space Crash
Full text linkSpace Crash is a game made using Unity Game Engine which utlizes a rollback netcode in order to handle online multiplayer. The purpose of such netcode is to predict user inputs accross the server in order to cause less delay between players who are playing through the network
Development of a Modular Dual-Phase and Single-Phase Buck Converter Laboratory Module
Full text linkThis senior project entails the design, creation, and testing of a circuit board to exhibit the differences and advantages of the multiphase buck converter over the single-phase buck converter for use in a future power electronic laboratory experiment at Cal Poly State University. As energy demand requirements continually increase from more advanced and widespread use of technology, it is important to find a method of power delivery that maximizes efficiency while taking up as little area on a circuit board as possible. This is where the multiphase buck converter topology is desirable over the traditional single-phase buck converter topology. For this project, a dual-phase and single-phase converter were both built onto the same printed circuit board to compare various converter performance metrics such as efficiency, line regulation, and load regulation. After verifying the design with SIMPLIS, hardware tests were conducted whose results demonstrate that the dual-phase circuit outperformed the single-phase circuit in almost every tested metric, with a peak full-load efficiency of 85.29% vs. 79.03%, line regulation of 0.08% vs. 0.09%, load regulation of 1.18% vs. 1.44%, and output voltage ripple of 3.85% vs. 3.59% for the dual-phase and single-phase circuits, respectively. These results further illustrate the functionality of the laboratory module, which will serve as an educational tool for future Cal Poly students in understanding the multiphase buck converter