41530 research outputs found
Sort by
Creating and Re-Energizing Communities of Meaning throughout a Course
Get PDFWe propose a feminist course approach wherein instructors build what Amie Macdonald (2002) called communities of meaning in their classrooms (p.120). Through an intentional focus on supporting students\u27 1) individual identities, 2) holistic well-being, and 3) epistemic buy-in to classroom content, students will connect more deeply not only to themselves and their classmates, but also to the course material. We suggest four community-building touchpoints as a starting point for instructors looking to integrate this course approach. We start with an activity to lessen awkwardness around first-day name pronunciation. We emphasize the importance of creating collaborative classroom expectations with students, and provide an example of how to facilitate that conversation. Focusing on students\u27 holistic well-being, we suggest one way to incorporate anonymous mental health check-ins. Finally, we integrate Yosso\u27s (2006) cultural wealth model into a touchpoint that can help students recognize the value they each bring to the classroom. In addition to these four touchpoints, we encourage instructors to find their own feminist frontiers, developing their own touchpoints to create and re-energize community in their classrooms
Exploring Dimensions of Crystallized Identities
Get PDFFor college students, learning about the components of identity can generate deeper knowledge about how personal and social identities differ, and how identities influence the way individuals experience socio-cultural systems and structures. The Exploring Dimensions of Crystallized Identities activity uses principles of self-reflexivity and dialogue to explore theoretical frameworks for practical application. This experiential activity is a facilitated dialogue driven by student involvement and is best suited for students in mid- to upper-level undergraduate courses. It encourages students to reflect on their and others’ identities, and to consider the social impacts of diversity in their lives
Beyond Deep Listening with the ‘Feminist Ear’: Introducing the Full-Circle Model of Listening and Expressing
Get PDFFeminist pedagogy calls for more than presence and voice—it asks us to listen deeply and express courageously. This article introduces the Full-Circle Model of Listening and Expressing, a framework that extends the concept of deep listening by pairing it with intentional expression. Building on previous work on deep listening (Nicastro & Valdez, 2022), we articulate six essential components of feminist communication: openness, attunement, integration (for listening), and self-reflection, courage, and intentional dialogue (for expressing). These interconnected practices foster genuine connection, challenge hierarchies, and make visible the often-unseen emotional labor of communication. Using the metaphor of a circle, we explore how the “feminist ear” listens not only to what is said, but to what is felt and sensed—those emotional truths that shape learning and community. However, deep listening alone is not enough. Without reciprocal, reflective expression, dialogue can become performative or silencing. Our model centers dialogic balance, where both listener and speaker engage with vulnerability and care to co-create meaning. This model was born from years of feminist teaching, heartbreak, resistance, and hope. And in a world where people are so often speaking past each other, or not speaking at all, we believe this full-circle dialogue offers a way forward—toward understanding, toward community, toward something more honest and whole
Style Guides for Individualized Branding and User Experience
Get PDFThe increase of digital platforms has led to more competition and brand saturation, making it harder for users to distinguish between companies online. This essay explores how the Aesthetic-Usability Effect influences user perception, particularly for lesser-known organizations. From interviews with professionals in UX/UI Design and Content Design, I examined how to create a wholistic style guide that can sustain longevity within a company as well as garner trust and engagement amongst users. The interviews highlighted the importance of consistent, accessible design systems and consistent communication within teams. These insights offer practical implications for designers working to differentiate brands in crowded online spaces and emphasize the value of collaboration in upholding visual standards
Efficient Thermal Design of Data Centers
Get PDFOur sponsor needs a way to categorize and quantify the top 3 colocation center sites based on a series of criteria for given power specs. The sponsor also needs a single innovative cooling method to meet thermal and power requirements while also being manufacturable at scale. This device must also be able to interact with the given Colocation Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system. This design will be tested to provide insight and data that will be applicable to further the development of colocation center cooling. This project will be executed by the Cal Poly senior project team and monitored and sponsored by Ms. Nolan-Brady to ensure that our project and deliverables meet the requirements of our stakeholders
UV Vessel Hoist Scope of Work
Get PDFThe San Luis Obispo Wastewater Treatment Plant uses ultraviolet (UV) tubes to purify water. These tubes are cleaned by an internal wiping mechanism that must be removed for servicing and replacing damaged tubes. Currently, this is accomplished by using an engine hoist, but this method requires a large amount of effort and is not safe. Technicians have requested a new method of lifting wiper mechanisms that is safer, faster, and easier to use than their current method.
To solve this problem, we have developed a design that consists of a custom gantry crane with a hoist on a trolley. The trolley is designed to allow for lifting of the UV assembly within the confined spaces of the water treatment plant. One end of the gantry crane has a height adjustment mechanism which allows for leveling the I-beam in relation to the UV assembly. There is a counterweight to allow easier maneuvering of the UV assembly after it is removed from the tube
2024-2025 Cal Poly Fluid Power Vehicle Competition Team
Get PDFThe Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge (FPVC) provides an avenue for the exploration of fluid-powered transportation, adhering to regulations set by the National Fluid Power Association (NFPA). This document serves as a roadmap for our team’s research, design, and manufacturing of a vehicle for participation in the FPVC. The team’s journey began with extensive background research, encompassing stakeholder engagement, analysis of existing solutions, and education on fluid power fundamentals. From this information, we decided to focus on enhancing mechatronics systems, improving the transmission, optimizing the mounting, adding a pneumatic element, and improving the efficiency of the hydraulic system of the vehicle from previous Cal Poly teams. We then developed a conceptual model of the improvements on the vehicle and honed the specifics of the vehicle: we decided to optimize our hydraulic circuit around the endurance race of the competition, simplified our mechatronics system using one cohesive outsourced mechatronics unit, redesigned mounting to improve the consistency of mechanical power transmission, and added a pneumatic jacking system for the testing of the bike. As we developed and detailed our design, we edited some of the specifics of our improvements. Our hydraulic system was edited to include a bypass line to decrease losses for the endurance race, the mounting system was redesigned and now encloses the motors for stiffness, a past-center jack design was specified and a pneumatic circuit was designed, and the HF impulse software was chosen for controlling the mechatronic system The team then completed a midway review with industry professionals at the FPVC, which informed design decisions for more efficiency and safety in both the hydraulics and pneumatics. After multiple hydraulics and transmission iterations due to a mix of faulty hydraulic motors and alignment problems, the time landed on a final working iteration. Finally, the team competed in the competition, winning awards for their midway review presentation, final review presentation, pneumatics design, and multiple 3rd place results in the races. Overall, the team achieved 3rd place out of 6 teams
Single-Sided Hearing Assistance Application
Get PDFThe product is a hearing assistance smartphone application which aims to improve the quality of life of people with single-sided hearing loss/deafness by providing them with a cheaper and more reliable alternative to medically-prescribed hearing aids. Due to development setbacks, the product instead uses open-ear earbuds. Since the earbuds are not directly inserted into the user’s ear canals, they will not obstruct the hearing of the user’s non-deaf ear, and the user will still be able to hear the sounds that come from their non-deaf side. Some users may find that Bluetooth earbuds can be quite expensive, but are ultimately still much more affordable than prescription hearing aids.
The product is intended to mimic the hearing of a normal human ear so that it will detect audio within the normal human hearing range. The primary restraint of this project is designing an application that has high enough sound quality to compete with prescription hearing aids, while keeping power consumption on the phone as low as possible for the convenience of the consumer.
This product is mainly software-based, but it uses hardware components from the earbuds and the smartphone to achieve the desired effect. The system flow begins with one of the earbuds’ microphones. The audio signal from the microphone is transmitted to the smartphone, which picks up the signal from its Bluetooth receiver. This signal is converted into a digital signal through a codec and is then processed by the Digital Signal Processing (DSP) module of the application, where filtering, limiting, and other processes are performed. After the signal is processed, it travels through a codec again and is transmitted by the Bluetooth transmitter into the earbuds, where the processed audio plays out of the selected “non-deaf” side. The scope of this year’s work on the product was focused almost entirely on the smartphone application’s UI and DSP development