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Web App For Campus Registered Student Organization Interaction and Management
No full textThis project aimed to develop a web application to improve communication and engagement within university clubs at Santa Clara University (SCU). The need for this project emerged from the limitations of current methods used at SCU for disseminating club information, especially outside of club fairs, and the inadequacies of existing platforms like the Registered Student Organization (RSO) webpage like information upkeep and clarity. Furthermore, the project seeks to establish a web app that unifies these solutions with club management capabilities all on one platform.
My approach involved conducting a comprehensive survey to understand the needs of SCU students and club organizers. The insights gained from this research informed the development of my web application, though we also pulled from robust research on various topics to acquire an understanding of the state-of-the-art solutions in web application development such as the latest frameworks in regards to web design, security risks and standard protections, considerations for web application development, authorization, accessibility, and usability. The development process focused on iterative design and development. A significant emphasis was placed on creating an intuitive and accessible user interface to ensure a positive user experience.
The application has significantly improved the visibility and accessibility of club activities, leading to increased student participation and engagement. It has also addressed the issue of outdated information, providing a reliable and up-to-date source for club-related events and contacts. Furthermore, those in RSO management positions are now able to curate their club in a consistent, yet easily customizable fashion. The development of this web application not only enhances the sense of community at SCU but also serves as a model for other educational institutions seeking to improve student engagement in extracurricular activities
Packed-Bed Reactor For Integrated Peritoneal Dialysis
Get PDFPatients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have lost kidney function. 800,000 Americans have end-stage kidney disease resulting in one of the leading causes of mortality cross-listed with diabetes and heart disease. Over the past decade, the percentage of patients using peritoneal dialysis (PD) has nearly doubled. PD which is a portable treatment involves the insertion of a catheter into the selectively permeable peritoneal cavity infused with a hyperosmolar dialysis fluid drawing the toxins from capillary beds of the peritoneum and into a gravity fed waste solution with a reported clearance of 87%. In order to improve the clearance of the current PD treatment, a kinetic driving force has been proposed to be coupled to the diffusive mechanism, designed for insertion into a custom 3D-printed packed bed reactor. The reactor itself was integrated in turn into a programmable fluidic network to create a custom continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis testing device for which the leak-free flow rate was determined to be 30 mL/min. The peritoneum membrane has been simulated using cross-linked alginate fibers ( L = 40 mm, D = 1.6 mm) with an established molecular weight cutoff of 3 nm to which a kinetic layer has been electrostatically-adsorbed encompassing the encapsulated urease. The measured first order kinetic degradation constant was 0.06 min-1 for an initial hyper-uremic urea concentration of 3.2 mg/mL at 20 °C, in a potassium phosphate buffer (pH = 7.0). Using the experimentally derived kinetic results, flow rates and reactor geometry, urea degradation was simulated in the custom device. After a residence time of 3.9 seconds per pass to which an additional 3 seconds should be added for fluid flow across the fluidic network, 165 passes were necessary to achieve a clearance of 87% in 20 min, theoretically half the time of a 40 min existing PD cycle. This projected time improvement does not take into account complications in the fluidic cycle caused by bioerosion at 37 °C in dialysis to be addressed in future studies by anti-swelling strategies
Calculaser S.A. - Colombian Medical Clinic
Get PDFThis report presents a comprehensive ground up design for the Calculaser S.A. medical clinic, located in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia. The clinic contributes to providing affordable and comprehensive preventative healthcare services, bridging regional disparities and catering to individuals who may face limitations in accessing certain medical facilities. Calculaser aligns with the goal of fostering a more inclusive and accessible healthcare environment, striving to enhance the well-being of the surrounding population.
The design provided in this report will include three (3) main scopes: transportation & municipal, structural, and construction management. The transportation scope covers a configuration of the proposed parking garage, an intersection design of the proposed road, a drainage plan for the project site, and a traffic analysis of the design. The structural scope covers the reinforced concrete design for gravity and seismic loading, then dives into a comparative study of seismic force determination methods, and finally presents a novel concrete mix to reduce plastic waste. The construction management scope covers designs for the permanent shoring system of excavation (SOE) walls, a project schedule, and site logistics plans and analysis for the earthwork; concrete; and asphalt operations
Automated Fabrication Workcell
Get PDFThere is a rise of automation in the workplace, everywhere from automated manufacturing to biomedical fields, and more. These technologies are becoming increasingly accessible for customers to use and explore. Going into this project, we were curious to see if automation could be brought into our University, and applied to the Maker space. Furthermore, as these technologies are becoming more readily available, they remain fairly costly. Thus, we have created a functioning, small-scale workcell that produces a variety of small products in large batches while remaining low cost, reliable, and accessible to those who want to learn more and create their own fabrication workcell. We achieved this goal by manufacturing a frame specific to the requirements set by our space, machinery and our customers. Additionally, custom mechatronic stations were made that take in products and execute a specific required step in the manufacturing process. These custom stations include a pressure station, and product flipper station. Three Rotrics dexArm robots were integrated into the workcell frame, and fit with specifically designed end-effectors. These end-effectors include a picking sensor with a suction cup, and a felt pad picker. Station alignment jigs were produced for each station to decrease tolerance build up and maintain the quality of the products moving through the workcell. In terms of programming, a modularized Python script was created to handle the sequencing of the workcell and the movement of the dexArms. This required communication between both the individual stations and the main picker dexArm, integrating both Python scripts and C++ for the Arduinos used in the workcell. Each station was placed onto the frame in order to optimize product output, while also tackling integration challenges. Furthermore, each piece of the workcell was optimized for increased reliability and quality. The following chapters will dive into the process and steps that were taken, design iterations and rationale for each subsystem of the workcell which came together to produce a custom cork coaster making automated fabrication workcell
Autonomous Humanoid Soccer Robot with ML Applications
Get PDFAs the sports industry increasingly incorporates technological advancements, robotics has found a unique application in the field of soccer, traditionally dominated by human players. This transition has sparked significant interest in examining the performance and dynamics of robots in athletic contexts. In this senior design project, we focus on the development of autonomous movement, ball control, and game strategy algorithms for the NAO humanoid to play soccer. Utilizing an array of sensors and actuators, the robot is designed to perform fundamental soccer skills such as dribbling and shooting. The robot is able to identify both the goal and the ball using supervised machine learning programs. Additionally, the robot is equipped with Al-driven perception capabilities to interpret game dynamics and make realtime decisions using both a rule-based strategy and a reinforcement learning-based. This project seeks to contribute to the broader discussion on the integration of robotics in sports and its potential for helping human participation in professional athletics
ProtectNIC - SmartNIC Ransomware Detection
Get PDFRansomware, a form of malware that restricts access to data until a ransom is paid, accounts for 20% of all cyber crimes. Although companies and organizations often require their personnel to take training for awareness of such bad actors, social engineering is constantly evolving and ransomware slips through the cracks every year. In this paper, we suggest a system that would help detect ransomware using a Smart Network Interface Card (SmartNIC) which runs machine learning algorithms to detect ransomware before it enters the system. This relieves computers in the network of the burden of detecting malware, freeing CPU capacity to do other work. Using previous network data captured while running ransomware binaries, we trained models that accurately predict whether network traffic contains ransomware using only packet payloads. Our results suggest that payload analysis could be a valid in-network solution to malware detection
RagU Conversational Menu Assistant: An LLM Retrieval Augmented Generation Approach
Get PDFThis project introduces a novel Conversational Menu Assistant leveraging Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) techniques within a modified Large Language Model (LLM) framework to enhance dining experiences by providing personalized menu assistance. The main innovation lies in the system’s ability to integrate up-to-date menu information from various sources, including web scraping, into its responses, thereby circumventing the limitations commonly associated with LLMs, such as the need for frequent retraining and the challenge of handling dynamic information. Our solution addresses the pressing issue of reducing the workload on restaurant servers and streamlining the ordering process by offering precise menu details, personalized recommendations based on dietary preferences, and an intuitive user interface for an improved customer experience.
The implementation of our Conversational Menu Assistant demonstrates the efficacy of RAG techniques in real-world applications, showcasing a significant advancement over existing LLMs by focusing on restaurant menus. Through a comprehensive development approach utilizing Python for AI and data processing, React for dynamic user interface design, and OpenAI’s API enhanced with menu-specific information, we aim to achieve high accuracy in responses. Preliminary results indicate a positive impact on the dining experience, offering a proof of concept with potential for future expansion to include broader restaurant selection assistance.
Acknowledging potential ethical and societal implications, our project includes mitigation strategies to address concerns such as the impact on server employment and tipping practices. Future work will focus on refining the LLM’s accuracy, particularly regarding dietary restrictions and allergies, and exploring the scalability of our approach to a wider array of restaurants. This project represents a significant step forward in the application of RAG techniques to improve service industry efficiency and customer satisfaction
The Impact of Emojis on User Engagement with Trolling Content in Online Platforms
Get PDFThis thesis examines the impact of emojis on user engagement within online discussions, particularly focusing on the trolling behavior on social media platforms such as Reddit. The central problem addressed is understanding how different types of emojis—in emotional, informational, and popularity-based categories—affect user interactions and engagement in online communications. Through a robust methodological approach, combining quantitative data analysis and Random Forest regression modeling, this research meticulously analyzes emoji usage patterns and their correlations with engagement metrics like upvotes and comments.
The results highlight that emotional and popular emojis significantly enhance engagement by facilitating emotional expression and connection among users. In contrast, excessive or inappropriate use of emojis, especially those less popular or predominantly informational, tends to reduce engagement. These findings suggest that while emojis can serve as powerful tools for enhancing communication and mitigating conflicts, their misuse can lead to decreased user interaction and potential misunderstandings.
Based on these insights, the study concludes that understanding the context-specific impacts of emojis is crucial for both content creators and platform moderators to foster healthier online environments. Recommendations for future research include exploring the effects of cultural differences on emoji interpretation and expanding the predictive modeling to other platforms to generalize the findings. This work contributes to the broader discourse on digital communication strategies, offering guidelines for more effective and empathetic engagement online
Regional and ethnic inequality in Burkina Faso
Get PDFThis chapter summarizes data on regional and ethnic inequality in Burkina Faso. The Sahel and Est regions appear to be the worst-off, according to a variety of indicators. There is less data and research on ethnic inequality, but it is likely that the Peul and Gourma ethnic groups (residing predominantly in the Sahel and Est regions) are also worse off. There has been little systematic analysis of how government investment in public goods have affected regional and ethnic inequality. Some of the important drivers of inequality in Burkina Faso are likely similar to those identified for other African countries. These include the colonial heritage, especially of missionary settlement and effects on education, forced labor, the location of road and rail networks, dam and irrigation infrastructure, and public services investments in rural areas
Algae: Advanced Lakebed Guardian And Algae Eradicator
Get PDFThe Advanced Lakebed Guardian and Algae Eradicator (ALGAE) is a benthic rover designed to mitigate algae blooms in Lake Tahoe and similar freshwater environments. The aim is to eliminate the risks of manual algae removal by scuba divers, which is the current solution employed by the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC). Serving as a safer and cost-effective robotic solution for algae mitigation, ALGAE will enhance environmental preservation, marine research, and the tourism industry at Lake Tahoe. For the first year of development, differential drive, sensor data streaming, and remote operation were all achieved using a tethered laptop workstation while the rover was fully submerged at a local boat ramp. The prospect of an autonomous fleet also highlights the broader impact of ALGAE in regions experiencing similar algae blooms not only throughout the nation, but potentially worldwide as well