Undergraduate Research Scholars Capstone (2006–present)

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VR Hand Tracking for Robotics Applications
(2022-04-18) Helton, Zachary; Kalafatis, Stavros
In industrial and factory settings, there is no truly safe way for humans to interact with robots. Large industrial machines make too much noise for vocal commands to be used as a safe method of interaction. Electrical motors, machine tools, human operators all create noise that makes vocal commands less effective in a factory than in a quiet laboratory [1]. These issues put human floor workers in unsafe situations frequently. By developing a system that can effectively recognizing track hand gestures from a human and train a robot to respond accordingly, factory safety and human-robot interaction can be revolutionized. The goal of the project is to develop and implement a program that will train a virtual robot to respond to hand gestures. Understanding concepts such as virtual and augmented reality, hand tracking, robotics, machine learning, and domain randomization will be central to the success of the project. Using Unity game design software, a virtual reality will be created in which a virtual robot will be trained to respond to human hand gestures. Thousands of environments will be simulated in VR so that a real robot will be prepared to respond to any possible command. The dataset developed in this research increased the average confidence index of a machine learning gesture recognizer by 12.45%. The end application of this research is for factory automation and other fields where the safety of human-robot interaction is a priority.
Biscuits and Gravey: A Pilot Cartoon
(2022-05-23) Sumner, Morgan E; Woodfin, Samuel H
Biscuits and Gravey is a pilot cartoon and a thesis film that follows a young waitress named Bella Cadvere as she is introduced to her new life among the dead. The singular episode will reach a time between fifteen to twenty minutes presenting the ideas of acceptance of death, femicide, and how death can be presented in a humorous light. The purpose of the pilot itself is to be pitched later and turned into a full television series for young adults. The project will go into the most effective way to create a 2D animated pilot, that is appealing both visually and story wise with the goal of creating a full animatic with sound, creative writing, and dynamic visual storytelling. To do this, there will be studies on both the techniques from veteran animators and implementing 2D materials for the backgrounds and for occasional creepy effects.
3D Additive Metal Extrusion Manufacturing of 316L Stainless Steel
(2022-04-20) Ghauri, Hamza; Mahfouz, Ahmed Nabil; Mansoor, Bilal
The primary objective of our research is to analyze the properties of parts produced by microwave sintering and conventional thermal sintering on 316L Stainless Steel samples produced by way of Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing. FFF is a novel additive manufacturing technique that promises great reductions to inaccessibility, production costs, and operational training over more established metal additive manufacturing methods such as Metal Injection Molding (MIM), Electron Beam Melting (EBM), and Selective Laser Sintering (SLS). FFF printed parts require a complex heat treatment process to separate the metal particles from the polymeric binder they are embedded and to subsequently fuse together the metal particles. This work investigates some sintering options suited to FFF metal printing and the parameters thereof with respect to the quality of the final sintered piece. Some early studies have shown that with the proper set of sintering parameters the mechanical properties, density and porosity levels of the sintered part can be on par with those manufactured by conventional more costly metallurgical methods. In this present study, various sintering parameters are investigated to optimize the quality of the final part by way of both, conventional thermal sintering, and microwave sintering. The properties of the material in response to the two sintering methods, varying sintering temperatures, and sintering environments are investigated. Results are presented on surface finish, cross-sectional appearance and microstructure, internal porosity, material hardness, compression testing, and elemental composition and distribution analysis.
Friction Stir Processing of WE43 with In-situ Cooling
(2022-04-20) Bajwa, Haseeb Sharif; Iqbal, Hayyam Tariq; Mansoor, Bilal
It is well known that friction stir processing refines the microstructure of metallic alloys by imparting severe plastic deformation under frictional heating. FSP routinely produces an ultra-fine grained stir zone, which leads to higher hardness and yield strength in a material, and overlapping passes of FSP can be deployed to process a large area of a workpiece. It is also well known that controlling excessive heat input to the material during friction stir processing can help reduce dynamic grain growth, which is detrimental to the resulting mechanical properties. This thesis aimed to enhance the extent of grain refinement achievable during friction stir processing of a vital magnesium alloy, i.e., WE43, by leveraging active cooling. In the present work, we compared the conventional FSP with cFSP and found that fine and ultra-fine grains of 3.3 µm and 1.5 µm were produced in the WE43 plate by the two processes. We elaborate on the effectiveness of incorporating a cooling system into the backing plate, which provides in-situ cooling during FSP (cFSP) and thus arrests the microstructure and can help avoid grain growth during processing. cFSP grains exhibit 104 HV hardness versus the 78 HV of the base metal and improved the ductility from 9.2% Elongation of BM to 33% Elongation. The results establish that cFSP has the potential to create high hardness and ductility without compromising the yield strength which opens avenues for future research and potential applications.
Optical Metabolic Imaging of Tumors to Quantify Reactive Oxygen Species
(2022-04-13) Nathani, Raniyah Imtiyaz; Walsh, Alexandra
The growth and development of cancer cells differs from that of normal cells. Cancer cells exhibit increased metabolic activity and have increased production of highly reactive molecules called Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), which serve as regulators of important signaling pathways and promote many aspects of tumor growth and progression. Factors such as environmental changes, genetic mutations, and changes in the cellular and extracellular mechanical properties stimulate metabolic and functional heterogeneity to arise among tumor cells within the same patient. This has led to increased resistance to cancer treatments and greater difficulty in predicting how a patient’s cancer will progress. To best address the relationship between cellular metabolism and tumor heterogeneity, optical imaging microscopy is employed to detect fluorescence signals of a ROS label and NADH, an important molecule in the process of cellular energy metabolism. A cyanide experiment is conducted to induce ROS in KRC cells, and ROS fluorescence assay is subsequently used to quantify ROS production. Fluorescence images of KRC cells before and after the cyanide experiment are acquired. Results demonstrate that both the optical redox ratio and ROS increased after the addition of cyanide compared to control cells without cyanide. While more experimental trials need to be conducted, current experimental outcomes relay the potential for using the relationship between NADH redox state and ROS levels to look at different phases of the cell metabolic cycle to quantify tumor heterogeneity in the future. This can help extend our understanding of the parallel between tumor treatment response and metabolically distinct tumor cell populations which is currently not well understood.
The Effects of Investigator Disturbance on Nesting White-Tailed Hawks in South Texas
(2022-04-15) Simonds, Brianna; Morrison, Michael
The white-tailed hawk (Geranoaetus albicaudatus) is a common raptor located throughout Central and South America. Only one subspecies of white-tailed hawk, G. a. hypospodius, is known to live as far north as the coastal regions of Texas. Despite being classified as a state-threatened species in Texas, little is known about the white-tailed hawk’s life history and population demographics. The lack of information about the white-tailed hawk makes it challenging to identify how to protect and manage the species. The few studies done on this species in the past indicate that white-tailed hawks are sensitive to anthropogenic disturbances. Additionally, the white-tailed hawks’ nesting locations within Texas (grasslands, savannahs, pastures) are becoming increasingly threatened and fragmented. Information pertaining to impacts of nesting disturbance and nesting success could be essential in protecting the animal’s natural populations. In my study, I quantified nesting disturbance activities and their impacts on nesting white-tailed hawks, specifically by focusing on whether adults will avoid their nests and young for greater amounts of time following researcher approach. This behavior could decrease nestling success by leaving them vulnerable and without parental care for more extended periods. To learn more about the white-tailed hawk’s disturbance reactions, I measured the amount of time the adults leave the nest following researcher approach and investigate possible impacts. I used data collected from footage captured by motion-activated cameras placed at white-tailed hawk nests throughout several different locations in south Texas during the 2021 breeding season. Preliminary analysis focused on the nest located on Mustang Island State Park in Nueces County, Texas, where over 5,000 minutes of footage was reviewed in total. The average length of time that the adult white-tailed hawks spent away from their nest following an investigator disturbance event (116 mins) was significantly longer than time spent away from the nest for any other reason on days with (46.9 mins) and without (44 mins) a disturbance event. The total amount of time that both adults were absent from their nest also increased on days with (64.5 % of recorded daylight hours) and without (57.8% of recorded daylight hours) a disturbance event. Establishing buffer zones around white-tailed hawk nests during their nesting season may be an effective way to protect their populations in the coastal bend region of Texas.
Describing the Impacts of Wastewater Effluent on the Phytoplankton Community Composition in Galveston Bay
(2022-04-26) Ballard, Jake Howard; Quigg, Antonietta
The treatment of wastewater has been a dilemma since humans began building and inhabiting cities. Globally, wastewater is released into oceans, bays, streams, lakes and rivers, in many cases, without much consideration for the potential ecological impacts. The impact of wastewater effluent on the phytoplankton community is not well understood. Changes in the phytoplankton community composition are related to the physicochemical parameters of the environment. Phytoplankton are essential to the marine ecosystem as they are the foundation of the food chain and support higher trophic levels. Thus, a deep understanding of the relationship between human activity and wastewater effluent impacts on the ecosystem is necessary for identifying potential environmental degradation due to human activities. As the human population increases, so will the amount of wastewater that is produced. Understanding the best methods of disposal and treatments will help ensure that the best practices are being employed. Seemingly small factors such as release rate, release time and surrounding environments of the wastewater effluent input have the potential to influence how the treated wastewater navigates 2 through the waterway. I hypothesize that changes in the phytoplankton community will be correlated to rapid and large increase in human population associated with human events. In order to test this hypothesis, I determined this relationship by establishing baseline environmental parameters and phytoplankton assemblages to data collected during large-scale human activities in Galveston Bay, Texas. My data suggests that there are no changes in the concentration of chlorophyll-a, a proxy for phytoplankton biomass, between baseline periods and large-scale human activities. This implies that the large-scale human activities did not impact the concentration of phytoplankton. Why a noticeable change was not observed in this study will be discussed, as well as suggestions for future directions of such research.
Revising Environment Maps in Real Time
(2022-04-14) Salankimatt, Yashas; Kalafatis, Stavros
When mapping indoor environments that have frequent changes in the environment, like whenever the state of doors is changed or if furniture has moved, existing robotic systems struggle since they most commonly build a static map of their surroundings that is not able to recognize its location whenever only a few things are changed in the surroundings. As robots continue to be used alongside humans, robots and robotic systems should be able to understand where in their environment they are without nearly as much previous knowledge and update their understanding of their surroundings as they explore. This research attempts to solve these problems and make a robot be able to localize itself in a previously known map and then dynamically update that map without the need for remapping the environment completely, providing itself the most up to date environment map for navigation purposes. This research yields a system that allows for the accurate revision of a previously generated ground truth environment map while being able to localize a robot with no previous knowledge of its location within the environment. This research also yields an implementation of this system on a physical robot with a LIDAR sensor, as well as a simulation of this system and a comparison of this method with other methods of localization and map revision of small, day-to-day changes to human indoor environments.
The Impacts of Lipocalin in Cancer
(2022-04-18) Chauhan, Rahul; Chakraborty, Sanjukta
Cholangiocarcinoma, CCA, is a cancer of the intrahepatic and the extrahepatic biliary epitheiun. It is often aggressive, clinically silent, and has a poor patient outcome, with a 10% 5-year survival rate across all SEER stages combined. Tumor-associated growth of new lymphatic vessels, also known as lymphangiogenesis, predicts unfavorable prognosis of CCA, and tumor metastasis to the draining lymph nodes (LN) is the primary indicator of adverse outcome. Lipocalin is a protein responsible for iron homeostasis, first found as a part of the innate immune system. Since its discovery, it has been found to have a role in cancer metastasis and growth. It sequesters intracellular iron that otherwise would cause damage to the cell. Often, lipocalin is used by cancerous cells to survive and proliferate. Although in certain cancers, lipocalin is a deterrent to cancer spread, in most cancers research, it is a factor that promotes its negative effects. This paper consolidates the numerous findings on lipocalin and its role in the body, focusing on the effects it has on cancer. We found that breast cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, and colon cancer are the most studied cancers regarding lipocalin and showed that lipocalin predominantly leads to increased tumor migration and proliferation. Additionally, although more research is required for definitive results, studies show that silencing lipocalin through various pathways can reduce the poor prognosis of cancer and overall, be a treatment plan for cancers. This will cause the cell to not be able to properly handle the intracellular concentration of iron and cause ferroptosis, also known as iron-induced apoptosis. Although promising, more research would be needed to make sure that the treatment is effective at targeting only tumor cells and killing them.
Methodology for Studying Diffusion Through Polyelectrolyte Multilayers
(2022-05-05) Kim, Paul Gihun; Alge, Daniel
Polyelectrolyte multilayer membranes are a set of thin layer membranes fabricated using the layer-by-layer deposition of polyelectrolytes onto a given substrate. Thin films created on the surface of the modified substrates provide differences in material properties allowing their versatile application within the field of biomedical engineering. The multilayers are easily tunable depending on the simple modifications in thickness or composition of the coated PEMs layers and can aid materials in exhibiting favorable properties for loading and drug release of bioactive materials. Previously, the use of PEMs was explored to regulate the diffusion of glucose into a biosensing system. PEMs using polyelectrolyte layers of poly (allylamine hydrochloride) and poly (sodium-p-styrene sulfonate) allow transport limiting membrane required to increase the accuracy of glucose reading from the oxygen-sensitive fluorophores. [1] Altering the properties of the coated PEMs could alter the membrane diffusivity and device sensitivity to glucose. To design a methodology for the glucose biosensor, the modification of the PEMs composition, thickness, and crosslinking were applied to observe the effects on the diffusion characteristics. With the successful deposition of the thin film coating using the PAH and PSS multilayer composition, the layers were verified using contact angle measurements of the material surface. Subsequently, the diffusion of glucose across the differently layered PEMs was demonstrated to observe the decrease in diffusion rates across the fabricated PEMs layers with an increased membrane thickness.
Low-Cost Optical Wireless Communications Laser Tracking System
(2022-04-18) Garner, Michael Nicholas; Madsen, Christi K
As wireless data transfer has grown more prolific, and the technologies that rely upon it more numerous and sophisticated, critical limitations of RF-band wireless communication schemes such as WiFi have become apparent. To mitigate these limitations and enable the continued growth of wireless device functionalities, Light Fidelity (LiFi) schemes that transmit data through modulating visible, infrared, or ultraviolet light are being developed [1-5]. LiFi systems present many advantages over RF systems, including vastly improved data transmission rates, but also lower power consumption, higher security, and utilization of a much broader, unlicensed spectrum [1-5]. Laser LiFi systems in particular hold promise for their exceptional speed and range capabilities [2, 4]. This however comes at the cost of lasers being highly directional and thus requiring more precise alignment. This gives rise to the need for a transmit/receive system wherein the transmitting unit can locate and align its laser to a mobile target/detector, establishing a link over which data could be sent. Such a system must be able to align rapidly and realign with the target in the case of beam obstructions. It should also ideally be low-cost and of a manageable size. To meet these needs, this work builds off of the previous year’s work on this design [6], and develops a low-cost, practically-sized, fast infrared laser LiFi alignment and tracking system that can perform the aforementioned functions. The system produced was able to reliably identify a backlit LED target and align a laser with a detecting element attached to this target. This initial alignment took no more than 16 seconds, and realignment following beam obstructions was also shown to not exceed 16 seconds. Weight did not exceed 2 kilograms for either module, and the modules were compact, not exceeding 25.4 centimeters on a side.
Formation of Quasi-Static Bandgap in a Novel One-Dimensional Metamaterial: Simulation and Experiments
(2022-04-26) Nafees, Muhammad; El-Borgi, Sami
The main objective of this paper is to propose a new metamaterial capable of generating a quasistatic bandgap from zero frequency. The metamaterial is modelled by a lattice system made of mass-in-mass units using continuum beam elements. The unit cell of the proposed metamaterial contains a resonator connected to bar-spring mechanism embedded in a host mass. The stop band behavior of the new metamaterial is simulated in a commercial FEA software, COMSOL Multiphysics. By making use of dispersion curve analysis and transmissibility of the unit cells in a frequency domain, the band gap formation capabilities of the unit cell is studied. The proposed metamaterial is capable of forming quasi-static bandgaps and conventional bandgaps. The bandwidth of these are affected by geometrical parameters which vary the stiffness of the continuum beam elements. The paper defines 3 key parameters: mass ratio of resonator mass with respect to the main mass and the stiffness of two beams which control motion of the masses. The bandwidth of the bandgaps are studied along with the opening frequencies for the bandgaps.
Farmworkers as Heroes for COVID-19 Mitigation: Curriculum Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of Sé el Héroe (Be the Hero)
(2022-04-13) Amaro, Efrain; Sharkey, Joseph
Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers (MSFW) are at heightened vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission due to their occupational and lifestyle exposure. Furthermore, the high levels of chronic illnesses among the MSFW community also contribute to their vulnerability. The purpose of Sé el Héroe is to create a culturally and linguistically responsive outreach program by developing, deploying, evaluating, and disseminating a curriculum with the goal of mitigating the infection and transmission of SARS-CoV-2. The program seeks to do this by providing the necessary tools and knowledge to MSFWs to gain the necessary knowledge, skills, attitude, and self-efficacy to promote adoption of positive mitigation behaviors. In order to execute the purpose of the Sé el Héroe outreach program a formative evaluation for curriculum development was conducted, pilot testing then followed in which further modifications were identified to ensure program success, and finally program implementation. The expected outcomes are 1) Address limitations in risk mitigation literacy and build capacity of a hard-to-reach population (i.e., MSFW), 2) encourage MSFWs to make appropriate decisions to reduce the risk for infection and transmission of SARS-CoV-2, 3) strengthen CHW/P understanding of SARS-CoV-2 and the practice to mitigate infection, 4) promote positive behavioral changes in family risk mitigation behaviors, and 5) empower community residents with added skills and knowledge! Additionally, the Sé el Héroe outreach curriculum program can provide insight on the importance and effectiveness of creating a program that takes into consideration the culture and language of the target community.
Calcareous Nannofossils and their Relationship with Climate Variability
(2022-05-04) Mossell, Haley R; Kulhanek, Denise; LeVay, Leah
Calcareous nannofossils are what remains of calcareous phytoplankton after they die and find their way to the ocean floor. While these organisms are alive, they record changes in surface temperature of the ocean. For instance, Gephyrocapsa oceanica is strongly linked to warm ocean waters, whereas cooler waters are favorable for Gephyrocapsa muellerae. Calcareous nannofossils can also provide information about the availability of nutrients in surface waters. For example, Gephyrocapsa spp. (<3 µm) prefer higher nutrient availability. Conversely, Florisphaera profunda, a species that lives in the lower photic zone, is only abundant when nutrients are available deep in the water column, indicating stratified waters and decreased nutrients in the upper photic zone due to an absence of upwelling occurring in the region. Thus, nannofossil assemblages can be used to document how the climate has changed through Earth’s history. This study examined nannofossil assemblages in samples collected from piston core MD13-3504, obtained by the R/V Marion Defresne during research cruise MD13 to the Mozambique Channel. The Mozambique Channel is located between the island of Madagascar and Mozambique in East Africa and serves as a path for warm water from the equatorial Indian Ocean to enter the Southwestern Indian Ocean via the Agulhas Current. The Agulhas Current also injects warm, saline water into the South Atlantic Ocean via the Agulhas leakage, thereby influencing Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy using the appearance of Emiliania huxleyi and disappearance of Pseudoemiliania lacunosa indicates that the sediment core is dated to the middle to late Pleistocene, with the oldest sample examined >430 ka in age. Sea-surface temperatures were generally warm through this time interaval as the nannofossil assemblages are dominated by warm-water taxa such as Gephyrocapsa oceanica, Rhabdosphaera spp. and Helicosphaera spp. Cold-water species such as Coccolithus pelagicus and Gephyrocapsa muellerae appear for brief time periods throughout the studied interval. Surface water stratification increased through time, especially in the interval younger than 290 ka, based on high abundances of Florisphaera profunda and low N ratio values. These results suggest warmer and more oligotrophic waters dominated in the region over the last ~200 kyr.
"Eliminating All Rapists from the Streets of Texas": A Case Study on Constitutional Carry and Domestic Violence Education Policies During the 87th Texas Legislative Session
(2022-04-22) Jablon, Abigail Rae; Lakkimsetti, Chaitanya
This thesis project delves into the complexities of contradicting arguments regarding women’s safety in the 87th Texas Legislative Session, focusing on Constitutional Carry and Domestic Violence Education. I further determine how constructions of crime and public-private discussions impact policies which affect women disproportionately to men. I analyze how this translates to arguments made by conservative legislators in favor of Permitless Carry in Texas, citing concern for women, when the research suggests otherwise. Through the analysis of legislative discussions archived by the Texas Legislature, I conclude that women’s struggles are used to maintain a patriarchal power structure, even if subconsciously, which does not reflect the reality of crime against women accurately. Additionally feminist perspectives and women’s empowerment are appropriated to push a conservative agenda in Texas, with no consideration of the associated harm to women. Checking these theories against the outcomes of Senate Bill 1109, a domestic violence education piece, it is clear that any genuine concern for women’s safety is overshadowed by a desire to maintain patriarchal authority and traditional values.
Whole Body Vibration Platforms and Their Effect on the Equine Body
(2022-04-22) Read, Emily Grace; Huseman, Chelsie
Whole body vibration platforms are commonly utilized across the equine industry. However, little research has been done to quantify vibration transmission across the equine body outside of evaluating clinical merit. This work establishes normative values for transmission to various tissues, creating the opportunity to compare previous studies more accurately, and may standardize how future studies are reported. Baseline measurements of frequency and amplitude were taken using a three dimensional accelerometer on a vibration platform (TheraPlate, Weatherford, Texas) without a horse at the 20%, 50%, and 80% output levels. A horse was subsequently placed on the vibration platform with one accelerometer placed on the front hoof for all measurements, and the second accelerometer being placed on the cannon bone, withers, sacrum, and back hoof at each output level measured. Frequency was found to be stable within output levels at each anatomical part of the horse in comparison to the hoof. Frequencies increased as the output levels increased between 20%, 50%, and 80%. Amplitude at all output levels was determined to be more variable but exhibited consistent attenuation as the accelerometer was placed on higher anatomical locations on the horse, by increasing the distance from the vibration platform. Amplitude decreased after the point of its resonant frequency. The resonant frequency was located between the 50% and 80% output levels, as a decrease in amplitude was observed from the 50% to the 80% output level. Therefore, increasing the output level does not guarantee that the amplitude of vibration will increase. Frequency and amplitude were determined to be ideal demographics to report due to their consistency and ability to provide a snapshot of what various tissues of the equine body experience. A reduction in amplitude experienced in the equine body dorsal to the extremities indicates that vibration transmission is greatly attenuated and may not be effective in eliciting a physiological response higher up on the body.
“Forever Chemicals” and Children’s Health—A Review of Adverse Effects Associated with Infant Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances
(2022-04-15) Dinh, Kaylyn Yen; Johnson, Natalie M
Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widespread environmental contaminants. PFAS can bioaccumulate and persist in the human body for years and have been associated with reproductive and developmental effects. Breastfeeding is one major route of PFAS exposure in infants as lactation is an excretion pathway. While breastfeeding provides ample nutrition, immune and developmental benefits for infants, lactational PFAS transfer represents a potential risk for infant immune development and possibly other long-term adverse effects. Methods: In this literature review, we examine levels of PFAS concentration in breast milk across several different studies and synthesize findings from human epidemiologic studies and experimental models in both adults and children. Results: PFAS are routinely found in breast milk across geographic regions. PFAS exposure has led to numerous adverse health outcomes including immune, reproductive, and metabolic effects as well as pubertal onset indicators. Conclusion: Overall, it can be concluded based on existing scientific evidence that there is an association between PFAS exposure and adverse health outcomes in adults and children. However, many of the studies in this review focus on long-chain PFAS and may be inconsistent with other findings, so there is a need for more studies on short-chain PFAS to understand their potential long-term health effects.
The Impact of Animal Companions on Neurodivergent College Students
(2022-05-09) Hacker, Hannah R; Kaur, Amarpreet; Quintanilla, Jacob A; Noska, Brianna; Quick, Christopher M; Cisneros, Marissa R
The Neurodivergent community has different social and mental processes due to genetic and/or environmental factors that impact interaction with neurotypical settings. There is a disparate number of college students with neurodiversity, possibly due to struggles to a new social environment and classes, often built for neurotypical students. Numerous studies have shown that animals boost social, mental, and physical health within challenged communities, such as children with autism. However, there is little research on animal companionship assisting on the transitioning process into the new settings of higher education for neurodiverse college students. The purpose of this research is to explore the impact of animal companions on the mental and social health attitudes of neurodiverse college students. Our research question is How do pets affect the social health, mental health of neurodiverse college students and the transition of first year neurodiverse college students? Mixed methodology was used within a survey containing both quantitative and open-ended questions to uncover the benefits of companion animals on neurodiverse students. Data will be collected from both those who do and do not own animals. Questions are based on social and mental health and the first year of college. Students who own pets can answer questions based on their pets and how they helped them through their first year of school. Practical Implications: The benefits of companion animals have not been thoroughly researched on neurodiverse college students, and therefore they may not be aware of the valuable possibilities this resource brings. Using the data collected from other resources that use pet therapy; could show improvements for college students who have Neurodiversity and possibly increase students' numbers to go to college. After collecting 36(n) participants' data, a t-test was run to compare the impact of animals on neurodiverse college students and those who did not own animal companions. Overall, we determined if neurodiverse students with companion owners had a lower Likert means than those who did not own companion animals. In doing this, for each section, including the mental health, social health, and the transition to college, a t-test was run for each variable created by the CFA to determine the likelihood that their sections had a smaller Likert scale for animal companion owners than those who did not own animal companions. Using the results of each section helped to conclude that overall that neurodiverse college students who owned pets had a higher or similar Likert means compared to those who did not have animal companions. We also collected data from those who owned animal companions through a qualitative survey section. With the responses, we concluded that all participants had a positive reaction that animal companions do decrease stress and anxiety level. Overall, the Likert scales of the survey show that animal companions did not have a lower Likert means than non-animal owners, and they do not have an impact on the social and mental health of college students. However, the free-response survey showed that animals could impact their social and mental health. The results could play into many factors, including having a small sample size. Overall, 65 participants do not have enough data to finalize the results, so further collections will need to collect accurate conclusions. Another issue is that the data collected does not correlate between the qualitative section and the quantitative section of the survey; further research will need to be done to close these gaps.
Decolonizing the American Family Unit
(2022-04-22) Girvin, Kate Ann; Rivera, Omar
This thesis combines possible dialogues between decolonial feminist, María Lugones with feminist activist, Silvia Federici to explore how Western attitudes towards gender and race reinforce reproductive imperatives for women. The research will explain how these imperatives are resisted through a recognition of one’s multiplicity inside and outside a fragmenting, modern bourgeois society. Specifically, this thesis examines families of the Texas borderlands as models of resistance to dominant social constructions of motherhood which exclude “non-traditional” borderlands families from the larger American society. Using Federici’s historical analysis of the transition from feudalism to capitalism, I will employ a decolonial feminist approach to evaluate the dynamics of family units in the Texas borderlands. Federici’s critique of primitive accumulation will show that the capitalist mode of production utilizes mechanisms of power that negatively alter the perceptions and roles of American mothers within the family unit. Moreover, a decolonial analysis, following Lugones, will show how Western attitudes towards gender and race create social and political norms which subordinate women of color and mothers in particular. The collective research will reveal that families of the borderlands are found outside of the dominant social organization and refute Western social determinations of gender and race. Concepts such as capitalism, arrogant perception of women, and fragmentation will explain how women of color are reduced in society and within the family unit through attempts to impose corresponding social relations with modern/colonial roots. A recognition of the struggles endured by women of color against dominant social classifications will help to explain how the positionality of women in society is centered upon being subordinated by white men. The family unit is a source of struggle for women that reinforces the self-estrangement of mothers as objects of an oppressive white male arrogant perception. In this respect, I will address the gap in decolonial feminist literature to expand upon a decolonial viewpoint that the nuclear family operates as a microstate. This thesis creates new discussions surrounding family units in philosophy. Families in the borderlands must reject Western, Eurocentered feminism insofar as it misses the colonial perspective. Instead, families in the borderlands can navigate society by embracing their double- consciousness and multiplicity. An analysis of Lugones and Federici will contribute to conversations of this counterculture, identifying the fragmentation of women of color in the family unit and the mechanisms of colonial power that oppresses them.
Stress Analyses of a Windowed Bomb for Battery Failure Experiments
(2022-04-22) Miller, David M; Thomas, James (Chris)
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are one of the most prevalent modern energy storage technologies. Their relatively high energy density makes them attractive for many applications, such as electric vehicles, spacecraft, and smart phones. Unfortunately, these batteries also can pose a serious threat to consumers when they undergo thermal runaway (TR).In the current study, an old flame speed vessel is being retrofitted into a state-of-the-art LIB failure test experiment to evaluate the potential hazards of these incidents. The retrofitted vessel will be utilized to perform experiments wherein LIBs are heated to failure to induce TR. The vent gases and micro/nano particles released will be captured and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) and electron microscopy methods, respectively. The experiment will also include high-speed video analysis with the potential for additional optical diagnostic capabilities. An important component of retrofitting the vessel was the removal of fans that were previously utilized to generate turbulence and sealing the openings the fans occupied. An aluminum cover plate was designed that can withstand the elevated pressures and temperatures that could be caused by LIB TR in the vessel. The design procedure consisted of material selection, seal design, analytical 1D stress analyses, and two versions (semi-infinite and FEA approaches) of 1D transient heat transfer analyses. The final design is a 0.5ʺ–thick circular plate made of Al 6061 with a face-seal, silicone O-ring. The experiment has not been fully designed at the time of publishing this report, but design of all subsystems is nearing completion and the remaining future work has been identified. Check-out experiment testing is anticipated in the summer of 2022.

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