2019 Senior Design Showcase

College of Engineering

Senior Design Showcase May 2, 2019

FROM THE DEAN On behalf of the College of Engineering at Boise State University, I would like to welcome you to our annual Senior Design Showcase! This year’s event has 60 projects designed by 233 seniors in Civil Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Engineering Plus, Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Our students are excited to talk to you about the challenges they faced and the discoveries they made working through problems in robotics, circuit integration, bridge design, instrumentation, materials characterization, and many, many more. I invite you to talk to our students about their projects, their teamwork, and their problem solving strategies. Maybe you have a project of your own that would benefit from fresh ideas and a motivated design team. We are always looking for new projects and sponsors to challenge our emerging engineering professionals!

JoAnn S. Lighty Dean, College of Engineering Professor, Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering

INDUSTRY SPONSORS THANK YOU TO OUR INDUSTRY SPONSORS Our sponsors generously support the College of Engineering’s Senior Design Showcase.

Thank you for providing your time, experience and financial support that help make our program a success.

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Boise State University College of Engineering

CONTENT #1 – 12Th Street Bridge Replacement

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#2 – Cole And Lake Hazel Bridge Design

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#3 – Deep Creek Bridge Redesign

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#4 – Deer Flat And Linder Road Redesign

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#5 – Eagle Sewer District Wastewater Treatment Facility

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#6 – I-86B/ Pocatello Avenue Intersection Redesign

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#7 – Lander St. Water Renewal Facility: Headworks Design

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#8 – S. Cole – Victory Intersection

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#9 – Detecting Undisclosed Paid Editing In Wikipedia

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#10 – Ta Ticketing

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#11 – Report Generator

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#12 – Pressure Relief Solver

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#13 – Predictable Ride

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#14 – Nutrition App - Boise State University

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#15 – Adopt-A-Meal

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#16 – Trailhead: Member Check-In

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#17 – Full Waveform Lidar Data Processing

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#18 – Teaching Robot How To Speak

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#19 – Brew Handle

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#20 – Literate - Testing & Quality Assurance

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#21 – Visitor Parking App

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Boise State University College of Engineering

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CONTENT CONTINUED #22 – Ccp Tour App

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#23 – Online Escape Room

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#24 – Conflict Checker

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#25 – Arwarn

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#26 – School Counselor Time Auditing Tool

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#27 – Peer Rating Data Compilation

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#28 – Biopotential Signal Acquisition Platform

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#29 – Automation Configuration Database Management

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#30 – Photovoltaic Inverter Control And Fault Response

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#31 – Flexible Hybrid Electronics Sensor System

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#32 – Infrasound Detection Array

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#33 – National Infrared Operations Four-Channel Pre-Amp And Signal Conditioning System

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#34 – Development Of A Neural Network Test Platform

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#35 – Portable Power Supply

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#36 – A Programmable Power Supply

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#37 – Interfaith Sanctuary Solar Power System

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#38 – Pitch Count Band

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#39 – Compostable Pizza Box

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#40 – Reusable Pizza Box

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#41 – Commercial Robotic Arm For Eating Assistance

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#42 – Smartphone Programmable Robotic Arm To Enable Independent Eating 20 4

Boise State University College of Engineering

#43 – Self Powered Bike Trailer For Parking Enforcement

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#44 – The Grasshopper

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#45 – Idaho Power Functioning Hydroelectric Dam Portable Model

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#46 – Big Thumper Project

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#47 – Ashrae 2019 Hvac Designcompetition

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#48 – Knee Laxity Measurement Device

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#49 – Optimization, Design, And Fabrication Of A 54 Mm Diameter High Power Rocket 22 #50 – Woodgrain Doors “Pop-Out Table”

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#51 – The Power Of Geothermal

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#52 – Rocket Drag Race: Sky High Rocketry

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#53 – Nxedge Plasma Spray Slurry Development

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#54 – Evolution Of An Aluminum-Magnesium-Zirconium Alloy

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#55 – Characterization Of Cathodic Arc Deposited Tin And Crn Coatings

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#56 – Fabrication Of A Vacuum Transfer Device For Surface Sensitive Samples 25 #57 – Led Light Measurement System

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#58 – Autonomous Lawn Mower

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#59 – Air Hockey Robot

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#60 – Nuclear Reactor Creep Device

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Boise State University College of Engineering

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#1 – 12TH STREET BRIDGE REPLACEMENT DEPARTMENT: Civil Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Aisha Alawadhi Sarah Galo Dillan Mattison Jenn Mcatee Christopher Pena PROJECT ADVISOR: Dr. Mandar Khanal MENTORS: Dr. Robert Hamilton Dr. Bhaskar Chittoori SPONSORS: HDR/Idaho Transportation Department

This abstract outlines the various design, construction method, and cost analysis alternatives and considerations of the Inexperienced Civil Engineers (I.C.E.) design team for the 12th Street Bridge replacement project in Idaho Falls, Idaho. The existing bridge structure is located at the intersection of 12th Street and Bonneville Drive in Bonneville County. It has a span length of 41.7 feet perpendicular to the canal and an out-to-out width of 48 feet. The need for replacement comes from the structure’s failure to meet substructure, superstructure, and deck requirements of the current Idaho Transportation Department’s (ITD) standards. In addition, the existing bridge is over 60 years old, sits below the highwater level of the canal, and has a design capacity of ten tons which is far below the new requirement of seventy-five tons. Replacement of this bridge includes the considerations already mentioned as well as a short winter-controlled construction schedule, the inability to raise surrounding grades, temporary traffic relocation, tying in proposed drainage to existing drainage, and sight clearance while turning onto the bridge.

#2 – COLE AND LAKE HAZEL BRIDGE DESIGN DEPARTMENT: Civil Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Brenda Barron Samantha Headley Richie Chikonde Kelli Chiles Kain Shaffer PROJECT ADVISOR: Dr. Mandar Khanal MENTORS: Dr. Bhaskar Chittoori Dr. Robert Hamilton Dr. Yang Lu Dr. Deb Mishra Dr. Mojtaba Sadegh

Our senior design group, Ascending Engineering, is tasked with the design of the Cole and Lake Hazel bridge over the New York Canal in Ada County, Idaho just south of Boise City limits. The bridge project will extend Lake Hazel Road east over Cole Road and connect it with existing routes to I-84 and the Boise Airport. This will allow for traffic flow to a new residential zoned development area of 2,500 single-family homes. The 85 foot-wide bridge will be a composite system consisting of steel girders and concrete deck, spanning 120 feet over the canal. Supporting the superstructure will be a substructure, which consists of reinforced concrete abutments and deep foundation steel piles. Other design elements include an approach roadway design that will connect the bridge to the existing intersection, current and future traffic management plans to ensure adequate traffic capacities, and environmental and stormwater analyses to control storm runoff and manage the impact of the project.

#3 – DEEP CREEK BRIDGE REDESIGN DEPARTMENT: Civil Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Austin Berry Hanna Irving Luke Spath Cait Williams PROJECT ADVISOR: Dr. Mandar Khanal MENTORS: Dr. Bhaskar Chittoori Dr. Robert Hamilton Dr. Yang Lu Dr. Sondra Miller Dr. Deb Mishra Dr. Mojtaba Sadegh

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Deep Creek Bridge is located in Latah County, Idaho along US Highway 95. The bridge was built in 1938. An inspection completed in 2016 determined the damage on the bridge was too significant for repair and marked it necessary for replacement. Currently, the foundations are exposed and the hydraulic performance needs improvement. The joints are severely damaged, reinforcing bars are exposed and rusting, and large deep cracks are seen throughout the bridge. The bridge will not last another 10 years with the increase in traffic flows.

To maintain traffic flow during construction, a 4.6mile detour takes traffic north through a rural road and down to Highway 6, which will connect people to US 95. The span of the bridge will be increased.

An integral abutment with discrete piles will be used in conjunction with rip rap to prevent further scour from happening and the bridge secured. The girders and handrails of the bridge are made from steel while the decking will be concrete. High-water level and the 100-year floodplain were used to determine the height of the bridge. Deep Creek does fall under categorical exclusion, therefore, neither an environmental impact statement nor an environmental assessment is required.

Boise State University College of Engineering

#4 – DEER FLAT AND LINDER ROAD REDESIGN DEPARTMENT: Civil Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Abdulatif Aldihani Ali Buhamad Justin Hammond Joe Roletto Chris Sigrist PROJECT ADVISOR: Dr. Mandar Khanal MENTORS: Dr. Deb Mishra Dr. Sondra Miller SPONSOR: Ada County Highway District

The Deer Flat and Linder road intersection in Kuna Idaho is in need of a redesign. The purpose of this is to update the aging pavement, increase pedestrian and bicyclist connectivity, increase the capacity to handle future traffic flows and to improve pedestrian, bicyclist, and motorist safety. To accomplish this, several forms of analyses will be performed. These include analyzing past collisions to identify and rectify roadway issues that contribute to the causes of accidents. Another analysis will look at the future development of the area to aid in determining how much and what type of traffic will be using the intersection. Finally, an analysis will be performed to determine the intersection’s current level of service and the future required level of service following the Highway Capacity Manual’s guidelines. From there, the information gained from the analysis and current measurable data will be used to design the many aspects of the intersection. These aspects include a geometric design, pavement design, traffic operations design, stormwater design, and a construction plan including how to route traffic and keep local businesses and schools running during construction. These designs will be done following Ada County Highway District’s requirements.

#5 – EAGLE SEWER DISTRICT WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY DEPARTMENT: Civil Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Michael Allison Grant Argain Sarah Knue Robison Martin Mariah Owsley PROJECT ADVISOR: Dr. Mandar Khanal MENTORS: CE Department Faculty SPONSOR: Jacubs Engineering Group

The City of Eagle, Idaho has a wastewater treatment facility that is maintained and operated by the Eagle Sewer District (ESD). The existing system has nearly reached capacity and will not have the ability to handle future flow and loads. TPS Engineering has been tasked with increasing the hydraulic and process capacities of the existing system and providing a concept for facility expansion. In addition, a design of a maintenance/vehicle storage building has been requested to house vehicles necessary for operation. TPS Engineering has forecasted the sewered population, the flows, and the loads associated with the facility in the year 2040. The existing lagoons have been analyzed and more efficient equipment has been chosen to increase the treatment levels of the lagoons. In addition, multiple concepts have been analyzed for expansion of the facility and an aerated lagoon(s) has been chosen as the most viable options for monetary and operational reasons. At the completion of the design process, TPS Engineering intends to submit a plan to expand the process and hydraulic capacities of the existing lagoon system, a design concept for expansion of the facility, and plans for a maintenance/vehicle storage building, along with associated calculations, evaluations, and schematics.

#6 – I-86B/ POCATELLO AVENUE INTERSECTION REDESIGN DEPARTMENT: Civil Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Nicholas Greene Hailey Reynolds Morgan Sandberg Aubrey Thomas Melanie Villanueva PROJECT ADVISOR: Dr. Mandar Khanal MENTORS: Dr. Yang Lu Dr. Sondra Miller Dr. Deb Mishra Dr. Mojtaba Sadegh

The American Falls Intersection located off of I-86 and Pocatello Avenue is in need of an upgrade.

Currently, the intersection consists of two-way free-flowing traffic with a connecting street that is controlled by a stop sign. The freight traffic comes from an industrial area near American Falls and heavily uses the connecting street. The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) would like the intersection to be free-flowing for freight traffic. We have been tasked to design an upgraded intersection with considerations for current and future freight traffic, safetyo, efficiency, cost effectiveness, and overall sustainability. We will collect current and future traffic volume data for both passenger and heavy vehicles. Research on the future development in American Falls, both commercial and residential, will help prepare alternative conceptual designs. A design alternative will be chosen and the following aspects will be included in the final design; (a) geometric design, (b) pavement design, (c) traffic operations design, (d) stormwater design, (e) traffic flow impact on nearby roads, (f ) project construction scheduling, and (g) work zone traffic control.

SPONSOR: Idaho Transportation Department

Boise State University College of Engineering

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#7 – LANDER ST. WATER RENEWAL FACILITY: HEADWORKS DESIGN DEPARTMENT: Civil Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Taylor Hedrick Steven Huber Titus Owen Brett Robbins Uzair Siddiqui PROJECT ADVISOR: Dr. Mandar Khanal MENTORS: Dr. Bhaskar Chittoor Dr. Robert Hamilton Dr. Yang Lu Dr. Sondra Miller Dr. Deb Mishra SPONSORS: City of Boise

The goal of Lander Design Solutions is to successfully redesign or retrofit the headworks facility of the Lander Street Water Renewal Facility, located in Boise, Idaho. Since the majority of the existing facility was constructed in 1950, there are numerous components that are damaged past repair.

Project considerations include designing in accordance with IDAPA for headworks, unforeseen site conditions, as well as being able to handle an Average Day Flow of 17 MGD, Peak Hour Flow of 25 MGD and incorporating perforated plate screen equipment of 6 mm opening, submersible pumps, grit removal/handling equipment, dumpster room to dispose of grit and screenings, influent flow monitoring, and discussion of sustainability. Initial obstacles in the design process include keeping the current plant running throughout construction, safely excavating in gravels to depths up to 40 ft, and the environmental impact of the project on the surrounding area. Our primary design includes two alternatives which both consist of replacing the existing facility. Selection of headworks components–including screens, bar racks, pumps, utilities, and various construction materials will be the primary factor in the final design.

#8 – S. COLE – VICTORY INTERSECTION DEPARTMENT: Civil Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Trent Essex Thomas Jenkins Michael Klug Cory Leenders Sam Oberting PROJECT ADVISOR: Dr. Mandar Khanal MENTORS: Dr. Sondra Miller Dr. Deb Mishra Dr. Mojtaba Sadegh

Our team was tasked with redesigning the intersection at S. Cole and Victory Roads. Construction is scheduled to start in the year 2020. Redesign has become necessary due in part to the large increase in traffic volumes generated by the new developments in the area. These new home developments have caused traffic to grow. There is a concern that future projections of traffic may outgrow the capacity of the intersection in its current state. The design team considered and evaluated different designs for the intersection by analyzing the available data and complemented by studies done on the intersection to determine the best fit. The design elements considered in this project included: geometric, pavement, stormwater, impact to property owners, project scheduling, work zone traffic control, and impact mitigation during construction. The design team found that a modification to the proposed ThrU-Turn from ACHD was deemed the best fit for this intersection when taking into account the many considerations. The considerations included: improved traffic flow, safety, impacts, freight truck activity, utilities, and sustainability.

#9 – DETECTING UNDISCLOSED PAID EDITING IN WIKIPEDIA DEPARTMENT: Computer Science TEAM MEMBERS: Mayson Green Elijah Hill PROJECT ADVISOR: Shane Panter MENTOR: Francesca Spezzano SPONSOR: Boise State University

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Today, it is more important than ever to have trustworthy sources, especially when we live in a time where anybody can potentially contribute false information. That false information is called spam, and when anybody can potentially create spam, it becomes much more challenging to differentiate truth from lies. This is a growing problem for Wikipedia, as their articles are viewed over eighteen billion times per month. With a website that popular, it takes far too many resources for a group of people to manually moderate articles. That is why the purpose of our project was to create an automated solution to assist Wikipedia. Our solution uses machine learning technologies to determine whether newly created articles are considered spam. Given information on previous spam articles, we created a model that detects if a user is creating spam articles, allowing for overall more effective moderation and more reliable sources.

Boise State University College of Engineering

#10 – TA TICKETING DEPARTMENT: Computer Science TEAM MEMBERS: Conor Cook Malik Herring Hayden Phothong Michael Sanchez PROJECT ADVISOR: Shane Panter MENTOR: Ben Peterson SPONSOR: Boise State University Computer Science Department

The TA Ticketing project was conceptualized and proposed by Benjamin Peterson (IT Systems Engineer at Boise State University). He noticed a major problem in the way that the teaching assistants are interacting with the students. The issue was that when students were entering the computer labs, they would not be able to find a TA to help them. The current solution to this problem was for TAs to write their name on a piece of paper and place it on a stand near there computer. This solution works great, however, it assumes that the students know what the TA looks like. This project was designed to change the responsibility from the students to the TAs. The idea is to create a “ticketing” sort of workflow for the TAs such that each TA can view students that need help via a dashboard. However, the problem of finding the students with their name is valid. In order to combat this problem, the implementation must keep track of the particular computer that sent the ticket. With this implemented project, Boise State University will be able to view statistics about each course (e.g., most common questions, number of problems per course, etc).

#11 – REPORT GENERATOR DEPARTMENT: Computer Science TEAM MEMBERS: Kody Belisle Hannah Johnson PROJECT ADVISOR: Shane Panter MENTOR: Sage Johnson SPONSOR: Sage Labs

Sage Labs is an agricultural lab that runs diagnostic tests to help manage and raise healthy animals.

Clients send in blood samples from a variety of farm animals (sheep, cow, goat, etc.) and the lab runs pregnancy and disease tests on the samples. Sage’s current process consists of manual data entry and use of copy/paste to generate reports for her clients. This workflow is inefficient and time consuming. Given this problem we were tasked with generating appropriately branded reports while minimizing manual data entry. Our solution was to create an executable program that combines client data with processed results to produce cleanly formatted PDF reports. Our program has a user friendly interface in which Sage can choose a test to run, enter animal information, and easily integrate test results into one final report. It is supported by an embedded database used for storing client information and persisting data from one session to the next. The database also communicates with an embedded report engine, which is responsible for the final PDF report that is generated. By using our program Sage saves 3-5 hours of labor per week and is able to efficiently run the diagnostic tests provided by Sage Labs

#12 – PRESSURE RELIEF SOLVER DEPARTMENT: Computer Science TEAM MEMBERS: Austin Pickett Rudy Ruiz Michael Wanless PROJECT ADVISOR: Shane Panter MENTOR: Jonathan Rompala SPONSOR: Kemper Nothwest

Legally all industrial refrigeration systems are required to have a relief system installed to safely release refrigerants to the atmosphere when an overpressure situation occurs. The relief systems are required to safely dispose of the refrigerant to atmosphere or water. This project is a web based application that is used to check the legal codes of industrial refrigeration relief systems. The application consists of a drag and drop graphical user interface where the user maps out a relief system. Once the System is mapped out and the specifications are filled out for the various pieces of equipment, the user will be able to check if the system is made to industry standards. The tests that are run come from the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) and are required for all industrial refrigeration systems. The tests include the sizing of the pipes and valves as well as various other safety checks.

Boise State University College of Engineering

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#13 – PREDICTABLE RIDE DEPARTMENT: Computer Science TEAM MEMBERS: Alex Dunlap Austin Hunter Prashant Rizal

The overall goal for this project is to create a series of tutorials that show how to add push notifications to an Android or iOS application using a Node.js server. In order to accomplish this the first step is to implement push notifications in prototype applications on Android and iOS devices, and link them to a Node.js server. Once this is complete, documents must be created that teach a developer how to do this as easily as possible, and these are the final artifacts that are requested by the sponsor of this project.

PROJECT ADVISOR: Shane Panter MENTOR: Matt Vuturo SPONSOR: Predictable Ride

#14 – NUTRITION APP - BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT: Computer Science TEAM MEMBERS: Brenden Bixler Tonyvon Wolfe Austin Foy Noah Rudin PROJECT ADVISOR: Shane Panter MENTOR: Tyler Smith SPONSOR: Boise State University

Bronco Fuel is a mobile nutrition application for the Boise State athletic department. This application is being developed from scratch in the Ionic framework, which utilizes HTML, CSS, and Angular TypeScript. The application acts as a utility for the Boise State nutritionists and athletic trainers, who from their end can post approved recipes and snack items onto an online spreadsheet. This spreadsheet is reflected as a selectable list of items on the application for the athletes to view.

The athletes, as users of the application, can view the details of each recipe that the staff posts, and have the ability to bookmark favorite recipes to be saved in a separate list. The athletes are also able to contact a trainer or nutritionist to schedule a meeting through the app itself. The application utilizes Firebase to handle the login and signup process, as well as Google Sheets as the mechanism for storing and saving recipes from the administrator to the application user.

#15 – ADOPT-A-MEAL DEPARTMENT: Computer Science TEAM MEMBERS: Joshua Berkenmeier Jaime Guevara Thomas Perdew Maddie Ross PROJECT ADVISOR: Shane Panter MENTOR: Cody Gacek SPONSOR: Foerstel / Interfaith Sanctuary

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In 2018 Boise State University students created a website for Inter Faith Sanctuary called adopt-a-meal that allowed users to volunteer to provide food to homeless members of the community. The current state of the website is unresponsive and broken, not allowing users or admin to make any changes. The goal is to use the existing code base, recreate a working functioning website that doesn’t rely on outside API’s, adding automated testing functionality and produce documentation that allows maintainability. Our group is to relaunch a functioning website mimicking the broken one without a complete change in functionality to the end user and owner, while updating functionality and simplifying the code base. The end result is to return a code base to the user to be able to launch a website, allowing community members to interact and volunteer for events to provide food for those in desperate need of our help.

Boise State University College of Engineering

#16 – TRAILHEAD: MEMBER CHECK-IN DEPARTMENT: Computer Science TEAM MEMBERS: Tucker Ferguson Margiawan Fitriani Robert Peterson Spencer Saunders PROJECT ADVISOR: Shane Panter MENTOR: Matthew Gilkerson SPONSOR: Trailhead

Trailhead is a non-profit coworking space located in downtown Boise supporting startup companies and entrepreneurs (300+). We are digitizing their (currently pen/paper) check-in system at their front desk, to a website check-in which allows Trailhead to see who is using the space and ensure that those who do are paying members. The trailhead team would like the ability to not only see who is currently using the space, but track their usage over time and be able to analyze the space usage over different time scales. The members would be using the web app to perform a simple “check-in” to add their presence to the database, while the trailhead staff will have a different login that will load an “admin panel”, showing metrics information, and provide tools for uploading bulk data that they would currently have sitting in local files.

Stretch goals for the Boise State University student team include adding a “members page” that would provide a profile page for each Trailhead member, and adding a feedback path from the web app to Trailhead’s local WiFi system to disallow device access to the network until either a “check-in” process, or a “day-pass” process has been completed.

#17 – FULL WAVEFORM LIDAR DATA PROCESSING DEPARTMENT: Computer Science TEAM MEMBERS: Spencer Fleming Ahmad Rezaii PROJECT ADVISOR: Shane Panter MENTOR: Cathie Olschanowsky SPONSOR: Boise State University

The full waveform lidar data processing project aims at developing tools based on the PulseWaves data exchange format. The PulseWaves format is a new, open, vendor-neutral, LGPL-licensed and LAS-compatible data exchange format that is aimed at storing the entire digitized waveform instead of discrete returns in a fully geo-referenced manner.

The project is built in C++ and utilizes the GNU Scientific Library (GSL) and the Geospatial Data Abstraction Library (GDAL). Because of the large amount of data generated from LIDAR scans, the project is intended to process very large (>10GB) files on the computing cluster R2.

At onboarding, the tool could already take a PulseWaves file as input, then produce a geo-tif file encoded with the maximum elevation detected in the returning waveform. Our goals were to enable additional products (minimum elevation, difference between max and min elevation), generate additional unit tests, and modularize the existing code to improve testability and ease of feature implementation.

#18 – TEACHING ROBOT HOW TO SPEAK DEPARTMENT: Computer Science TEAM MEMBERS: Jacob Bell James Brooks Alex Mussell PROJECT ADVISOR: Shane Panter MENTOR: Casey Kennington SPONSOR: Boise State University

The long-term goal of this project is to teach robots how to learn and speak simple words. We used the Anki Cozmo robot as a platform. Cozmo has a Python SDK, which we used to interface with Cozmo’s camera and control system. The project involved findinga way to “link” what Cozmo perceives and experiences to words that are given to cozmo by a human about the environment.

For example, if the robot sees a red mug and someone says “that’s a red mug” the robot should learn something about what “red” and what”mug” means. We used convolutional neural networks (CNN) to create image embeddings to represent visual semantic information. We collected datasets using object detection scripts running on Cozmo to test our image embeddings to see if they contained colorinformation. We achieved 80% accuracy in determining object color information on our dataset. To deploy our model onto the Anki Cozmo robotic platform we used an object detection CNN to detect and crop objects from Cozmo’s image stream. We then computed the cropped images embeddings and ran them through our words as classifiers (WAC) model.

Cozmo can then synthesize speech to indicate the predicted color of the object detected.

Boise State University College of Engineering

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#19 – BREW HANDLE DEPARTMENT: Computer Science TEAM MEMBERS: Melanie Jones Devan Karsann Ravi Shankar Sadie Shirts Cameron Wilkins PROJECT ADVISOR: Shane Panter MENTOR: Collin Rudeen SPONSOR: Boise Brewing

Boise Brewing Co. holds a rotating monthly charity program where $1 is donated for every pint of community supported beer sold. ​Currently, Boise Brewing Co. only displays the amount donated on their website, and they reached out to Boise State’s Computer Science Department to build a device that would display that count in the taproom in real time for customers to see.​​ The brew handle pint counter consists of a microcontroller connected to an accelerometer which are both then connected to an LED display. This setup is then embedded into the back of a beer tap. A simple program written in CircuitPython determines when a pour is completed, and the microcontroller displays the number of pours on the LED display. Every time the beer tap is pulled for a pour, the accelerometer detects the orientation change and signals the microcontroller, which in turn tracks the time taken for the pour and maintains a count of the number of pours. This number represents the total amount donated to charity for the month.

#20 – LITERATE - TESTING & QUALITY ASSURANCE DEPARTMENT: Computer Science TEAM MEMBERS: Allen Clark Rutger Luther Paul Siron PROJECT ADVISOR: Shane Panter MENTOR: Michael Ekstrand Sole Pera SPONSOR: Boise State University

The project we are working on is a web application called LITERATE. It’s a search engine designed for teachers to use in finding related news articles for their classrooms. The search engine has the unique ability to limit the size of article returned from 0 to 10,000 words, as well as to only return articles within a selected grade range of 5th grade up to college level material. These ranges are managed in the form an easy control slider available right below the search bar - along with information of how many articles are filtered out.

Our goal in this project was to add in a fully automated, scale-able, testing suite. The code as we went into the project had around 1.5 million lines of code, not including comments or blanks spaces - and was not designed with testing in mind. Thus it was at our own discretion on how to implement a testing framework that would work with the various dependencies of the project.

#21 – VISITOR PARKING APP DEPARTMENT: Computer Science TEAM MEMBERS: Talha Ahmed Taylor Curran Ella Lee Megan Pierce PROJECT ADVISOR: Shane Panter MENTOR: Aaron Culver

The Department of Public Safety’s Transportation, Parking, and Safety Systems team needed assistance to solve the nuanced problem of visitor parking on campus, particularly for on campus entities and partners who have specific needs related hosting patients on campus (including Idaho Sports Medicine Institute or ISMI, NORCO Health Services, the office of the Dean of Students, and Human Resource Services).

To solve this problem, we developed an app, in android and ios, that will be used by both the patient/visitor, and/or the office expecting the visitor. The app data will be utilized for parking management in real time.

SPONSOR: Boise State University

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Boise State University College of Engineering

#22 – CCP TOUR APP DEPARTMENT: Computer Science TEAM MEMBERS: Jonathan Aparicio Anne Brinegar Jacob Doerr Micah Urizar PROJECT ADVISOR: Shane Panter MENTOR: Jordan Morales SPONSOR: Boise State University

The Boise State University Computer Science Department faculty and staff often fulfill prospective students, parents, and sponsors requests to tour the department located downtown at City Center Plaza (777 W. Main). As interest in the department continues to grow, the Boise State Computer Science Department would benefit from a user-friendly web-application that provides a virtual tour of the building which will decrease the burden on the staff of having to provide tours. This project has the floor plan layouts that includes clickable locations which allow users unique views of the rooms via equirectangular panoramic images displayed by using Google’s VR View API. Along with being able to see the rooms, the web interface will also display short descriptions of the rooms and their use. The panoramic photos were taken using equipment provided by Dr. Cutchin, which include GigaPan, cameras, and software to process the photos into equirectangular panoramic images.

#23 – ONLINE ESCAPE ROOM DEPARTMENT: Computer Science TEAM MEMBERS: Konnor Collins Chuck Mcclain Brady Walters PROJECT ADVISOR: Shane Panter MENTOR: Amanda Moore SPONSOR: Micron

Micron’s Global Quality department wants to evolve its brand and image within Micron, positioning the quality department as a key business partner and re-shaping people’s understanding of the importance and value of quality to the company. To help our message stand out from the sea of corporate messages, we want to prompt people to discover what quality means for their job and for the company through fun, hands-on activities. Our inaugural activity is an online escape room. That’s where you come in. We would like to draw on your expertise to bring to life this vision. We need your knowledge to build this online game. The game will be launched across Micron. To escape, players will need to complete qualityoriented challenges to unlock objects. We’ll come up with the training framework (the questions players will need to answer), and your knowledge will create a fun online learning experience.

#24 – CONFLICT CHECKER DEPARTMENT: Computer Science TEAM MEMBERS: Caleb Cook Kolton Hahn Jordan Paoletti PROJECT ADVISOR: Shane Panter MENTORS: Ashley Beasley Susie Gillikin

The CS Department administrative team works alongside faculty to create course schedules for every semester. We need an easy to use, portable schedule checker that functions in unison with all office formats, using the Apache POI java library. This would look for conflicts with courses (such as courses you’d take the same semester being scheduled at the same time), rooms and instructors.

Most programs available on the market are too complex, requiring a significant amount of setup to understand our university schedule. This program takes the excel format our PeopleSoft system generates, checks and converts this file into a useable format for our office to review regularly.

SPONSOR: Boise State University

Boise State University College of Engineering

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#25 – ARWARN DEPARTMENT: Computer Science TEAM MEMBERS: Connor Brown Jesse Donohue PROJECT ADVISOR: Shane Panter MENTOR: Alejandro Flores

Atmospheric Rivers are weather phenomena that transport water vapor outside of tropic areas. This makes Atmospheric Rivers an important feature to monitor when making predictions in water supply and flooding risk. The ARWarn project aims to provide a tool to be used to track these important features of the water cycle. This project downloads weather forecasts produced by the NCEP, extracts key variables used to detect Atmospheric Rivers from that data, then produces visualizations of the results on a website.

SPONSOR: Boise State University

#26 – SCHOOL COUNSELOR TIME AUDITING TOOL DEPARTMENT: Computer Science TEAM MEMBERS: David Hunsaker Russell Leininger Holly Roisum PROJECT ADVISOR: Shane Panter MENTOR: Charles Diemart SPONSOR: Boise Schools

This is a mobile-first web application that enables school counselors to easily log data about how they spend their time in categories based on the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model.

With this easy-to-use graphical application, counselors will be able to track and analyze their time allowing them to develop comprehensive services that best meet the needs of the population they work with.

Currently, some counselors track time using calendars or excel sheets which can be cumbersome and lead to inaccurate or unreliable consistency. This application was designed to be simple and quick to operate on any device. With easy registration a new user is able to login, select one of four categories, select a subcategory, and then easily choose a date and duration to record within that category.

#27 – PEER RATING DATA COMPILATION DEPARTMENT: Computer Science TEAM MEMBERS: Ben Mccarty Kepa Totorica Alec Wooding PROJECT ADVISOR: Shane Panter MENTOR: Donald Winiecki SPONSOR: Boise State University

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The sponsor requested a web application for the Boise State University CSHU-130 class to enable students to rate one another. Previously, they were rating each other on paper, and the instructor hopes a web app will help improve privacy and data entry. The web app that was created is using the open-source and cross-platform ASP.Net Core framework. A student can log into the app using their Boise State University credentials and submit ratings of their classmates to a backend database. They can also view their past submissions. Instructors can edit student lists, upload an entire class via the .csv file obtained from the Registrar Office, review all student submissions, and even upload the scores to a Google Sheet.

Students no longer have to worry about other students peeking over at their paper to see what they rated them, improving accurate data submission. Additionally, the upload to Google Sheets function reduces data entry errors.

Boise State University College of Engineering

#28 – BIOPOTENTIAL SIGNAL ACQUISITION PLATFORM DEPARTMENT: Electrical and Computer Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Nicole Nagel Ethan Shaefer Emina Suljic PROJECT ADVISOR: Dr. Ben Johnson Brian HIggins MENTOR: Muhammad Kamran Latif SPONSORS: Dr. Ben Johnson Boise State University

Many organs in the human body exhibit their functions through electrical activity. Electrical signals produced by these organs are called “biopotentials.” These biopotentials are measured using an electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG), electromyography (EMG), or electroencephalogram (EEG) tests.

These tests gather information regarding irregularities in the heart, muscle tissue, or brain activity, respectively. Dr. Ben Johnson tasked our team with developing a modular, low-cost platform for the continuous acquisition of biopotential signals to aid in bioelectronic medicine research. Our design consists of custom designed boards (daughterboards), containing 16 channels each, that are used to convert analog biopotential signals to digital signals using a multichannel analog-to-digital converter IC. The XEM6010 Opal Kelly module (motherboard) is used to aggregate this digital data utilizing the Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) protocol. The data is displayed on a Graphical User Interface (GUI), compiled in Python, to be analyzed.

#29 – AUTOMATION CONFIGURATION DATABASE MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT: Electrical and Computer Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Joe Engel Mostapha Gouaich Dan Zehrung PROJECT ADVISOR: Dr. John Stubban MENTORS: Jeff Pack Power Engineers SPONSOR: Power Engineers Inc.

Power Engineers is interested in an automated configuration management (ACM) system for their ethernet connected devices. These devices are part of electrical systems that provide for protection and control of electrical transmission and distribution systems. Currently, the process to monitor and compare these device configuration files is tedious, requires several steps, and does not provide for data retention and comparison. The ACM that we developed helps to alleviate this issue by automating the process to gather configuration data and store it into a database. The device information is then tied to a website where specific devices, dates, and configuration files can be viewed and compared for differences. The problem was broken into two main components. The first being code that connects to devices, to gathers and store the files into a database. The second is the front-end website where data from the database can be viewed in a user-friendly format. The system will allow for better data review, monitoring, and problem identification with greater ease.

#30 – PHOTOVOLTAIC INVERTER CONTROL AND FAULT RESPONSE DEPARTMENT: Electrical and Computer Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Stephen Longmuir Simon Shifrin MENTORS: Andres Valdapena Daniel Arjona Idaho Power SPONSOR: Idaho Power Inc.

The increasing penetration of renewable energy systems onto the U.S. electric power grid has resulted in inefficiencies and redundancies related to protection coordination for many utilities.

When a new Inverter-Based-Generator (IBG) is added to a distribution feeder, a protective relay may also be needed for fault detection. Feeder protection coordination may also need reevaluation.

Inverters with high-speed momentary cessation function that immediately block any fault current contribution from an IBG may eliminate the need to re-coordinate feeder protection schemes.

Idaho Power Company commissioned this project to build on a MATLAB/Simulink model developed in 2017–2018 and to implement a fully functional momentary cessation function for an IBG under fault conditions. The enhanced model developed for this project successfully implements momentary cessation functionality with no current contribution from the inverter, which reacts within one cycle. Model improvements include the incorporation of phaselocked loop control and implementation of several load and feeder scenarios. The modular approach used in this project allows Idaho Power to reuse and adapt the model.

Boise State University College of Engineering

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#31 – FLEXIBLE HYBRID ELECTRONICS SENSOR SYSTEM DEPARTMENT: Electrical and Computer Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Grant Berry Patrick Epperson Matthew Niebergall PROJECT ADVISOR: Dr. Harish Subbaraman Dr. David Estrada MENTORS: Dale Wilson SPONSOR: Dr. Harish Subbaraman Dr. David Estrada Boise State University American Semiconductor

Freshly harvested potatoes are susceptible to yield loss due to antiquated rot detection methods. Over 30% of stored potatoes are lost to rot by the time ammonia levels are high enough to be detected by smell. We created a robust device that integrates flexible temperature and humidity sensors, developed by the Boise State flexible electronics research team, with the American Semiconductor Flexform-ADC development kit. This flexible unit interfaces with an Arduino based controller, which also interfaces to a Bluetooth wireless transceiver and an external ammonia sensor, to produce a reliable device capable of the early detection of the three primary potato rot indicators. All three sensor’s data are combined using the Arduino and transmitted via a Bluetooth network to a user-friendly Android application.

#32 – INFRASOUND DETECTION ARRAY DEPARTMENT: Electrical and Computer Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Grady Anderson Ashton Durrant John Viera PROJECT ADVISOR: Dr. Sin Ming Loo MENTOR: Mark Laverty SPONSOR: Dr. Sin MIng Loo Boise State University

First responders need information quickly when an active shooter event occurs. By automating the process of detecting a shooter, first responders can receive critical location information quickly to assist with response protocol. The Infrasound Hunter team is developing a system which can quickly communicate the location of such events and send this data to a local web server. A microphone outputs an analog signal, and a microprocessor is used to determine if an event occurred. Once an event is detected, the location of the event is transmitted to a receiver node to be processed by a web server. The sensor system is integrated on a custom PCB board which is paired with a custom AC/DC conversion board allowing it to be powered by standard U.S. AC power or a typical 9V battery.

#33 – NATIONAL INFRARED OPERATIONS FOUR-CHANNEL PRE-AMP AND SIGNAL CONDITIONING SYSTEM DEPARTMENT: Electrical and Computer Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Jeremy Astle Karina Davila Michael Mann Rahina Paymon PROJECT ADVISOR: Brian Higgins

The Forest Service’s National Infrared Operations Group (NIROPS) operates two infrared-equipped aircraft, which fly grid patterns over wildland fires each night to map a wildfire’s perimeter and detect hot spots. The signal processing units in these infrared fire detection systems are being upgraded, making the current front-end electronics of the system obsolete. Our team has designed new pre-amp and signal conditioning boards to complete the signal chain from the IR sensor to the signal processing unit. This new system accommodates two new IR sensors, centered on 0.865 µm and 2.2 µm wavelengths, which enhance the discrimination of sun glint during daytime/early morning missions and increase the efficacy of thermal imaging for the Forest Service.

MENTORS: Charles Kazimir Woody Smith SPONSOR: USDA Forest Service National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) National Infrared Operations (NIROPS)

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Boise State University College of Engineering

#34 – DEVELOPMENT OF A NEURAL NETWORK TEST PLATFORM DEPARTMENT: Electrical and Computer Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Benjamin Etcheverry Denver Lloyd Tanya Lu PROJECT ADVISOR: Dr. Kurtis Cantley Brian Higgins SPONSORS: Dr. Kurtis Cantley Boise State University

Artificial neural network circuits are an area of intense research. Future applications of neural networks include sensor interfaces, pattern detection circuitry, and next-generation computing. Dr. Cantley’s research group is focusing on the general capabilities and applications of artificial neural networks that mimic biology. Our project focused on the design of a neural network test platform that models eight neurons and their corresponding synapses. The design can be broken down into three main parts: the input neurons, interfaced to a 64-channel arbitrary waveform generator, the output neurons, which provide a feedback signal to control learning behavior, and the LabView program to control the data acquisition. Our design was tested using a Gaussian distributed noise function to mimic a biologically realistic noisy input signal. The system will be used to train and test future synaptic networks.

#35 – PORTABLE POWER SUPPLY DEPARTMENT: Electrical and Computer Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Saoud Alhamdan Nayef Alotaibi Caleb Frost Alexander Perkins PROJECT ADVISOR: Brian Higgins MENTOR: Grant Uzzel

A portable, programmable power supply is often needed for field work when an AC source is inaccessible. The project sponsor, Grant Uzzel, tasked the team with designing a portable, fully featured, dual output power supply. The power supply is controlled using the system control panel or a Bluetooth compatible wireless remote interface. A smartphone app is used to control and monitor the unit remotely. The system uses two lithium polymer batteries as the primary power source and generates two independently controlled 0V to 24V, 480 Watt outputs using a custom designed, microcontroller-based, dual buck converter.

SPONSOR: Grant Uzzel

#36 – A PROGRAMMABLE POWER SUPPLY DEPARTMENT: Electrical and Computer Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Abdullah Alrashidi John Herbert Aaron Terrell PROJECT ADVISOR: Brian Higgins MENTORS: Nick Pauly - PKG SPONSORS: PKG User Interface Solutions, Inc

Nick Pauly, of PKG User Interface Solutions, sponsored our team to design a programmable DC to DC converter capable of supplying an output voltage of 1V to 48V at up to 120 Watts of continuous power. The design uses an integrated programmable power controller in conjunction with a microprocessor to control the voltage and current output. The microprocessor can also store user profiles with each profile having different voltage and current settings. The system is programmable via an electrically isolated USB interface. The device incorporates a display that indicates the actual voltage, current, and power sourced at the output.

Boise State University College of Engineering

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#37 – INTERFAITH SANCTUARY SOLAR POWER SYSTEM DEPARTMENT: Electrical and Computer Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Kyle Marlin Joe Mccarver Dustin Vincen PROJECT ADVISOR: Brian Higgins MENTORS: Dustin Shively -Clenara Andres Valdepena SPONSOR: Clenera,LLC

The Interfaith Sanctuary has served the Boise community for years, providing second chances to Idaho’s most vulnerable and most deserving. Included in their services are food, shelter, and counseling with an emphasis on self-sufficiency as their ultimate goal. To help forward this goal and provide support for the wonderful people at the Interfaith Sanctuary, Clēnera has teamed up with Swinerton Renewable Energy, RBI Solar, Sungrow, and Blymer Engineers to design and develop a 67KW photovoltaic array to offset the sanctuary’s rising energy costs. Key factors in the facility design included the site load, the solar availability, the physical constraints of the site, and the impact to the feeder at the point of interconnection. To ensure design compliance, our team generated models using PVlib, PVgrid, Matlab, OpenDSS, and PVsyst. The designs have been approved by a P.E. and construction has begun with an estimated COD of May 31, 2019.

#38 – PITCH COUNT BAND DEPARTMENT: Electrical and Computer Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Troy Deleissegues Nick Nelson Joe Rippee PROJECT ADVISOR: Brian Higgins SPONSOR: Dr. Andrew Curran Idaho Sports Medicine Institute

Dr. Andrew R. Curran from the Idaho Sports Medicine Institute sponsored the design and development of a wristband to record the number of throws made by an athlete during practices and games. The device’s accelerometer monitors the acceleration present at the wrist, while the wristband’s microprocessor analyzes the sensor data using a custom developed algorithm and determines when a throw occurs. A valid throw is identified by a consecutive set of arm positions followed by a large spike in acceleration. Tracking the progression of arm positions eliminates the detection of random arm movements as throws. The throw count is stored in non-volatile memory. A micro-USB interface is included for retrieval of the recorded data and battery charging.

#39 – COMPOSTABLE PIZZA BOX DEPARTMENT: Engineering Plus TEAM MEMBERS: Edward Bowers Erin Hurley Chelsi Haskin Emily Kuehl Roy Olvera PROJECT ADVISOR: Amy Moll MENTORS: Catherine Cantley Vicki Stieha SPONSOR: Stephanie Wicks Hewlett Packard

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Currently there are around 3 billion pizza boxes thrown away every year in the US [1]. Most pizza boxes used for delivery or for take-out are made from corrugated cardboard. Difficulties occur during recycling of pizza boxes, because of contamination with grease. Grease interferes with recycling and causes the recycled paper slurry to not bond properly. HP Boise presented our team with the task of investigating and developing options for a more sustainable pizza box. In addition, Flying Pie Pizzeria expressed interest in a compostable pizza box. We have developed a compostable pizza box using a material similar to cardboard. This box can be placed in the City of Boise’s green composting bins to be commercially composted by the Curb It program. A compostable box will reduce the instances of contamination within recycling and reduce the volume of boxes in landfills, as it will decompose over time. We have tested our prototype by studying how it withstands the heat and grease released by a pizza and its ability to maintain a food safe temperature for half an hour.

Boise State University College of Engineering

#40 – REUSABLE PIZZA BOX DEPARTMENT: Engineering Plus TEAM MEMBERS: Brian Browning Trevor Klabo Halle Robertson Erin Sorensen Gianna Stelluto PROJECT ADVISOR: Amy Moll MENTORS: Catherine Cantley, Vicki Stieha SPONSORS: Stephanie Wicks Hewlett Packard

Three billion pizza boxes are sent to the landfill each year in the United States [1] with this in mind our team explores the idea of using a product for something other than its intended purpose. Our research found that people will use a pizza box for a longer time period if a multiplayer game was integrated into the box design. Our team designed and prototyped a solution which utilizes digital printing technology, incorporating a board game into the pizza box design, hence extending the life of the cardboard. Most pizza boxes utilize analog printing technology which is expensive to deploy in limited production amounts. Digital technology allows for implementing various designs into mass production. By working with HP, a leader in sustainable corrugated packaging presses and printing technology, we ensure the final product is food safe and that the cardboard is free of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) and other toxic substances. This poster will explain our design and process in coming up with this pizza box.

#41 – COMMERCIAL ROBOTIC ARM FOR EATING ASSISTANCE DEPARTMENT: Engineering Plus TEAM MEMBERS: Jacob Garofalo Carlee Miller Max Wojcik Brayan Vazquez PROJECT ADVISOR: Noah Salzman MENTOR: George Vicki Stieha SPONSOR: Randy Geile

Millions of individuals with disabilities or special needs struggle to perform the basic task of eating on a daily basis. Advances in robotics open up new possibilities for the design of medical assistive technologies that are significantly less expensive than current options. Existing devices fall short in at least one key area. Most commercially available products are either out of reach financially, such as the iEat, or cannot perform tasks well enough to be useful to the user. We have designed a prototype assistive technology based on a commercially available robot arm to tackle both the cost and functionality problems. Our prototype has been programmed to interface with custom plates and utensils. In addition, it is able to be cleaned, placed, and operated independently by the user with minimal assistance from a caregiver. The solution was designed/programmed using SolidWorks and Arduino software and developed with 3D printing technology. Preliminary results of the robot arm prototype, a medical assistive technology, have determined that it is an effective solution in assisting the user to feed themselves independently. Research into other potential actions is ongoing. Future work will focus on increasing capabilities of the device in terms of compatible accessories, functions to run additional tasks, and refined user interface.

Boise State University College of Engineering

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#42 – SMARTPHONE PROGRAMMABLE ROBOTIC ARM TO ENABLE INDEPENDENT EATING DEPARTMENT: Engineering Plus TEAM MEMBERS: Jeremy DeLisle Anjelica Lee Ryan Miltenberger Joey Rodoni Atticus Rosenkoetter Jacob Stutzman PROJECT ADVISOR: Noah Salzman MENTORS: George, Vicki Stieha SPONSOR: Randy Geile

The problem our team is addressing is the lack of efficient, independent feeding and service that people with disabilities face daily. After researching this area, it has come to our attention that there is a high demand from people with disabilities to be more self-sufficient, we see our project as a potential solution for this. To better understand the problem we were trying to solve, we researched existing solutions. We were only able to identify two commercially available products, both were expensive and extremely limited in their capabilities. After research and evaluation, we decided to use a robotic arm as our assistive device. As a team, we gathered information on how existing products function, the requirements that our clients need for a device, and first-hand knowledge from a caregiver on how to be successful with our product. We conducted other research into robotic arms that could be programmed to do certain functions by the user for the user. The biggest obstacle that we will face as a team is the amount of time that we have to work on this project.

We have a single semester to both understand how to use the arm and get the arm to function in a beneficial way. In addressing the challenge our team conducted research in specific areas to determine where our energy would be most needed. The team decided to focus on the physical robotic arm itself as well as determining that the early prototype must be able to receive commands from an external device such as a smartphone and be capable of retrieving an article of food and positioning it near the operators face. Upon receiving our arm we programmed it to complete a few basic actions. We focused on the most important actions that a person with a disability would use this arm for. We also formed a basic program that can be interacted with via smartphone to perform these functions.

#43 – SELF POWERED BIKE TRAILER FOR PARKING ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT: Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Ryan Crenshaw Camren Gaschler Troy Lee PROJECT ADVISOR: Lynn Catlin, P.E. MENTORS: “Mishka Chorny Aaron Culver” SPONSORS: Boise State University Transportation and Parking

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The Boise State University Parking Department uses a camera system on cars to read license plates to identify vehicles parked without a permit. This project developed a trailer to house the system so patrolling can be done on a bike rather than a car. The trailer frame is made of lightweight aluminum and a fiberglass shell. The suspension system is optimally balanced so it can be driven with ease. And the trailer is secure so that the computer system is protected from theft as well as water. The system is self-sufficient, using the motion of the trailer to power the cameras. This system will be extremely effective, reduce cost, generate all its own energy, and make Boise State University an even more bike-focused campus. The Boise State University Parking Department uses a camera system on cars to read license plates to identify vehicles parked without a permit. This project developed a trailer to house the system so patrolling can be done on a bike rather than a car. The trailer frame is made of lightweight aluminum and a fiberglass shell. The suspension system is optimally balanced so it can be driven with ease. And the trailer is secure so that the computer system is protected from theft as well as water.

The system is self-sufficient, using the motion of the trailer to power the cameras. This system will be extremely effective, reduce cost, generate all its own energy, and make Boise State University an even more bike-focused campus.

Boise State University College of Engineering

#44 – THE GRASSHOPPER DEPARTMENT: Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Tammy Jackson Rayce Kidd Michael Roberts Cameron Spriggel PROJECT ADVISOR: Lynn Catlin, P.E. MENTORS: Jordan Klinger Tyler Westover

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is currently in need of a hopper-based system that can uniformly feed and detangle agricultural biomass material onto an optical imaging conveyor belt. This optical imaging is crucial in the development of a biofuel alternative, with hopes to create better forms of renewable energy.

The HOPR senior design team at Boise State has created an oscillating mechanical solution that is compatible with a wide range of agricultural biomass materials and interfaces with their current system. This system has proven to work well with materials ranging from sawdust all the way up to ground up corn stalks by dropping the materials through a series of sieves.

This solution will help INL reduce agricultural waste and create clean energy.

SPONSOR: Idaho National Laboratory

#45 – IDAHO POWER FUNCTIONING HYDROELECTRIC DAM PORTABLE MODEL DEPARTMENT: Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Jared Bossart Conner Hughes Nick Johnson Joseph Stellers PROJECT ADVISOR: Lynn Catlin, P.E. MENTOR: Dr. Joseph Gaurino SPONSOR: Idaho Power Inc.

Idaho Power is an electrical power utility that uses hydroelectricity to generate the larger share of all electricity distributed throughout Southern Idaho and Eastern Oregon. In order to help illustrate the concept of hydroelectricity to the general public, Idaho Power requested that a senior project team be tasked with building a working model of a hydroelectric dam. The model needs to produce electricity, allow for easy transportation, and be simple to operate. Additionally, the model needs to illustrate the major components and steps required to produce usable electricity from flowing water. We ran tests with a Kaplan, Pelton wheel, and Francis turbine. The Kaplan like blade performed the best, so we used that for our design. In order to make the model easy to transport, it was separated into three main parts that can then be separated and then re-assembled. To keep the model easy to operate we have labeled parts and settings so that operators need only to fill the reservoir with water, connect a the pump to an outlet, run the system, and then when finished, drain the reservoir.

#46 – BIG THUMPER PROJECT DEPARTMENT: Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Andrew Brown Stefan Dahne James Gross Zeke Kennedy Cooper McColeman PROJECT ADVISOR: Lynn Catlin, P.E. MENTOR: Lee Liberty SPONSOR: Lee Liberty

The Department of Geosciences at Boise State University employstrailer-mountedseismic generation machines to create ground impactsthat are used to map subterraneanfeatures, like sources of water oroil. The machinescurrently map as deep as a mile. The purpose of this projectwas to create a faster, harder hitting trailer by improving an existing model. By increasing the impact energy, the mapping produced bythe machine can reach greater depths, giving a more complete picture of the sub-surface features. The increased operation speed allows the operators to achieve a greater distance of mapping in the same timeframe. A twocylinder, bottom-mounted hydraulic system was implemented, which gave the entire trailer a lower vertical profile and a greater drop heightfor the weight. The improved trailer-mounted seismic generator machine will allow the operators to map a given amount of terrain in a shorter time frame and to a deeper depth.

Boise State University College of Engineering

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#47 – ASHRAE 2019 HVAC DESIGNCOMPETITION DEPARTMENT: Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Kevin Delong Bryant Johnson Rex Kelly Rachel Nutting PROJECT ADVISOR: Lynn Catlin, P.E. MENTORS: Tim Johnson, CTA Brian Emtman, CTA John Monserrat, Tikker Engineering Dan Russel, NEC Randy Reed, NEC

The American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) sponsors a yearly competition to encourage student involvement within the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC)industry. This year’s challenge is to design the HVAC system for a four-story, 145,000 square foot hospital in Budapest, Hungary. The final design should meet all requirements outlined by the owner and “demonstrate compliance with [applicable] ASHRAE standards.”The design includes proper calculation of heating, cooling, and ventilation requirements, correct sizing for all components, and aLife Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) for the selected system. The final submission is a report that details the overall design and considerations used to meet owner requirements.

SPONSOR: Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering

#48 – KNEE LAXITY MEASUREMENT DEVICE DEPARTMENT: Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Kate Benfield Rozalyn Morauske Andy Nordstrom Zachary Simmons Matt Thompson PROJECT ADVISOR: Lynn Catlin, P.E. MENTOR: Dr. Clare Fitzpatrick SPONSOR: Dr. Clare Fitzpatrick

Over time, our joints can become unstable resulting in loss of activity and increased pain. Current research into the effects of age and activity on knee joint laxity (stiffness of ligaments) is limited.

A Mechanical Engineering team worked to develop a device capable of testing laxity within the knee joint for client Dr. Clare Fitzpatrick. The device measures applied force and displacement for forward and backward motion with respect to a subject’s leg alignment at multiple flexion angles.

Data from the device is measured using a potentiometer (distance), a load cell (force), and an Arduino Uno (data input). The recorded data is output to a user-friendly interface within LabVIEW software to numerically display laxity measurements. Laxity is then recorded as the amount of applied force over the distance the lower leg moves in relation to that force. Our easy-to-use, safe, and durable device helps to advance the field of laxity research.

#49 – OPTIMIZATION, DESIGN, AND FABRICATION OF A 54 MM DIAMETER HIGH POWER ROCKET DEPARTMENT: Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Abdullah Al-Anbaki Takoda Bingham Bradley Henderson PROJECT ADVISOR: Lynn Catlin, P.E. MENTORS: Corey Morasch Robert Ragland

The team was tasked to design, optimize, and fabricate a minimum diameter, high altitude rocket to compete against an opposing team in a race to the highest altitude. Both teams have been allocated a limited budget to buy and fabricate all the necessary components to win the competition. It was encouraged to spend the least amount as possible. Both teams were provided the same rocket motor to make for a fair competition.The team initially designed the rocket by using custom MATLAB scripts which analyzed parameters including deployment methods, drag effects due to geometry, and fin flutter. A model of the rocket was then designed using both Solidworks and Open Rocket to optimize the design as to attain maximum flight altitude. The rocket was then fabricated by the team in the student machine shop. Once fabrication and assembly are completed the team will launch the rocket to complete the competition.

SPONSOR: Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering

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Boise State University College of Engineering

#50 – WOODGRAIN DOORS “POP-OUT TABLE” DEPARTMENT: Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Dan Brown Brandon McClure Hunter Underwood Dylan Wooding PROJECT ADVISOR: Lynn Catlin, P.E.

The objective of this project was to design a mechanism to reduce the risk of injury associated with flipping doors over at Woodgrain Doors’ repair stations. The design began in the realm of powered automation and through several iterations became a cost-effective, mechanical solution. Our product provides a stable platform for flipping doors over and stows away so as to not interfere with the normal workflow. Our product relies on off-the-shelf components and a few machined parts to create a simple, durable, and reproduceible mechanism. Our device will reduce injury and long-term risk to Woodgrain employees as well as make the manufacturing process more efficient.

MENTORS: Derek Laudal Sam Barker Tasche Streib, SGW Designworks Mike Witt, SGW Designworks SPONSOR: Woodgrain Doors

#51 – THE POWER OF GEOTHERMAL DEPARTMENT: Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Hussain Aldowailah Kyle Foy Hannah Hudson Brianne Kuhnhausen Sean Meltreger PROJECT ADVISOR: Lynn Catlin, P.E. MENTOR: Dr. John Gardner

The City of Boise currently utilizes geothermal resources to heat 92 buildings throughout Boise. The geothermal water for the current system is pumped out of the ground at around 177°F. The team worked with a City of Boise engineer to extract excess thermal energy from the already heated geothermal water supply, in order to generate a clean energy source to produce as much power as possible. The team designed a heat exchanger system that converts thermal energy to electrical power through the use of thermoelectric materials. A piping subsystem can be implemented into the already existing geothermal system. Some geothermal water will flow through the subsystem, allowing the heat exchanger device to extract heat from the water. The water will then exit the subsystem and join the rest of the geothermal water at the reinjection pumping station. This process allows power to be generated without affecting the heating process for the buildings in the system.

SPONSORS: Jon Gunnerson City of Boise Dept. of Public Works

#52 – ROCKET DRAG RACE: SKY HIGH ROCKETRY DEPARTMENT: Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Myles Delgado Kai Lockhart Richard Thompson PROJECT ADVISOR: Lynn Catlin, P.E. MENTORS: Corey Morasch Robert Ragland

Over the past several years, the Mechanical Engineering Department has sponsored the design and manufacturing of several model rockets and this year being the first time that Boise State is having two teams drag race them. Each team was given the same type and size of motor as a starting point while everything else was left to each team to research, design, and manufacture. This was done with the collaboration of mentors from the local Tripoli Idaho Rocket group to ensure all of the necessary safety precautions were built into the design and followed during manufacturing. The launch will occur during the “SpudRoc” event on May 4th where both teams rockets will be launched side by side and at the same time. The rocket which achieves the highest altitude, speed, quality in build, and lowest budget will be the factors that determine the winner of the competition and that team will get all of the bragging rights.

SPONSORS: Corey Morasch Tripoli Idaho Missle Works Rick Thome

Boise State University College of Engineering

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#53 – NXEDGE PLASMA SPRAY SLURRY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT: Micron School of Material Science and Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Brady Garringer Steve Russ Alma Stosius PROJECT ADVISOR: Harold Ackler SPONSOR: NxEdge, Inc. Rob Minor

NxEdge provides coatings for tooling for the semiconductor industry, specifically yttria ceramic coatings that provide protection from chemical and abrasive damage. NxEdge utilizes a plasma spray process in conjunction with a yttria slurry to apply these coatings. The yttria slurry currently in use is sourced from a supplier in large quantities. The yttria slurry has a shelf life which causes NxEdge to lose 50% of the product when purchased in the quantities available by the supplier. In order to decrease waste and reduce supplier cost NEPSIG will formulate a new slurry design and process for in-house production. By careful characterization of the current slurry through FTIR and SEM is it NEPSIG’s goal to develop a new slurry formulation that will closely approximate the current slurry formulation being used.

#54 – EVOLUTION OF AN ALUMINUM-MAGNESIUM-ZIRCONIUM ALLOY DEPARTMENT: Micron School of Material Science and Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Michael Hansen Dallas Holstine Kylee Lay Austin Mello

This study examines the evolution of an aluminum alloy powder - AddalloyTM - extruded through the Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion (ShAPE) technique. A large quantity of AddalloyTM powder is produced outside of the 20-100 micron particle range required for laser bed powder fusion. The purpose of this project is to determine if ShAPE is a valid technique for utilizing this excess powder. This group evaluates the structural transformation and builds relationships through the use of XRD, SEM, Vickers Microhardness, and EBSD.

PROJECT ADVISOR: Brian Jaques SPONSORS: NanoAl Joe Croteau

#55 – CHARACTERIZATION OF CATHODIC ARC DEPOSITED TIN AND CRN COATINGS DEPARTMENT: Micron School of Material Science and Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Lynn Karriem John Page Beck Perrine PROJECT ADVISOR: Paul Lindquist SPONSORS: Independent PVD LLC Jesse Armagost

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Independent PVD LLC aims to provide wear resistant and decorative coatings deposited through their custom cathodic arc vapor deposition system. The company has created processes for depositing titanium nitride (TiN) and chromium nitride (CrN) coatings. As a small business, they do not have the equipment to characterize these coatings. The Independent PVD Project Group is a collaboration between Boise State University and Independent PVD LLC. The project goal was to characterize TiN and CrN samples produced by Independent PVD. This provides Independent PVD with information to optimize their coating processes and provides Boise State materials engineering students with invaluable project design experience. The properties characterized include hardness, thickness, substrate adhesion, surface roughness, and frequency of macroparticles. This data will allow Independent PVD to adjust parameters such as bias voltage, current, and surface preparation to manufacture improved coatings.

Boise State University College of Engineering

#56 – FABRICATION OF A VACUUM TRANSFER DEVICE FOR SURFACE SENSITIVE SAMPLES DEPARTMENT: Micron School of Material Science and Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Nate Farris Alejandro Montoya Paige Skinner PROJECT ADVISOR: Elton Graugnard SPONSORS: Micron Technology Inc. Dr. Steve Hues

The precision of the surface analysis techniques such as the XPS (x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy), STM (scanning tunneling microscope) and AES (auger electron spectroscopy) are beneficial for materials scientists to understand the surface topography, elemental composition, and chemical bonding states of materials. However, exposure to the air can contaminate the surface of a sample in as little as one nanosecond, making it extremely difficult to transfer air-sensitive and thin-film samples to the characterization instruments before contamination occurs. To combat this issue, the Micron Team designed and fabricated a vacuum transfer device to minimize contamination on surface sensitive samples as they are transferred from the location of synthesis to the characterization instruments. This device will allow researchers at Boise State to obtain accurate and high-quality data on their thin-film or air-sensitive samples.

#57 – LED LIGHT MEASUREMENT SYSTEM DEPARTMENT: Electrical and Computer Engineering/Mechanical & Biomedical Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Chris Bair(ECE) Donovan Campbell(ECE) Christopher Ruby(ECE) Mohammad Aldabi(MBE) Kelsey Mumford(MBE) Andre Munayirji(MBE) Allison Porter(MBE)

How do you test the quality of an LED luminaire? A multidisciplinary team of electrical and mechanical students built a machine that does just this - a goniophotometer! By measuring the intensity of the light and its distribution about a luminaire, this device can produce data traditionally requiring a third-party lab. This machine includes tailored mechanical gear trains, custom-machined hardware, integrated electrical control systems, and a cohesive software interface. The primary goal for the interdisciplinary design team was to automate the entire light intensity data collecting process.

Full automation of the tool allows all desired data to be collected smoothly and accurately resulting in a calibrated tool that can gather consistent data. Designed for the client company SimplyLEDs, this project aimed to shorten product development time and lower costs. This design built upon work from a previous team’s senior project.

PROJECT ADVISOR: Lynn Catlin, P.E. Brian Higgins MENTORS: Charlie Wilkerson Dean Wilkinson SimplyLEDs SPONSOR: Simply LEDs

#58 – AUTONOMOUS LAWN MOWER DEPARTMENT: Electrical and Computer Engineering/Mechanical & Biomedical Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Eric Ayers(ECE) Aaron Brown(ECE) Derek Lukasik(ECE) Dennis Nair(MBE) Marissa Nathe(MBE) Saif Salah(MBE) Corbin Vickery(ECE) PROJECT ADVISORS: Lynn Catlin, P.E. Brian Higgins

The purpose of this project is to design an autonomous lawn mowing system. The mower will autonomously maintain a lawn with less interaction required by the customer in comparison to traditional lawn mowing equipment. The mower is required to safely navigate within a specified boundary and respond to naturally occurring disturbances in the environment, such as slopes and physical obstacles, by actuating the drivetrain and blade motors. To navigate, the control system actuates the drive motors according to sensor input. A radio frequency guidance system is designed to transmit a signal through an antenna wire which the mower can use to detect a user set boundary. The mower incorporates features to detect physical obstacles and ensure safe operation without supervision. Team MOW believes that this mower has met all set requirements with the current design and this platform can be used to implement future accessories and features.

MENTORS: Steele Stone Wes Butler - Micron Techology SPONSOR: Micron Foundation

Boise State University College of Engineering

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#59 – AIR HOCKEY ROBOT DEPARTMENT: Electrical and Computer Engineering/Mechanical & Biomedical Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Kyle Craft(ECE) Casey DeHaas(ECE) Caitlin Dunne(ECE) Dustin Lapp(ECE) Nardos Ashenafi(MBE) Maxx Aquirre(MBE) Ryan Montrose(MBE) Sarah Musser(MBE)

The objective of the project is to design, build, and control a pantograph air hockey playing robot.

The robot has 5 subsystems: vision, data filter, striker control, linkage/motor assembly, and puck retrieval. An operating system known as ROS is used to integrate the communication between subsystems. A camera is used to track the location of the puck, and the data is filtered to reduce errors from friction and camera resolution. Once filtered, the robot predicts and updates the location of the puck as it reaches the strike region. Knowing the end position of the puck, the striker attempts to intercept the puck. If the player scores goal on the robot, a puck retrieval system rolls the puck back to the player’s goal. The pantograph is sitting on a wooden frame that also holds the link/motor assembly and vision system.

PROJECT ADVISORS: Lynn Catlin, P.E. Brian Higgins MENTOR: Dr. Aykut Satici SPONSORS: NeXCOBOT Derek and Rebecca Gochnour

#60 – NUCLEAR REACTOR CREEP DEVICE DEPARTMENT: Mechanical & Biomedical Engineering/Micron School of Material Science & Engineering TEAM MEMBERS: Ian Dhuyvetter(MBE) Melodee Haney(MBE) Megan Sheets(MBE) Arvin Cunningham(MSMSE) Sam McMurdie(MSMSE) Tyler Poulsen(MSMSE)

Idaho National Laboratory, the world’s leading nuclear research facility, has sponsored a mechanical engineering capstone project to design, manufacture, and model a safety device that measures high temperature creep within a nuclear reactor. To create a device to survive the conditions within a nuclear reactor, the group created a Matlab code to find the device dimensions based off of ASTM standard E2714-13 and the materials found with the needed CTE value; these materials were Inconel and Stainless Steel.The devices were manufactured based on the dimensions found and then were tested within a high temperature furnace. A theoretical finite element model was also created for the device. The results of the testing and modeling will show a .3% strain, which was a parameter for the design.

PROJECT ADVISORS: Dr. Paul Lindquist Lynn Catlin, P.E. MENTORS: Dr. Michael McMurtrey Dr. Brian Jaques, P.E. SPONSOR: Dr. Michael McMurtrey Dr. Brian Jaques, P.E.

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Boise State University College of Engineering

SPECIAL THANKS

Dr. JoAnn S. Lighty Leandra Aburusa The Peer Advisors Michele Armstrong

Diana Garza Joan Hartz Paul Robertson Dr. Krishna Pakala

Senior Design Coordinators Boise State University Printing and Graphic Services

Boise State University College of Engineering

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