Previous Research Poster Abstracts

Arduino-Neo Pixel LED Strips

Belinda Nguyen, Elizabeth Pham, Jesse Pham

Arduino is an open-source microcontroller that interacts with the user. The objective is to program the Arduino to display multiple images, such as the iconic Mario, with bright, consistent colors throughout the entire panel. This was done by programming the library and connecting the code into the hardware. Several errors that occurred during this experiment were the voltage drop and the flickering lights. These errors were diminished by increasing the power supply outage and adding more resistors. Improvements include creating various features to make the Arduino more user-friendly.

Autonomous Landmine Detection Drone

Yikealo Abraha, Joshua Lee, Asadawut Promjak, Berhane Tesfamichael

Advisor: Alexander Stameroff; Engineering Dept., SRJC

Today in the world we currently have an estimated 110 million anti-personnel Landmines in the world. Sadly the majority of landmine victims are civilians who step on a mine after armed conflicts have ceased. The current methods of minesweeping are expensive and inefficient. However, quad-copters equipped with a metal detector can do the tedious and dangerous task of minesweeping. In this project, we are proposing a quad-copter platform that can be utilized for such projects. The quad-copter is controlled from a computer. The computer gets a top view of the quadcopter which is then processed to localize the drone. The computer then calculates the right value for pitch, yaw and roll, then sends those value to the PCTX. The PCTX generate PPM signal that correspond to the value and transmits these values to the radio transmitter through the trainer port and the transmitter then sends the instruction to the Pixhawk flight controller on the quad- copter.

Building a Rotary Stirling Engine

Alex Berlanga, Miguel Berlanga, Scott Sherod, Jaguir Singh

Advisor: Jan Kmetko, PhD; Chemistry and Physics Dept., SRJC

In this project, we are designing and putting together a rotary gamma-type Stirling Engine. The rotary Stirling Engine is an uncommon design compared to the more common “linear” Stirling engines because of its rotational motion of the displacer. The advantages to using a rotary Stirling Engine is that no fly-wheel is necessary on the outside of the engine to carry angular momentum because the displacer carries the angular momentum instead. Stirling Engines are comprised of sealed air that is heated/cooled to provide the compression/expansion needed to power a cyclical engine. A Stirling Engine allows the user to obtain safe usable work with no exhaust, explosions, or pollution. The main building challenges of this rotary Stirling Engine are the cylindrical shape of the air chamber, the balanced- displacer, and the custom parts that needed to be made via 3D printing and machining to assure an airtight seal. The introduction of more Stirling Engines into everyday life could see a huge cut of carbon emissions in transportation and in electrical energy production.

Detrimental Effects of Ocean Acidification on Calcium Based Organisms

Adriana Aguilar-Maldonado, Mariah Dorado, Aanisah Houston, Chad Martin, Alejandra N. Mixco, Vanessa Nava

Advisor: John Marhenke; Chemistry and Physics Dept., SRJC

Ocean acidification has been affecting the ocean and the living organisms that live in it. Much of the increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is being absorbed by seawater. This causes an increase in carbonic acid levels in the ocean, decreasing its pH. This increased acidity harms important biological calcifying organisms. The aim of this study is to bring awareness in how increased levels of CO2 in the ocean are cutting the survival rates of many organisms that need a calcium carbonate shell in order to protect them from predators. Due to climate change, oceans now have a lower pH, which affects calcifying organisms, coral reefs, and thus, keystone species. As we continue on this upward trend in temperature and CO2 levels, oceans will continue to increase in acidity. We hypothesized that by increasing acidity in the world’s oceans, calcium carbonate shells will biodegrade in response, leaving little to no shell left. Shells were collected from Goat Rock Beach in Bodega, California, weighed weekly, and placed in simulated ocean environments of three different levels of pH: artificially basic, normal ocean acidity, and more extreme high acidity. As the weeks progressed, our results reflected extreme deterioration in each shell that was placed in the lower levels of pH. The masses of each shell also decreased in the more acidic environment. Our hypothesis was therefore supported, showing that calcium carbonate organisms are being affected severely by ocean acidification.

Drift Trike Build

Christopher Cao, Luu Nguyen, Anthony Vu

Advisor: Jan Kmetko, PhD; Chemistry and Physics Dept., SRJC

Building a Drift trike offers a recreational approach to applying physics and the engineering knowledge obtained in lower-division coursework. Applications including wheel sizing, spacing, center of mass, weight distribution, engine properties, and brakes are the main physics and engineering-related concepts to consider. However, factors to consider when building the drift trike consist of design, cost and the power to weight ratio. As an example, since welding and effective part scavenging played a key role in dictating the quality, we needed a material that offered an affordable cost to strength ratio and also had no troubles with warping during welds. As a result, we decided to go with 1 ½“ by 1 ½ “ by 1/12” steel tubing. The results of considering all of the above concerns can be seen in the pictures and actual built drift trike. The drift trike has an estimated stress rating of 571 PSI without taking into account the added strength due to the design and is making approximately 17.5 HP

Genetic Algorithms: Emergent Behavior in Search and Optimization

Lyle Lengyel

Advisor: Tim Melvin; Mathematics Dept., SRJC

Evolution helps organisms adapt to their environment, providing complex solutions through seemingly random combinations and permutations of nucleotides. With so much genetic material, the realm of possibilities for unique genetic sequences is practically infinite. How does genetic evolution find sufficient adaptations in such a vast search space? Genetic algorithms (GAs) were created in an effort  to model the processes driving evolution. GAs have since found practical use both in scientific modelling as well as in optimization and problem solving for various engineering applications. By extension with other logical processes GAs can be applied across wide variety of disciplines and problem types. Evolving unique computer programs, or neural network architectures, and predicting protein structures, the stock market, or the weather are all possible. The field of GA use and study is still developing, with researchers coaxing improved performance out of the GAs as well as finding new ways to use them.