Methane hydrates and biohydrogen are two disparate subjects that are of interest in the growing field of alternative energy research. However, before commercial use becomes a viable option, each has challenges that need to be overcome. Methane hydrates require large investments of time and capital to locate. In this thesis,...
This paper examines the recent evolution of aggrieved entitlement and social fragility in young white American males and the subsequent violent backlash that certain individuals in this group have unleashed upon women, the LGBTQ community, Jewish people, Black people, and other socially vulnerable populations. Throughout the past decade, America at...
The Capacitive Touch Children’s Guitar is a fully functional electronic toy demonstrating
an application of Cypress Semiconductor’s CapSense touch sensing technology. It was
developed as a senior design project by myself and two other engineering students. I was
responsible for the guitar’s LED lights, main microcontroller and sound storage and...
Across the globe, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been established to protect biodiversity, sustain fisheries, and preserve cultural resources. However, there exist broad differences among MPAs with respect to their establishment stage and protective regulations, making it difficult to quantify how much ocean protection is actually occurring. This thesis utilizes...
Mentoring can have a great impact on students during their higher education career. This influential role of mentors can be found valuable for a wide variety of populations, and has specifically monumental influences for underrepresented students. The NASPA Undergraduate Fellows Program (NUFP) aims to facilitate the mentor-mentee relationship for historically...
In recent decades, the occurrence of large, high severity wildfires has increased substantially in many parts of the world, including the western United States. These fires have the potential to impact water quality, aquatic ecosystems, and downstream communities for many decades. As such, it is increasingly important to understand the...
Marine environments provide services for ecosystems and humans, but face many threats, including sea star wasting disease (SSWD) and ocean acidification (OA). Biological research on these threats is abundant, but there has been limited research examining the human dimensions of these threats. This thesis contains two standalone articles that explore...
A combined experimental and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study of single-phase liquid nitrogen flow through a microscale pin-fin heat sink is presented. Such cryogenic heat sinks could find use in applications such as high performance computing, spacecraft thermal management, and hydrogen storage thermal management. A circular pin fin heat sink...
Pseudocapillaria tomentosa is a nematode that parasitizes Danio rerio, causing major disease that affects the economic commodities of fish industries and destroys experimental results at research facilities. There is a critical need for a rapid and sensitive diagnostic assay to test for P. tomentosa in D. rerio populations. PCR primers...