Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.
Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.
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- Creators: Electrical Engineering Program
Description
The Phoenix CubeSat is a 3U Earth imaging CubeSat which will take infrared (IR) photos of cities in the United Stated to study the Urban Heat Island Effect, (UHI) from low earth orbit (LEO). It has many different components that need to be powered during the life of its mission. The only power source during the mission will be its solar panels. It is difficult to calculate power generation from solar panels by hand because of the different orientations the satellite will be positioned in during orbit; therefore, simulation will be used to produce power generation data. Knowing how much power is generated is integral to balancing the power budget, confirming whether there is enough power for all the components, and knowing whether there will be enough power in the batteries during eclipse. This data will be used to create an optimal design for the Phoenix CubeSat to accomplish its mission.
ContributorsBarakat, Raymond John (Author) / White, Daniel (Thesis director) / Kitchen, Jennifer (Committee member) / Electrical Engineering Program (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
A look at how the Vietnam War influenced immigrant and first-generation children's perception of culture. This thesis focuses on Vietnamese-American immigration as a whole, and on subjects on the American west coast. Interviews were conducted with eleven subjects to examine the most profound influences on culture and how native culture is passed on through the generations. Focuses include cultural identity, cultural inheritance, prominent native and adoptive cultural values, and culture as affected by adversity.
ContributorsTran, Yvana (Author) / Loebenberg, Abby (Thesis director) / Suk, Mina (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
This paper reviews several current designs of Cube Satellite (CubeSat) Electrical Power Systems (EPS) based on Silicon FET technologies and their current deficiencies, such as radiation-incurred defects and switching power losses. A strategy to fix these is proposed by the way of using Gallium Nitride (GaN) High Electron-Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) as switching devices within Buck/Boost Converters and other regulators. This work summarizes the EPS designs of several CubeSat missions, classifies them, and outlines their efficiency. An in-depth example of an EPS is also given, explaining the process in which these systems are designed. Areas of deficiency are explained along with reasoning as to why GaN can mitigate these losses, including its wide bandgap properties such as high RDS(on) and High Breakdown Voltage. Special design considerations must be kept in mind when using GaN HEMTs in this application and an example of a CubeSat using GaN HEMTs is mentioned. Finally, challenges ahead for GaN are explored including manufacturing considerations and long-term reliability.
ContributorsWilloughby, Alexander George (Author) / Kitchen, Jennifer (Thesis director) / Zhao, Yuji (Committee member) / Electrical Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
Operation Toothbrush is an initiative established to combat the oral healthcare disparity within young children who reside in Arizona. By working with elementary and preschool children, the project educated them and their families about the importance of oral hygiene in informative and intuitive manner. The project incorporated the help of Pre-Dental volunteers, dental practices, and the Woodside Grant to obtain the supplies, information, and assistance necessary to conduct the initiative.
ContributorsTsiperfal, Nathan (Co-author) / Mansukhani, Kunal (Co-author) / Virdee, Gitika (Co-author) / Loebenberg, Abby (Thesis director) / Ostling, Michael (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
Communication between the physical and digital world via software, embedded sensors and network connectivity is referred to by the term, the "Internet of Things" (IoT) [1]. The IoT transforms natural objects into "smart devices" to improve accuracy, reduce human intervention, and provide real-time data [1]. Smart weather stations that upload information, including temperature and humidity, to the Internet are already available. However, these products are often expensive and programmed only for single-purpose use. The LoRa Weather Station is a low cost, low power and low maintenance IoT solution that combines Microchip Technology's LoRa RN2903 module along with Mikroelektronika's Weather Click sensor. This report discusses how the LoRa Weather Station was created, primarily focusing on the LoRa gateway setup by a Raspberry Pi local web server. This project was completed by four electrical engineering students in the EEE 488 and 489 Senior Design courses at Arizona State University from Fall 2016 to Spring 2017. Total expenses for the project were $717.84, including the LoRa gateway which amounted to $104 (see Appendix C for the Bill of Materials).
ContributorsLeon, Miranda Cristina (Author) / Kozicki, Michael (Thesis director) / Balaban, Mehmet (Committee member) / Electrical Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
Resistive Random Access Memory (RRAM) is an emerging type of non-volatile memory technology that seeks to replace FLASH memory. The RRAM crossbar array is advantageous in its relatively small cell area and faster read latency in comparison to NAND and NOR FLASH memory; however, the crossbar array faces design challenges of its own in sneak-path currents that prevent proper reading of memory stored in the RRAM cell. The Current Sensing Amplifier is one method of reading RRAM crossbar arrays. HSpice simulations are used to find the associated reading delays of the Current Sensing Amplifier with respect to various sizes of RRAM crossbar arrays, as well as the largest array size compatible for accurate reading. It is found that up to 1024x1024 arrays are achievable with a worst-case read delay of 815ps, and it is further likely 2048x2048 arrays are able to be read using the Current Sensing Amplifier. In comparing the Current Sensing Amplifier latency results with previously obtained latency results from the Voltage Sensing Amplifier, it is shown that the Voltage Sensing Amplifier reads arrays in sizes up to 256x256 faster while the Current Sensing Amplifier reads larger arrays faster.
ContributorsMoore, Jenna Barber (Author) / Yu, Shimeng (Thesis director) / Liu, Rui (Committee member) / Electrical Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
Having the proper biomechanical and neuromuscular kinematics while performing an athletic motion is essential for athletes. Deviations from proper form in execution of the kinetic chain of an athletic movement may result in suboptimal performance and oftentimes an elevated likelihood of injury. The solutions currently available to athletes to account for digression from proper form are limited to sight and feel analysis of movement by the athletes and coaches and basic medical and athletic analysis equipment that is unsuitable for real-time analysis, the rigor and speed of dynamic athletic motions, and in-field use. The solution proposed herein is one of an in-shoe force measurement and foot positioning system designed to measure the ground reaction force generated by and alignment of an athlete's feet during an athletic motion. Research into various sports has found that the feet play a foundational role in proper execution of the kinetic chain, wherein the alignment, positioning, force generation, and timing of the feet may dictate proper execution of subsequent segments in the kinetic chain. The goal of the present design is to provide athletes with a solution to allow for real-time kinematic analysis of athletic motions using an in-shoe force measurement and foot positioning system. An understanding into the compensatory effect of foot misalignment, mismatched timing, and under or overcompensated ground reaction force generation by the feet on ensuing segments of the kinetic chain in conjunction with the present design can allow for athletes to measure and determine their degree of accuracy in form execution and to predict potential injuries resulting from deviations in form. Our design of an athletic shoe comprising an in-shoe force measurement system provides a dynamic solution to sports-related injuries presently unavailable to athletes.
ContributorsKiaei, Nima (Co-author) / Makhija, Abhay (Co-author) / Kiaei, Sayfe (Thesis director) / Kozicki, Michael (Committee member) / Electrical Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
The Solar Powered Amphibious Transport (SPAT) is an amphibious hovercraft that uses solar energy as a power source and is fully controlled via iOS application on a phone or tablet. The hovercraft field is relatively unexplored with a solar power source, and one of the goals of the SPAT was to spark interest in sustainable hovercraft design. By challenging the potential of solar power, the SPAT proves that solar energy can be used in high power transportation applications. The second motive behind the creation a hovercraft was for it to serve as a disaster relief vehicle. A hovercraft can traverse both ground and water, which makes it ideal in flooded areas. With the SPAT being remote controlled it can allow the operator to stay at a safe distance while sending supplies or rescuing a person. The SPAT design covered multiple size options, however a small prototype version was built to serve as a proof of concept that a larger solar hovercraft is possible. Our analysis suggests that a larger craft will be able to carry more weight, and be more power efficient. A larger SPAT could help deliver supplies or rescue stranded people after a flood or hurricane. One issue faced however, was that many hovercrafts are highly expensive. The SPAT prototype was designed on a tight budget that did not exceed $800. The possibility of achieving this cost levels allows hovercraft to be a reasonable option for disaster relief agencies. After many long hours spent the SPAT became a fully operational remote control solar powered hovercraft.
ContributorsDavis, Parker William (Co-author) / Clenney, Jacob (Co-author) / Nachman, Michael (Co-author) / Melillo, Nick (Co-author) / Bertoni, Mariana (Thesis director) / Kozicki, Michael (Committee member) / Electrical Engineering Program (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Balance of System Cost Analysis to Investigate Future Economic Competitiveness of Tandem Solar Cells
Description
As single junction silicon based solar cells approach their Shockley\u2014Queasier (SQ) conversion efficiency limits, tandem solar cells (TSC) provide an attractive prospect for higher efficiency cells. Although TSCs have been shown to be more efficient, their higher fabrication costs are a limiting factor for their economic competitiveness and large-scale integration in PV power systems. Current literature suggests that even with reduced costs of fabrication in the future, TSCs still offer no competitive benefit for integration in utility-scale systems and may yield minimal benefits only in places where area-related costs are high. This work investigates Balance of Systems (BoS) circumstances under which TSCs can attain economic viability in scenarios where the necessary technological advances are made to increase the efficiency of solar cells beyond the SQ limit.
ContributorsMugwisi, Ngoni (Author) / Holman, Zachary (Thesis director) / Phelan, Patrick (Committee member) / Industrial, Systems (Contributor) / Electrical Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
Year after year, babies are dying after being left behind in cars that reach dangerous levels of heat. This project, conducted by the Hot Babies Senior Design Team, aims to solve this growing issue with the development of a hot car baby monitor. This device is integrated with multiple sensors: temperature, sound, carbon dioxide, and motion in order to detect life inside of a hot car. By using different sensors, a combination of threshold activated signals can be used to provide high quality monitoring and reduce false alarms from outside noise. Once the algorithms predict the presence of a living being inside a dangerously hot vehicle, the baby car monitor will send out text messages warning designated parents and/or guardians of the issue. The baby car monitor is further optimized with a low battery indicator and a sleep mode feature. The schedule of the project is separated into the fall and spring semesters. For the fall semester, all of the sensors and the microcontroller were purchased and tested individually. For the spring semester, all of the sensors were integrated together on a PCB and tested under hot car environments. Additionally, features such as the text messaging interface and the sleep mode were added. The budget of the final working product is roughly ~ $200. The cost includes the different sensors, microcontroller, data plan, text messaging module, and PCB. When mass produced, the cost is expected to go down.
ContributorsQin, Eric C (Co-author) / Luc, Andrew (Co-author) / Cheung, Wai (Co-author) / Moore, Jenna (Co-author) / Vittal, Vijay (Thesis director) / Kozicki, Michael (Committee member) / Electrical Engineering Program (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05