Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection

The ASU COVID-19 testing lab process was developed to operate as the primary testing site for all ASU staff, students, and specified external individuals. Tests are collected at various collection sites, including a walk-in site at the SDFC and various drive-up sites on campus; analysis is conducted on ASU campus and results are distributed virtually to all patients via the Health Services patient portal. The following is a literature review on past implementations of various process improvement techniques and how they can be applied to the ABCTL testing process to achieve laboratory goals. (abstract)

The purpose of this study is to create and establish an efficient and cost-effective solution to decrease the effects of sedentarism in pregnant women. Our team was given a propelling question, from which we had to narrow down our scope and conduct primary and secondary research to determine our ideal customers. The design of our study intends to imitate the development of a startup where ideas are created from scratch and the final deliverable is a business model plan that shows some sort of traction. Our first major finding is that a sedentary lifestyle can be treated without major challenges in low-risk pregnancies. We determined that uncertainty and lack of concise and clear information is one of the main causes of an increased level of sedentary behavior in low-risk pregnancies. A significant driver for women to do some sort of activity or exercise stems from feeling supported, which doesn’t necessarily come from their partner or couple, but instead from other women that are going to a similar process as them. There are apps in the market that intend to serve pregnant women; however, there is not one that incorporates a social aspect to achieve their goal. In conclusion, there is opportunity in the market for a socially integrated pregnancy fitness app. The Gleam concept has been consciously developed to decrease sedentary behavior through concise, clear, and reliable information and by encouraging women through a socialization platform.

The purpose of this study is to collect baseline internal and external pressure data for the three most commonly used pelvic circumferential compression devices (PCCD). Unstable pelvic fractures as a result of automobile accidents, falls, and other traumatic injuries mortality rate [3]. Early use of pelvic circumferential compression devices can mitigate fatal outcomes [4]-[5]. Prolonged eternal pressure above 9.3kPa can result in long-term soft tissue damage and pressure ulcers [7]. This study hypothesizes that the application of the three most commonly used PCCDs would result in the same mean maximum point pressure exertion. To study this, internal and external, both analog and digital, pressure apparati were used to collect data. The results of this data collection demonstrate a discrepancy in the pressure distribution between right and left greater trochanters within each PCCD. Additionally, the results suggest there is an effect of internal packing on the pressure exertion externally at the two greater trochanters within each PCCD. Lastly, the differences in pressure exertion between each PCCD, internally and externally, were inconclusive as some compared metrics resulted in statistically significant results while others did not. The methodologies employed in this study can be improved through fixation of pressure collection instruments, utilization of digital pressure mats, and removal of confounding factors. The results of this study indicate that digitized, discrete data over a fixed time interval may be clinically useful, suggesting that a digital data collection would yield more reliable data. Additionally, internally mounted pressure sensor data will provide more precise results than the analog method employed herein, as well as provide insight towards bone reduction and displacement following the application of PCCDs. Finally, the information gathered from this study can be utilized to improve upon existing technologies to create a more innovative solution.

This project will be a tribute to my experiences as a person, a chef, and as an ASU student. During my time spent here at ASU I have met a diverse group of people that I call my friends. Every time we would spend time together, I would learn about their lives and the experiences they are going through at this university. Everyone I met had a different background, story, and experience. Some of these memorable nights would be spent at my place. Depending on the circumstance, I would cook for my friends, and every time I did, they were amazed by my craft. Growing up, my mother was always working in the realm of fundraising. Through her jobs, we both had the opportunity to meet and work with some of the best chefs the Phoenix valley had to offer. Chefs like Robert Irvine, Mario Batali, Beau MacMillan, Christopher Gross, Michael DiMaria, Eddie Matney, and more. As a child and teenager, my fascination with cooking and food stood out to these figures and many taught me various skills and techniques in the kitchen. I learned to do everything from properly julian tangerines to preparing beef tartar. I even developed from making lemonade on my own when I was two years old to working in a four star restaurant as a line chef at the age of 15. These memories I will be forever grateful for. Through these skills, I have impressed my friends with delicious meals at night. And as we matured through college both in age and living situations, many of my friends have asked to learn from me. The change from freshman dorms to our own houses and townhomes have offered an endless opportunity of options for meals. But, everyone has a different background and skill set when it comes to cooking. A few of my friends have never picked up a knife before and have claimed to “burn water in the microwave.” Others tend to challenge me in preparing meals in their own homes and together we have our own “cookoffs.” From person to person, and living quarter to living quarter, there are many challenges to cooking. This is why I have decided to take the knowledge from my Industrial Engineering classes, my personal cooking skills, and data collected from the student body to create a cookbook for the average ASU student. I plan to include recipes and techniques in the form of Standard Operating Procedures to ensure that the instructions are as easy to follow as they can be. The recipes and techniques I plan to include will encompass data I have collected from the student body. The data will focus around a few key components of any chef and kitchen: tools and appliances available, personal cooking skills, and personal cooking experience. To take on such a challenge, I plan to complete this thesis/creative project in a few direct steps. First and foremost, complete this prospectus (already completed), next, secure funding from ASU for a survey completion incentive. For this survey, I will need a minimum of $250 to distribute between 5 winners. The monetary incentive is to ensure that more than 30 pieces of data (survey responses) are collected from each grade level of students. Next I will send a survey that asks about the aforementioned topics. After the survey is complete, I will collect the data, analyze it, and hone in on the most important and available tools. Finally, I will write stories surrounding my chosen recipes and create said recipes.

This thesis was conducted to study and analyze the fund allocation process adopted by different states in the United States to reduce the impact of the Covid-19 virus. Seven different states and their funding methodologies were compared against the case count within the state. The study also focused on development of a physical distancing index based on three significant attributes. This index was then compared to the expenditure and case counts to support decision making.
A regression model was developed to analyze and compare how different states case counts played out against the regression model and the risk index.

Time studies are an effective tool to analyze current production systems and propose improvements. The problem that motivated the project was that conducting time studies and observing the progression of components across the factory floor is a manual process. Four Industrial Engineering students worked with a manufacturing company to develop Computer Vision technology that would automate the data collection process for time studies. The team worked in an Agile environment to complete over 120 classification sets, create 8 strategy documents, and utilize Root Cause Analysis techniques to audit and validate the performance of the trained Computer Vision data models. In the future, there is an opportunity to continue developing this product and expand the team’s work scope to apply more engineering skills on the data collected to drive factory improvements.

The thesis, titled Identifying Emerging Technologies and Techniques to Assess Indoor Environmental Quality and its Impact on Occupant Health, consists of an in-depth literature review outlining the various impacts of building factors on inhabitant health. Approximately 120 studies analyzing how environmental factors influence occupant health were reviewed and 25 were used to build this literature review. The thesis provides insight into the definitions of well-being, health, and the built environment and analyzes the relationship between the three. This complex relationship has been at the forefront of academic research in recent years, especially given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Essentially, an individual’s health and well-being is encompassed by their physical, mental, and social state of being. Due to the increasing amount of time spent in indoor environments the built environment influences these measures of health and well-being through various environmental factors (Indoor Air Quality, humidity, temperature, lighting, acoustics, ergonomics) defining the overall Indoor Environmental Quality. This thesis reviewed the mentioned intervention and experimental studies conducted to determine how fluctuations in environmental factors influence reported health results of occupants in the short and long term. Questionnaires, interviews, medical tests, physical measurements, and sensors were used to track occupant health measures. Sensors are also used to record environmental factor levels and are now beginning to be incorporated into the building production process to promote occupant health in healthy and smart buildings. The goal is ultimately to develop these smart and healthy buildings using study results and advancing technologies and techniques as outlined in the thesis.

Perfection is extremely difficult to achieve when playing team sports. This is especially true for lacrosse, a sport where dropped passes, missed shots and turnovers are prevalent even at the college and professional levels of the game. In order to improve on mistakes, teams must first recognize where the errors are being made. The purpose of this project is to implement the DMAIC process improvement method into lacrosse, with the goal of identifying and implementing improvements, leading to a more successful team.
In order to use DMAIC, lacrosse was expressed as a process that included five phases: offense, defense, riding, clearing and faceoffs. Data was gathered for each phase using game film from the Arizona State Men’s Club Lacrosse Team over the course of the 2019 and 2020 seasons. The data was then analyzed by comparing the output statistics of each phase to the goal differential, number of goals scored, and number of goals against. Once the areas of improvement were determined, additional analysis was done to determine why these certain areas needed improvement. The results provided what changes needed to be made in order to improve the team. In order to ensure the team sustained their success, control measures were put in place to determine what action needs to be taken and when.

Time studies are an effective tool to analyze current production systems and propose improvements. The problem that motivated the project was that conducting time studies and observing the progression of components across the factory floor is a manual process. Four Industrial Engineering students worked with a manufacturing company to develop Computer Vision technology that would automate the data collection process for time studies. The team worked in an Agile environment to complete over 120 classification sets, create 8 strategy documents, and utilize Root Cause Analysis techniques to audit and validate the performance of the trained Computer Vision data models. In the future, there is an opportunity to continue developing this product and expand the team’s work scope to apply more engineering skills on the data collected to drive factory improvements.

Time studies are an effective tool to analyze current production systems and propose improvements. The problem that motivated the project was that conducting time studies and observing the progression of components across the factory floor is a manual process. Four Industrial Engineering students worked with a manufacturing company to develop Computer Vision technology that would automate the data collection process for time studies. The team worked in an Agile environment to complete over 120 classification sets, create 8 strategy documents, and utilize Root Cause Analysis techniques to audit and validate the performance of the trained Computer Vision data models. In the future, there is an opportunity to continue developing this product and expand the team’s work scope to apply more engineering skills on the data collected to drive factory improvements.