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This honors thesis proposes a sustainable solution for providing off-grid solar energy to rural communities lacking grid energy infrastructure. The proposed design emphasizes sustainability, low cost, reliability, and ease of maintenance and manufacturing. The report compares pre-built solar systems currently available for purchase with the proposed design. The project includes

This honors thesis proposes a sustainable solution for providing off-grid solar energy to rural communities lacking grid energy infrastructure. The proposed design emphasizes sustainability, low cost, reliability, and ease of maintenance and manufacturing. The report compares pre-built solar systems currently available for purchase with the proposed design. The project includes a user manual draft to ensure long-term sustainability and troubleshooting. Additionally, there is a detailed engineering design for a battery storage solution, electrical component design, and solar panel mounting system. A rural community in northern Arizona serves as an example for the project completed in collaboration with ASU's EPICS program and EWB Chapter. The project is ongoing, with future work to optimize and improve the proposed system design.

ContributorsMontano Sosa, Jorge (Author) / Haq, Emmen (Co-author) / Beltran, Salvador (Co-author) / Pham, Brandon (Co-author) / Schoepf, Jared (Thesis director) / Wong, Marnie (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description

This honors thesis proposes a sustainable solution for providing off-grid solar energy to rural communities lacking grid energy infrastructure. The proposed design emphasizes sustainability, low cost, reliability, and ease of maintenance and manufacturing. The report compares pre-built solar systems currently available for purchase with the proposed design. The project includes

This honors thesis proposes a sustainable solution for providing off-grid solar energy to rural communities lacking grid energy infrastructure. The proposed design emphasizes sustainability, low cost, reliability, and ease of maintenance and manufacturing. The report compares pre-built solar systems currently available for purchase with the proposed design. The project includes a user manual draft to ensure long-term sustainability and troubleshooting. Additionally, there is a detailed engineering design for a battery storage solution, electrical component design, and solar panel mounting system. A rural community in northern Arizona serves as an example for the project completed in collaboration with ASU's EPICS program and EWB Chapter. The project is ongoing, with future work to optimize and improve the proposed system design.

ContributorsBeltran Ruelas, Salvador (Author) / Montano Sosa, Jorge (Co-author) / Haq, Emmen (Co-author) / Pham, Brandon (Co-author) / Schoepf, Jared (Thesis director) / Wong, Marnie (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description

In the last two decades, fantasy sports have grown massively in popularity. Fantasy football in particular is the most popular fantasy sport in the United States. People spend hours upon hours every year building, researching, and perfecting their teams to compete with others for money or bragging rights. One problem,

In the last two decades, fantasy sports have grown massively in popularity. Fantasy football in particular is the most popular fantasy sport in the United States. People spend hours upon hours every year building, researching, and perfecting their teams to compete with others for money or bragging rights. One problem, however, is that National Football League (NFL) players are human and will not perform the same as they did last week or last season. Because of this, there is a need to create a machine learning model to help predict when players will have a tough game or when they can perform above average. This report discusses the history and science of fantasy football, gathering large amounts of player data, manipulating the information to create more insightful data points, creating a machine learning model, and how to use this tool in a real-world situation. The initial model created significantly accurate predictions for quarterbacks and running backs but not receivers and tight ends. Improvements significantly increased the accuracy by reducing the mean average error to below one for all positions, resulting in a successful model for all four positions.

ContributorsCase, Spencer (Author) / Johnson, Jarod (Co-author) / Kostelich, Eric (Thesis director) / Zhuang, Houlong (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
This thesis analyzed Canon GPR-30 Black Standard Yield Toner in hopes to gain better understanding of the additives and plastic used in a popular photocopier toner formulation. By analyzing the toner’s composition from the perspective of its recyclability and potential to be manufactured using recycled plastic, this thesis hoped to

This thesis analyzed Canon GPR-30 Black Standard Yield Toner in hopes to gain better understanding of the additives and plastic used in a popular photocopier toner formulation. By analyzing the toner’s composition from the perspective of its recyclability and potential to be manufactured using recycled plastic, this thesis hoped to fill a gap in current literature regarding how toner fits into a circular economy. While the analysis of the selected toner was ultimately inconclusive, three hypotheses about the toner’s composition are put forth based upon data from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), solubility analysis, and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy experimentation. It is hypothesized that the toner is most likely composed of either polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Both of these polymers have characteristic FTIR peaks that were exhibited in the toner spectra and both polymers exhibit similar solubility behavior to toner samples. However, the glass transition temperature and melting temperature of the toner sampled were 58℃ and 74.5℃ respectively, both of which are much lower than that of PMMA and PET. Thus, a third hypothesis that would better support DSC findings is that the toner is primarily composed of nylon 6,6. While DSC data best matches this polymer, FTIR data seems to rule out nylon 6,6 as an option because its characteristic peaks were not found in experimental data. Thus, the Canon GPR-30 Black Standard Yield Toner is probably made from either PMMA or PET. Both PMMA and PET are 100% recyclable plastics which are commonly repurposed at recycling facilities, however, unknowns regarding toner additives make it difficult to determine how this toner would be recycled. If the printing industry hopes to move towards a circular economy in which plastic can be recycled to use towards toner manufacturing and toner can be “unprinted” from paper to be recycled into new toner, it is likely that monetary incentives or government regulations will need to be introduced to promote the sharing of toner formulations for recycling purposes.
ContributorsChase, Jasmine (Author) / Green, Matthew (Thesis director) / Emady, Heather (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description

Dr. Ivan Ermanoski has been working towards creating a thermochemical reactor for the purposes of hydrogen production for several years. After testing the initial design, there were found to be several areas in which possible improvements could be made. It is the purpose of this thesis project to look over

Dr. Ivan Ermanoski has been working towards creating a thermochemical reactor for the purposes of hydrogen production for several years. After testing the initial design, there were found to be several areas in which possible improvements could be made. It is the purpose of this thesis project to look over the shortcomings of the previous reactor design and make improvements. The primary focus of these improvements centers around increasing the heat retention of the reactor, with a secondary focus on improving the workability and ease of construction for the reactor.

ContributorsWehe, Alexander (Author) / Ermanoski, Ivan (Thesis director) / Miller, James (Committee member) / Stechel, Ellen (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2023-05
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Description
Arizona has been rapidly expanding in both population and construction over the last 20 years, and with the hot summer climate, many homeowners experience a significant increase in their utility bills. The cost to reduce these energy bills with home renovations can become expensive. This has become increasingly apparent over

Arizona has been rapidly expanding in both population and construction over the last 20 years, and with the hot summer climate, many homeowners experience a significant increase in their utility bills. The cost to reduce these energy bills with home renovations can become expensive. This has become increasingly apparent over the last few years with the impact that covid had on the global supply chain. Prices of materials and labor have never been higher, and with this, the price of energy continues to increase. Therefore, it is important to explore methods to make homes more energy-efficient without the price tag. In addition to benefitting the homeowner by decreasing the cost of their monthly utility bills, making homes more energy efficient will aid in the overall goal of reducing carbon emissions.
ContributorsFiller, Peyton (Author) / Phelan, Patrick (Thesis director) / Parrish, Kristen (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description

Startups in the paper manufacturing are few & rare between. Agrix Paper takes a step towards innovating the traditional mass-scale paper making process & introduce non-wood fiber sourcing into the papermaking space. Using a hemp fiber-base, Agrix Paper hopes to develop a new paper manufacturing process that derives high-quality paper

Startups in the paper manufacturing are few & rare between. Agrix Paper takes a step towards innovating the traditional mass-scale paper making process & introduce non-wood fiber sourcing into the papermaking space. Using a hemp fiber-base, Agrix Paper hopes to develop a new paper manufacturing process that derives high-quality paper sourced from hemp & agricultural waste. Agrix Paper will reinvent the papermaking process for a more sustainable industry future.

ContributorsBarraza-Córdova, Erik (Author) / Byrum, Emily (Co-author) / DiFernando, Anthony (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Lee, Christopher (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Eng Program (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
This thesis explores strategies to enhance visibility and engagement within local music ecosystems using a data-driven approach that leverages streaming platform data. It employs a two-pronged approach, consisting of a Proof of Concept (PoC) and a Business Model Canvas (BMC). The PoC involves the development and refinement of two novel

This thesis explores strategies to enhance visibility and engagement within local music ecosystems using a data-driven approach that leverages streaming platform data. It employs a two-pronged approach, consisting of a Proof of Concept (PoC) and a Business Model Canvas (BMC). The PoC involves the development and refinement of two novel machine learning-based music recommendation algorithms, specifically tailored for local stakeholders in the Valley Metro area. Empirical testing of these algorithms has shown a significant potential increase in visibility and engagement for local music events. Utilizing these results, the study proposes informed revisions to the existing streaming BMC, aiming to better support local music ecosystems through strategic enhancements derived from the validated PoC findings.
ContributorsEllini, Andre (Author) / Clarkin, Michael (Co-author) / Bradley, Robert (Co-author) / Mancenido, Michelle (Thesis director) / Sirugudi, Kumar (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
This honors thesis project entailed the design, construction, and validation of a mechanism capable of creating a consistent and controllable impact between a stone-tipped dropper and a stone core or other arbitrary workpiece, to assist the experimental archeologist in conducting flintknapping research which retains the essential features of hand knapping while largely removing the

This honors thesis project entailed the design, construction, and validation of a mechanism capable of creating a consistent and controllable impact between a stone-tipped dropper and a stone core or other arbitrary workpiece, to assist the experimental archeologist in conducting flintknapping research which retains the essential features of hand knapping while largely removing the large element of variation between human knappers. After the initial design of a linear gravity-powered mechanism—or dropper device—a simplified prototype was assembled as a proof of concept. After a modified version of the full-sized design was assembled using insights from the prototype, impact force testing was conducted to verify the device’s theoretical principles of operation. The validation experiment verified that the device may be accurately controlled by varying the drop height with the square of the desired impact force relative to an arbitrary reference drop, though it was unable to predict the absolute magnitude of impact forces experienced by real hammerstones and cores during knapping. The project was successful in creating a tool that may be useful for researchers to conduct better-controlled archeology experiments, though the design may be improved with added functionality that would allow users to more effectively control the orientation of the striker and core.
ContributorsMukherjee, Ribhu (Author) / Grewal, Anoop (Thesis director) / Murray, John (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2024-05