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.

The product our team is commercializing is a NASA designed technology designed to store waste in space. This product works on Earth as well and has applicable multi-use capabilities. Throughout the last several months, the team has identified different markets to determine which of them would experience the most value from this product. The team conducted 25 interviews to grasp the landscape of the different markets related to this product. After a thorough analysis, it was found that vendors who support the disposal of different types of waste and sludge would be the best fit for this product. Vendors like Waste Management, Sharps, Stericycle, Sludge USA, etc.,” have large contracts with hospitals, biotech firms, labs, and cities to manage a wide spectrum of waste. The companies bring value to their clients by making a difficult process easier. However, the process is not seamless and, with certain types of waste, there are significant costs associated with not following an exact process. Throughout this process and interviews with companies like Sludge USA and Waste Management, the team identified a niche market in supporting sludge processes. Caked: Sludge Management is designed to bring value to this market by making their waste disposal process seamless, and saving these institutions significant costs in the long run, while creating additional value.

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.

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)

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.

Arizona State course enrollment regularly reaches triple digits. Despite the large enrollment numbers, the level of communication among students remain relatively low. Students often create Discord servers to keep in touch with classmates, but this requires each individual student to track down the invite link. The purpose of this project is to create an inviting chat service for students with minimal barriers of entry. This website, https://gibbl.io, offers a chat room for every class at ASU, making it simple for students to maintain communication.

Covid-19 is unlike any coronavirus we have seen before, characterized mostly by the ease with which it spreads. This analysis utilizes an SEIR model built to accommodate various populations to understand how different testing and infection rates may affect hospitalization and death. This analysis finds that infection rates have a significant impact on Covid-19 impact regardless of the population whereas the impact that testing rates have in this simulation is not as pronounced. Thus, policy-makers should focus on decreasing infection rates through targeted lockdowns and vaccine rollout to contain the virus, and decrease its spread.

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.

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.