61-70 of 253 results
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Active Emissions Reduction for a Hybrid Car
PI Patrick Currier
CO-I Maxwell Pellerin
The objective of this project is to reduce the emissions on the EcoCAR 3 hybrid Camaro
Currently, in year 2 of the competition, the team is working to create a basic functioning vehicle. Year 3 of EcoCAR 3 is intended for improvement of the vehicle that was constructed during year 2. The competition heavily focuses on reducing emissions and helping to reduce the environmental impact of vehicles. With that in mind our plan is to explore the possibility of pre-heating the engine block using the coolant from the electric motors within our vehicle architecture. Since the vehicle will be able to run approximately 36 miles using only battery power, the gas motor will have time to cool below the optimal running temperature. The goal is to improve the efficiency of the engine by never letting it drop below optimum running temperature while running on the battery. Other options would include pre-heating the fuel or exhaust. The project aims to produce a measureable emissions reduction on the Camaro and research that may be publishable in an academic conference.Categories: Undergraduate
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Using Virtual Reality to Identify Cybersecurity Threats for Navy Midshipmen
PI Andrew Dattel
CO-I Omar Ochoa
CO-I Daniel Friedenzohn
CO-I Trevor Goodwin
CO-I Harry Brodeen
This research is investigating the training of U.S. Navy Midshipman enrolled in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) to identify cyber and security threats in a simulated bridge of a Navy vessel. Midshipmen will receive classroom instruction, as well as training in a virtual reality bridge simulator. The knowledge and skills training the midshipmen received is intended to transfer to the applications of midshipmen’s future positions and careers.
Cyber and security threats are burgeoning tactics being used in wartime affairs. The first line of defense of a vulnerable vessel is for the crew to distinguish misinformation from factual information. To increase the preparedness of cybersecurity threat awareness, the Office of Naval Research is interested in innovative training initiatives at colleges and universities that support Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs. Twenty Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) enrolled in Navy ROTC will be recruited to participate in an 8-week long training program. These 20 midshipmen will participate in traditional classroom instruction, practice on a bridge (i.e., ship control room) virtual reality (VR) simulator, and participate in a specifically designed VR bridge application. This VR application is being designed by the XR Lab in the College of Aviation.
In the classroom setting, midshipmen will receive instruction in theoretical and practical applications to identify cyber and electronic warfare threats. This instruction will go beyond any cybersecurity training that may have been received in previous courses offered by the Naval Sciences curriculum. Group discussion and activities to encourage inquiry-based learning will fulfill some of the classroom requirements and when participating in the VR bridge application.
Midshipmen will also receive a few hours of practice in the Conning Officer Virtual Environment (COVE) simulator. The Cove simulator is designed to allow students to practice navigating ship maneuvering without the risk and expense of operations at sea. However, the COVE simulator does not permit the injection of misinformation experienced in a cyber-intrusion situation.
A VR application will replicate the bridge of a Navy vessel and immerse the operators in a VR environment. This application will permit subtle cyber threats to be introduced during the scenario. The first phase of the application will include three primary resources of the bridge: the Automatic Identification System (AIS), the Voyage Management System (VMS), and Radar. The AIS is based on a transponder system and functions as a broadcast messaging system. The VMS functions as the navigation charting display and is partially based on the Global Positioning System (GPS). Threats such as misinformed broadcast information, erroneous navigation position (e.g., showing own vessel traveling in an untrue heading), and radar misinformation (e.g., showing a friendly ship as an enemy ship) are potentially vulnerable by hacking and other nefarious actions.
Midshipmen in the Trainee position will spend several hours in the VR simulator identifying these cyber threats. Midshipmen will also spend time in the Instructor position to execute command functions that introduce the misinformation. This role of Instructor will show the midshipmen when a threat is introduced and how the Trainee responds. There will be three to four midshipmen observers during any given scenario. After each scenario, the Trainee, Instructor, and Observers will discuss hits and misses that occurred during the scenario. In addition to cohort discussion periods, performance feedback will be given by the instructors.
Research Design
This research will utilize a 2 x 2 mixed quantitative design. Twenty midshipmen (the experimental group) will complete a pretest before starting the curriculum and a posttest after completing all aspects of the curriculum (traditional classroom instruction, participation in the COVE simulator, and participation in the specifically designed VR simulation). A control group that will receive the pretest and posttest will be compared to the experimental group. Evaluation metrics will include accuracy and response time to threats in the VR simulations and measurements of the skills developed in the COVE simulator and knowledge acquired in classroom instruction and the specifically designed VR simulation. At the end of the study, participants will complete a survey consisting of forced-choice and open-ended questions about their experience, self-efficacy, and opinions about the 8-week long study.
This study intends to train midshipmen to be better prepared to identify cybersecurity threats in their future positions and career following graduation from the program. The specific VR application is being designed to be sustainable to be further utilized for the future Naval curriculum and other applications.
Categories: Faculty-Staff
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Development of Parking Space App
PI Ilteris Demirkiran
CO-I Diego Rincon
The main purpose of this project is to reduce the wait and search time for an individual who is looking to park his or her vehicle at the Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach campus. This project is to help in reducing fuel consumption as well as making campus roads safer. An additional benefit is the ability to continuously monitor all parking lots on campus increasing overall campus safety.
Many schools in the United States deal daily with complications associated with parking on campus. Commuters, students and faculty members, travel back and forth causing major traffic within the campus and in some cases, a logistic nightmare. For a university to accommodate all of the vehicles takes countless hours of planning and management. Schools have solved some of these problems by assigning specific parking lots to specific groups of individuals such as on-campus students, commuter students, and faculty. This research proposes a secondary solution to a growing problem. The main goal of this research effort is to reduce the wait and search time spent while looking for an available parking spot on campus. This solution will utilize cameras and advanced image processing algorithms to inform users of an available parking spot in the most efficient way.Categories: Undergraduate
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A Comparison Of Safety Management Systems Training Methods At A Collegiate Flight Training Institution
PI Mackenzie Dickson
The purpose of this thesis was to compare how two different types of Safety Management Systems (SMS) training affect SMS knowledge in instructors and students in a university flight program. Additionally, the research sought to determine whether a correlation exists between safety knowledge and safety culture perception. An experimental research design was used to study two independent variables, training method and person type, and their effect of SMS knowledge. A non-experimental design was used to study the correlation between safety knowledge and safety culture perception. Research has shown that a safety-training program’s engagement level has an effect on the safety knowledge retained by trainees. This study sought to determine if higher-engagement, live- presentation training is a better approach to SMS training than a computer-based training module currently in use by the university studied. The results of this study can provide the university with useful guidance in constructing its SMS training program, an essential element to an effective SMS. Additionally, this study can demonstrate the importance of safety training in establishing positive perceptions of the university’s safety culture among students and instructors.
This study employed an experimental method, using quantitative data, to answer whether different training methods differ in SMS knowledge retained by students and instructors at a collegiate flight school. Additionally, a non-experimental design was used to find a correlation between SMS knowledge and safety culture perception at the same flight school.
Categories: Graduate
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Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymer (NFRP) Composites
PI Birce Dikici
This research is directed toward understanding the thermophysical and nanomechanical properties of NFRP composites in order to predict and optimize the behavior of the final product.
According to Mordor Intelligence Market Research report, the natural fiber reinforced composites market is projected to register a compound annual ground rate of 11% during the forecast period (2021-2026). Natural fibers have the advantages of low cost, low density, and biodegradability. However, natural fibers also have some limitations such as moisture absorption, poor chemical and fire resistance, variations in fiber geometry, high dispersion of mechanical properties, poor interfacial interactions with polymeric matrices. Cellulose fibers are the most abundant natural fiber worldwide that form most of the agricultural wastes. One intriguing form of these fibers is nanocellulose. Nanocellulose consists of rod/fibril-like nanoparticles that have outstanding mechanical properties, low coefficients of thermal expansion, with a surface chemistry that can be readily modified. Our group have demonstrated the ability to extract nanocellulose fibers from pinecones - using acid digestion- and fabricate an epoxy based composite. This research is directed toward understanding the thermophysical and nanomechanical properties of NFRP composites in order to predict and optimize the behavior of the final product.Categories: Faculty-Staff
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Magnetically-Driven Ventricular Assist Device
PI Eduardo Divo
CO-I Christopher Adams
The proposed project brings together multi-scale computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis and mock circulatory loop (MCL) benchtop experiments to analyze the hemodynamics of a proposed Magnetically-Driven Ventricular Assist Device (MVAD).
The multi-scale CFD model combines 0D RLC (Resistance-Inductance-Compliance) chambers to simulate the effects of arterial, capillary, and venous beds coupled with a 3DCFD model of the main arterial system where the MVAD will reside. In addition, a benchtop MCL will be calibrated using vascular resistance elements and compliance chambers to validate the multi-scale CFD predictions. The MCL will be driven by a Harvard Apparatus pulsatile pump that simulates the ventricular output and the test-selection centerpiece will be the MVAD prototype. The MCL fluid will be water loaded with magnetically-charged particles (such as ferrous particles embedded in silicon spheres). A dimensional analysis will be carried out by matching fluid dynamics parameters (such as Reynolds and Womersley numbers) between the Multi-Scale CFD and the benchtop MCL. This will allow the numerical and benchtop analyses to be analogous even though they operate on different fluids (blood and water). The results of this study will serve as validation of the hypothesis that a magnetically-driven pump with no moving parts can serve to assist in the cardiovascular circulation and thus reduce the risks associated with mechanical assist devices such as thrombus formation and stagnation.
Categories: Undergraduate
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Investigation of an Injection-Jet Self-Powered Fontan Circulation: A Novel Bridge and Destination Therapy for the Failing Fontan
PI Eduardo Divo
CO-I Arka Das
This research effort unifies multiscale computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and mock circulatory loop (MCL) benchtop cross-validations to analyze the hemodynamic impact of an innovative palliative alternative: the Injection-Jet-assisted Fontan circulation.
A structurally normal heart consists of two separate pumping chambers, or ventricles. One pumps deoxygenated blood from the body to the lungs, while the other delivers oxygenated blood from the lungs to the body. Approximately 8% of all newborns with a congenital heart defect have only a single functioning ventricle (SV). These patients cannot survive without a series of staged palliative operations to ensure adequate blood flow to both the pulmonary and systemic circulations. The final step in this staged reconstruction is the Fontan operation. While lifesaving, this unique physiology directs systemic venous return passively into the pulmonary arteries without the need for a subpulmonary pump. This results in chronically elevated central venous pressure and reduced cardiac output. Over time, this non-physiologic flow leads to significant morbidity, including hepatic fibrosis, protein-losing enteropathy, and Fontan-associated liver disease. A 2018 study of 683 adult Fontan patients from the Australian and New Zealand Fontan Registry reported 20% mortality by age 40, with only 53% free of heart failure symptoms and 41% free of serious adverse events. Similar outcomes have been documented worldwide, with nearly half of the observed morbidity and mortality attributed directly to failure of the unique Fontan circulatory system. To address this growing clinical challenge, our team is developing a novel, surgically implantable Injection-Jet Shunt (IJS) as a passive support strategy for patients with a failing Fontan circulation. This approach challenges the prevailing paradigm that mechanical pumps are the only viable support option for this population. Our proposed mechanism utilizes an intra-corporeal, surgically feasible shunt that harnesses the patient’s own cardiac power to inject a high-velocity jet from the aorta into the Fontan conduit. This jet entrains ambient inferior vena cava (IVC) flow, facilitating momentum transfer into the pulmonary circuit and unloading proximal venous pressure, all without any external power source. Multi-scale CFD simulations have demonstrated that this mechanism can lower Fontan pressure by 3 to 4 mmHg while maintaining clinically acceptable systemic oxygen saturations. These encouraging in-silico findings are currently being cross-validated in-vitro using a dynamically calibrated MCL that replicates Fontan hemodynamics under both resting and simulated exercise conditions. To characterize the flow behavior and jet entrainment dynamics of the Injection-Jet Shunt (IJS), the experimental MCL integrates both Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and Light-Induced Fluorometry (LIF) systems. PIV enables high-resolution quantification of velocity fields and shear layers, while LIF captures real-time oxygen transport in benchtop Fontan surrogates, allowing for the assessment of systemic flow distribution and entrained volume fractions. A Proper Orthogonal Decomposition trained Radial Basis Function (POD-RBF) interpolation framework is applied to reconstruct and enhance the spatiotemporal flow fields. This combined optical and data-driven approach enables detailed mapping of jet structure, entrainment efficacy, and pulmonary perfusion, supporting the optimization of IJS configurations for future clinical translation. If successful, the IJS may provide a low-risk, fully passive alternative to conventional mechanical support, potentially delaying or obviating the need for heart transplantation and improving quality of life for children and young adults with single-ventricle physiology.
Categories: Faculty-Staff
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EVALUATING RESILIENCE IN COMMERCIAL AIRLINES THROUGH SUPPLY CHAIN FLEXIBILITY IN THE PRE & POST COVID-19 WORLD: APPLYING THE SUPPLY CHAIN FLEXIBILITY RATIO
PI Stephanie Douglas
CO-I Juan Roman
CO-I Thomas Schaefer
Measuring supply chain flexibility in the Airline – Mainline Passenger industry.
This study investigates the relationship between factors of supply chain flexibility that may explain the success of some airline companies throughout various shocks and most recently the COVID-19 pandemic. The study focuses on the viability of the underlying supply chain models within major U.S. airline companies. Specifically, the study explores supply chain flexibility as a component of the Supply Chain Operations Reference metrics. Multiple regressions were performed and found the Supply Chain Flexibility Ratio being a predictive value of supply chain flexibility p< .05 and indicating supply chain flexibility which can be used as an indicator of organizational resilience in the Airline – Mainline Passenger industry.Categories: Faculty-Staff
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Student Engagement in Aviation MOOCs: Identifying Subgroups and Their Differences
PI Jennifer Edwards
CO-I Mark Friend
The purpose of this study was to expand the current understanding of learner engagement in aviation-related Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) through cluster analysis.
MOOCs, regarded for their low- or no-cost educational content, often attract thousands of students who are free to engage with the provided content to the extent of their choosing. As online training for pilots, flight attendants, mechanics, and small unmanned aerial system operators continues to expand, understanding how learners engage in optional aviation-focused, online course material may help inform course design and instruction in the aviation industry. In this study, Moore’s theory of transactional distance, which posits psychological or communicative distance can impede learning and success, was used as a descriptive framework for analysis. Archived learning analytics datasets from two 2018 iterations of the same small unmanned aerial systems MOOC were cluster-analyzed (N = 1,032 and N = 4,037). The enrolled students included individuals worldwide; some were affiliated with the host institution, but most were not. The data sets were cluster analyzed separately to categorize participants into common subpopulations based on discussion post pages viewed and posts written, video pages viewed, and quiz grades. Subgroup differences were examined in days of activity and record of completion. Pre- and postcourse survey data provided additional variables for analysis of subgroup differences in demographics (age, geographic location, education level, employment in the aviation industry) and learning goals. Analysis of engagement variables revealed three significantly different subgroups for each MOOC. Engagement patterns were similar between MOOCs for the most and least engaged groups, but differences were noted in the middle groups; MOOC 1’s middle group had a broader interest in optional content (both in discussions and videos); whereas MOOC 2’s middle group had a narrower interest in optional discussions. Mandatory items (Mandatory Discussion or Quizzes) were the best predictors in classifying subgroups for both MOOCs. Significant associations were found between subgroups and education levels, days of activity, and total quiz scores. This study addressed two known problems: a lack of information on student engagement in aviation-related MOOCs, and more broadly, a growing imperative to examine learners who utilize MOOCs but do not complete them. This study served as an important first step for course developers and instructors who aim to meet the diverse needs of the aviation-education community.Categories: Graduate
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UAS Parameters, Exceedances, Recording Rates for ASIAS
PI David Esser
The project was to support aggregation of UAS flight data with commercial, general aviation and surveillance data, to develop enhanced safety analyses for NAS stakeholders, support UAS integration in the NAS, and support the Unmanned Aircraft Safety Team (UAST).
The purpose of the project was to enable the safe integration of UAS in the NAS through building upon existing aviation database and data-sharing efforts encouraged and endorsed by participating government-industry entities. Through this research, a data architecture for unmanned air and ground vehicles and operations was developed in alignment with the FAA’s Aviation Safety Information and Sharing (ASIAS) program.
This project designed and evaluated Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) for unmanned operations and integrated that data into the Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) system. In addition, this project identified current Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) FDM capabilities and practices, including refresh/recording rate and robustness, and developed guidance for a UAS FDM standard. The UAS community has specific and disparate needs in relation to manned aviation, such as the need for strong cyber-security measures regarding telemetry streams and the storage of sensitive UAS flight data. This project sought to identify the best governance practices regarding the use and research involved with UAS flight data. The project team included original members who designed and deployed the National General Aviation Flight Information Database (NGAFID) which has successfully integrated and is data-sharing with ASIAS.
This project identified UAS FDM events, including event definitions and exceedances, using the normal ASIAS techniques. Future phases of this project will include the actual deployment of a UAS database which interfaces with ASIAS similar to other safety reporting programs.
Categories: Faculty-Staff
61-70 of 253 results