Michael BeattyAdvisor: Prof. James HedrickDesign of a Tethered Data Collection System
The Union College Geology Department is very interested in the study of Ballston Lake but currently has no practical method of long term data logging. Ballston Lake offers a unique research opportunity because of its depth of one-hundred thirty feet in parts but also because of the lower fifty feet of the water column that is anoxic and remains permanently stratified. The main purpose of this project is to design and implement a system for the remote water sensing of the lake. The system will measure temperature, pH, conductivity, salinity, redox, dissolved oxygen and depth. The system will need to collect the data from a sensor unit that measures the previously mentioned parameters. The data will then be stored in the memory of a microcontroller and finally transmitted to a PC running Linux so the data can be viewed and analyzed for research purposes. The system essentially allows for the study of the water column as each parameter is a function of depth. To achieve this, the sensor must be able to ascend through the water by using windings to hold the cable and a DC motor to control the windings. The final design of this system was a successful prototype.
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Jin Han and Laura DeMarAdvisor: Prof.RudkoMotion Detection Using MATLAB
An animal’s visual perception of movements in natural scenes can be studied using an elementary motion detector model. This correlation-type model of motion detection was developed as a result of a sequence of behavioral experiments done by using the optomotor response of insects such as beetles to measure their behavior. Essentially, our motion detection model for this senior design project consists of a movie with several frames, in which an object moves with constant velocity from frame to frame. Each frame is first spatially filtered to enhance the edges of the object. It is then correlated with the memory of the preceding frames given by the output of a lowpass temporal filter. The temporally filtered signals mimic those that would appear in the animal’s retinal image. The size of the response was calculated for various object sizes, speeds, and memory time constants. Our program can be tested further for acceleration and swaying motion sMouch as the background motion of leaves and grass.
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Jonathan Hammond and Christopher ErcoliAdvisor: Prof. Traver and Prof. SpinelliGet Into the Groove
In concert with the Edison Exploratorium, an exhibit will be designed and constructed with the goal of illustrating the importance of recorded sound. In developing exhibits several requirements will have to be met in order to meet a standard of excellence. Each individual display will have to be designed separately to meet these goals due to the complex nature of each device. Each display will be designed and geared toward younger generations. The goal of this exhibit is to culture an appreciation for the technical genius that touches millions of lives daily.
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Robert D. OstryeAdvisor: Prof. RudkoLine-Scan Camera Timing System
The intent of this project was to build a line scan camera that would determine the finishing order and race time of cars in a pinewood derby car race with a high degree of accuracy and a final picture. The project involved creating a printed circuit board interfacing an FPGA, DRAM, and a CCD together. The FPGA processes the image acquired from the sensor, inputs it into DRAM and then outputs the raw data to a computer via USB cable. The camera can cover up to 4 lanes and is placed 12 to 14 inches above the finish line.
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Nathan A. PerrinAdvisor: Prof. HedrickWater Sampler
For my senior design project I have chosen to work on the development of additional features for the water sampler that was initially designed as an independent study by Professor James Hedrick of the Union College Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. With the help of Professor George Shaw of the Union College Geology Department, a list of features to be implemented has been finalized. Professor Shaw wants to have the ability to collect conductivity and temperature measurements with each water sample taken by the water sampler. It is hoped that with this new data, Professor Shaw will be able to gain a better understanding of ground water flow characteristics in and around geologic areas of interest such as sinkholes and karsts.
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Robin N. StevensonAdvisor: Prof. HedrickW2UC: Union College Amateur Radio Repeater
In the past few years, cell phones have gone from being a niche technology to an everyday commodity that has become an important part of modern life. The equipment used in the W2UC repeater I developed shares many of the same fundamental principles used in cell phone technology. This technology automatically retransmits voice and data signals in order to increase transmission range. This presentation will describe my research of radio frequency communications theory and design principles and the resulting amateur radio repeater I built and installed at Union. The repeater increases the range of portable radios from a maximum of 1 mile to a 30 mile range from Union’s campus.
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Elroy A. TatemAdvisor: Cherrice Traver, Bradly TheilModeling of Dynamic Secondary Electron Contrasts in SEM specimens
Using circuit theory, I have developed a more sophisticated circuit model for the dynamic contrast mechanisms with imaging conditions and specimen parameters as inputs. The contrasting effect is caused by a build up of negative charge on the surface of the specimen over time. Typically, samples are coated with a conductive material to decrease the discharging time. However, when examining a poorly conducting specimen, or dielectric material in semiconductors, defect- and impurity-rich regions in insulating materials exhibit different RC characteristics than that of defect free regions, which can give rise to an emission contrast mechanism. In simple models, dielectric specimens can be represented as an RC element and modeled accordingly, including time-dependent phenomena. The model I designed takes more parameters into consideration. By using transistors in the circuit, which introduces a constant â, one can model the effects of secondary electrons as the specimen is charging. Equations derived from the circuit model were put into a Microsoft Excel program that I created where users can input SEM and sample parameters and see how much charge accumulates on the sample per frame. The program calculates how much charge will be deposited frame- by- frame. The ratio â changing as a function of the charge deposited in the previous frame can be modeled as a variable transistor with a â that is a function of the input at the base. Such a model will be a very important tool for interpreting images. In particular, this method will allow semi-quantitative mapping of dielectric inhomogeneities in electronic materials.
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This report generated by script ./write.project.sections - March 17, 2006
Address questions or comments to spallhol@union.edu