Recent Projects

Hybrid CHE - $300,000

Principal Investigators: Dr. Christine Isakson and Ryan Storz

Dr. Isakson and Mr. Storz are leading an academic research effort that addresses California's regulatory effort to reduce particulate diesel matter (known under the acronym of CHE) for mobile cargo handling equipment at ports and intermodal railyards. This research is central to understanding the impacts of various engine modalities within the built environment, which underpins the mosaic of the contemporary American transportation trade infrastructure. Specifically, the investigators are exploring innovative technical distribution matrix analysis models to develop a detailed, non-biased evaluation of leading-edge clean air technologies and cargo handling modalities. They study energy recovery, regeneration, and storage with multiple fuels and charging sources focused upon operating a hybrid near-zero-emission (NZE) or in net-zero emission (ZE) environments. Performance, cost, and financial considerations in assessing the infrastructure necessary to accomplish NZE or ZE are also under extensive review.

Ballast Water Discharge Compliance Sampling Tool Development - $372,000

Principle Investigator: Christopher Brown, Director Golden Bear Research Center

With the direct support of the California State Lands Commission, research scientist Chris Brown is working in conjunction with Glosten Associates, a leading maritime industry player, on experimental ballast water treatment technologies and tools for combatting invasive marine species. Focused primarily on vessels operating in California waters, Chris and his engineering team are working to further the efficacy of these devices, reduce the footprint of these devices on vessels, enhance their durability, and maintain the functional integrity of the tools in the absolute harshest of marine and chemical environments. Using the California Maritime Academy's Training Ship Golden Bear as a working test platform, these tools can be evaluated and modified under real-world application and usage. Thus, the CSLC longitudinal efforts continue to develop new sampling tools, refinement of methodologies, and testing protocols, which are of direct and immediate public benefit.

Nutrient Uptake by Resident Phytoplankton under Reduced Nitrogen Loads due to Waste Water Treatment Plant Upgrade - $49,000

Principal Investigator: Dr. Alex Parker, Professor

Dr. Parker is working with colleagues from San Francisco State University to examine the potential outcomes of nutrient uptake changes by resident phytoplankton under reduced nitrogen loads in the California Delta due to wastewater treatment plant upgrades. He is collecting and analyzing samples for dissolved inorganic carbon and chlorophyll-a concentrations under field-based uptake experiments. Funded by the State Water Contractors, the data has been and will continue to be disseminated to a wide range of academic experts and stakeholders representing the interests of the general public about this significant development impacting the bio-habit of the San Joaquin Delta estuary watershed system.

Double Photoionization to Probe Electron Correlation in Atomic and Molecular Systems with More than Two Electrons - National Science Foundation- $75,000

Principal Investigator: Dr. Frank Yip, Associate Professor

This project will examine the consequences of correlated electron dynamics of small atoms and molecules with more than two electrons in order to better understand the similarities and differences in different target atoms and molecules that result from having many electrons. Electron correlation is a fundamental phenomena with great impacts on the behavior and structure of all matter. Many decades of research towards developing more accurate ways of accounting for the non-approximated dynamics of electronic motion in even the simplest atoms and molecules have been focused on bound states (energy levels of atoms, potential curves of molecules, etc.) but the consequences of this correlation also greatly impact the resulting double continua when two electrons are ejected from a target by photons. These correlated electron interactions are fundamental to the organization and structure of matter at the atomic level and continue to be of vital importance to study and better understand. Broader consequences of pursuing more a complete understanding of electron correlation in simple atoms and molecules with more than two electrons would impact many other fields of study, including chemistry, atomic and molecular physics, molecular biology, and material science, to name a few.

This project will investigate the impacts of these fundamental electronic correlations for non-trivial atoms and molecules with more than two electrons in order to better understand the ways that the initial and final states of the electrons that remain bound to the atom or diatomic molecule can affect the two photoejected electrons leaving the others behind. Theoretical calculations describing these events from first principles will be applied to targets with many electrons that continue to interact with the fully correlated electrons before, during and after the photoionization event. It is hoped that this project can further elucidate the broader consequences of how all of the electrons bound to an atom or molecule can affect those that will be moved into the continuum and how consequences of symmetry and electronic structure impacts outgoing electrons. Both time-dependent and time-independent approaches will be explored. The work is closely coupled to kinematically complete experimental investigations of these systems.

Development of a Neurosleeve System for Stroke Rehabilitation - California State University Chancellor's Office - $5,421

Principal Investigator: Dr. Tomas Oppenheim, Assistant Professor 

The aim of this project is to develop a low cost and highly sensitive Neurosleeve for tracking arm and hand joint angles of stroke patients for rehabilitation purposes.  A low-cost (<$500) and highly accurate joint-angle tracker will prove extremely beneficial for (1) better understanding of how much motor skill is lost after a stroke; (2) development of novel rehabilitation methods to improve stroke patient recovery; (3) allowing the patients to take these devices home and perform these tests.  Once a reliable, accurate, and low cost method of tracking arm joint-angles is established, stroke patients will be recruited to monitor their motor skill.  The high accuracy of this numerical data allows for statistical analysis that will elucidate the details of motor skill loss.  Based on these results, novel rehabilitation methods can be designed. 

Collegiate Wind Competition 2018 – National Renewable Energy Laboratory (U.S. Department of Energy) - $18,308

Principal Investigator: Dr. Thomas Nordenholz, Professor 

The Collegiate Wind Competition challenges undergraduate students from a variety of programs to offer a unique solution to a complex wind energy project; providing each student with real-world experience as they prepare to enter the wind industry workforce.

Nutrient Processing and Links to Foodweb – Delta Stewardship Council - $71,615

Principal Investigator: Dr. Alex Parker, Associate Professor 

The focus of this project is to quantify the links between wastewater nitrogen and phytoplankton standing stock, community composition and carbon and nitrogen production.  We will: 1. Validate in situ monitoring approaches for phytoplankton standing stock and community composition (i.e. using size-fractionated chlorophyll-a and diagnostic phytopigments via HPLC) and 2. Provide estimates of ambient and nitrogen-saturated phytoplankton NH4 and NO3 uptake rates as well as C uptake.  This project will provide much needed baseline characterization of nutrient processes in the Delta prior to Regional Sanitation upgrades.