CLINIC DESCRIPTIONS
Computer Science |
Engineering |
Mathematics
Physics/Engineering |
CGU Mathematics |
CMC
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THE AEROSPACE CORPORATION Tools and Protocols for Intrusion Detection Systems The growth of the Internet, and the subsequent growth in the number of corporate and institutional networks, as well as individual host computers, has resulted in an ever increasing number of occurrences of network intrusion. The Aerospace clinic team has done research into existing intrusion detection tools as well as into various strategies of fighting intrusion via the use of multiple intrusion detection systems. |
CONCORDE SOLUTIONS, INC./BANK OF AMERICA CSI Visual DOMScript Editor Concorde Solutions, Inc. (a subsidiary of Bank of America) provides a suite of tools that simplify connectivity to legacy database systems. The CSI/Bank of America Clinic team has designed and implemented a visual script editor for CSI's DOMScript, a proprietary scripting language that is used to configure CSI's Data Object Manager (DOM) tool suite. Key design goals included simplifying the script-editing process while maintaining referential integrity within the domain of the application. |
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HRL LABORATORIES, LLC Modality Transformation Middleware One of the challenges of Internet communication is transferring information between two platforms of differing modal capabilities -- for example, between a desktop computer with a high resolution graphics display, and a handheld device with a small text-only display. One solution is through modality transformation, which allows for conversion of information to an alternate set of modalities that will work on the available platform. The HRL Clinic team has developed an architecture to negotiate communication across different platforms and has implemented some key transformations using the Java Media Framework. |
IBM ALMADEN RESEARCH CENTER eNOVELties The IBM Clinic team has designed and implemented a system that displays electronic books (eBooks) authored in the Open eBook Structure format. The reader, NOVeLLA, allows the user to navigate eBooks using either a traditional graphical user interface, or using voice commands. The book can be read from the screen, or NOVeLLA can read it aloud. Textual, graphical, and voice annotations can be added. All voice and speech features are implemented using IBM's Via Voice for Java API. |
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JET PROPULSION LABORATORY Visualization for Real-Time Control Networks The Mission Data Systems project of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is building a software framework for controlling spacecraft missions on a declarative basis. Essentially, systems on the spacecraft are given goals that specify properties of state that must hold between points in time. These time points themselves are temporally constrained, with the goals, time points, and constraints forming a network. The team has designed and implemented a tool that allows users to visualize the static and dynamic aspects of these networks, as they would arise during a spacecraft mission. |
MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY Parallel Implementation of Tree-Based Statistical Algorithms Tree-based statistical analysis is a powerful technique which uses binary decision trees to analyze complex data. After investigating several methods of tree construction, the Marine Biological Laboratory Clinic team developed and implemented two algorithms: k-step lookahead and genetic programming. The genetic programming algorithm allows near-optimal trees to be produced, without incurring the computational cost associated with a full search for the optimal tree. Parallel computation was used to decrease the real time required for analysis. |
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NUERA COMMUNICATIONS, INC. Building a Bulk Call Testing Tool Nuera is an IP (Internet Protocol) telephony solutions provider that develops award-winning packet-voice telephony systems. The Clinic's task is to develop a media gateway control applica tion. Combined with Nuera's media gateways, this application shall form a distributed bulk call tester capable of emulating a traditional circuit switched voice network. The application will utilize the Media Gateway Control Protocol. Emphasis shall be placed on application performance and functionality such as flexible call scripting and test scheduling. |
TERADYNE, INC. Standardization and Extension of Semiconductor Test System Interfaces This project seeks to research and develop a web-based portal to Teradyne's Automated Testing Equipment (ATE). Current ATE access is platform-dependent, provides information about a single ATE, and requires substantial training. The team has analyzed these shortcomings and built a prototype system that can integrate information about a number of ATEs and display it through an intuitive and widely available web-browser interface. |
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WALT DISNEY FEATURE ANIMATION Clean-Up Animation Tools (Excluded by request) |
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AEROJET Design and Prototype of a High Bandwidth Digitizer and Filter A high speed digitizing and filtering system was designed for eventual use in satellite-based radiospectronomy. The system will accept a broadband 0 to 400 MHz Intermediate Frequency (IF) signal and digitize the data using a time interleaved array of Analog to Digital Converters (ADCs). The digital samples are then processed using a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) to calculate the power in specified frequency bands. A prototype demonstration of this design was developed. |
AEROVIRONMENT, INC. Designing a Simple and Efficient Bipedal Walking Robot A robust bipedal robot will have immediate uses in several areas including the military, police, firefighting, and space exploration. Many research groups have built two-legged robots with varying success. However, most of these groups used complex control mechanisms to achieve balance and coordination in their robots. The Clinic team has examined the use of passive, low-energy control schemes to design a simple and efficient bipedal walker. |
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AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES Advanced Triggering Method for High Bandwidth Oscilloscopes Currently, industries use equivalent-time oscilloscopes because other oscilloscopes are unable to display high-speed data streams. Agilent Technologies requires the design of a digital circuit that is capable of implementing a new triggering method. This method will allow equivalent-time oscilloscopes to display specific bit patterns within random data at frequencies up to 10 Gbps. Harvey Mudd College will design a circuit that will prove the concept developed by Agilent Technologies. The prototype should work at 622 Mbps and recognize 16 bits. |
THE BOEING COMPANY/ES&MD, MARINE SYSTEMS A Thermal Control Method for the IFOG Navigation System The Boeing MS Clinic team has designed, modeled and tested a method for controlling the temperature of the outer spherical casing of thetemperature-sensitive Interferometric Fiber Optic Gyro (IFOG) inertial navigation system for use aboard US Naval submarines. |
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THE BOEING COMPANY/ROCKETDYNE Redesigning a Joint in a Typical Reusable Liquid Fuel Rocket Engine The Clinic team has been asked to redesign the joint between the Main Combustion Chamber and the nozzle in a typical reusable liquid fuel rocket engine. The bellows seal in the joint, in the current design, can be damaged by thermal and structural loading. The Clinic team used finite element analysis software to build a model of the joint to aid in developing a solution, which will involve a material change. |
THE BOEING COMPANY/ REUSABLE SPACE SYSTEMS Modeling and Evaluating Landing Gear for the Crew Return Vehicle The Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) is currently being developed by NASA to serve as an emergency return vehicle for the International Space Station. Boeing Reusable Space Systems is working with NASA to convert the CRV into a human-rated vehicle. The Harvey Mudd Clinic team will be modeling and evaluating the landing gear for the CRV in order to ensure that accelerations on the passengers do not exceed human safety requirements. |
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CENTER FOR INNOVATIVE MINIMALLY INVASIVE THERAPY An Interactive Telemedical System for Monitoring Congestive Heart Failure
Patients at Home The 1999/2000 CIMIT Clinic team researched, designed, and built an interactive telemedical system to monitor Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) patients at home. The home unit of the system monitors physiological parameters pertinent to CHF patients, and contextualizes the data by asking a series of questions and recording the patient's responses. The patient's responses and physiological data are then transmitted to the hospital unit which accepts, organizes, and stores patients' information so that status reports are available for medical professionals. |
CHIRON CORPORATION Design and Construction of a Monodisperse Polymer Bead Apparatus A "monodisperse polymer bead apparatus" is a device that produces small (400 microns) polymer (plastic) spheres of uniform size (within 5%). Chiron uses these acrylamide beads in their biopharmaceutical research, and would like a device to manufacture these beads. While commercially available, current techniques are costly and inefficient. Our device produces beads in series as opposed to all at one time, as is done commercially. |
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THECUSTOMSITE.COM, LLC Integrating an Interactive Website with a Computer-Controlled Engraver
to Automate the Manufacture of Custom Belts The team designed an automated system for receiving, processing, manufacturing, and shipping orders for custom web belts. Customized order information received over the internet was processed using a central Access database, then transferred to software controlling an engraver. Manufacturing processes included cutting out, engraving, and painting a plastic face and adhering it to a metal buckle. Mail Order Manager software was used for tracking orders and generating customer invoices. Batch size, engraver table layout, and engraver time of operation were optimized using simulation software to minimize system cost per belt. |
DIRECTV, INC. Design of a Hand-Held Tester for Communication Between IRD Installations
and DirecTV Server Information about subscriber use of pay per view channels is automatically sent to the DirecTV server via a phone modem. DirecTV has experienced many problems with this connection. After researching sources of connection problems between the subscriber and server, the DirecTV Clinic team has designed a hand held phone connection tester to verify proper installation of the subscriber callback system. |
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EVANS & SUTHERLAND Design of a Next Generation 3D Graphics Chip The 1999-2000 Evans & Sutherland Clinic team is designing several core blocks of a next generation 3D graphics chip. The team is using modern design tools and techniques to create a Verilog HDL description of the design. This involves writing the Verilog modules and C++ test vector generators, applying the test vectors to the Verilog model and then synthesizing the design to a gate level description. |
GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION (TRUCK GROUP) Direct Measurements of Pressures on the Surface of an Engine Cooling
Fan GM's fan durability testing currently requires extensive testing to determine the configuration of fan, grill, radiator, and engine accessories that produce the maximum strain on the fan. GM would like to replace this testing with mathematical modeling. However, calibrating and validating the analytical model requires data on the pressure acting on the fan. The HMC Clinic team has worked to develop instrumentation and test procedures to measure the dynamic pressure distribution as a functinon of engine RPM. |
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Modeling Groundwater Levels and Flow for the Michelson Water Reclamation
Plant Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD) operates the Michelson Water Reclamation Plant (MWRP). The basins are at or below mean sea level and the water levels of the surrounding area. A system of dewatering wells prevents structural damage of the treatment basins. The 1999-2000 IRWD Clinic team developed a computerized, calibrated groundwater model of MWRP and the surrounding properties, which predicts the groundwater levels of MWRP and the immediately surrounding areas. |
ISIS PHARMACEUTICALS A Transportation System for a New Biotech Laboratory Automation Package Isis Pharmaceuticals is interested in building a new automation system for the biotech industry. The Clinic project consists of designing and building a prototype of an automated transportaion system for biotech samples, based on small autonomous robots |
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METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Testing of New Low Fouling Reverse Osmosis and Nanofiltration Membranes Metropolitan Water District wants an economical and efficient way to remove total dissolved solids (TDS) from water. The project goal was to evaluate new high flux nanofiltration membranes and determine the performance for source waters of interest to MWD. Each membrane was tested under various operating conditions such as different pH of feed water and varied initial TDS concentration. |
MINIMED INC. Gamma Radiation Sterilization Resistant Circuit for a Portable Insulin
Delivery Pump MiniMed is designing a disposable insulin delivery pump to treat Type II diabetes. However, the gamma radiation sterilization process it must undergo to meet FDA standards degrades the performance of the electronic components in the device. The Clinic team addressed the problem by identifying, measuring, and modeling the degradation of components. A circuit which could withstand the sterilization process was designed based on these models |
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Self Tuning PID Control As a worldwide leader in automation solutions, Opto22 offers its customers a variety of control options including PID controllers. Opto22 requires an auto-tuning control algorithm that can be applied to various systems. For this project, several algorithms, tuning techniques, and adaptive methods were researched to determine an optimum combination of control and tuning for a variety of systems. This combination of algorithm and auto-tuning method has been tested and will be integrated into Opto22's line of Ethernet control solutions. |
PYXIS CORPORATION Development of a Fully Automatic Interface Between Homerus and CUBIE The 1999-2000 Pyxis Clinic team will design and build an automated prototype device for filling medical storage containers, called CUBIEs, with packages that contain unit doses of pharmaceuticals. The device will execute several steps: acquiring a CUBIE from a stack, docking the CUBIE on a docking platform, opening the CUBIE, filling the CUBIE with packages, labeling the CUBIE, updating the CUBIE's smart chip, closing the CUBIE, and finally depositing the CUBIE in an output bin. |
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QUALCOMM INCORPORATED Development of a Tunable RF Digital Communications Acquisition and Analysis
System Current and proposed digital communication systems employ a wide array of complex signal formats with unique hardware and software required for the test and evaluation of each format. An alternative approach is the use of a single hardware configuration to acquire and record raw samples of downconverted signals for later processing. Analysis is then performed in non-real-time using software modules specifically designed for each signal format. Benefits of this approach include quick adaptability for new signal formats and potential cost savings. A hardware prototype of such a system using a wideband Tektronix spectrum analyzer has been developed by the QUALCOMM Clinic |
RAIN BIRD Water-Powered Turbine-Generator The Clinic team has built a conceptual design and prototype for a turbine-generator system to be placed in golf course irrigation, using water to power the golf course sprinklers, eliminating the need for miles of electrical wiring. The team has a cost-efficient design that will provide the sprinkler system with electrical power, last 5 years without maintenance, and be unobtrusive to the landscape and functionality of the golf course. |
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GrandSun of Mac Tester The Sun Clinic team has created a functional chip tester capable of testing chips with up to 256 pin package sizes at voltages between 1 and 7 Volts for use at Sun Microsystems Labs. The tester should interface to its host workstation at a speed greater than 1MB/s. |
TELEDYNE ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGIES The Effects of Selected Parameters on the Electrical Contact Resistance
Between Two Metal-Plated Surfaces Electrical contact resistance is measured over a range of 0.1 to 100 grams force. The effect of contact geometry, surface alloy composition and surface roughness on electrical contact resistance versus force curves is determined. These results are used to provide design guidelines for microrelays, relays and connectors. |
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TRW SYSTEMS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GROUP Software Agent for Database Security TRW's Clinic team has created a software agent to improve upon current security for database systems. The team investigated advanced logging and protection for behavior-based decision making. The software operates autonomously, allowing the administrator to create boundary settings. The software will be tested in conjunction with a Clinic Hours Recording test database, written by the team. |
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FAIR, ISAAC AND COMPANY, INC. Preemptive Offers for Portfolio Defense The purpose of the project is to study the mathematical risk structure of preemptive offers, the effect these have on the likelihood of acceptance, and thereby develop insights for the design of decision models that characterize successful preemptive offer strategies. The team's goal will be to assess the expected costs and benefits accruing from one or more decision models for preemptive offers. A simulation of the decision process will be demonstrated, using a range of realistic parameters and account data supplied by the sponsor. An analysis of model behaviors will be distilled into a recommended strategy for the sponsor. |
HNC SOFTWARE INC Link Analysis Many complex systems can be represented as collections of nodes with directed links between them. We investigated the application of link analysis techniques to analyze these networks of data. Link analysis attempts to improve on standard analysis techniques by taking into account the global structure of the network. An example of our work is to adapt algorithms currently used in web searches to analyzing other types of data. |
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SPACE SYSTEMS/LORAL Advanced Propellant Dispersion Analysis for Orbit-Raising and Maintenance
of Geo-Synchronous Satellites We have created a program to determine the amount of propellant necessary for a given satellite's mission. The program utilizes the Monte Carlo method to find the propellant mass for a percent certainty of mission success. It simulates the orbit raising process and estimates the station keeping propellant. This project builds upon the results of last year's SS/L Clinic. |
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Infrared Interferometer The Jet Propulsion Laboratory 1999-2000 Clinic constructed a modified Michelson interferometer to combine the light from two ten-meter Keck telescopes situated on the island of Hawaii. The system combines two 1" infrared beams of light from the telescopes and incorporates feedback control to ensure that the optics are correctly focusing the collimated beams into fiber optic cables. The telescope system will allow for the direct detection of Hot Jupiter planets in other solar systems. |
OPTIVUS TECHNOLOGY, INC. Design of a Detector Electronics System for Feedback Control of Proton
Beam Intensity in the LLUMC Proton Medical Accelerator Optivus Technology uses a proton accelerator as a radiation source for treating cancer patients. The current method of attacking tumors with the proton beam has been successful, but Optivus would like to improve the treatment by using a raster-scanning technique, requiring a much tighter control on the beam intensity. Our goal is to develop an improved electronics system to process the output of a beam intensity detector, allowing a feedback loop to control the beam at a much higher bandwidth |
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MOMENTUM DATA SYSTEMS Digital Filter Design using Hankel Norm Methods One problem in digital filter design involves finding the best rational approximation to a desired transfer function or impulse response. We use methods from Hardy space theory to get good H-infinity estimates for different types of filters. Our sponsor (Momentum Data Systems) has a product called QED 2000 that does digital filter design and we hope to use our results to improve a feature of their program. |
USC INFORMATION SCIENCES INSTITUTE Current-Voltage Characteristic Modeling for the SOI-MOSFET The goal of this Clinic is to take previously successful work on the MOSFET transistor and apply it to SOI technology. Formulae for the current-voltage characteristics of the SOI/SOS devices are derived by extending the asymptotic method of Ward (Ward, 1990). Comparison with real data shows this derivation is effective up to the kink attributable to impact ionization. |
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Find and Assess Predictive Aging Models for Hardware Applicable to the Fleet Ballistic Missile Program
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