Stander Symposium abstract book - University of Dayton

POSTER SESSION 1
The Transformation of The Wheels for Kids Organization from a First Year Engineering
Design Project to a Year-Long Service Learning Project.
Presenter(s): Joseph R Radisek
Advisor(s): David A Herrelko, Joanne M Troha
Fitz Center for Leadership in Community - Independent Research
Wheels for Kids was started by Dr. Herrelko in 2001 as a service-learning project for the first year students of the New Engineers Program. The
project consisted of students collecting bicycles from the Dayton area and fixing them. The students organized and ran all aspects, including how
the bicycles were collected, how the class was to be trained in fixing bicycles, and the preparation for the Wheels for Kids Day. The day was the
culmination of the class, where the fixed bicycles were distributed to the local youth while learning maintenance and safety lessons. Joe Radisek
participated in the last year (2008) of the original Wheels for Kids design. Since 2008, students from the University of Dayton have continued on
the spirit of the Wheels for Kids project. Today, with assistance from the School of Engineering and the Fitz Center, Wheels for Kids is a recognized
service organization on campus. The club works year-round collecting bicycles from the Dayton area, fixing them, and distributing them to the
local youth with safety and maintenance training at the Wheels for Kids Day. Joe Radisek has been a leader in Wheels for Kids throughout this
transitional phase and currently holds the position of Vice-President in the organization. As Joe plans to graduate in May 2012, this presentation
provides an opportunity for him to impart his wisdom and insight. This includes the first hand experiences from the past five years of Wheels for
Kids projects.
Changes in Precipitation Regimes in the United States
Presenter(s): Thomas A Davis
Advisor(s): Shuang-Ye Wu
Geology - Senior/Capstone Project
This study aims to investigate how climate change has affected precipitation patterns in the US. Precipitation provides us with freshwater, the
most vital resources for life; but it also brings damages from extreme storms and flooding. There are three major mechanisms of precipitation in
the United States: (1) frontal storms dominate during colder months from late fall to early spring and generally last for longer periods of time;
(2) convective storms or âpop-up thunderstormsâ are more common during late spring and summer, and typically bring more intense rainfall for
shorter period of time, and (3) precipitation due to orographic lifting in mountainous regions. The objectives of this study are to establish (1) if
precipitation regimes have changed in the United States in the past 60 years as a result of climate change, and (2) if changes in precipitation patterns
are similar for different types of storms and (3) if changes in precipitation patterns are similar in different climate regions. For this purpose,
we used hourly and daily precipitation data from 1900 through 2010 collected from National Climate Data Center and US Historical Climatology
Network to look for trends in the frequency and intensity of storms of various durations, and examine the statistical significance of these trends.
The investigation is conducted in GIS in order to examine spatial variations of such changes.
Overview of glacier velocity across Himalaya
Presenter(s): Anthony T Parkes
Advisor(s): Umesh K Haritashya
Geology - Senior/Capstone Project
Glaciers, in general, are highly sensitive to climate fluctuations making them important indicators of climate change. Overall, lack of data on this
region is troubling for the amount of hydrological importance and climatic forecasts these glaciers hold. Therefore, this study aimed to measure
glacier velocity on selected glaciers using cross-correlation techniques. One of the main problems with determining the amount of loss or perhaps
gain in glacier mass is determining their velocity. The Himalayan glaciers are inaccessible in most areas and field measurements can be impossible,
which creates a problem when determining the velocity of glaciers. Consequently, I generated velocity profiles of glaciers in the Nanga Parbat
region of the western Himalaya using 2009 and 2010 ASTER satellite data. My glacier fluctuation study has shown oscillating behavior of these
glaciers; however, our preliminary velocity result indicates high velocity on most of these glaciers. These results I produced are the first ever velocity
profile generated for this region.
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