Goodwin students Cindy Casey, Alex Cohen, and Bret Davis received awards at Drexel University's Research Day. The April 8 event allowed students to showcase their research through poster presentations to members of the Drexel community.
Davis, a student in the Engineering Technology program, earned the award in the Education and Outreach category for his project, "Simulation of Manufacturing Automation Systems using PLCStudio." Under the direction of Dr. Richard Chiou, Davis used software developed by the Korean Association of Small Business Studies to simulate robotics and automation systems. His work was integrated into a robotics and megatronics course in the ET program.
Through his research, "students can see the different aspects involved in creating an entire automation system and a robotics program," Davis says.
Students were surveyed about their knowledge of the subject before and after participating in the course. Results indicated that knowledge was increased after course participation. Davis's research is ongoing and can be applied to other courses in the ET program. Computing and Security Technology student Cindy Casey won in the Computation and Modeling (Non-Bio) category for her project, "Thinking Outside the Box: A Practitioner's Guide to Xbox Forensics." Responding to the rise in use of non-traditional electronic devices to perform criminal activities, Casey examined Xbox hard drives in order to learn more about their structure and discover the most reliable techniques for forensically acquiring data from the drives. Working with Dr. Ashley Podhradsky and Dr. Rob D'Ovidio, Casey examined a small sampling of Xbox 360 hard drives. Because there is very little research available regarding the xbox hard drive structure, the drives were examined using numerous tools and techniques in order to construct a forensic model of the Xbox 360 gaming console structure. The investigation yielded user names, a city, a user profile, a cache containing a player’s list, and a credit card number. The model constructed will aid law enforcement and has made a major contribution in the field of computer forensics. "There were many outstanding projects presented at Research Day," Casey says. "I am extremely honored to receive this award and very proud to be representing Goodwin College." Hospitality Management, Culinary Arts and Food Science graduate student Alex Cohen won in the “Business Research” category for his project, “Enhancing the Dining Experience for Low-Vision Patrons.” Cohen has retinitis pigmentosa, an eye disease that has caused the loss of most of his vision. Cohen noticed that he was unable to read the menu in many local restaurants when dining out. The goal of Cohen’s project was to raise awareness of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines for restaurants. Under the direction of Dr. Joseph Lema, Cohen researched ADA guidelines for restaurants, and worked with the Foundation Fighting Blindness, a non-profit organization that raises funds for scientific cures and lifestyle initiatives, to determine ways in which ADA guidelines can be implemented in local eateries. Through the Pennsylvania Restaurant Association, Cohen identified 260 restaurants in Center City Philadelphia, and sent them surveys regarding their facilities and accessibility. Cohen is willing to consult with these establishments to implement ADA guidelines in the future. At his booth on Research Day, Cohen distributed vision impairment simulators, goggles that mimicked what low-vision individuals see, to Drexel students, faculty, and staff. He then handed out sample menus in an effort to show what low-vision patrons experience when dining out. “I wanted to make the project as interactive as possible,” Cohen says. “Putting on the simulators affected a lot of people.”