Issue link: http://howardcc.uberflip.com/i/496129
to make the vehicle autonomous. Next steps call upon electrical engineering skills to design the vehicle's power and control systems; add a gear shift actuator to allow the vehicle to transition between high and low gear and also move in reverse; and add a wireless kill switch to automatically stop the vehicle if needed. Computer engineering will play a part in the development of algorithms and code to facilitate navigation, path planning, and obstacle avoidance. Project Snapshot: Attendance Access Is there an efficient way to streamline the process of taking attendance in a class of over 100 students? Can access to secure areas be controlled in a way that can record who accessed a room and prevent unauthorized access? HCC engineering students who are working on the attendance access project would like to say "yes!" With use of an authentication and data recording tool in the form of a barcode attached to the students' notebooks, it may be possible to more accurately document attendance, and also assure room access to only those who need it. Computer and mechanical engineers have been working together to design attendance and access-tracking technologies, and next steps include improving the sophistication of the tool to effectively manage multiple events on a single day; tracking when people leave the event; adding barcode options to the event activity documentation; determining a process for printing reports without the need for third-party software; and integrating a code for webcams. Project Snapshot: The Earthquake Shaker Table Curious to know what kinds of structures can withstand the impact of an earthquake, and at what magnitude? HCC's engineering students are putting physics to the test with the creation of a vibrating "shaker table" that is capable of simulating an earthquake. Physics students are researching the physical waves involved in earthquake motion, and mechanical engineers are working on structural designs and methods of attaching building materials to the moving platform. Students are exploring electrical engineering in the development of control knobs to control the frequency and magnitude of the earthquakes. This project is currently in the design phase, with various geometric structures and testing applications in place to determine which configurations are more or less stable. HCC students and faculty demonstrated their progress on the Earthquake Shaker Table at the USA Science & Engineering Festival in Washington D.C. in 2014. Spring 2015 | Pathways 7