Browsing by Author "Guessous, Laila"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Contributing Factors to the Under-Representation of Women in Undergraduate Engineering
    Solnik, Marissa; Guessous, Laila
    This research study aims to explore the factors which influence the under-representation of women within the engineering field. These factors can cause women to avoid participating within engineering programs at the high school or undergraduate level, or leave the engineering field at the professional level. This exploration focuses mainly on the influences affecting young girls at the beginning and throughout the educational pipeline, including gendered stereotypes, perpetuated by children’s toys, adult impressed expectations, academic confidence levels, media perception, and a lack of female role models. A qualitative survey was conducted, with participants being comprised of undergraduate students attending Oakland University, to compare resulting trends to those found within existing research regarding the influence of these factors.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Harvesting Energy and Water from Fertilizer Osmosis
    (2022-01-01) Pourmovahed, Pouyan; Maisonneuve, Jonathan; Guessous, Laila; Hansen, Fay; Lefsrud, Mark; Wang, Xia
    The potential for concentrated fertilizer to drive water treatment, nutrient recovery, and power generation has received increased attention. Large amounts of energy are wasted in agricultural systems each time concentrated fertilizers are diluted in water for fertigation, such as is common in hydroponic cultivation. This energy can be harnessed and converted to mechanical work or electricity to take a considerable load off specific farm subsystems, such as pumping and ventilation, or can directly drive desalination and filtration of non-potable waters such as seawater and wastewater. This thesis analyzes membrane processes for converting fertilizer energy to useful work. First, the novel concept of using fertilizer to generate power via pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is introduced. Second, the concept of fertilizer PRO is experimentally validated, and power generation and energy recovery are shown for a range of common fertilizers. Third, the thermodynamic and practical limitations of recovering energy from fertilizer are established using a number of new analytical, numerical, and experimental methods. Finally, an alternative to energy recovery is examined, namely the possibility of using fertilizer to drive forward osmosis (FO) to recover clean irrigation water from wastewater feed sources. The limitations of fertilizer FO are also established, again using a number of new analytical, numerical, and experimental methods. Results indicate that up to 1200 l of water and 125 Wh of energy may theoretically be recovered per kg of fertilizer, when low-concentration municipal wastewater is available. Given typical nutrient requirements for hydroponic plant cultivation, such values approach nearly 500 of necessary irrigation water and 5 of the electricity consumed by a typical greenhouse. However, practical limitations and non-ideal transport dynamics reduce these values and must be overcome in future research, so that fertilizer energy can be economically deployed to farm systems. To conclude, other applications of fertilizer energy are introduced and pathways for future research and development are discussed. This research may contribute to the future of sustainable agriculture by opening up new possibilities for energy efficiency, water security, and food productivity.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Multiple Paths to Full Professor: Challenges to the Academy in the 21st Century
    (Oakland University, 2016-01-01) Moore, Kathleen; Cunningham, Joi M.; Guessous, Laila; Reger, Jo; Roth, Brad; Walters, Julie; DeVreugd, Leanne; Clason, Christopher; Garfinkle, David
    Article first explains the dominant form of faculty promotion used in U.S. colleges and universities. Second, key economic, political, and social factors are discussed in the context of an institutional mission linked with promotion in light of the 21st century university. Lastly, considerations regarding the movement toward multiple­ models of promotion are explored in the context of Oakland University.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Multiplicity, Connection and Divergence: African Art from the John F. Korachis Collection
    (Oakland University, 2011-09-10) Eis, Andrea; Lashbrook, Debra; Goody, Dick; Korachis, John F.; Dulio, David; Barclay, Lizabeth A.; Goldberg, Andrew F.X.; Benson, Linda; Reger, Jo; Jhashi, Tamara; Cardiff, Gladys; Rosenthall, Sam; Palmer-Mehta, Valerie; Wren, Patricia A.; Schneeweis, Adina; Bee, Mary; Oakley, Barbara; Evans, Susan; Gilson, Annette; VanderKaay, Cody; Gallien, Louis B., Jr.; Kitchens, Marshall; Guessous, Laila; Corso, John; Pfeiffer, Kathleen; Chapman, Jeffrey S.; Gibbs, Christina; Miller, Karen; Hay, Kellie; Shackelford, Todd K.
    Excerpt from the collector's statement: This exhibition and catalogue provide a rare opportunity to view and possibly come to understand the enlightening, creative, complex and culturally sophisticated characteristics of African art. Perhaps it may even answer the most commonly asked question as to why I have been motivated to collect this art form. The collection includes a variety of masks, numerous styles of sculptural figures, furnishings and forms of pottery.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Using Salt Gradient Energy and Thermal Energy to Enhance Reverse Osmosis Desalination
    (2024-01-01) Yagnambhatt, Sanjana; Maisonneuve, Jonathan; Guessous, Laila; Wang, Xia; Yang, Ziming; Ladner, David
    Improving desalination energy efficiency is crucial for meeting rising global water demands. Reverse osmosis (RO) is a common desalination process that uses an applied pressure to overcome the natural osmotic potential of seawater to drive nearly pure water permeate through a semipermeable membrane. However, it has high specific energy consumption ranging from 4-5 kWh/m3 and environmental issues associated with discharging the highly concentrated brine that is left over after separation. This work investigates two methods of improving the energy efficiency of RO desalination: (1) Recovering salt gradient energy from desalination brine, and (2) Using thermal energy to pre-heat RO feed water and reduce mechanical pump work.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Wise@OU Campus Climate Summary Report, May 2013
    (2013-05) Cunningham, Joi M.; Guessous, Laila; DeVreugd, Leanne; Moore, Kathy; Reger, Jo; Roth, Brad; Walters, Julie; Oakland University. WISE@OU