Inclusive Lectern

A lectern is an essential piece of equipment for almost all speeches and presentations. They come in many forms and range in degree of professionalism depending on the occasion. Lecterns not only hold a presenter’s notes, a microphone, or other presentation aids, they provide a structure for a presenter that can bolster their confidence during a presentation. As such, it is important that all presenters have a lectern available to them. Unfortunately this is not always the case due to lectern accessibility limitations. This problem inspired the Cal Poly Disability Resource Center to request a lectern that satisfies the Least Restrictive Environment criterion by creating a system that can accommodate the needs of all people, with and without disabilities. It should make the individual as independent as possible with as few adaptations possible, while maintaining a high level of functionality and grandeur. The purpose of this project is to design, build, and test a lectern that can be used at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for presentation at various location around campus. This report details the entire design process that was used to develop the final concept: design, build, and test. The main function of the final lectern design that allows it to accommodate the widest range of users is its height adjustability. It can adjust to heights ranging from approximately 26 to 52 in. Additional features designed to accommodate the needs of the user include an adjustable worksurface and a roll-on pressure pad actuation system

Foot pressure distributions during walking in African elephants (Loxodonta africana)

Elephants, the largest living land mammals, have evolved a specialized foot morphology to help reduce locomotor pressures while supporting their large body mass. Peak pressures that could cause tissue damage are mitigated passively by the anatomy of elephants' feet, yet this mechanism does not seem to work well for some captive animals. This study tests how foot pressures vary among African and Asian elephants from habitats where natural substrates predominate but where foot care protocols differ. Variations in pressure patterns might be related to differences in husbandry, including but not limited to trimming and the substrates that elephants typically stand and move on. Both species' samples exhibited the highest concentration of peak pressures on the lateral digits of their feet (which tend to develop more disease in elephants) and lower pressures around the heel. The trajectories of the foot's centre of pressure were also similar, confirming that when walking at similar speeds, both species load their feet laterally at impact and then shift their weight medially throughout the step until toe-off. Overall, we found evidence of variations in foot pressure patterns that might be attributable to husbandry and other causes, deserving further examination using broader, more comparable samples

The beginnings of an interdisciplinary study of synaesthesia: discussions about the Nussbaumer brothers (1873)

In the context of synaesthesia research, the discussion about the Nussbaumer brothers today is totally forgotten. Two articles were published by one of these brothers in 1873 with self-observations about their synaesthesia and a 19-section questionnaire – the first questionnaire in the history of this phenomenon. What was new about their synaesthesia? How was it received? In which interdisciplinary contexts was synaesthesia placed? Which new theories were developed via the Nussbaumer discussion? We answer these questions and also resolve for the first time the true identity of F. A. Nussbaumer