DCU Expo 2024 - Final Year Projects

85 165. Rare Earth Elements inMobile Phones: Investigating the Challenges and Opportunities in Recycling and Recovery This project investigates the recycling of rare earth elements (REEs) frommobile phones, a key challenge in both reducing electronic waste and recovering the precious metals. A survey assessed the lifecycle of phones, identified the barriers preventing recycling, and gauged awareness on REEs. A facility for recycling old phones and providing information was pilot tested on the DCUGlasnevin Campus. The success of the initiative was evaluated, and the findings led to recommendations for improving recycling efforts and sustainability. Student Programme Mechanical andManufacturing Engineering (Year 5) Project Area Educational, WasteManagement, Sustainability, Recycling Project Technology Excel/VB, R Student Name(s) Conor Hetherton Email conor.hetherton2@mail.dcu.ie Supervisor Dr AnneMorrissey 166. University AI Chatbot to Answer Student Queries This project is a chatbot developed to enhance the user experience on the DCUwebsite. The chatbot serves as a virtual assistant capable of providing users with information on courses offered, timetables, and various societies available. Utilising natural language processing, the chatbot understands user queries and responds promptly, streamlining access to vital university resources. Through innovative integration of technology, this project aims to improve accessibility and navigation for students, faculty, and visitors alike. Student Programme Computer Applications Project Area Artificial Intelligence, Databases, Digital Signal Processing, Educational, Instant Messaging, Natural Language Processing Project Technology HTML5, JavaScript, Python, Machine Learning Student Name(s) Detutu Adebisi  |  Paul Bashford Email detutu.adebisi3@mail.dcu.ie   |   paul.bashford2@mail.dcu.ie Supervisor Prof BoualemBenatallah 167. StudySieve This educational platform supports students in gathering and synthesising key information froma wide array of notes. By uploading their study material and interacting with a chatbot, students specify the topics fromwhich they need to extract specific information. The chatbot then interprets this input to assist in searching the available learning resources and generating a comprehensive document, aggregating pertinent information tailored to the student’s specified area of study. This streamlined approach aids in focusing on critical topics, reduces the risk of missing vital information, and facilitates quicker access to relevant examquestions, significantly enhancing the effectiveness and depth of the study process. Student Programme Enterprise Computing Project Area Educational, Information Retrieval, Web Application Project Technology CSS, Docker, HTML5, JavaScript, Python, SQL, Django, OpenAI API, Elasticsearch Student Name(s) Marjorie Lapuz  |  Paul Flanagan Email marjorie.lapuz2@mail.dcu.ie  |   paul.flanagan27@mail.dcu.ie Supervisor Prof Gareth Jones