This study aimed to better understand visuomotor tracking and spatial visual imagery. 101 Participants performed four tasks: A Manual Tracking Task (MTT), in which participants mouse-tracked the path of a circle, sometimes with occlusion. A Multi-Object Tracking task (MOT), in which participants tracked several objects simultaneously. The Sussex Cognitive Styles Questionnaire (SCSQ), in which participants self-reported their experience with imagery. A Mental Rotation Task (MRT) in which participants mentally rotate Tetris-like objects. The results demonstrated a significant correlation between the technical/spatial subscale of the SCSQ and the occluded MTT, the MRT, the MOT but not the visible MTT. A multiple regression showed that occluded MTT and the MRT together significantly predicted the spatial/technical subscale of the SCSQ above visible MTT and MOT. These findings support the claim that the cognitive resources behind mental imagery may also be recruited during other tasks that arguably draw on the need for internal visualization.

Movement, distribution, and habitat use of juvenile bull sharks were examined in two studies using manual and passive acoustic telemetry. Research was conducted in the Caloosahatchee River, which serves as nursery habitat for this species, and is highly impacted due to anthropogenic alterations in water quality and quantity via dams and locks. Manual tracking yielded fine-scale results for eight individuals on home range size, rate of movement, swimming depth, linearity, direction of travel, tidal influence, diel pattern, as well as correlation with environmental variables. Changes in salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and pH played a role on the distribution of bull sharks. Passive monitoring of twelve individuals allowed for examination of trends in residency, home range, depth, and distribution in response to water quality alterations. Both studies documented a shift in the distribution of animals in response to significant modifications in salinity and flow levels. Sharks were distributed throughout the river at low flow rates, but were located only near the river mouth, or exited the river at discharges rates above 75 m³s-1. Current water management policies are examined and recommendations are made which include the physiological preferences of this top-level predator.

The touchscreen user interface is an inherently dynamic device that is becoming ubiquitous. The touchscreen’s ability to adapt to the user’s needs makes it superior to more traditional haptic devices in many ways. Most touchscreen devices come with a very large array of sensors already included in the package. This gives engineers the means to develop human-machine interfaces that are very intuitive to use. This thesis presents research that was done to develop a best touchscreen interface for driving an industrial crane for novice users. To generalize the research, testing also determined how touchscreen interfaces compare to the traditional joystick in highly dynamic tracking situations using a manual tracking experiment. Three separate operator studies were conducted to investigate touchscreen control of cranes. The data indicates that the touchscreen interfaces are superior to the traditional push-button control pendent and that the layout and function of the graphical user interface on the touchscreen plays a roll in the performance of the human operators. The touchscreen interface also adds great promise for allowing users to navigate through interactive textbooks. Therefore, this thesis also presents developments directed at creating the next generation of engineering textbooks. Nine widgets were developed for an interactive mechanical design textbook that is meant to be delivered via tablet computers. Those widgets help students improve their technical writing abilities, introduce them to tools they can use in product development, as well as give them knowledge in how some dynamical systems behave. In addition two touchscreen applications were developed to aid the judging of a mechanical design competition.