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Reasons Youth Choose Or Do Not Choose To Be Involved In 4-H Livestock Projects In Tennessee, Leigh Erin Fuson

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to find reasons youth choose or do not choose to be involved in 4-H livestock projects. Livestock projects are an important part of 4-H youth development because they teach life skills like responsibility and hard work. However, many youth are unable to participate or do not have the interest. This study sought to discover what motivates some youth to become involved in a livestock project and why others do not.

Focus groups were used as the data collection tool. Two groups of youth livestock participants and two groups of non-livestock participants were utilized. Themes …

River Machine: A Balcony For The City, Nicole Anne Drelich

Masters Theses

The city of Knoxville, as it is today, lacks a certain level of connection with the Tennessee River. The goal of this thesis project is to identify the source of development away from the river, and to design a waterfront intervention, which will reflect community goals, as well as pay respect to the factors that have driven the development of Knoxville in the past.

Through the study of Knoxville’s history, one can see a clear change in the geographical and social condition of the Tennessee River in Knoxville. Through the innovation of the Tennessee Valley Authority, the riverbanks were inherently …

Tennessee Tornado Frequency, Vulnerability, And Relation To A Large-Scale Climate Variability, Vincent Marshall Brown

Masters Theses

This work explores the climatologies of isolated tornadoes and tornado outbreaks across the state of Tennessee, a state that in some years experiences more tornadoes than states in the heart of Tornado Alley. Part one assesses tornado frequency characteristics and fatality statistics within 100 km of three major Tennessee cities (Nashville, Memphis, and Knoxville) between 1950 and 2013. Nashville reported the most tornadoes, (426) but Memphis reported the most fatalities. Knoxville and Nashville tornadoes occurred on fewer days, while Memphis tornadoes were spread across more tornado days. Spring was the most active season for tornadoes, but Memphis still experienced approximately …

Urbanization Impacts On Land Snail Community Composition, Mackenzie N. Hodges

Masters Theses

Urbanization has tremendous impacts on most native species. Urban ecosystems are becoming increasingly prevalent, while urban ecology is a relatively underdeveloped field. This is especially true for terrestrial mollusks, which are a surprisingly understudied organism. Due to their low mobility and dispersal potential, land snails are valuable indicators of ecosystem disturbance. For this study, land snails were collected in 54 city parks along an urban gradient to understand influences of urbanization on snail communities. Sampled parks include small extensively landscaped downtown parks, neighborhood and community parks, district parks, and large nature parks, each with variable vegetation, soil characteristics, disturbance regimes, …

Knoxville Microclimates: Spatial And Temporal Variability In Ambient Air Temperature Across Four Urban Neighborhoods, David Andrew Howe

Masters Theses

The urban heat island (UHI), has been studied extensively over the past 30 to 40 years, yet questions remain regarding the spatiotemporal variability of the UHI, and what factors influence this variability. More recent studies have emphasized the microclimates within an urban setting, but most do not have the high resolution climate or land cover data necessary to truly understand the interactions taking place at a neighborhood-level scale. This study used a network of 10 identical weather stations and high resolution land use data in Knoxville, Tennessee to analyze the microclimates of a medium-sized city with a temperate climate over …