Digital Commons Network^™

Socially Equal Energy Efficient Development: A Theoretical Reflection On Applied Work, Darcy A. Ayers

Masters Theses

This capstone is a “theoretically and experientially informed report” of the work I began as an AmeriCorps VISTA member in August 2021 and now do as Program Director for SEEED (Socially Equal Energy Efficient Development), a small Black-led nonprofit working to address racialized generational poverty in the communities of East Knoxville. The report serves as a record and reflection of my experience doing front-line anti-poverty work, primarily directing the flagship Career Readiness Program (CRP). I begin this report with a short recounting of the history of Knoxville’s urban development through a Black geographies lens and continue with a review of …

Police, Ice, And Knox County: A Timeline Of The 287(G) And Detention Bed Contracts From 2017-2021, Taylor Dempsey

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Modeling Emergence Of Annual Bluegrass (Poa Annua L.) In Hybrid Bermudagrass [C. Dactylon (L.) Pers. X C. Transvaalensis Burtt-Davy], Dallas Rose Taylor

Masters Theses

Annual bluegrass (Poa annua L.; ABG) is a troublesome weed of turfgrass systems. A model to predict ABG emergence patterns could aid in timing measures to control ABG. Field research was initiated in January 2019 at the East Tennessee AgResearch & Education Center (ETREC) (Knoxville, TN) to better understand environmental conditions associated with ABG emergence. Plots (1 m²) included both hybrid bermudagrass [C. dactylon (L.) Pers. x C. transvaalensis Burtt-Davy, cv. ‘Tifway’, at a 1.5 cm cutting height] and bare soil. Emerged ABG inside a 1000 cm² area in the center of each plot was …

Design, Construction, And Flight Of A Remote-Controlled Aircraft For The 2020-21 Aiaa Dbf Competition, Jonathan A. Dixon, Caleb Weatherly, Satyam Mistry, Killian Samuels, Ethan Cerrito, Caleb Morgan, Sanghyeok Park, Sam Pankratz, Jamison Murphree

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Messy Zoning And Studentification: Fort Sanders In Knoxville, Tennessee, Yael Uziel

Masters Theses

This study explores the unique intersection of the current coronavirus pandemic and studentification by looking at college neighborhoods in cities through a case study of at University of Tennessee, Knoxville and the near-by Fort Sanders neighborhoods. It introduces the idea of "messy zoning" to characterize the unclear and conflicting land-use regulations and their applications by local and institutional actors contributing to further studentification. Using secondary data collection and archival urban planning documents from the City of Knoxville, this study works to question the reasons neighborhoods become studentified. Particularly, it fills the gap that is blaming HMO (Houses in multiple occupation) …

Origins Of Jacksonian Political Economy In Tennessee, 1768-1830, Matthew Joseph Menarchek

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the nature of Jacksonian class politics through a study of Tennessee from 1768 to 1830. White Tennesseans, including Andrew Jackson himself, embraced commercial development, material improvement, and market transactions, despite political rhetoric that praised agricultural independence and denounced monied corruption. Opposition to banks and internal improvements usually emerged from political rivalries, not ideology. Economic downturns, such as the Panic of 1819, produced temporary reactions against the market economy. When Andrew Jackson was elected President of the United States in 1828, no popular discontent existed against money and commerce generally, or against the Bank of the United States …

A Profile Of Physical Activity In The City Of Knoxville's Lonsdale Park, Carly Scot Eakin

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Chocolate City Way Up South In Appalachia: Black Knoxville At The Intersection Of Race, Place, And Region, Enkeshi Thom El-Amin

Doctoral Dissertations

Popular perceptions of Appalachia depict a rural region populated by poor, "backward," uneducated whites. Despite a more than two-hundred-year black presence in Appalachia, the perceived racial homogeneity of the region and the scholarly discourse that downplay racial difference (c.f., Coleman 2001) create a story of Appalachia focused on poor (white) problems that ignore race. Through an ethnographic case study of Knoxville, this dissertation seeks to disrupt popular and scholarly conceptions of Appalachia by considering how scholars might research, recognize and think about race in the region not simply through the experiences of whites, but through an examination of the lives …

Interfaith Health Clinic Electronic Records Implementation Of Standard Operating Procedures, Payton E. Garland, Emily Mae Diehl, Clark Michael Legac, Joshua Presnell

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

A Profile Of Physical Activity In Knoxville Parks, Margaret R. Bailey

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

How Girl Scouts Shaped The World War Ii Homefront, In East Tennessee And Beyond, Madison E. Price

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Muslims And Public Places: A Platform For Inclusion Or Exclusion?, Nastaran Abdoli

Masters Theses

This thesis investigates the experiences of first-generation and second-generation Muslim immigrants in Knoxville, Tennessee. It is based on fieldwork, participant observation, and interviews conducted from August 2017 to June 2018. The interviews were conducted with fifteen individuals, eleven women and four men who were recruited through Muslim Centers in Knoxville and the University of Tennessee campus. I argue that social pressure and the negative climate affects the way Muslims are treated in the United States in public places. Muslim immigrants in Knoxville had positive and negative experiences of being in public places. They use public places for religious holidays and …

Pro Bono Publico: The Architect As Developer, Daniel Hurshel Hodge

Masters Theses

The profession of architecture now encounters a precarious economic landscape because of the separation of economy and the value chain. Architecture has historically succeeded on the backs of its craftspeople and the intangible tangibility of its productions. Yet, in our current economic era, where everyone is disconnected from value creation and imbibes value through the medium of brand, architecture has responded with niche reforms and feeble assertions of legitimacy. What follows is a reevaluation of its professional values in a valueless climate. From the standpoint of the architect, coupling its systemic elements with that of the real estate developer may …

Bringing Fútbol Fever To Rocky Top: An Analytical History Of The Regal Rowdies, Matthew H. Proffitt

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Design And Control Of Close Proximity Indirect Exposure For Nonthermal Atmospheric Pressure Plasma-Based Oxidation Of Carbon Fiber Precursor, Truman Andrew Bonds

Doctoral Dissertations

A new plasma-based method for the stabilization of polyacrylonitrile carbon fiber precursor utilizing reactive chemical species derived from a custom atmospheric pressure plasma generation system was developed and demonstrated. As opposed to the conventional stabilization method of convective heating in air, plasma-based stabilization efficiently introduces oxidative reactive species that both diffuse through and react faster with the precursor filaments, resulting in a faster and more efficient process. This method was successfully demonstrated with a variety of precursor chemistries, grades and sizes. The development effort was entirely experimental, with successive processing devices designed and constructed to examine various aspects of the …

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 …

About Face: The Coming Of Ayres Hall At The University Of Tennessee, Justin C. Dothard

Masters Theses

In July of 1919, the University of Tennessee demolished its 91-year-old main building (called Old College) to make way for a new one in the same location (later named Ayres Hall). Through review of primary and secondary sources, this thesis investigates the motivations for Old College’s demolition and notes the institutional, cultural, and socioeconomic parameters informing Ayres Hall’s architectural genesis. Given the academic and aesthetic future the University’s administration anticipated, Old College as a main building was considered obsolete and architecturally incompatible, and it sat on a piece of land too prominent to tolerate either. Ayres Hall and Morgan Hall …

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 …

Community Identity: Place And The South Knoxville Waterfront, Nicholas Joseph Burger

Masters Theses

“With the loss of tactility and the scale and details crafted for the human body and hand, our structures become repulsively flat, sharp-edged, immaterial, and unreal” (Holl 29). Our built environment is full of constructs which are unsuccessful on a number of levels proving why it is critical to concentrate on a sense of place and identity. A great place is described as one where people gravitate towards, a place for everyone, something that is memorable, and a space which evokes a story (Placemaking Is...). South Knoxville, Tennessee, the selected site of this thesis, will test the concept of place …

Extending The Lean Limit Of Methane-Air Mixtures By Oxygen, Nitrogen And Carbon Dioxide Injection In The Gap Of The Spark Plug’S Electrodes, Artem Alexandrov Temerev

Masters Theses

An experimental investigation is carried out to investigate the feasibility of extending the lean limit for methane–air mixtures by injecting oxygen and other gases such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide in the area between spark plug electrodes. Additionally, the effect of oxygen injection on exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is investigated. The pressure in the chamber and the equivalence ratio of the mixture are varied from 0.35 MPa to 1.03 MPa and 0.46 to 1.0, respectively. Delco 12620540 spark plug is used as the ignition source and the gas injection into spark plug gap is accomplished through a 0.159-cm OD stainless …

The Role Of The Architect In The Process Of Development, Christopher Alan Owens

Masters Theses

Population growth and cars have caused cities to sprawl from their downtown cores, resulting in a landscape of low density building. Far too often the empty lot at the edge of the city or along a highway attracts the next opportunity for development, furthering the gap between residential and commercial zones. The profession of architecture recognizes that urban site selection and mixed-use programming is vital to the social and financial health of a city, though it typically only participates in the design of the building. However, the visionary training and practice of architecture places the architect in a unique position …

Community Gardens In Knoxville: Insight Into Challenges Facing Community Garden Initiatives, Angelia D Rateike

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Tlp5, Che1p, Tlp4a, And Che4stas Promoters On Chemotaxis In Azospirillum Brasilense, Brian W. Connor

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Breaking The Eviction Cycle: Rethinking Design In An Urban Homeless Campsite, Lauren R. Dunn

Masters Theses

In Knoxville, TN, in an area of decaying rail-based industry close to a cluster of homeless services, people experiencing homelessness, who cannot or will not use the shelter system, generate outdoor campsites. Every 6 or 8 months, local authorities evict the campers due to complaints of trash accumulation or disturbances. The homeless campers then move to new locations, and the cycle begins anew. Homeless service providers and policy makers discuss what to do about the perceived problem, but they do not condone the urban campsites or ask the campers what they need to improve their situations.

This is a “wicked …

Assessment Of Knoxville, Tn’S Urban Landscape Qualities Related To Bikeability Utilizing Cognitive Maps And Visual Assessments, Beth Anne Hawkins

Masters Theses

How is the urban landscape experienced? Can an assessment of experiential perceptions of specific user groups be beneficial for urban design and planning purposes? The approach presented in this thesis includes a subjective analysis based on perceptions of bicyclists that entail a cognitive mapping exercise and surveys; and an objective analysis based on a visual assessment of routes documented by survey respondents. The intent is to identify perceptual qualities that incite a behavioral response based on physical characteristics of the urban landscape. Three behavioral responses are ubiquitous within the bikeability literature, i.e. ease of access, sense of comfort or safety …

Reconnect: A New Identity For Suburban Commercial Space, Robert Michael Thew

Masters Theses

In this thesis, I address a critical situation found today within the American suburbs. Many suburban developments lack human scale and places for community interaction traditionally found in the downtown model of the city. The places of interaction, or forums, are inherent in the downtown model and are built into the block structure, and close to where people live. They promote multiple uses and the healthy interaction of the residents of the community. In the suburban model, the places of interaction are separated from neighborhoods and residences, they are highly insular and geared towards a single purpose, usually shopping.

This …

Urban Transient Spaces: [Re] Appropriating Knoxville, Tennessee's World's Fair Park, Kathryn Dupree Greer

Masters Theses

Transient Space: An urban site that was developed for a temporary event or short-term program.

In this thesis, I will explore urban gaps created by transient events, such as the Olympics, World Fairs, and the World Cup. I believe urban environments created to accommodate for these transitory events present an interesting predicament for planners and architects. In several cases, these sites are not properly developed or programmed for post-event occupancy and create gaps in a city’s urban fabric.

I will specifically be examining World’s Fair Park in Knoxville, Tennessee. This site once hosted the 1982 World’s Fair, Knoxville International Energy …

The Choice Is Yours: A Study Of The East Tennessee Voter's Decision Process, Alice E. Brading

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Enhancing Community And Place Through A Suburban Retrofit, Luke Daniel Murphree

Masters Theses

Suburban sprawl, characterized by low-density, scattered, single-use development, is an ever-increasing concern for the environment, economy, and sense of community and identity of cities today. Sprawling communities have been designed with poor neighborhood connectivity, a lack of walkability, and in isolation from public space, jobs, and schools, creating a place that is virtually devoid of social interaction and a distinguishing identity.

Suburbia constitutes roughly 75% of contemporary development in the United States. Many buildings in these suburban areas are either vacant or out of date, and demographic and market shifts indicate a growing demand for more diverse housing types and …

Frontier Access To East Tennessee: A Ceramic Analysis Of Ramsey House (40kn120), Bell Site (40kn202), And Exchange Place (40sl22), Abby Jane Naunheimer

Masters Theses

East Tennessee, falling within the Appalachian sub-culture, was romanticized by 19th-century writers as an unchanging, rural society. The stigma of a non-consumer, frontier culture persisted, questioning the ability of East Tennessee residents to access consumer goods during the frontier period. By using multiple lines of evidence, historical archaeology is well-positioned to study unknown settlers living within a misunderstood region.

Three frontier-era East Tennessee homesteads were chosen to conduct ceramic analyses as a beginning point of understanding consumer access. Ramsey House, Bell Site, and Exchange Place were each occupied beginning in the late 18th century and continued into the first quarter …