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Environmental Sciences

Theses/Dissertations

2021

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Full-Text Articles in Education

An Instructional Guide To Environmental Campaigns For K-12 Schools, Erin Mccarty Dec 2021

An Instructional Guide To Environmental Campaigns For K-12 Schools, Erin Mccarty

University Honors Theses

Evidence suggests environmental education can correlate with both short- and long-term behavioral changes, but existing research on the effectiveness of popular environmental education tactics show mixed results. Qualitative research was used in this study to assess student engagement and behavioral change within the context of environmental education campaigns. Ideally, students exposed to environmental campaigns become more informed on environmental issues and adjust their behavior to align with the campaign’s objectives. However, only a portion of environmental campaigns have these desired effects on their students. Based on a preliminary literature review, I anticipated the defining catalyst on post-campaign behavioral engagement would …


Environmental Justice Issues And Sea Level Rise In Frontline Communties Along The Gulf Coast, Karla Michel Lopez Dec 2021

Environmental Justice Issues And Sea Level Rise In Frontline Communties Along The Gulf Coast, Karla Michel Lopez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Sea level rise poses a great threat to coastal areas and our way of life. As flooding increases in frequency and intensity across the country, vulnerable populations become a target to its impacts. The U.S. dedicates much research to risk communication and climate change adaptation strategies; however, these coastal areas are home to a large percentage of underserved and underrepresented communities that can be challenging to meaningfully engage. The impacts of short-term sea level rise combined with long-term sea level rise will not only cause flooding, erosion, and intrusion of saltwater into freshwater resources but also increased financial consequences, such …


Pressure Retarded Osmosis: A Potential Technology For Seawater Desalination Energy Recovery And Concentrate Management, Joshua Benjamin Nov 2021

Pressure Retarded Osmosis: A Potential Technology For Seawater Desalination Energy Recovery And Concentrate Management, Joshua Benjamin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Currently, a significant challenge with reverse osmosis-based desalination is reducing the energy consumption and environmental impacts of the process. This project analyzed the viability of using pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO) for energy recovery in seawater desalination facilities using brine concentrate (the draw solution) and other water sources (the feed solution) such as wastewater effluent. The primary goal of this project is to decrease the cost and overall energy consumption of seawater desalination through PRO-based energy recovery. Process modeling, statistical and sensitivity analysis, energy and cost analysis, geospatial and GIS analysis, laboratory-scale testing, water quality analysis, SEM-EDS microscopy, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), …


An Assessment Of Nutrient Improvement In Surface Water Due To The Conversion Of Onsite Sewage Treatment And Disposal Systems To Sewerage, Jenelle A. Mohammed Oct 2021

An Assessment Of Nutrient Improvement In Surface Water Due To The Conversion Of Onsite Sewage Treatment And Disposal Systems To Sewerage, Jenelle A. Mohammed

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Florida represents approximately 12% of all onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems (OSTDS) in the United States. Properly designed, constructed and maintained OSTDS are effective eco- friendly alternatives for the treatment of domestic wastewater from households not serviced by public sewer systems. However, conventional OSTDS are not designed to effectively remove nitrogen. If installed and improperly used, they may contribute other pollutants. OSTDS have also been linked to degraded water quality in some regions. However, it has been difficult to quantify OSTDS impacts on water quality because of various confounding factors such as point and non-point sources of nutrient input. …


Articulating The Importance Of Broader Relevance In Cures: From Definition To Actualization, Nikki T. Donegan Aug 2021

Articulating The Importance Of Broader Relevance In Cures: From Definition To Actualization, Nikki T. Donegan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have emerged as a means to foster student' scientific reasoning, promote positive attitudes and motivations toward research, and increase persistence in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. In contrast to prescriptive laboratories, students enrolled in CUREs employ techniques and skills to collaboratively and iteratively address novel questions of broad relevance to audiences beyond the scope of the course itself. While many of the core components of CUREs are perceived to be relatively straightforward, definitionally-speaking, this latter dimension of broader relevance has, in contrast, remained largely ill-defined. In the series of studies presented herein, …


Fiber-Based Supercapacitor For Wearable Electronics, Rohit Lallansingh Yadav Jul 2021

Fiber-Based Supercapacitor For Wearable Electronics, Rohit Lallansingh Yadav

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Supercapacitors are significant devices that are used for energy storage and also have the capability of delivering energy at a faster rate than batteries. The increase in the significance of portable and wearable electronic equipment giving rise to pace in the development of flexible supercapacitor and flexible electrodes in recent years. A fiber-based supercapacitor (FSCs) is one of the most significant devices which have even helped us give pace knowing the properties of supercapacitor. These FSCs are said to have excellent electrochemical properties and flexibility. This did make function it in different forms of individual fibers or integrated textiles which …


Riverology: Promoting Stewardship Of Rivers Through Youth Participation In Science And Art, Robin R. Dunbar Jul 2021

Riverology: Promoting Stewardship Of Rivers Through Youth Participation In Science And Art, Robin R. Dunbar

Institute for the Humanities Theses

This project focuses on mentoring children to help reduce marine debris in their local river by implementing one of ten lessons from an inquiry-based Riverology curriculum to empower youth voice, increase geo-literacy, and spatial thinking. Eighteen participants aged seven and eight, piloted Riverology Lesson 2: What Do I Know or Imagine about the Elizabeth River? that includes six steps: inquire, visualize, draw, share, act, and reflect. The children were asked to make drawings before and after viewing an Elizabeth River Story Map presentation (Dunbar, 2021a). The drawings were then compared to see if the participants included marine debris, stewardship solutions, …


Current Stormwater Practices And Future Implementation At Portland State University With The Uncertainty Of Climate Change, Evan Suemori, Alexandra Vargas Quiñones Jun 2021

Current Stormwater Practices And Future Implementation At Portland State University With The Uncertainty Of Climate Change, Evan Suemori, Alexandra Vargas Quiñones

Environmental Science and Management Professional Master's Project Reports

Stormwater runoff is one of the most critical environmental issues in urban areas and is only expected to worsen as climate change persists (EPA, 2016). When precipitation events occur, stormwater travels across impervious surfaces collecting soils and pollutants which can negatively impact water quality in receiving waters. Additionally, stormwater has human health impacts, specifically through flooding and the contamination of drinking water. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it has been determined that climate change will increase the frequency, intensity, and/or number of precipitation events in some regions, including the Pacific Northwest, and decrease in others (IPCC, …


Institutional Changes In Western Michigan University For Incorporation Of Education For Sustainability, Saman Khan May 2021

Institutional Changes In Western Michigan University For Incorporation Of Education For Sustainability, Saman Khan

Dissertations

Higher Education institutions (HEIs) have the potential to be significant contributors in the pursuit of a sustainable world through the incorporation of Education for Sustainability (EFS). However, HEIs are entrenched with structures and values that are often resistant to change. The literature reveals that instructors’ beliefs and institutional contexts are the two main factors that impact the implementation of institutional change for sustainability education. Western Michigan University (WMU) has created new required curriculum “WMU Essential Studies” (WES) for undergraduate students and they have targeted sustainability as an essential learning outcome, by integrating and applying it in content courses. Using a …


Educating For Sustainable Forestry: Perspectives On The Career Readiness Of New Professionals, Samantha Jones Apr 2021

Educating For Sustainable Forestry: Perspectives On The Career Readiness Of New Professionals, Samantha Jones

Education Doctorate Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study explored forestry career readiness from the perspective of forestry employers and early career forestry professionals. A virtual focus group interview, individual online interviews, and a review of forestry education documents produced study data. Participants were selected through snowball sampling. Data were analyzed through open and axial coding. Salient themes emerging from this inquiry centered on the dynamic complexity of forestry, field competence, interpersonal skills, and situated learning. Study findings concluded that sustainable forest management required field skills to conduct remote forestry activities and interpersonal skills to negotiate diverse stakeholder interests. Implications for educational practice and recommendations …


The Bluff River Trail: A Community Land Ethic, Kelly F. Davis Mar 2021

The Bluff River Trail: A Community Land Ethic, Kelly F. Davis

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

The Bluff River Trail (BRT) is a future 10+ mile trail along the San Juan River corridor in the 4-Corners region of the Southwestern United States. By asking, what is the land ethic of the Bluff Community? this qualitative study identifies behaviors and beliefs, or land ethics, between seven Bluff residents and the San Juan River corridor. A land ethic contributes to the social re/production of space; therefore, third space theory contextualizes intersecting and contradicting spatialities evidenced in data. Data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and focus groups. I used a qualitative content analysis pulling from grounded theory to …


Soil Response Of Helicopter Liming In The Monongahela National Forest, Jarrett Douglas Fowler Jan 2021

Soil Response Of Helicopter Liming In The Monongahela National Forest, Jarrett Douglas Fowler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Soils in the Monongahela National Forest (MNF) are acidic due to sandstone parent material, acid deposition, uptake of base cations by vegetation, and release of organic acids by organic matter (OM) decomposition. Increases in soil acidity have caused declines in forest health and changed species composition and nutrient status. Liming can neutralize soil acidity, but no large-scale liming projects have been done on acid forest soils in the USA. In anticipation of acquiring funding for a proposed liming project in the MNF, in 2007 and 2009 10 sites were selected to sample and analyze soils before lime was applied. In …


Exploring Eco-Friendly Strategies In Early Learning Businesses, Henry Smith Jan 2021

Exploring Eco-Friendly Strategies In Early Learning Businesses, Henry Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some early learning business owners (ELBOs) lack implementation strategies for eco-friendly programs. ELBOs that can successfully implement eco-friendly programs in their organizations can promote long-term sustainability. Grounded in Freeman’s stakeholder theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to identify ELBOs’ implementation strategies for eco-friendly programs. The participants comprised of three ELBOs from three certified eco-friendly organizations. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Five themes emerged: (a) managing stakeholders’ expectations, (b) health and wellness for sustainability, (c) business sustainability, (d) environmental sustainability, and (e) partnerships and community involvement. A key recommendation is for …


Retention Strategies To Ensure Financial Sustainability In Community Colleges, Claudia Yvette Provost Jan 2021

Retention Strategies To Ensure Financial Sustainability In Community Colleges, Claudia Yvette Provost

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractA rapid decline in student retention among community colleges reduces revenue and jeopardizes financial sustainability, meaning leaders of community colleges who lack strategies to retain students have lower revenue and financial sustainability. Grounded in the advocacy and participatory worldview conceptual framework, the purpose of this qualitative, single case study was to explore strategies leaders of community colleges used to increase student retention and revenues for achieving financial sustainability. A purposeful sampling of five leaders from a community college in Louisiana who successfully used strategies to increase student retention participated in this study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and institutional …


Strategies To Overcome Constraints For Small Business Sustainability, Jaquane Mawyne Jones Jan 2021

Strategies To Overcome Constraints For Small Business Sustainability, Jaquane Mawyne Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

More than 20% of small businesses that started in March 2018 failed within a year. Small business owners would benefit from strategies to identify and mitigate constraints from inception for business survival because business failure rates are higher among small businesses less than five years old. Grounded in the theory of constraints, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies small business owners use to sustain beyond the one year of operation. The participants included six small business owners in Georgia who successfully sustained their business beyond five years. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and …


The Case Of Environmental Education Of Children, Mary Greagan Jan 2021

The Case Of Environmental Education Of Children, Mary Greagan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Invasive species are one of the greatest threats to biodiversity. Humans are one of the most pervasive vectors of invasive species spread which can be accelerated through different behaviors and pathways as a result of a lack of education and understanding. One of the most effective management efforts undertaken to fight invasive species spread and prevent further infestations is through education and advocacy. Currently, there are several educational resources dedicated to invasive species history, identification, and prevention. These resources range from school curriculums created for State School systems, to regional and national toolkits that contain lessons, identification resources, and activities …