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Myceli-Yum: Elucidating Structure-Property Relationships For Polymer Degradation By Mycelial Digestion, Jordan Scott Ford

Master's Theses

Since the industrial entrance of polymer plastic materials, plastic has become ubiquitous in both everyday use and waste. Due to inefficiencies and knowledge gaps, current recycling methods are not able to account for the high scale of plastic waste, resulting in the bulk of this waste being landfilled, mishandled, and deposited in the environment. Mycelium, the microorganism responsible for fruiting mushroom bodies and mold growth, holds potential to reduce plastic waste and can potentially be utilized as a method of industrial recycling. Following a drug-design approach, the active site of mycelial enzymes responsible for natural biopolymer degradation have been assessed …

Exposure To Metoprolol And Propranolol Mixtures On Biochemical, Immunohistochemical, And Molecular Alterations In The American Oyster, Crassostrea Virginica, Andrew Salinas, Md Saydur Rahman

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Pharmaceutical drugs, particularly beta-blockers (e.g., metoprolol, propranolol, etc.), are extensively used to treat human cardiovascular conditions, yet pose significant risks to non-target aquatic organisms when introduced into coastal and marine environments via wastewater effluent. This study aimed to investigate the effects of short-term exposure (one week) to environmentally relevant concentrations of metoprolol and propranolol (MP) mixtures (low-dose: 50 ng/L propranolol and 250 ng/L metoprolol, and high-dose: 250 ng/L propranolol and 650 ng/L metoprolol) in the American oyster (Crassostrea virginica, a commercially and ecologically important marine bivalve mollusk) under controlled laboratory conditions. Histopathological assessments revealed structural damage to gills, …

Biochar Suppresses Growth, Pupation And Eclosion Success Of A Specialist (Manduca Sexta) And A Generalist (Spodoptera Frugiperda) Insect Herbivore, Nischal Wagle, Soumya Unnikrishnan, Satinderpal Kaur, Engil Isadora Pujol Pereira, Rupesh R. Kariyat

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Biochar is a charcoal-like substance made by the pyrolysis of organic material from agricultural and forestry waste. While biochar is well documented for altering soil physicochemical conditions, few studies have investigated its possible effects on the management of arthropod pests. Tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) and fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda, FAW) are specialist and generalist insect herbivores respectively, that can cause significant defoliation in natural and agricultural ecosystems. In this study, we examined whether walnut shell biochar can affect growth and development of these herbivores. Specifically, we investigated how biochar influences parameters such as mass gain, length …

Surface Temperature Analysis Report: Kellogg Creek Restoration & Community Enhancement Project, Dalton Palin

University Honors Theses

Kellogg Creek is located in the Kellogg-Mt Scott watershed which flows through downtown Milwaukie, Oregon into the Willamette River. At the confluence of Kellogg Creek and the Willamette River is the Kellogg Dam. This dam impedes salmon, steelhead, and lamprey movement up Kellogg Creek, which is known historically as a salmon and steelhead rearing and migrating habitat. A plan to remove Kellogg Dam and restore 14 acres of Kellogg Creek is in progress by North Clackamas Watersheds Council (NCWC) and partners. Water temperature studies in Kellogg Creek have been conducted for the past several years, this report analyzed thermal surface …

Tree Story, Jia Hu

Masters Theses

What is Nature?

Nature is a system of intelligence. It means designing for efficiency—often by learning from strategies that have evolved over time. In my research, I use patterns to interpret and decode nature.

To explore nature, I began with the red cedar tree, aiming to simulate and predict its growth patterns—forms shaped by both internal biology and external forces. By analyzing its geometry, I sought to understand how trees embody the dynamic relationship between organism and environment. These patterns reveal the adaptive logic of life.

Patterns are central to understanding nature. While tree geometry may appear chaotic, it follows …

Field Journal: The Excluded Middle, Carrie E. Kouts

Masters Theses

What does it look like to engage with organisms and landscapes at the periphery of anthropocentric value structures? How does one break the internalized myth that the “built” environment is excluded from the natural world? When does a hyper-mobile and hyper-commodified society confront the exponential crisis of animal death? Within this series of journal entries, field notes, collection observations, weird prose, and sensory musings, one will find questions on the nature of being human and the complex narratives of care we encounter in a world shared with more-than-humans. Each handwritten vignette and photograph from daily life weaves a non-linear and …

Microplastic Production And Toxicity Of Marine Ropes On Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, Amelia Lawson

Graduate Masters Theses

Marine environments have been affected greatly over the last 50 years by anthropogenic marine waste, particularly plastic. Plastic waste in the oceans comes from many sectors, such as textiles, shipping, and the fishing industry. As plastic litter degrades, it produces microplastics, including five major forms: foam, films, fragments, beads, and fibers. Fibers are the most prevalent microplastic type and are often formed from marine ropes, which are frequently discarded or lost at sea. These ropes contribute to entanglement, ingestion hazards, and microplastic pollution. While the shedding of microplastic fibers from ropes during active use has been studied, much less is …

Wildlife Road Mortalities During Covid-19 Pandemic-Related Lockdown In South Texas: A Comparative Survey, Bradley Evan Beer, Kevin W. Ryer, Md Saydur Rahman, John H. Young Jr., Richard J. Kline

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Mortalities of wildlife caused by collisions with vehicles along roads are increasing in prevalence, threatening the existence of various species and populations. The COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdown provided an opportunity to gain a better understanding of how wildlife vehicle mortality occurrences change in response to anthropogenic variables and how varying survey methods influence obtaining mortality data. In this study, data were collected in three observation periods: pre-lockdown (PreL), during lockdown (DL), and post-lockdown (PostL) in south Texas. There were 194 wildlife mortalities recorded during weeks 4–27 of 2020. Results of this study showed that road mortality survey counts did not change …

The Future Of The Us Marine Seafloor And Subseafloor Sampling Capabilities, Future 2024 Pi-Team, Olga Libman‐Roshal

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Recent changes in US oceanographic assets are impacting scientists' ability to access seafloor and sub-seafloor materials and thus constraining progress on science critical for societal needs. Here we identify national infrastructure needs to address critical science questions. This commentary reports on community-driven discussions that took place during the 3-day FUTURE of US Seafloor Sampling Capabilities 2024 Workshop, which used an “all-hands-on-deck” approach to assess seafloor and sub-seafloor sampling requirements of a broad range of scientific objectives, focusing on capabilities that could be supported through the US Academic Research Fleet (US-ARF) now or in the near future. Cross-cutting issues identified …

Sustainability In The Cruising Industry: Innovations In Air Quality, Energy Efficiency, And Waste Management, Fikret Durmus, Mi Ran Kim

ICHRIE Research Reports

The cruise industry, a cornerstone of the global hospitality and tourism sector, faces increasing scrutiny over its environmental impact. As passenger numbers grow, so does the industry's responsibility to adopt sustainable practices. This report examines key innovations in air quality management, energy efficiency, and waste management, highlighting the industry's transition from historically high emissions and waste production to advanced sustainability initiatives. Key focus areas include evolving maritime regulations, adopting cleaner propulsion technologies, integrating energy-efficient solutions, and improving waste treatment practices. Findings indicate that industry leaders are investing in liquefied natural gas engines, exhaust gas cleaning systems, and onshore power supply …

Decarbonized Shipping: Is It The Best Sustainable Shipping Solution?, Olivia Akers

Sustainable Supply Chain Management

In the era of globalization and the fourth industrial revolution, the maritime shipping industry has grown exponentially in the twenty-first century. In fact, 90% of today’s goods travel across the ocean before reaching the end consumer, meaning that ocean transportation of goods contributes significantly to overall environmental impacts on the ocean. Awareness of this impact has increased as humans strive to eliminate unsustainable practices in an effort to protect the long term health of our planet. Decarbonized shipping has been proposed as a possible solution for unsustainable shipping practices, and the goal of this chapter is to evaluate this solution …

Investigating The Microbial Communities In Freshwaters Of Northern Sweden, Maizy Wilcox

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

Climate change is shifting the stability of sensitive ecosystems in the Arctic region due to global warming, with widespread impacts on permafrost regions, including the Stordalen Mire region of Sweden. Due to climate change, the Stordalen Mire is composed of thawing permafrost shifting into a wetland (V onk et al., 2015). As permafrost thaws, the landscape transforms due to changing water environmental conditions, causing lower pH changes and higher temperatures in the water, impacting the underlying soil chemistry and biology, vegetation, and microbial communities (Webb et al., 2022). The increased temperature can enhance methanogenic microbial growth by expanding the groundwater …

A Roadmap For Greywater Reuse At The University Of San Francisco Hilltop Campus: A Financial, Regulatory, And Technical Feasibility Study, Apama'bo Anand Oszkar

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

Water scarcity is increasing in California, so we need strategies to reduce potable water demand. Decentralized greywater systems offer promising solutions to this problem. This study provides a roadmap for successfully implementing greywater reuse at the University of San Francisco (USF) by addressing financial, technical, and regulatory considerations. By deploying a mixed-methods approach that combines qualitative expert interviews and quantitative water usage analysis, policy review, cost analysis, and case studies, this study established USF’s annual recycled water demand as 8 million gallons, with two primary uses: irrigation, which accounts for 67% of the demand, and toilet-urinal flushing, which represents …

Trade-Off Between Limonene & Geraniol-Based Reprocessable And Non-Reprocessable Epoxy Thermosets: Role Of Aliphatic Diamines In Polymer Networks Design, Priyankkumar Kanubhai Patel

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The growing demand for sustainable materials, driven by environmental concerns and the rapid depletion of fossil fuels, has garnered significant attention in the fabrication of bio-based epoxy thermosets as renewable alternatives to petroleum-derived thermosetting polymers. The present study focuses on the synthesis and characterization of epoxy prepolymer resins derived from limonene and geraniol via a two-step process, followed by the fabrication of thermally cross-linked flexible epoxy thermoset films using various traditional aliphatic diamine curing agents, namely 1,2-ethylenediamine (EDA), 1,4-butylenediamine (BDA), and 1,6-hexamethylenediamine (HDA). Additionally, the incorporation of cystamine, a disulfide-containing diamine, enabled the formation of a covalent adaptable network through …

Effectiveness Of Urban Composting And Waste Management In The San Francisco Bay Area, Elijah Ashiagbor

Master's Projects and Capstones

The increasing food waste epidemic contributes to environmental degradation through amplified GHG emissions, notably CH4, from MSW landfills. Addressing this challenge is essential for public health and environmental sustainability. This research reviews municipal composting initiatives within the San Francisco Bay Area, evaluating effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability. Utilizing data from CalRecycle and local municipalities, this study analyzes different composting processes, regulatory compliance with California’s Senate Bill 1383, and factors affecting waste diversion rates. Key discoveries indicate that in-vessel composting shows better efficiency and compost quality compared to windrow methods, particularly suitable for urban counties with space limitations. However, participation rates in …

Analyzing Ballast Water Treatments, Invasive Species, And Pathogens, And A Decade-Long Analysis On The San Francisco And Baltimore Ports, Jasmin Ibarra-Cortes

Master's Projects and Capstones

Installation of advanced technologies to treat ballast water on ships is necessary to meet current ballast water management standards and reduce the secondary spread of invasive species during intracoastal voyages. This research includes a literature review on non-native aquatic species, particularly diapausing eggs, and available treatment methods for installation. A comparative analysis from 2014 - 2024 on bulker, tanker, and container vessels arriving coastwise to the ports of San Francisco and Baltimore was performed to evaluate treatment installation trends, traffic patterns, and the effectiveness of treatment(s) on targeting diapausing eggs. Use of ultraviolet (UV) radiation combined with filtration has increased …

Climate Change Impacts On Drinking Water Security: A Comparative Study In Australia’S Remote Central Australia And Torres Strait Islands, Nina Lansbury, Julia Bradford, Sandra J. Creamer, Geoffrey Evans

Journal of the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are well adapted to the many different environments in which they have lived for thousands of years. However, their environments and communities are highly vulnerable to impacts of anthropogenic climate change, including increasing threats to the security of drinking water supplies. Climate change is intensifying the significant social and economic disadvantage Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities face from poverty, poor housing, and poor health including high exposure to infectious and other diseases. Lack of sufficient safe, clean, drinking water could force Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to leave their homelands, adding …

Creating A Shade Tree Commission For Shamokin, Skye Sunderhauf, Beth Williams, Marques Owens, Olivia Follansbee

Final Reports in ENST 411: Environmental Community Projects

Final Project for ENST411 Environmental Community Projects

Turtle Creek Tree Restoration Project, Rebecca Beneroff, Risa Kanefsky, Max Dicerbo, Pj Newhart, Amanda Mitchell

Final Reports in ENST 411: Environmental Community Projects

Over the course of this project our group members Rebecca, Max, PJ, Amanda, and Risa worked closely with Jim Knight and Brian Auman from Turtle Creek Park to help research, plan, and execute a tree transplanting event that would be efficiently implemented and environmentally sound. This work involved extensive preparatory work in the park including soil testing, bare leaf tree identification, tree and shrub species characterization, and recommendation. The entire process was rooted in the most up to date literature and scientific practices surrounding bare root tree nurseries, existing land management plans, invasive species and public park management, ecological succession, …

Assessment Of The 3-30-300 Standard In New London, Connecticut: Gis Analysis And Systematic Literature Review On Urban Tree Cover, Natalie Michele Reilly

Honors Scholar Theses

Cecil Konijnendijk’s 3-30-300 standard allows cities to monitor their current urban forestry conditions and progress toward improvement. The standard is met if individuals can see three trees from their home, have 30% canopy cover in their neighborhood, and are within 300 meters of a green space. I conducted a systematic review of relevant literature and an assessment of whether New London, Connecticut meets the standard. My goal was to evaluate the benefits of urban forestry standards, the feasibility of implementation, and whether cities tested adhered. The 30-component of the standard was the most difficult part to meet due to a …

Dry And Wet Deposition Of Atmospheric Microplastics In Las Vegas, Nevada, Laine Adame

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Plastics have been one of the most widely used man-made materials since their inception, and production is expected to grow by five percent every year. Plastic waste has become a growing global environmental issue. Primary MPs are plastics that are created to be intentionally tiny for their specific functional purpose. Secondary microplastics (MPs) are byproducts of plastic waste occurring due to the breakdown of larger plastics resulting in the presence and accumulation of MPs in the environment. MPs are defined as tiny particles of plastic between 5 mm and 1 μm in size. MPs have been found in the deep …

Climate Change And Hydropower Development Impacts In The Lower Mekong Basin, Nudthawud Homtong

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Mekong River Basin is vital to East and Southeast Asia, supporting over 60 million people and sustaining critical ecological systems. However, the basin faces dual threats from climate change and hydropower development, jeopardizing its ecological balance, hydrological patterns, and resource reliability. This research focuses on the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB), where aggressive hydropower expansion and climate variability have intensified concerns about sustainable water management. The study is divided into three interconnected parts. Part I examines spatial and temporal precipitation patterns in the Chi-Mun Basin (CMB) and Lower Mekong River (LMR) from 1950 to 2008, using linear regression and Mann-Kendall …

Detection And Quantification Of Total Airborne Fungi And Coccidioides Species In Environmental Samples, Theresa T. Roehr

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Fungal exposure can cause acute and chronic illnesses or exacerbate existing illnesses. Some fungi are opportunistic pathogens and can lead to serious systemic fungal infections. In 2020, more than 150 million cases of severe fungal infections were reported globally resulting in an estimated 1.7 million deaths. Coccidioidomycosis, or Valley fever, is classified as a serious fungal infection caused by the fungi Coccidioides immitis and C. posadasii. These particular fungi are prevalent in the soil of the Southwestern United States, including Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2024, there were a total of 269 cases of Valley fever reported in Nevada, and …

Remotely Sensed High-Resolution Soil Moisture And Evapotranspiration: Bridging The Gap Between Science And Society, Jingyi Huang, Vinit Sehgal, Laura V. Alvarez, Luca Brocca, Shuohao Cai, Rui Cheng, Xinghua Cheng, Jinyang Du, Bassil El Masri, K. Arthur Endsley, Yilin Fang, Jie Hu, Mahesh Jampani, Md Golam Kibria, Gerbrand Koren, Lingcheng Li, Laibao Liu, Jiafu Mao, Hernan A. Moreno, Angela Rigden, Mingjie Shi, Xiaoying Shi, Yaoping Wang, Xi Zhang, Joshua B. Fisher

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

This paper reviews the current state of high-resolution remotely sensed soil moisture (SM) and evapotranspiration (ET) products and modeling, and the coupling relationship between SM and ET. SM downscaling approaches for satellite passive microwave products leverage advances in artificial intelligence and high-resolution remote sensing using visible, near-infrared, thermal-infrared, and synthetic aperture radar sensors. Remotely sensed ET continues to advance in spatiotemporal resolutions from MODIS to ECOSTRESS to Hydrosat and beyond. These advances enable a new understanding of bio-geo-physical controls and coupled feedback mechanisms between SM and ET reflecting the land cover and land use at field scale (3–30 m, daily). …

Climate Constrains The Enhancement Of Co2 Fertilization On Forest Gross Primary Productivity, Xinyuan Wei, Daniel J. Hayes, Christopher R. Schwalm, Joshua B. Fisher, Deborah N. Huntzinger, Lei Ma, Rodrigo Vargas, Nathaniel A. Brunsell

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Forest gross primary production (GPP) is influenced by the interplay between climate conditions and atmospheric CO₂ levels, which interact in complex ways, generating both compensating and amplifying effects. In this study, eddy covariance flux measurements from 50 forest ecosystems were integrated with simulations from 14 terrestrial biosphere models to investigate how climate conditions and atmospheric CO₂ concentrations regulate forest GPP. This approach bridges site-level observations with biome-scale model estimates to develop a global understanding. Our findings suggest that in boreal and cold temperate regions, temperature primarily constrains the enhancement of the CO₂ fertilization on forest GPP; however, …

From Fables To Facts: Discovering The World Through Stories And Science, Lucille Helen Vanek

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

From Fables to Facts: Discovering the World Through Stories and Science examines the integration of narrative storytelling and hands-on scientific exploration as a means of cultivating environmental literacy, ethical reflection, and sustained engagement with the natural world. Grounded in environmental philosophy, aesthetics, and ethics, the project draws on theoretical insights from Holmes Rolston III, Marcia Muelder Eaton, Allen Carlson, Arnold Berleant, and C. Thi Nguyen to develop a multidimensional model of education that unites imagination, cognition, and participatory experience. Implemented in diverse Montana community settings—including libraries, early learning centers, science museums, and faith-based organizations—the program paired fables, parables, and literary …

Feasibility Analysis For The Implementation Of An Anaerobic Digestion System In The City Of Pittsburgh, Pa, Gianna L. Kolencik

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study is investigating the feasibility of an anaerobic digestion system

in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the old State Correctional Institute (SCI-Pittsburgh)

located at 1922 Westhall St. This location is immediately upstream of the Allegheny

County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN) along the Ohio River. Municipal solid waste

from ALCOSAN may be used as the main form of feedstock. ALCOSAN produced

roughly 36,500 tons of dry sludge in the reporting year 2023-2024. Based on the volume

of dry sludge from ALCOSAN it is estimated that an anaerobic digestion system could

yield approximately 29,930,000 kWh of energy, which is enough to power over …

Monitoring Mangrove Dynamics And Evaluating Future Afforestation Potential In The Egyptian Red Sea, Rasha M. Abou Samra, Mansour Almazroui, Wenzhao Li, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Mangrove forests are vital for ecosystem services and coastal management but face stressors from anthropogenic activities and climate change. This study estimates the extent and afforestation potential of mangroves along the Egyptian Red Sea coast from 1984 to 2022 using NDVI derived from Landsat-5 and Sentinel-2 data in Google Earth Engine. Aboveground biomass (AGB), belowground biomass (BGB), carbon (C) stock, and CO₂ sequestration potential were evaluated using Sentinel-2 and elevation data. Future afforestation suitability (2020–2050) under SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios was assessed with the MaxEnt model. Mangrove area increased from 0.95 km² in 1984 to 1.46 km^{2 …}

Flying Safe: Reducing Bird Strikes At Northern Illinois University, Stacey Marcinkowski

Honors Capstones

Bird-window collisions are a major source of avian mortality, particularly in urban environments where glass structures are prevalent. At Northern Illinois University (NIU), systematic monitoring conducted between 2019 and 2024 revealed Montgomery Hall to be the building with the highest incidence of bird strikes. This project aimed to test the effectiveness of a cost efficient bird strike mitigation strategy using grease marker frit dots on Montgomery Hall’s skybridge windows. We applied white dots spaced four inches apart and compared strike data collected during fall migration seasons before (2018–2022) and after (2024) dot application. While limited to one post-treatment season, results …

Dynamic Riskscapes For Prey: Disentangling The Impact Of Human And Cougar Presence On Deer Behavior Using Gps Smartphone Locations, Heather N. Abernathy, Mark A. Ditmer, David C. Stoner, Kent R. Hersey, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Pat J. Jackson, Kristin N. Engebretsen, Julie K. Young, George Wittemyer

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Prey species adjust their behavior along human-use gradients by balancing risks from predators and humans. During hunting seasons, prey often exhibit strong antipredator responses to humans but may develop tolerance in suburban areas to exploit human-mediated resources. Additionally, areas with high human activity may offer reduced predation risk if apex predators avoid such locations. This study examined mule deer Odocoileus hemionus behavioral responses to risks from humans and their primary predators, cougars Puma concolor, contextualized by differences in risk levels between study sites, individual risk exposure, and human habituation. We framed our investigation using three non-mutually exclusive hypotheses: (H1) …