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Modeling For You: A Personalized Approach To Residential Energy Simulation And Distributional Reinforcement Learning, Nestor Gabriel Pereira

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

The growing complexity and uncertainty of residential energy use, driven by electric

vehicles and renewable technologies, demand more intelligent and robust

management systems. Traditional methods often fail when faced with unpredictable

electricity prices and user behavior. This dissertation addresses this gap by presenting

a novel personalized framework combining detailed household energy modeling with

a risk-aware reinforcement learning agent for appliance scheduling.

The first contribution is a probabilistic, bottom-up simulation model that captures

the interdependent behaviors of occupants, appliances, and electric vehicles to

generate realistic, high-fidelity load profiles. The second contribution is a lightweight,

tabular Distributional Q-Learning (D-QL) algorithm that schedules …

Investigating Nanoparticle Capture By Condensed Phase Coacervates And Their Mixtures, Sanjna A. Bhakta

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

The thermoresponsive polymers elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) have served as a programmable bioseparation tool for applications in nanoparticle capture due to biocompatibility and tunable properties. This work investigates how the polymer composition of ELP and PNIPAM coacervates influences their phase behavior, structural morphology, and nanoparticle recruitment. In addition, the influence of interfacial interactions in nanoparticle recruitment using Tween 80 as a mechanistic probe was also investigated. Different mixtures of ELPs E1.40, E1.80, and E3 with PNIPAM14 and PNIPAM20 were used to characterize their phase behavior and analyze structural morphology using turbidity measurements and microscopy, respectively. Nanobead recruitment using …

Mapping Along-Strike Changes In Shallow Subduction Zone Geometry At The Alaska Subduction Zone Using Seismic Reflection And Tectono-Geomorphic Analysis, Madelyn K. Hurd

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The Alaska subduction zone, where the oceanic Pacific plate subducts beneath the continental North American plate at a rate of 60-66 mm/yr, has hosted more >M8 earthquakes over the last century than any other subduction zone globally. The largest of these, the 1964 M9.2 Alaska earthquake, ruptured 800 km of the margin, including a high slip patch near the trench offshore Kodiak Island. The 1964 rupture area may have overlapped with the 1938 M8.3 Semidi earthquake rupture zone that lies to the west. Slip propagation near the subduction trench during large earthquakes can control tsunamigenesis, and differences in wedge geometry …

Assessment And Classification Of Idiosyncratic Behavioral Sequences In Rodent Navigation, Max G. Segal

Psychology ETDs

The Morris Water Task (MWT) has been the gold standard assessment of place learning and memory for over four decades, yet the processes that contribute to successful navigation are not completely understood. It is generally posited that rats learn to navigate directly to a place; however, navigation is not perfectly direct but contains variation in swim speed and trajectory resulting in efficient, yet suboptimal paths. Gonçalves-Garcia et al. (2024) demonstrated that path topography is quantitatively similar across trials within individual rats for a given start location, and dissimilar between rats and different start locations within rat. This suggests rats may …

Elucidation Of Micro/Nanoplastic Signature Of Human And Murine Lung Tissue Utilizing Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry, Aerlin D. Decker

Pharmaceutical Sciences ETDs

Micro-and Nanoplastics (MNPs) are ubiquitous biological pollutants that have been identified throughout a variety of biological samples. MNPs have been detected in several human tissues, such as the brain, kidneys, and liver. Lung tissue remains understudied for MNP accumulation despite the large surface area and clear path for exposure. Using Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), human lung tissue was evaluated for 12 different polymers, enabling quantification of total plastic per gram of tissue to be identified. Further analysis was performed with Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) to investigate heavy metal accumulation in human lung samples and determine whether a …

Mechanisms Of Advanced And Energy Efficient Wastewater Treatment Technologies, Derek Belka

Civil Engineering ETDs

This dissertation combines meta-omics, microbial ecology, and hydrodynamic analysis to explore mechanisms of enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) and aerobic granular sludge (AGS) in municipal wastewater treatment. Metagenomic and functional gene profiling of a laboratory sequencing batch reactor fed with amino acids and proteins, and with a low abundance of known polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs), revealed abundant Herpetosiphonaceae and Dermatophilaceae families possessed key PAO metabolic traits, including phosphate scavenging, anaerobic carbon pathways, and ppk2 gene variants aligned with established PAOs. These findings suggest amino acid-driven EBPR can occur via previously unrecognized taxa, challenging current engineering assumptions and highlighting the need for …

Elucidation Of Spin-Hamiltonian Parameters Via Spectroscopy, Magnetization, And Computation, Joshua C. Mengell

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

Molecular Quantum Information Science (QIS) is fundamentally concerned with using spin-systems as quantum bits (qubits) or as sensors. Prerequisite to using molecular systems for QIS applications, it must be understood how one can design molecules with bespoke magnetic characteristics. Herein we study various paramagnetic molecular compounds, describing their complex magnetic characteristics using a spin-Hamiltonian formalism. We utilize various (sometimes novel) methods for determining these spin-Hamiltonian parameters. Many of these molecules possess magnetic characteristics, which make them attractive as qubits or for sensing applications. These characteristics include higher total spin-states (qudits—S_T>1/2), forbidden interstate electronic transitions, systems of spatially distant …

Mapping And Modeling Threat-Evoked Brain States After Early Life Adversity, Taylor W. Uselman

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Early life adversity (ELA) increases lifelong neuropsychiatric vulnerability. Yet how ELA reorganizes brain-wide activity and circuit coordination across later experience remains unclear. This dissertation tests the hypothesis that ELA alters adult brain-wide activity and responses to threat through disrupted coordination among neural systems that regulate emotional experience, including prefrontal-limbic and monoaminergic systems. Longitudinal manganese-enhanced MRI of adult mice exposed to standard or fragmented early care, combined with computational processing and statistical modeling, quantified brain states before, during, and long after innate predator threat. These studies established that acute threat evokes large-scale, distributed brain activity that evolves over time. ELA potentiates …

Co-Constructing The Common Ground: Responses In American Sign Language Conversation, Deborah Wager

Linguistics ETDs

Common ground between two people consists of the things they both know, that they know they both know. This body of knowledge grows in conversation, through both verbal and nonverbal responses. Responses communicate whether what has been said was accepted into the common ground, and return responses acknowledge this acceptance in turn (H. H. Clark, 1996). In addition to the semantic content of utterances, stance is communicated through a variety of means, and alignment with that stance is also communicated through responses.

This study explores ways in which responses are used in American Sign Language (ASL) conversation to co-construct the …

You Can't Teach Kids From A Book: Language, Authority And Revitalization In Jicarilla Apache Life, Mariann Skahan

Anthropology ETDs

This dissertation examines how Jicarilla Apache is learned, taught, and used across community life, with particular attention to contemporary language revitalization. Based on ethnographic research with elders, educators, language workers, families, and community institutions, it follows language practices across classrooms, culture camps, homes, ceremonial settings, and collaborative archival projects. I show that linguistic knowledge does not carry the same authority or consequences in every setting. Words may be recognized without being taken up, speakers may possess linguistic knowledge without being authorized to teach or correct, and archival texts may preserve linguistic forms without preserving the relations needed to interpret and …

Developing A Dispersion Interferometer For Characterizing Power Flow Plasma Formation And Transport Studies, Nathan R. Hines

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Sandia's refurbished $Z$-pinch machine experiences persistent current loss in its post-hole convolute and inner magnetically insulated transmission line regions, widely attributed to low-density electrode plasmas whose formation and transport remain poorly constrained by existing diagnostics. This dissertation develops and validates a fiber-coupled, continuous-wave, second-harmonic orthogonally polarized dispersion interferometer for time-resolved measurements of electron areal density in millimeter-scale gaps. The diagnostic employs single-laser second-harmonic generation, non-steering differential phase control, and polarization-based phase retrieval to achieve sub-$10^{15}$~cm$^{-2}$ sensitivity, multi-hundred-megahertz bandwidth, and sub-$200$~$\mu$m effective cross-gap spatial resolution. Performance is benchmarked against a $94$~GHz interferometer on the UNM Helicon-Cathode plasma device and then fielded …

West Coast Workshop To Southwest Institute, Hannah Marie Cerne

Art & Art History ETDs

This thesis considers Tamarind Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico (originally established as Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles, CA), and its contributions to collaborative printmaking. Originally founded in 1960 by June Wayne with Clinton Adams and Garo Antreasian, Tamarind Lithography Workshop (the precursor to Tamarind Institute) revitalized lithography through structured collaboration between artists and master printers, alongside rigorous training programs. This thesis provides an institutional history of the workshop during its relocation to the University of New Mexico, highlighting its transformation into a university-based institute that integrated education and professional production. Using social and labor-based methodologies, this study analyzes how …

Synergizing Crowd Collaboration: Enhancing Crowdsourcing Matching Via Integration Of Matching Theory And Coalition Games, Rowan Aengus Kinney

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

This paper tackles the challenges inherent in crowdsourcing dynamics by introducing the CROWDMATCH mechanism. Aimed at enabling crowdworkers to strategically select suitable crowdsourcers while contributing information to crowdsourcing tasks, CROWDMATCH considers incentives, information availability and cost, and the decisions of fellow crowdworkers to model the utility functions for both the crowdworkers and the crowdsourcers. Specifically, the paper presents an initial Approximate CROWDMATCH mechanism grounded in matching theory principles, eliminating externalities from crowdworkers’ decisions and enabling each entity to maximize its utility. Subsequently, the Accurate CROWDMATCH mechanism is introduced, being initiated by the outcome of the Approximate CROWDMATCH mechanism, and employing …

Development Of Dynamic Proof-Mass Configurations For Broadband Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting, Nico E. Galarza

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate and develop dynamic proof-mass configurations for broadband piezoelectric energy harvesting. Conventional piezoelectric energy harvesters are typically limited by narrow operating bandwidths, restricting their performance under variable-frequency excitation. This research presents the design, fabrication, and experimental evaluation of multiple proof-mass concepts intended to increase the usable frequency range of cantilever-based piezoelectric energy harvesters. Several dynamic mass configurations were developed using additive manufacturing techniques and integrated with commercially available piezoelectric cantilevers. Experimental testing was conducted under controlled vibration conditions to characterize voltage response, resonant behavior, and bandwidth performance. The results demonstrate that dynamic proof-masses …

Enhanced Computational Modeling Of Photoionization And Streamer Formation, Anahita Alibalazadeh

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Photoionization is a key mechanism governing the formation and propagation of streamer discharges in air by generating electron-ion pairs ahead of the streamer front. Accurate and computationally efficient modeling of this non-local process is essential for reliable plasma simulations. However, the widely used Zheleznyak photoionization model relies on empirical assumptions and requires computationally expensive domain-wide integration.

This dissertation advances photoionization modeling in three ways. First, the classical integral model is enhanced by incorporating experimentally measured vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) emission spectra together with photoabsorption and photoionization cross-section data, enabling direct calculation of the photoionization source term as a function of pressure …

Multi-Robot Cooperative System For Complex Aerospace Manipulation Tasks: Theory And Application, Longsen Gao

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Multi-robot systems can extend manipulation capabilities beyond the limits of a single robot, particularly for tasks involving large, flexible, delicate, or free-floating payloads. Reliable cooperative manipulation, however, remains difficult when payload dynamics, contact geometry, compliance properties, deformation-induced forces, and external disturbances are only partially known, and when safety constraints must be enforced during physical interaction. This dissertation develops a two-layer control framework for resilient multi-robot manipulation under uncertainty, with emphasis on space servicing, satellite stabilization, aerial transportation, and cooperative manipulation of free-floating structures.

Impact Of Gas Interactions With Nano Porous Geological Material In The Presence Of Water Vapor, Matthew D. Powell

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

Predicting gas transport in nanoporous geological material requires understanding competitive adsorption and transport under humid conditions. However, most adsorption studies rely on single-component equilibrium measurements that do not capture these effects. This dissertation develops an experimental methodology to directly quantify multicomponent gas adsorption and breakthrough behavior under controlled relative humidity. The method was first applied to the Kr/Xe–N2–H2O system, where it resolved competitive adsorption behavior in humid porous media and produced a bivariate model relating noble gas adsorption to noble gas partial pressure and water saturation. The methodology was then extended to the CO2–N2 H2O system. Results showed that water …

Multiscale Network Modeling Of Native And Modified Photosynthetic Light-Harvesting Complexes, Zane E. Armijo

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

Photosynthetic light-harvesting complexes harvest solar energy and direct electronic excitations toward reaction centers with exceptional efficiency. This dissertation models the Fenna--Matthews--Olson complex of green sulfur bacteria, coupled to the PscA1 reaction center, as a chromophoric network. Forster resonance energy transfer theory, validated against numerically exact hierarchical equations of motion, was implemented in kinetic Monte Carlo simulations to resolve fine-grained excitation-transport pathways. The predicted charge-transfer efficiency of 77\% agrees with experiment, with the FMO2 monomer and its gateway pigment governing interfacial transfer. Systematic single, multi, and symmetry-preserving site removals, interpreted through Mobius inversion, identify critical pigments and show that cooperative effects …

Effect Of Geothermal Conditions On Silica Flour Modified Wellbore Cement, Travis Benjamin Broadhurst

Civil Engineering ETDs

Considerable work has been conducted on modified wellbore cements, but a knowledge gap exists in the effects of downhole conditions on cement, especially tensile strength. In this study, a pressure vessel simulates representative downhole conditions (200⁰C, 1.5 MPa) with a reference solution for geothermal brine and naturally occurring geothermal gases. Samples are removed after 28-days for unconfined compressive strength testing, Brazilian tensile strength testing, elastic moduli measurement, and chemical analyses by X-ray diffraction and electron microprobe. Aqueous chemical analysis suggests multiple active reactions between the geothermal fluid and cement that are exacerbated by higher temperatures, but do not …

Exploring The Nature And Role Of Local Cation Ordering In Disordered Rock Salt Cathodes For Li- And Na-Ion Batteries, You Wang

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

Cation-disordered rock-salt (DRX) cathodes provide a highly tunable platform for next-generation Li- and Na-ion batteries, but their electrochemical behavior is strongly influenced by local structural features hidden in average crystal structures. This dissertation systematically investigates local cation ordering in Li- and Na-based DRX cathodes to understand its effects on Li+/Na+ transport, redox activity, structural evolution, and electrochemical performance. In Li-based systems, Raman spectroscopy and electrochemical analysis reveal that local layered cation ordering in Mn- and Fe-based DRX cathodes is closely correlated with electrochemical behavior. Over-stoichiometric Li-based DRX oxyfluorides further demonstrate that excess Li can regulate local cation ordering, improve Li+ …

Developing Simulation To Improve G3p3 Efficiencies, Andrew Gaudette

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

Concentrated solar power (CSP) systems offer a promising method of renewable energy generation by using heliostats to focus sunlight onto a falling particle receiver. At the National Solar Thermal Testing Facility (NSTTF), particles absorb and store solar energy for later power generation. A major source of efficiency loss is wind-driven particle escape through the receiver aperture. This thesis develops computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to characterize wind flow around the G3P3 falling particle receiver and support future wind mitigation strategies. Numerical studies were conducted to establish an appropriate simulation methodology. Iteration studies showed that 2,000 iterations were sufficient for convergence, …

Control Of Reshock In A Shock Tube, Alexander Sweis

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

Reshocks can pose a threat to the structural integrity of structures and buildings. While incident shock waves pose larger threats, the study of reshocks and reshock attenuation is important to consider. This thesis investigates methods for controlling and attenuating reshock strength within a shock tube through material-based damping and modifications to baffle box geometric configurations. Experiments are performed using a custom-built shock tube in the University of New Mexico fluid mechanics laboratory. Four baffle box configurations are examined: a foam-lined configuration, a foam-lined configuration with ”egg crate-like” textured foam, an empty (no foam) configuration, and a configuration which incorporates a …

Investigating Light-Matter Interactions In Low-Dimensional Silicon Carbide, Nishan Shrestha

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

Recent advances in materials science have transformed the study and application of low-dimensional materials, with two-dimensional (2D) systems and nanoscale structures exhibiting properties beyond their bulk counterparts. Despite significant progress in materials such as graphene and silicon, the nanoscale exploration of silicon carbide (SiC) remains relatively underdeveloped, despite its critical importance in photonics and electronics and high temperature applications. Motivated by the transformative potential of nanoscale material design and the technological importance of SiC, this dissertation investigates structure and properties of low-dimensional silicon carbide structures. It explores the synthesis and optical properties of SiC nanosheets and nanowires using a variety …

Helmholtz Reciprocity In Bidirectional Y-Junction Couplers, Hosuk Lee

Optical Science and Engineering ETDs

This thesis explores the light propagation characteristics in Y-junction couplers based on the Helmholtz reciprocity principle. The Helmholtz reciprocity principle is a crucial concept in optical system design, and it has primarily been understood based on input-output symmetry. However, this study emphasizes reciprocity needs to consider the entire system, beyond the traditional input-output symmetry reciprocity interpretation. For this study, we specifically examined the direction-dependent asymmetrical outputs, in the Whistle-geometry Ring Laser (WRL) structure. And the WRL results cannot be fully explained by simple input-output symmetry for reciprocity. The Y-junction coupler in the WRL structure makes different output characteristics based on …

Non-Traditional Rare-Earth-Doped Oxide Glass As A Gain Medium, Jared S. Tolliver

Optical Science and Engineering ETDs

There is a need for mid-infrared(MIR) lasers in defense, medical, and environmental monitoring. A large part of this technological development is the study of gain media. One class of materials of special interest is glasses with a low maximum phonon energy. These have the fiberization and broad spectral features of glass, whereas glasses with high maximum phonon energy exhibit higher rates of multi-phonon relaxation and can be opaque in the MIR, both of which are detrimental to laser operation. Recent advances in container-less processing have allowed for the study of new glasses that aren’t possible with conventional fabrication techniques. One …

Algorithmic Sculpting Of Complex Fused Silica Surfaces For Nondestructive, Mode-Matched Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics: Adaptive Co2 Milling And Simulation-Guided Ultrafast Inscription, From Fiber Fabry-Perot Cavities To Monolithic Architectures, Meagan E. Parker

Optical Science and Engineering ETDs

Quantum sensors achieve exceptional measurement sensitivity through coherent, well-isolated quantum systems, but practical deployment is hindered by destructive readouts that require repeated state preparation and create long system dead times. Optical cavities enable continuous, nondestructive measurements with minimal back-action, yet integrating high-finesse cavities into scalable quantum devices remains limited by existing fabrication methods. To overcome these constraints, an adaptive CO₂ laser-milling platform was developed. Guided by glass thermodynamics and melt dynamics, this closed-loop system uses in-situ phase-shifting interferometry to sculpt complex fused-silica surfaces with sub-nanometer root-mean-square roughness. The platform was validated by fabricating extended-length fiber Fabry–Pérot cavities and monolithic micro-cavity …

Quantum Control Of Qubits And Qudits In Neutral Atom Systems, Sri Datta Vikas Buchemmavari

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

This dissertation explores control of neutral atom quantum systems across multiple levels of abstraction, from atomic physics to system-level fault tolerance, using optimal control to improve performance. First, we propose a Rydberg entangling gate based on dressing with only the qubit control field; an interaction energy near the Rabi frequency benefits both gate speed and Rydberg decay. Second, with Sandia National Laboratories, we show that leakage errors in neutral atom systems can be converted to atom loss errors and detected using two entangling gates with an auxiliary atom, where a SWAP-based leakage detection unit outperforms the standard design. Next, we …

Strategies For Large Dynamic Range, Entanglement-Enhanced Quantum Metrology With Experimentally Demonstrated Resources, Tyler G. Thurtell

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

Quantum metrology studies the use of quantum mechanical systems as measurement devices or sensors. Surprisingly, preparing a sensor in an entangled state can enhance measurement precision. The simplest protocols for entanglement enhancement sense only small changes in a quantity. The range of values over which a measurement protocol works is called its dynamic range. For many types of sensors we require end-to-end protocols that describe how to use entanglement to achieve enhanced precision over a large dynamic range. In this dissertation, we describe two approaches to achieving entanglement-enhanced sensing over a large dynamic range. The first approach uses entangling resources …

Extending The Discovery Space Of Tess: Probing Underexplored Exoplanet Populations, Mallory L. Harris

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

This dissertation investigates how cold exoplanets can be identified despite the strong observational bias of exoplanet surveys toward short-period systems. Planets at wider orbital separations remain comparatively poorly constrained, limiting tests of planetary-system formation and the prevalence of outer architectures beyond compact systems. To address this gap, I use two complementary approaches. First, I develop a transit-search pipeline for TESS Full-Frame Images that identifies both isolated and repeated transit-like signals around nearby M dwarfs and characterizes the dominant false-positive classes that limit sensitivity in this regime. I then present TOI-904 c, the coldest planet discovered by TESS around an M …

An Investigation Of Tess M&Ms And The Occurrence Rate Of Transiting Circumbinary Planets, Dominic Oddo

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

Circumbinary planets (CBPs) are worlds which orbit two stars simultaneously. CBPs are excellent tests of the tenacity of planet formation, but are difficult to detect. The space-based NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission is a nearly all-sky survey designed to detect exoplanets transiting nearby stars. In this dissertation, I analyze the performance of TESS by comparing to the photometric precision of the ESA CHEOPS mission. Then, I define a catalog of low-mass eclipsing binaries (M&Ms), which are the best sources to search for CBPs. I describe my custom transit search methodology and apply it to the M&M catalog. I …