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Museums And Placemaking: Community Museums As Catalysts For Urban Transformation, Lauren David Jan 2023

Museums And Placemaking: Community Museums As Catalysts For Urban Transformation, Lauren David

Theses & ETDs

Using the Anacostia Community Museum in Washington, D.C., the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle, Washington, and the Tenement Museum in New York City, this thesis investigates the potential of community museums as catalysts for social and environmental transformation. This thesis does not examine the physical and economic development of place in relation to museums; rather, it focuses on the socio-environmental benefits of community museums, highlighting the current social and environmental challenges museums face, and proposing a potential framework for standard placemaking in the museum world, provided by the Project for Public Spaces.


Effects Of Visitor Disturbance On The Flushing Behaviors Of American Alligators (Alligator Mississippiensis) In Myakka River State Park, Zane Cullinane Walsh Jan 2023

Effects Of Visitor Disturbance On The Flushing Behaviors Of American Alligators (Alligator Mississippiensis) In Myakka River State Park, Zane Cullinane Walsh

Theses & ETDs

Anthropogenic presences and influence spread into wildlife spaces and can negatively affect species living in areas that were previously less disturbed. In this thesis, a study was conducted in which the flight initiation distances and flushing behaviors of American alligators in a wild-living congregation within the Myakka River State Park Wilderness Preserve, an area within a state park in Southern Florida, were measured and analyzed. Flight initiation distances in reptiles are an important component of population risk assessment, which influences wildlife management decisions, that often goes understudied in these species. Potential negative effects of an increased human presence in wild …


Water Distribution Networks In Indonesia: A Comparative Case Analysis, Brianna Weier Jan 2023

Water Distribution Networks In Indonesia: A Comparative Case Analysis, Brianna Weier

Theses & ETDs

This thesis explores the distribution of water as an invaluable resource in the context of two case studies taking place within Indonesia. I first lay fundamental understandings of the international community’s water and sanitation prerogatives which are expanded by Elinor Ostrom’s contributions to the understanding of how and why resources are managed. The core of this thesis describes the history of water networks in Jakarta and its neighboring foil of Bali. Jakarta’s colonial history offers insights into how centuries of resource mismanagement can create a dire and almost impossibly damaged resource management system. Alternatively, Bali’s fields of rice paddy irrigation, …


Closing The Loop: Circular Economies And The New College Of Florida Campus Bulk Bar, Jessie Merkel Jan 2023

Closing The Loop: Circular Economies And The New College Of Florida Campus Bulk Bar, Jessie Merkel

Theses & ETDs

Single-use products are detrimental to the environment due to the consequences of plastic pollution and the linear path of goods. However, Zero-waste is leading the environmental movement to denaturalize waste. Refill shops cut plastic waste at the source through reuse projects. Therefore, this pilot project operated a bulk bar on the New College of Florida campus for one month. Forty-three students completed surveys designed to assess the awareness, performance, barriers, and improvements to their Bulk Bar experience a week after the pilot concluded. The responses indicated that this service succeeded in educating college students about alternative purchase options and waste …


Campus Engagement: Student Perceptions And Engagement Of New College Of Florida’S Built And Natural Environments, Nicholas Beck Jan 2023

Campus Engagement: Student Perceptions And Engagement Of New College Of Florida’S Built And Natural Environments, Nicholas Beck

Theses & ETDs

This paper explores the eclectic campus of New College of Florida, documenting emerging patterns of student perceptions relating to their built and natural environments. The study aims to compile personal accounts with digestible data to guide contributors to future master plans for NCF's campus. Utilizing past research at New College addressing the sense of community across dormitory halls and conducting new surveys and interviews regarding observations, narrative opinions, placemaking values, and the diffusion of engagement. I examine the prioritization of placemaking values and land engagement across spatial planes of the current student body, as well as their interactions, values, connection, …


Modeling Carbon Sequestration Over Time As It Compares To Soil Bulk Density In A Microforest, Melody Scott Jan 2023

Modeling Carbon Sequestration Over Time As It Compares To Soil Bulk Density In A Microforest, Melody Scott

Theses & ETDs

Microforests are important afforestation projects to increase carbon mitigation efforts that can help combat climate change and sequester carbon into the biomass and soil of the project site. Soil health is important to ensure that plants are thriving and carbon is being sequestered. This study’s goal was to create a model that could predict the carbon sequestered into the soil over time at a microforest site. Over a combined six months of field work soil samples were collected from a newly afforested microforest site as well as two older microforest sites and one food forest and carbon farm, as well …


Strands In The Web Of Life: The Mayan Milpa And Ways Of Relating To Nature, Ellie Jalbuena Cook Jan 2023

Strands In The Web Of Life: The Mayan Milpa And Ways Of Relating To Nature, Ellie Jalbuena Cook

Theses & ETDs

The indigenous Maya people of the Yucatán cultivate milpa, a complex agroecosystem. The milpa system involves maize, beans, and squash in a polyculture along with a wide array of other plants and animals in a shifting cultivation style in which patches of forest are periodically cleared, cultivated for a few years, and then allowed to grow back into the surrounding forest. The milpa is integrated into both the community of Mayan society and the forest ecosystem, guided by an epistemic value system based on a respect for the interdependent animacy of the land and the life in the ecology. In …


The Physics And Environmental Benefits Of A Patented Mobile Solar Carport Appliance, Antonia Ginsberg Klemmt Jan 2023

The Physics And Environmental Benefits Of A Patented Mobile Solar Carport Appliance, Antonia Ginsberg Klemmt

Theses & ETDs

GismoPower’s patented Mobile Electricity Generating Appliance (MEGA) is a new solar deployment method turning photovoltaics into a mobile appliance, making solar not only more affordable to the general public, but also more accessible. Several different prototypes and renditions of the MEGA were created in order to optimize the design for manufacturing, durability, and ease of assembly. This thesis analyzes the electricity generation of the first prototype (2020) and the most recent prototype (2023).


What It Takes To Grow A Micro Forest At New College Of Florida, Barbara Monteiro Jan 2023

What It Takes To Grow A Micro Forest At New College Of Florida, Barbara Monteiro

Theses & ETDs

This thesis introduces a concept of forestry that is rooted in the context of climate change and the solutions that exist at the urban level. The integration of urban forests designed to mitigate temperatures and sequester atmospheric carbon is a practical solution to problems caused by increasing urbanization. In this thesis, I detail the process for establishing a micro forest that has been planted at New College of Florida and the benefits of utilizing the micro forest planting method. Located in Southwest Florida near Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, the New College Micro Forest will serve as a …


Sustainable Tourism: How We Can Reduce The Negative Impacts Of Tourism In The National Parks, Lily Burse Jan 2022

Sustainable Tourism: How We Can Reduce The Negative Impacts Of Tourism In The National Parks, Lily Burse

Theses & ETDs

Tourism to the national parks is beneficial for the tourist, but the parks themselves are at risk of environmental damage. Sustainable tourism is offered as the solution to minimize the negative impacts of tourism. This thesis aims to outline three ways sustainable tourism can be implemented within the national parks. Specifically, infrastructure, government involvement, and education will be explored alongside the case studies of Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Everglades National Parks. Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks were used to illustrate the value of infrastructure in sustainable tourism. Infrastructure can be used to encourage sustainable choices, or even entirely eliminate …


A Grizzly Situation An Issue Assessment Of Grizzly Bear Management In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Macie Robison Jan 2022

A Grizzly Situation An Issue Assessment Of Grizzly Bear Management In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Macie Robison

Theses & ETDs

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is one of the few remaining areas in the contiguous United States that contains a stable and thriving population of grizzly bears ( Ursus arctos horribilis). Management policies and practices have heavily impacted the success of this species’ survival. This thesis examines the relationship between the public, government agencies, and the state of Yellowstone’s grizzly population both spatially and temporally. It addresses both historic and current issues facing grizzly bears in the ecosystem today, and includes stakeholder perspectives gathered through unstructured interviews, historic documents, and legislation. It concludes that the future management of grizzly bears is …


Inhabiting International Relations: Indigenous Rights And Land Degradation, Abigail Floyd Jan 2022

Inhabiting International Relations: Indigenous Rights And Land Degradation, Abigail Floyd

Theses & ETDs

This thesis is a portfolio of works exploring the interplay between international relations, Indigenous rights, and land degradation. The first paper provides an overview of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Working at the international level, the regime acknowledged the need for collective action and resource sharing to protect the land we inhabit. The UNCCD was an instance of developed countries coming together to advocate for themselves in a period of intense international interest in environmental protection. The second paper of this portfolio examines the relationship between democracy and deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. The Brazilian Amazon is …


Patio Pollinators: Teaching Wildlife Gardening And Appreciation Through A Video Game, Malakai Hall Jan 2022

Patio Pollinators: Teaching Wildlife Gardening And Appreciation Through A Video Game, Malakai Hall

Theses & ETDs

Pollinator populations are in decline globally. Pollinator gardens, even small ones, play a vital role in supporting urban pollinator populations. The beneficial effects of pollinator gardens are increased when the gardens are planted with native species. However, figuring out which species are native to a given area and which ones are best for pollinators takes time and energy that may deter many from starting a garden. Given the teaching power of games, I have created a video game that teaches its players to establish and care for a pollinator garden with flora native to the Sarasota area. The purpose of …


[S]Niffing [O]Ut [S]Pecies: Detection Dogs In Conservation Work, Antonio Opio Jan 2022

[S]Niffing [O]Ut [S]Pecies: Detection Dogs In Conservation Work, Antonio Opio

Theses & ETDs

Biodiversity has faced severe declines since the industrial revolution, with nearly 68% of monitored species actively declining worldwide. Among methods for conservation research, Conservation Detection Dogs (CDDs) have grown in popularity since the first program began implementing them for scat detection in the 1990s. CDDs have been utilized for work including the detection of live animals, biological remnants, carcasses, plants, pathogens, poachers, and poached contraband, among a variety of applications. Their usage has assisted in the management of introduced species, monitoring of endangered species, and prevention of wildlife crime. I evaluated a set of case studies within 3 categories: introduced …


The Information Needed To Successfully Educate Florida Highschool Students On The Topic Of Artificial Coral Reefs, Eliot Greene Jan 2022

The Information Needed To Successfully Educate Florida Highschool Students On The Topic Of Artificial Coral Reefs, Eliot Greene

Theses & ETDs

The purpose of this thesis was to create a lesson plan that teaches the importance of artificial coral reefs to high school students. There are no lesson plans designed to teach about artificial coral reefs to high school students that are publicly available for educators to use. To write a lesson plan about artificial coral reefs an extensive amount of background research was done. This included general information about corals and how they are impacted by climate change, analyzing existing artificial coral reefs, understanding the process of doing an artificial reef project from scratch, and analyzing lesson plans designed to …


Flight For Survival: The Past, Present, And Future Of The Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus Savannarum Floridanus), Hope Sandlin Jan 2022

Flight For Survival: The Past, Present, And Future Of The Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus Savannarum Floridanus), Hope Sandlin

Theses & ETDs

The Florida grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum floridanus) is a highly endangered subspecies endemic to the dry prairies of south-central Florida. They have the capacity to act as an umbrella species for this shrinking ecosystem, wherein their conservation will protect the other species that share their habitat. They are currently threatened by habitat loss, fragmentation, degradation, and invasive species. Their populations continue to decline even in protected areas. There is no unifying cause for this decline. Currently a captive breeding program aims to revive the species and create stable wild populations. The US Fish & Wildlife Service’s recovery plan for these …


The Future Of Urban Agriculture: Community Gardening And Controlled Environment Agriculture, Bryton Calder Jan 2022

The Future Of Urban Agriculture: Community Gardening And Controlled Environment Agriculture, Bryton Calder

Theses & ETDs

Urban agriculture is the practice of cultivating and harnessing agriculture within cities, in order to provide for the people who live there. Our urban populations are sustained from the produce of industrial agriculture, grown far from where it is needed most. As urban populations expand many communities are being left behind, deprived of access to healthy and fresh produce. Urban agriculture offers a way to bring food production back to these communities and change urban landscapes into conduits for their own livelihoods. The act of growing and processing food within communities was the foundation of urbanization, and although cities today …


Assessing The Influence Of Invasive Removal Techniques On Mangrove Growth And Burrowing Crab Populations, Liah Continentino Jan 2022

Assessing The Influence Of Invasive Removal Techniques On Mangrove Growth And Burrowing Crab Populations, Liah Continentino

Theses & ETDs

Mangroves are unique ecosystems, bridging land and sea, and hosting a plethora of ecologically and economically valuable species. Mangroves provide a nursery habitat for marine life, protect and build shorelines, and sequester large amounts of atmospheric carbon. Mangrove trees have an interdependent relationship with the burrowing crabs which live alongside them. Burrowing crabs act as ecosystem engineers; assisting in nutrient cycling and decomposition, altering the sediment chemistry and promoting plant growth. This study takes place on a spoil mound caused by channelization in a mangrove island. Impacts of invasive tree removal techniques on mangrove growth, crab populations, and substrate characteristics …


An Intercontinental Examination In The Efficacy Of Combating Covid-19 In South Korea Vs. The Us, Sean Powers Jan 2022

An Intercontinental Examination In The Efficacy Of Combating Covid-19 In South Korea Vs. The Us, Sean Powers

Theses & ETDs

This thesis is a comparative analysis of the responses of South Korea and the US to the global Covid-19 pandemic. This thesis examines the policy initiatives put forth by both countries to alleviate the spread of the virus as well as the social complications that arise from the public because of them. It assesses and compares both countries’ performance in mitigating the impacts of the virus. Ultimately, it emphasizes the importance of being prepared for global health crisis’ like Covid-19 and shows how specific actions can be the deciding factor between saving hundreds of thousands of innocent lives or protecting …


Growth Patterns And The Effect Of Ph On The Florida Manatee (Trichechus Manatus Latirostris) Vibrissae, Isabella Mcdonnell Jan 2021

Growth Patterns And The Effect Of Ph On The Florida Manatee (Trichechus Manatus Latirostris) Vibrissae, Isabella Mcdonnell

Theses & ETDs

Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) possess highly sensitive vibrissae across the surface of their body. These structures enable manatees to detect water flow and the changes in water flow that may result from the presence of nearby objects such as other manatees. This project examined vibrissae growth rate and possible effects a changing environment may have on these structures. We monitored 40 vibrissae follicles on two captive Florida manatees over ten weeks and experimentally manipulated pH levels in tanks that contained trimmed vibrissae. To understand growth, vibrissae length at each follicle was measured periodically and mean growth rate was found …


The Crux Of Conservation: Debating Ecotourism During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Monteverde, Costa Rica, Ky Miller Jan 2021

The Crux Of Conservation: Debating Ecotourism During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Monteverde, Costa Rica, Ky Miller

Theses & ETDs

Like many communities and conservation organizations around the world, Monteverde, Costa Rica is struggling to strike a balance between the risks and rewards of using ecotourism as a financial resource for conservation and sustainable development, which has often suffered from a mismatch between ecotourism’s vision and practice. In this thesis, I assess how communities and conservation organizations economically dependent on ecotourism engage in debates regarding its value as a biodiversity conservation strategy and livelihood basis during the COVID-19 pandemic. I also examine how COVID-19 has affected conservation organizations’ protected area management strategies and engagement with nearby communities. By drawing on …


Growup: An Analysis Of Vertical Farming Agriculture, Daniel Duprez Jan 2021

Growup: An Analysis Of Vertical Farming Agriculture, Daniel Duprez

Theses & ETDs

With the global population predicted to be 10 billion by 2050, and 70 percent of these people within cities by 2050, industrial agriculture must change to accommodate our growing population while avoiding global ecosystem collapse. Indoor vertical farming is one of the solutions to this problem because of its ability to build small footprint, high yield, farms with sustainable resource use at scale. Vertical Farming is the practice of utilizing the 3D space above the ground for additional area for plant growth. Using a range of technologies including hydro and aeroponics, full spectrum LEDs, and artificial intelligence, indoor vertical farming …


The Historical Considerations, Social Benefits, And Environmental Impacts Of Green Spaces In Shanghai, Hailey Mcgleam Jan 2021

The Historical Considerations, Social Benefits, And Environmental Impacts Of Green Spaces In Shanghai, Hailey Mcgleam

Theses & ETDs

Despite many studies on air pollution in Shanghai, little research has been done with the role that green spaces hold in providing both social and air pollution mitigating ecosystem services. In this paper, not only do I explore these ecosystem services, I also contextualize the economic, historical, political, and cultural factors that have created the environmental crisis in China and the air pollution problem in Shanghai. Using data analysis from AQI monitoring stations near green spaces and comparing it to the average AQI for each district, I am able to demonstrate in Shanghai’s Pudong, Chongming, and Fengxian Districts, areas near …


Measuring Brazilian Pepper’S (Schinus Terebinthifolia, Anacardiaceae) Allelopathic Effects On Native & Invasive Species, Thomas Smith Jan 2021

Measuring Brazilian Pepper’S (Schinus Terebinthifolia, Anacardiaceae) Allelopathic Effects On Native & Invasive Species, Thomas Smith

Theses & ETDs

Some plant species release organic chemical compounds (allelochemicals) in order to hinder the growth of other organisms. This adaptation is known as allelopathy and is relatively widespread among both native and invasive species. Brazilian Pepper, Schinus terebinthifolia, Anacardiaceae (BP) a notoriously damaging invasive plant in Florida, exhibits allelopathy on multiple fronts; the compounds in the leaves, roots, stems and seeds suppress germination and growth in native plant species. The allelopathic effects of Brazilian Pepper (BP) against native species have been well documented, but there is a dearth of research concerning how other invasive plant species in Florida react to BP …


Climate Change And Architectural Preservation In The Cities Of Sarasota, Fl And Miami Beach, Fl, Dorn Martell Jan 2021

Climate Change And Architectural Preservation In The Cities Of Sarasota, Fl And Miami Beach, Fl, Dorn Martell

Theses & ETDs

While a great deal of attention has been drawn towards the impacts that climate change will have on the Earth’s ecosystems and on humans overall, there is still a significant research gap extant regarding climate change and its impacts on the historic and cultural resources of the world. In this thesis, I look at the underlying evidence that supports an anthropogenic origin for current global climate change, examine how the effects of climate change will impact the historic architecture resources of the cities of Sarasota, FL and Miami Beach, FL, and discuss how preservation law at a federal and local …


The University Of New Mexico Compost Initiative’S Role In Establishing Community Based Environmental Justice, Francesca Galliano Jan 2021

The University Of New Mexico Compost Initiative’S Role In Establishing Community Based Environmental Justice, Francesca Galliano

Theses & ETDs

My thesis project regards the creation of the University of New Mexico’s Compost Initiative (UNMCI), a newly emerging compost program that has been decades in the making. This was made possible through the partnership with UNM’s Sustainability Studies Program, Lobo Gardens, and UNM Recycling. The UNMCI offers an efficient, resilient on-campus solution to organic food waste management and fosters environmentally friendly loci of control. While compost programs and the action of composting hold fundamental value, our current society presents challenges, some of which are cognitive blocks concerning willingness to engage with sustainability efforts, such as composting, and other greater than …


Reading Emerson To Save The World: American Transcendentalism And The Search For Identity And Virtue In The Anthropocene, Kendall Southworth Jan 2021

Reading Emerson To Save The World: American Transcendentalism And The Search For Identity And Virtue In The Anthropocene, Kendall Southworth

Theses & ETDs

This thesis introduces a living lineage of Transcendentalist philosophy, one which has historically inspired the most influential cultural revolutions of the nation. I suggest that the ethical and ideological frameworks which blossomed during the Transcendentalism Movement directly paved the way for the revolutionary social movements of the mid-1950s through the 1970s. From the genesis of the movement in the 19th Century to the modern epoch, I trace the peak revivals of American Transcendentalism through historical and philosophical contexts, underscoring the causal influences from one emergence to the next. Concluding the paper, I include excerpts from interviews of a diverse array …


Predicting Elasmobranch Habitat Partitining In A Coastal River, Simon Bustetter Jan 2021

Predicting Elasmobranch Habitat Partitining In A Coastal River, Simon Bustetter

Theses & ETDs

River systems are an understudied habitat type for elasmobranchs. In order to predict habitat use and partitioning across maturity states within the Manatee River, Florida, elasmobranch catch rates and environmental factors were analyzed using data from the 2018 to 2020 Gulf of Mexico Shark Pupping and Nursery (GULFSPAN) gillnet and longline survey. Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) analysis was conducted to determine the major environmental factors that impact species presence. General Linear Model (GLM) analysis was conducted on the principal species to determine significant environmental factors across species’ lengths. The Atlantic Sharpnose Shark (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae), Blacktip Shark (Carcharhinus limbatus), Bull Shark …


Flitter, Fly, Flock Analyzing The Parallel Migration Patterns And Shifting Life Cycle Stages Of The Red Admiral Butterfly, European Pied Flycatcher, And Human Climate Migrants In Relation To Climate Change, Lily Tanner Jan 2021

Flitter, Fly, Flock Analyzing The Parallel Migration Patterns And Shifting Life Cycle Stages Of The Red Admiral Butterfly, European Pied Flycatcher, And Human Climate Migrants In Relation To Climate Change, Lily Tanner

Theses & ETDs

Climate change and rising global temperatures are already having observable effects on small migratory species. The short lifespans of butterflies and extensive research on fall migratory birds makes them excellent species to observe for changes in life cycle and migratory patterns related to climate change. This meta-synthesis and accompanying animation analyzes literature on the Red Admiral Butterfly and European Pied Flycatcher, with a goal of finding whether one can use these patterns as a way to predict the movement of human climate migrants in a similar geographical area. Although there are significant patterns present in the research, it is impossible …


Love Bugs?: An Examination Of Aversion Towards Insects With Special Attention To The Butterfly, Rigel Clapps Jan 2021

Love Bugs?: An Examination Of Aversion Towards Insects With Special Attention To The Butterfly, Rigel Clapps

Theses & ETDs

Insects tend to evoke feelings of fear or disgust and this thesis aims to examine potential reasons for such emotions. Fear itself is a complex neurobiological process, but it can be measured and reduced with proper efforts. Insects themselves, while plentiful, tend to evoke certain reactions due to several prevailing theories. One asserts that individuals tend to dichotomize insects into “good” or “bad” categories, while another claims that knowledge or the lack thereof may be at play. Insects also tend to be associated with contamination, suggesting that whether the insect is indoors or outdoors may play a role in determining …