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Ecodistricts In San Francisco: The Implementation Of Neighborhood Regional Planning And Its Potential Effects On Environmental Resilience, Elizabeth M. Juvera

Master's Projects and Capstones

Ecodistricts, or neighborhood-scale, community-driven areas of sustainable development, have emerged internationally and within the U.S. to create models of adaptive environmental design and advanced urban infrastructure. Central SoMa is the first ecodistrict to be planned and implemented in San Francisco, with the intention of revitalizing and greening this urbanized region of the city. At this time, the Central SoMa area has very low biodiversity levels, inefficient infrastructure, and poor water management capabilities. Through the implementation of ecodistricts in San Francisco, the city can integrate physical and behavioral sustainability measures from existing ecodistricts such as permeable surfaces, green roofs, stormwater management, …

An Exploratory Scenario For San Francisco To Become A Walking, Bicycling And Transit City, Chaowen Huang

Master's Projects and Capstones

The effects of greenhouse gases (GHGs) on global warming and climate change have become increasingly evident, and the transportation sector is a dominant contributor to GHG emissions which responsible for 13% of the world’s total GHG emissions and more than 21% of overall energy-related CO₂ emissions. Cities need sustainable transportation system that integrate new technologies and strategies to provide efficient and effective transit service while reducing its GHG emission and improving its livability. This paper explores a suitable and sustainable transportation scenario for San Francisco to achieve its 2035 goal which is to reduce 1,767,500 metric tons GHG emissions …

Eastern Washington Wildfires: Tracking Land Recovery In The Colockum Tarps Wildfire Area, Michael Balda, Allison Shinn

Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

Eastern Washington State has seen an increase in wildfire activity because of policies of fire suppression and changing climate. The Colockum Tarps wildfire started on July 27, 2013, in Malaga, Washington, due to a water pump malfunction. After ignition, the fire quickly moved south-southwest and burned a total area of 80,408 acres of grasslands and forest. We combined fieldwork and geospatial analysis of aerial photography and satellite imagery to examine vegetative recovery within the fire area. Using ArcGIS and PCI Geomatica, we analyzed 2013 National Agricultural Imaging Program (NAIP) images and a wildfire perimeter shapefile from the Bureau of Land …

Patenting Genes: Genetically Modified Organisms (Gmos), Kelsey Gibbs

Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

Protecting intellectual integrity of inventions is not a new concept. Protection in the form of patents dates as early as Ancient Greece. In the United States, patent laws have a very broad scope that have been very loosely interpreted. These laws were designed to protect man-made innovations. Until the 1980s this principle has been upheld. In 1980, a Supreme Court case ruled that a bacteria had been genetically modified by the insertion of genes. The inserted genes transformed the bacteria from a product of nature to a commodity. This case opened a floodgate of patents sought for genetically modified organisms. …

Insect Communities: Ellensburg Upstream Versus Downstream Sites, Michael Balda

Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

Urban stream syndrome occurs when an urban area affects a stream system. Stream burial is common in urban systems, and burial blocks incoming light, potentially affecting available food resources and, in turn, affecting the insect communities. I tested for changes to the stream ecosystem as a result of urbanization by measuring insect community parameters upstream and downstream of buried sites in the three creeks in Ellensburg, Washington, that are affected by urban stream syndrome. I measured chlorophyll on rocks, total suspended sediments (TSS), fine benthic organic matter (FBOM), ammonium, and phosphorus to relate to insect communities characteristics. I hypothesized that …

Salve Regina University Sixty-Fifth Annual Commencement Program, 2015, Salve Regina College

Commencement Programs

The Commencement program details the order of exercises, academic honors, and graduates.

A Shifting Paradigm: Teachers' Beliefs And Methods For Fostering Ecological Literacy In Two Public Charter Schools, Evan P. Sterling

Education

Ecological literacy is measured by a person's ability to understand the natural systems that make life on earth possible and how to live in accordance with those systems. The emergence of the pedagogies of place- and community-based education during the past two decades provides a possible avenue for fostering ecological literacy in schools. This thesis explores the following research questions: 1) How is ecological literacy fostered in two Alaskan public charter schools? 2) What are teachers' beliefs in these two schools about the way children and youth develop ecological literacy? 3) What are effective teaching methods and what are the …

Commencement Program [Spring 2015], Clark University

Commencement Programs

Annual Commencement Program for graduation ceremonies at Clark University, held on May 17th, 2015.

Density And Distribution Of Meiofauna In The Northeastern Chukchi Sea, Marissa Hajduk

Marine Biology

Meiofaunal communities in the northeastern Chukchi Sea (Alaska) are poorly known and were investigated to determine coarse taxonomic composition, distributional patterns, and density and biomass. Core samples were taken in August through October 2012 from van Veen grabs at depths of 20-45 m, in order to assess meiofauna community structure and associations with environmental and biological variables. Overall, density and biomass were dominated by nematodes, harpacticoid copepods, and foraminifera. Total meiofaunal density (9-13 ind. cm-2) was lower than in some deeper polar regions (e.g., Yermak Plateau and Nansen Basin), but generally fell within the range of published estimates for the …

The Influence Of Terrestrial Matter In Marine Food Webs Of The Beaufort Sea Shelf And Slope, Lauren Bell

Marine Biology

Terrestrial organic matter (OMterr) can function as a food source for Arctic marine consumers, though the relative contribution of OMterr to the structure and efficiency of marine food webs compared to marine production is unclear. Forecasted increases in OMterr inputs to the Arctic Beaufort Sea necessitate a better understanding of the proportional contribution of this organic matter source to the trophic structure of marine communities. This study investigated the relative ecological importance of OMterr across the Beaufort Sea shelf and slope by examining differences in community trophic structure concurrent with variation in terrestrial versus marine organic matter influence. Hydrogen stable …

Dispersal Patterns And Summer Oceanic Distribution Of Adult Dolly Varden From The Wulik River, Alaska, Evaluated Using Satellite Telemetry, Michael B. Courtney

Fisheries

In Arctic Alaska, Dolly Varden Salvelinus malma is highly valued as a subsistence fish; however, little is known about oceanic dispersal or ecology. This study addresses this knowledge gap, by using a fisheries independent method, pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs). In spring of 2012 and 2013, we attached 52 PSATs to Dolly Varden in a river in northwestern Alaska, which flows into the Arctic Ocean, to examine the marine dispersal, behavior and habitat occupancy of this species. Tagged Dolly Varden demonstrated two types of dispersal, including offshore and nearshore dispersal. The offshore type was the first documented northwesterly dispersal and …

University Of Montana Commencement Program, 2015, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of The Registrar

University of Montana Commencement Programs, 1898-2020

Commencement program from the University of Montana.

Quechers (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, And Safe) Extraction – Gas Chromatography For The Analysis Of Drugs, Michelle L. Schmidt

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) is an extraction technique developed by Anastassiades and co-workers initially for the extraction of veterinary drugs from animal tissue. Since its inception, it was discovered that this method is particularly adept for the extraction of polar and basic compounds, thus the majority of research previously performed using QuEChERS involves the extraction of pesticides from various matrices, especially fruits, vegetables, and other food products. Combining a liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) and a dispersive solid phase extraction (d-SPE) clean up, QuEChERS provides a clean sample for analysis by gas chromatography (GC) or liquid chromatography (LC) …

The Management And Stewardship Of A Cetacean Collection, Rebecca Vele

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Cetacean, by definition, is a marine mammal of the order Cetacea; a whale, dolphin or porpoise. In light of their social intellect and friendly appearance, cetaceans are used in institutions such as zoos and aquariums as a source of education and entertainment for the public. Before the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, cetaceans were captured worldwide including in U.S. waters. In the United States today, there are over 224 zoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Out of those 224, 34 of these institutions display cetaceans.

Even though the Marine Mammal Protection Act “Prohibits, with …

Soil Nitrogen And Carbon In Urban And Rural Forests, Wes L. Hanson, Robin Fahy

Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement

Previous work by Dr. Nancy Broshot has revealed high tree mortality and low recruitment (new seedlings) in an urban forest (Forest Park in Portland, Oregon). A series of lichen surveys in 2013 showed the lichen community has shifted to one dominated by lichens tolerant of and thriving on high nitrogen levels. To ascertain if nitrogenous air pollution could be a cause of low recruitment, we measured the level of nitrogen and carbon in the soil at 32 sites in Forest Park (24 permanent sites and 8 conifer recruitment sites). We also added 3 control sites in the Mount Hood National …

Tree Composition And Seedling Recruitment In Urban And Rural Forests, Robin H. Fahy, Wes Hanson

Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement

In 1993, Dr. Nancy Broshot randomly located 25 permanent study sites in Forest Park in Portland, Oregon to examine the effects of urbanization on forest health. Plant community structure was examined. In 2003, Dr. Broshot reexamined the plant communities at each site and found significantly higher tree mortality and reduced recruitment (young trees) in all areas of the park. Many seedlings that had been present in 1993 were absent in 2003. In 2013, a 20-year follow up study of the tree community was conducted. Although the rate of tree mortality had dropped, recruitment of seedlings and saplings was still low. …

2015 Commencement Program, Whittier College

Commencement Programs

Whittier College's One Hundred Twelfth Commencement, May 15, 2015

Commencement Address: Eric M. Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles

What Is The Environmental Impact Of Cultivating Agave As A Biofuel? (May 15, 2015), University Communications And Marketing

OHIO News Articles Archive

No abstract provided.

Impacts Of Ship Noise On The Nighttime Foraging Behaviors Of The North Atlantic Humpback Whale (Megaptera Novaeangliae), Hannah Blair

Theses - ALL

The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is an endangered baleen whale species with a cosmopolitan distribution. The coastal habitat of this species result in significant exposure to anthropogenic noise from human activities. Previous research in the well-studied Pacific populations has demonstrated changes in calling behavior in response to noise, but noise impacts on other critical behaviors such as foraging have not yet been investigated. This study examines the impacts of ship noise on the nighttime bottom foraging behavior of humpback whales in the North Atlantic – a region with substantial human activity including high levels of noise from commercial shipping traffic. …

Conceptual Design Of Wind Farms Through Novel Multi-Objective Swarm Optimization, Weiyang Tong

Dissertations - ALL

Wind is one of the major sources of clean and renewable energy, and global wind energy has been experiencing a steady annual growth rate of more than 20% over the past decade. In the U.S. energy market, although wind energy is one of the fastest increasing sources of electricity generation (by annual installed capacity addition), and is expected to play an important role in the future energy demographics of this country, it has also been plagued by project underperformance and concept-to-installation delays.

There are various factors affecting the quality of a wind energy project, and most of these factors are …

2015 Honors Student Conference: Spotlight On Research And Creativity, Depaul University College Of Liberal Arts And Sciences

Honors Student Conference

Welcome to the second Honors Student Conference: Spotlight on Research and Creativity. Over sixty students from the DePaul University Honors Programs will present their exciting and original work at this conference. Presentations will feature innovative arguments, distinctive interpretations, and ambitious research findings developed over the course of the year. Our conference allows the presenters to share what they’ve learned with a broad audience of fellow students, faculty, staff, family and friends. Thank you for joining us to cheer them on!

This conference showcases the work of forty-two outstanding Honors Program seniors who have taken “the road less traveled” and opted …

Volume Cxxxii, Number 23, May 15, 2015, Lawrence University

The Lawrentian

No abstract provided.

The Fierce Green Fire: Vol 5 Issue 24, Wofford College Environmental Studies Program

The Fierce Green Fire

No abstract provided.

Graduate School Commencement Exercises Program, May 14, 2015

Bryant University Commencements

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Temperature Anomalies And Ocean Productivity During The 2004 Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake, Cora Byers, Brenna Mcnabb

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The oceanic productivity of the Indian Ocean and temperature anomalies prior to the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake (MW =9.3) and tsunami (December 26th 2004) were studied. Data was obtained via NASA’s Giovanni program to determine the effect on phytoplankton (primary producers) and temperature changes over the region of the earthquake. Seasonal trends were visible in the concentrations of chlorophyll a, coccolithophores, cyanobacteria, chlorophytes, diatoms and absorption coefficient, in addition to storm trends.

Demystifying Open Access Workshop, Rose Fortier, Heather G. James, Martha G. Jermé, Patricia Berge, Rosemary Del Toro

Library Events and Research Institutes

Among the avenues for sharing research and scholarship, open access journals offer an increasingly viable and important option. However, it can be challenging not only to identify these journals but also to evaluate their quality and reach, as well as to weigh the benefits of publishing in them.

To help demystify this process, Raynor Memorial Libraries offered a workshop on evaluating open access journals. Aimed at faculty, graduate students, and others interested in publishing their academic work, the workshop offered an overview of current open access options for sharing research, criteria to help assess the rigor and reliability of open …

Academic Incoherence: The State Of Sustainability Literature Today, Anthony Philip Stine

Student Research Symposium

The traditional tools associated with researching and presenting findings in contemporary sustainability literature include very little representation on moral forms of discourse. In the context of social sustainability this is problematic due to the inherently normative nature of the discourse. A citation analysis reveals very little representation of Christian moral environmental claims in the sustainability literature today despite growing concern amongst Christians for the state of the environment today.

Reflections On The Current Debate On How To Link Flood Insurance And Disaster Risk Reduction In The European Union, S. Surminski, J.C.J.H. Aerts, W.J.W. Botzen, P. Hudsons, J. Mysiak, C. D. Pérez-Blanco

Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Working Papers

Flood insurance differs widely in scope and form across Europe. Against the backdrop of rising flood losses a debate about the role of EU policy in shaping the future of this compensation tool is led by policy makers and industry. In this paper we investigate if and how current EU policies influence flood insurance. While the question of supply and demand is at the core of the debate, we argue that another key dimension is often overlooked: how to use insurance as a lever for risk reduction and prevention efforts. We investigate if and how current EU policies interplay with …

Five Macalester Students Receive U.S. Department Of State Critical Language Scholarship To Study Critical Need Language This Summer, Macalester College

College Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Estimating Stormwater Runoff For Community Gardens In New York City, Mara Gittleman

Theses and Dissertations

While much of the literature cites community gardens as providing urban ecosystem services, there is very little research quantifying these benefits. This thesis compares the stormwater runoff rates of urban vacant lots, community gardens, and residential developments in New York City and evaluates community gardens as green infrastructure.