Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Year Long Water Quality Analysis Of White Horn Brook, Kevin Dyer

Senior Honors Projects

KEVIN DYER (Marine Biology)

Year-long Analysis of the Water Quality of White Horn Brook

Sponsor: Thomas Boving (Geological Sciences)

Water is the foundation for all life on earth and is the most vital resource on this planet. Despite this, oceans and waterways all over the world are being polluted and exploited in ways detrimental to their fundamental hydrologic functions. For instance, excess nitrate levels can lead to eutrophication which gives rise to harmful algae blooms. Low pH can cause the breakdown of CaCO3 exoskeletons of organisms, such mollusks. High temperature variations are major stressors to living things and can cause …

Promoting The Sustainable Utilization Of Groundwater Resources In Ethiopia Using The Integrated Groundwater Footprint Index, Xinyu Lin

Honors Scholar Theses

The country of Ethiopia is highly vulnerable to human-caused climate change and is already suffering from the effects. The predominately rural population relies heavily on small-scale agriculture, with 78% of households having at least one member engaged in the field, yet staple crops are highly susceptible to droughts and other weather shocks. Total and agricultural GDP growth in the country have been strongly linked to inter-annual rainfall variability, of which Ethiopia has among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa. A decrease in rainfall since the 1970s has been one of the primary causes of low crop yields, and stresses the immediate …

An Assessment Of Renewable Energy Technology Implementation In Storrs, Connecticut: Emissions Reduction And Feasibility Of A Microgrid System At Uconn, Sophie Macdonald

Honors Scholar Theses

The purpose of this project is to design a clean energy-sourced microgrid for UConn’s main campus that would reduce the university’s energy emissions while remaining within the geographic boundaries of viable UConn-owned land. Economic cost was not considered in this analysis; instead, emissions and space constraints were the optimized measures of value and feasibility. Sources of energy that were considered include photovoltaics (PV), wind turbines, hydrokinetic systems, and fuel cells. Energy storage capacity was included in the analysis as well. The overall system was optimized first by ignoring space constraints and for a minimum of 10% reduction from the current …

The North Wyke Farm Platform: A New Uk National Capability For Research Into Sustainability Of Agricultural Temperate Grassland Management, Phil J. Murray, Bruce A. Griffith, Robert J. Orr, Martin S. A. Blackwell, Jane M. B. Hawkins, S. Peukert

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

The North Wyke Farm Platform is a new UK National Capability that will enable studies that can be closely monitored and controlled under different land-use options at the farm-scale. As a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council-funded National Capability, the Farm Platform provides centralised scientific facilities including core data (field and water chemistry, water flow rates, greenhouse gas emissions from soils, livestock and agronomic data, and farm management records). Access to the Farm Platform for experimental work or to data will be available to other research users and collaborators. This shared approach will enhance the depth and breadth of information …

Environmental Activism, Ellen Dexter, Lydia Dexter

Honors Expanded Learning Clubs

An after school book club that follows Greta Thunberg's book of speeches No One is Too Small to Make a Difference , as well as uses hands-on activities to teach the importance of environmental activism.

Assessing The Feasibility, Costs, And Benefits Of Transitioning Part Of The University Of South Carolina Shuttle Fleet To An Alternative Fuel Source And Promoting Anti-Idling Strategies, Eva L. James

Senior Theses

The current University of South Carolina shuttle fleet is made up of eleven (11) light duty shuttles and thirteen (13) heavy duty school buses, all of which rely on gasoline and diesel fuel sources. This study intends to assess the environmental, health, and economic tradeoffs of switching part of the existing University shuttle fleet to an alternative fuel source: compressed natural gas (CNG) or propane (LPG). This study also includes detailed, fleet specific idling-cost calculations to encourage the adoption of recommended anti-idling strategies. Following an exhaustive analysis of the available literature that addresses the feasibility of a partial CNG or …

Declining Water Resources And Environmental Degradation: A Case Of The Thulokhola Watershed In The Nuwakot District Of Nepal, Durga D. Poudel, Timothy W. Duex

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Climate change alters the hydrology of a watershed through changes on precipitation patterns, extreme rain events, increase on temperatures, degradation of forest and soil resources and drought conditions. Drought conditions create stress on agricultural crops, forests, drinking water supply for human and wildlife as well as water supply for industrial uses. Flooding destroys crops, infrastructures, private properties, and results in loss of life. Climate change impacts both the availability as well as the quality of water resources as extreme rain events tend to alter water infrastructures and pollute water sources.

In Nepal, climate change impacts include degradation of resource and …

Traditional Wisdom For Sustainable Agri And Livestock Production: An Opportunity For Better Animal, Human And Environment Health, M. J. Saxena, Anup Kalra

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

Animal production is poised to make a generous leap in the years to come because of the multiplicity of the related events that are taking place around the globe. Increased demand of the livestock products, ease of market accessibility, and opportunity of global trade, increased cash flow in urban and rural societies, application of science and application of new technologies in production, feeding & processing may be some of the key factors responsible for the anticipated increase in livestock production. However, at the same time it is high time that we address some areas of quality assurance of feed & …

Strategies For Determining Electron Yield Material Parameters For Spacecraft Charge Modeling, Phil Lundgreen, John R. Dennison

All Physics Faculty Publications

Accurate modeling of spacecraft charging is essential to mitigate well‐known and all‐too‐common deleterious and costly effects on spacecraft resulting from charging induced by interactions with the space plasma environment. This paper addresses how limited availability of electron emission and transport properties of spacecraft materials—in particular, secondary electron yields—and the wide ranges measured for such properties pose a critical issue for modeling spacecraft charging. It describes a materials charging database for electron emission properties under development, which facilitates more accurate spacecraft charge modeling when used in concert with the strategies outlined herein. These data and techniques provide tools for more accurate …

One Month, One Class, No Bags, Amy George, Mikayla Jacoby, Danielle O'Brien, Belem Oseguera, Lucas Troncoso

2020 Honors Council of the Illinois Region

According to the website, theworldcounts.com, we consume about 5 trillion plastic bags per year. This translates to roughly 160,000 bags per second. This rapidly increasing consumption of plastics has led to the harming of natural ecosystems and the endangerment of many species. At the College of DuPage, our Honors English Composition class decided to address this issue and propose a solution at the local level. As a class, we broke up into several research groups, each tackling a different section of research related to plastic bags: its history, nationwide legislation, counterarguments, and connection to Illinois’ plastic bag legislation. The groups …

2019 San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative Annual Report, San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative

San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative

The San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative is a network for public agencies that serves the San Diego region to share expertise, leverage resources and advance comprehensive solutions to facilitate climate change planning. By partnering with academia, nonprofits, and businesses, the SDRCC also works to leverage the profile of regional leadership. This is the 2019 San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative Annual Report.

The Effects Of Environmental Restoration On Housing Prices In Northern Colorado, Jack Steketee

Capstones and Honors Theses

Hedonic valuation is a method of using a market, such as the housing market, to estimate the value of non-market goods. An example of a non-market good we might want to value is environmental quality. Proper valuation of the environment can help make informed policy decisions, as well as help better protect or restore it. We use the hedonic valuation model This research uses data from a housing market in Colorado to estimate the value homeowners place on an environmental restoration project. We hypothesized that overall, we would see an increase in home value after a restoration project was completed …

Spider's Guide To Sustainable Living, Office For Sustainability

Guides

Thank you for checking out this guide to caring for our future and ourselves. We're glad you did, because we need you. From the climate emergency to emerging health crises to social unrest, the need for change is all around us. The UR Sustainability Plan envisions "a future where sustainability is woven into the fabric of the University" in which we cultivate a culture of caring for people and the natural world. Consider this your invitation to join the movement to make this vision a reality.

Throughout the Spiders Guide to Sustainable Living, we will point out actions you can …

Relationship Between Corporate Social Responsibility And Social Performance Of Small Businesses, Melva Steps

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small business leaders affected by negative social performance may also experience a diminishing customer base and minimized profits. Grounded in the strategic success paradigm framework, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between four elements of corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategic posture (workplace, marketplace, community, and environment) and social performance. The participants consisted of retail trade small business owners in the United States. The Survey of CSR in Small Business was conducted via SurveyMonkey and provided the data for analysis (N = 85). Results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that the regression model significantly …

Social Responsibility Perceptions Of Community Flood Resilience In Nigeria, Reginald Olisa Oranye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Flooding is a severe threat to livelihoods and socioeconomic development in Ogbaru riverine communities of Anambra State, Nigeria. Limited success in the traditional approach of using predominantly structural measures, such as flood channels, to manage floods makes it imperative to explore nonstructural resilience initiatives that would potentially better protect vulnerable flood-prone communities. This study contributes to addressing the problems of ineffective flood management by developing vital social responsibility (SR) data and information that can enhance community flood resilience through individual and collective responsibilities for resilient action. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to explore SR perceptions of flood …

The Influence Of Isolated Thunderstorms And The Low-Level Wind Field On Nocturnally Migrating Birds In Central North America, Matthew V.D. Broeke, Timothy J. Gunkel

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Seasonal bird migration occurs on large spatial scales and is influenced by many factors including weather conditions. Weather can include thunderstorms, which may force migrants to land or cause them to reroute a migration path. In this study, a sample of isolated thunderstorms was analyzed from the domains of three weather radars in the central United States to test hypotheses regarding the influence of thunderstorms on the distribution of migrants. Migrating bird density was often reduced in the wake of storms, and this wake reduction was typically more pronounced for larger, more intense and faster- moving storms, particularly in eastern …

Stable Carbon And Oxygen Isotopes As Environmental Indicators Of The Late Pleistocene Inel Arenoso, Sonora, Northwest Mexico, Victor Adrian Perez Crespo, Tamara Cruz Y Cruz, Alejandro Terrazas Mata, Pedro Morales Puente, Martha Benavente, Edith Cienfuegos-Alvrado, Francisco J. Otero

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The paleoenvironment conditions that existed in the Late Pleistocene at the archaeological-paleontological site of El Arenoso, Sonora, NW Mexico, were inferred using the carbon and oxygen stable isotopes from one bison, one mammoth, and thirteen horses as well as the pedological characteristics and the carbon isotopes of calcium carbonates from paleosoil. The values δ13C of the bison (-1.4‰), the horses (-2.8‰), and the mammoth (-4.3‰) show that these animals fed mainly on C4 plants and carbon isotopic values from profile horizons of locality 4Bgk (-3.4‰), 3Ck (-3.4‰), and 2Bgk2 (-5.7‰) indicated the presence of C3/C4 vegetation mixed in El Arenoso. …

The Influence Of Isolated Thunderstorms And The Low-Level Wind Field On Nocturnally Migrating Birds In Central North America, Matthew S. Van Den Broeke, Timothy J. Gunkel

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Seasonal bird migration occurs on large spatial scales and is influenced by many factors including weather conditions. Weather can include thunderstorms, which may force migrants to land or cause them to reroute a migration path. In this study, a sample of isolated thunderstorms was analyzed from the domains of three weather radars in the central United States to test hypotheses regarding the influence of thunderstorms on the distribution of migrants. Migrating bird density was often reduced in the wake of storms, and this wake reduction was typically more pronounced for larger, more intense and faster- moving storms, particularly in eastern …

Modeling Community Resource Management: An Agent-Based Approach, Maya M. Lapp

Senior Independent Study Theses

As the human population continues increasing rapidly and climate change accelerates, resource depletion is becoming an international problem. Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) has been suggested as a method to conserve resources while simultaneously empowering traditionally marginalized communities. Because classical equation-based modeling methods fail to capture the complexity of CBNRM, Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) has emerged as a primary method of modeling these systems. In this investigation, we conduct a sensitivity analysis and thorough evaluation of an existing ABM of community forest management. We then modify the original model by providing a new enforcement mechanism that improves the validity of both …

Life Cycle Studies To Evaluate The Physiological And Biochemical Effects Of Copper Oxide And Surface-Coated Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles On Green Onion (Allium Fistulosum) And Carrot (Daucus Carota L.) Plants: Insights Utilizing Two-Photon Microscopy And Spectroscopy, Yi Wang

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

With the recent increase of nanomaterial production, nano copper oxide (nCuO) and surface-modified titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nTiO2) are among the most widely applied nanoparticles in industry and daily lives. Their use has resulted in accumulation in soils as a consequence of their direct or indirect release. Hence, these NPs may raise a potential risk to crops cultivated in soils. Moreover, the physiological effects of nCuO on green onion (Allium fistulosum) and surface-coated nTiO2 on full-grown carrot (Daucus carota L.) are still unknown. Green onion is characterized by its high content of the antioxidant allicin, and carrot is a worldwide economic …

Spatial And Temporal Controls On Streamflow Variability In The San Juan Mountains, Colorado, Christopher Lewis Hancock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project characterizes and examines changes to the annual hydroclimatic cycle throughout alpine regions of Colorado with a focus on trends in snowpack and snowmelt hydrology. Datasets analyzed for this research include 79 SNOTEL sites throughout Colorado (24 in the San Juan Mountains) which provide climate metrics for Water Years 1988-2018. Impacts on streamflow are evaluated in the San Juan Region through a network of 11 USGS stream gauges. Correlation matrices and linear regression methods examine the relative controls on the magnitude and timing of discharge, and trend detection using the regional Kendall test quantifies the rate of change within …

The Interplay Between Economic Growth And The Environment: The Case Of China, Christian D. Carpio-Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historically, economic development has come at the cost of environmental degradation. Since the 1980s, neoliberalism rooted in neoclassical theory has dominated mainstream economic thought. The result has been a dramatic increase in environmental degradation in favor of economic growth. The neoliberal recommendations toward development are encapsulated in the Washington and post-Washington Consensuses which promote the liberalization of trade and foreign investment as well as a reliance on market mechanisms. Ultimately, the goal of neoliberalism is to generate growth regardless of the impact that it places on the environment. The case of China presents an example of an economy which pursued …

An Exploration Of Zero Waste Policies And Recommendations For Missoula, Sarah Blyth Lundquist

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

“Zero Waste” is a concept and community goal that has arisen to challenge the current consumerist economic system and offer solutions for a number of environmental issues. In adopting this goal, individuals and communities pledge to reduce and divert at least 90% of their waste in a certain number of years. These goals can be reached by employing policies, programs, and other intervention tactics which establish Zero Waste infrastructure, ensure equitable and widespread access to Zero Waste services, and provide educational outreach and resources to the community. Missoula adopted a Zero Waste goal in 2016 and created a Zero Waste …

Sense Of Place And Ways Of Knowing: The Landscape Of Experience For Black, Indigenous, And People Of Color In Natural Resources, Environmental Education, And Place Based Learning, Marie Cadiz Vea

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

This collaborative qualitative research addresses challenges faced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in higher education and environmental programs as a result of academic imperialism (Chilisa, 2012) and epistemic injustice (McKinnon, 2016), as well as other systemic challenges that marginalize, diminish and invisibilize ways of knowing and narratives of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Historic and ongoing erasure of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color from the Land contributes to the perception and narrative that BIPOC are disinterested in environmental issues.

Using a strengths-based perspective, I alongside a circle of nine leaders in the environmental fields collectively …

Behind The Trash: A Qualitative Research On How Trash Pickers In Cirendeu Area Contribute To Recycling, Mana Kakinuma

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Trash is one of the most serious environmental issues. People strive to solve the problem with reducing the use of plastic and figuring out the method to recycle efficiently; however, the story of trash pickers is barely on the topic. The problems are the ignorance and underestimation of the society. People should consider the integrated solution for both the environment and those trash pickers. The ideal solution would be formalizing waste disposal system, officially hire trash pickers for their stable life, and let their children access to education for brighter future. This discussion will examine the importance of understanding the …

On Muddy Banks: An Ecoethnography Of A River Island Community, Nicholas Baxter

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In this study, I examine the relationship between a river and a community. Specifically, I analyze the processes and patterns that organize the nature-society relationship and define the river town of Sabula, IA. To guide my historical and ethnographic analysis, I utilize a co constructionist posture (Rice 2013), which sees culture, community, economy, and physicality as much a product of bio-physical forces as social forces. My aim is to understand how Sabula is conjointly constructed and reveal the nuanced interconnections between human communities and nature through which social and environmental problems play out. My analysis clarifies patterns in residents’ identity …

How To Promote Education For Sustainable Development? Vision Of The Educational Situation And Its Contribution To Sustainable Development., Khalid Aada

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

During the last decade, the importance of leaving a rational paradigm, debtor of functionalist and utilitarian models, towards another more congruent with the preservation of natural resources, and therefore of life, has been widely discussed. In the same way, different voices have been raised, pointing out the urgency of inserting these precepts into the educational field, hoping to achieve the true cultural transformation that is needed to consolidate the change. Multiple International Entities promote sustainability in Education as an initiative that should be ambitious, complex and reforming character, given the global scope of the social, economic and environmental situation affecting …

The Rockaway Project - Townes, Diara Jepris D. Townes

Capstones

The Rockaway Project is a story-driven website that provides information on the government response to Superstorm Sandy recovery on the Rockaway peninsula in Queens, New York. Dozens of climate resiliency projects have been delayed or remain unfinished, despite millions of dollars in funding and six years of promises. The website hosts audio, visual and digital content, gathered through interviews and data collection.

Link to capstone project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAq2BeR4bS0&t=1s

Mammal Species Inventory Using Various Trapping Methods In Zone 4 Of Billy Barquedier National Park, Belize During Rainy Season, Mersady Redding

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Belize is a small country, but it is extremely ecologically diverse. Based on the few studies conducted in Belize, the abundance of mammals is low but diversity is high. Particular findings note the number and identity of species differed between four sites in the Maya Mountains of Belize, indicating that a data set from a single site is not representative of the Neotropical region. Insufficient data is available to estimate current species richness of many areas in Belize, including Billy Barquedier National Park (BBNP). The objective of this study was to explore trapping and documentation methods of terrestrial mammals in …

Using Paleosols To Reconstruct Past Environments Before, During And After Periods Of Anatomically Human Migration At Gona, Ethiopia, Kevin Takashita-Bynum

Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal

Environmental change is thought to have driven dispersals of Anatomically Modern Humans (AMH) out of Africa, yet the precise landscape context of these migrations remains unclear. Furthermore, river-based archives of paleoenvironment during periods of dispersal are scarce. Gona, an area in northeastern Ethiopia with one of the most continuous records of East African Paleolithic and Neolithic archaeology, contains abundant Middle to Late Pleistocene river deposits interbedded with volcanic ash. This study examines the physical and chemical changes of 11 fossilized soils (paleosols) extracted from Gona’s paleoanthropological sites that range in age from the Middle to the Late Pleistocene (~380-11 ka). …