MS, University of Cincinnati, 2018, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Information Technology

This thesis explores improvements to assistive capability so that those living with a physical disability can also maneuver their environment, especially buildings, with ease. To do so, this study outlines a step-by-step process to understand better how buildings can be mapped using drone technologies as a method for members of society with physical challenges, especially mobility, to determine ease of accessibility before entering a building. By way of interview, observation, and survey, this thesis embarks upon requirement analysis for the use of drones as assistive technology. The study employs mixed methods to gather as well as analyze data to articulate requirements for use by universities and institutions. By doing so, the contribution of this work is to inform universities and institutions about technical and policy related requirements for using drone videos in a way that will be of most use to those in need of the building layout information. Today, technology improves at a rapid rate, and often there are limitations to the building access by the physically disabled. In some cases, it is due to a lack of proper infrastructure that can accommodate movement by the physically challenged or exposure to the technology tools necessary to improve their mobility. However, in most cases, physical incapability can be mitigated by enhancing the accessibility. This thesis addresses the issue of exclusion of the disabled, which is a human rights issue as well as a safety issue within buildings. There is, therefore, need to understand the technology advances or lack of it that enables or inhibits the physically disabled to utilize the opportunities in the physical environment at a given time. The physically challenged need to know in advance and in the shortest time possible if their mobility in a building is possible. For this, a specific innovation is suggested—sending a drone specially designed to maneuver inside of a building. This is because the remote control is (open full item for complete abstract)

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2016, Antioch New England: Environmental Studies

Capacity building has become the centerpiece of recent attempts to strengthen regional biodiversity conservation. Many conservation organizations aim to increase this capacity by training local conservation professionals. While many practitioners will agree that these trainings presumably have a psychological effect on their participants that may benefit long-term local action toward conservation goals, there also seems to be a resignation that these effects are difficult if not impossible to measure and target, especially within diverse cultures. The common result is a perfunctory evaluation of observable behaviors or basic knowledge, which may be easy to count but undoubtedly fails to represent the nuance of complex psychological variables associated with long-term capacity to conserve biodiversity. My dissertation is fundamentally aimed at investigating capacity for biodiversity conservation at this psychological level. Specifically, I explored the current understanding of capacity for biodiversity conservation and how this understanding can be supplemented by psychological theory to strengthen the development, evaluation, and prediction of this capacity over time. I did this within the context of case studies that focus on three separate populations of conservation professionals who participated in capacity building trainings in Africa and North America between 1994 and 2014. I administered surveys to these conservation professionals to create and validate an instrument that measures the construct I call psychological capacity for biodiversity conservation (PCBC). PCBC includes psychological dimensions such as meaningful ownership, effective autonomy, being needed, group effectiveness, and understanding. I administered the PCBC survey instrument to training alumni and conducted interviews with their trainers to the evaluate the effectiveness of the capacity building methods at increasing PCBC directly after and two to ten years after a training. I found that mea (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2022, Mechanical Engineering

Some structures have different natural frequencies in the two lateral X and Y-directions. Tuned damping of such structures require using either a) the less attractive option of two regular PTMDs each tuned to one of the natural frequencies of the structures' lateral modes or b) one pendulum TMD with two different tuning frequencies (one for each lateral directions), necessitating two different swinging lengths. Pendulum TMDs with two different tuning frequencies in the two lateral X and Y directions, are realized by constraining the swinging length of the pendulum in one direction but not in the other direction. Such two degree-of-freedom pendulum tuned mass damper, is called Bi-PTMD. The objective of this work is to develop an accurate model of a two-degrees-of-freedom (2DOF) passive bi-directional pendulum tuned mass damper (Passive Bi-PTMD). The model is to be used for a) synthesizing such TMDs and b) evaluating their damping effectiveness in mitigating the dynamic lateral responses of their target asymmetric structures perturbed by wind load in X and Y-directions. Furthermore, the work aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the passive Bi-PTMD system and comparing its efficacy with that of the University of Dayton's active PTMD. In addition, the dynamics of a two degree-of-freedom pendulum tuned mass damper (Bi-TMD) appended to a structure with two low-frequency, lateral degrees of freedom (representing the first two modes of a tall structure) is studied and the nonlinear differential equations of motion are derived using the Lagrangian mechanics approach. The equations of motion are simplified using small angle and slow-motion assumptions. The system of nonlinear differential equations are numerically simulated in Matlab/Simulink environment and the responses of the structure without and with the pendulum Bi-TMD to a number of different perturbations in the lateral directions are evaluated. The numerical model is verified (open full item for complete abstract)

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2020, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

How can we make skyscrapers environmentally friendly? And what novels will eco architecture bring us in the future? The growing public concerns and awareness of environmental and social problems related to contemporary architecture and industry have led many architects, business leaders, and communities to adopt sustainable practices that remain in effect over the long term. Such strategies aim for `green design', the notion of `eco-footprint', in reducing resource consumption, energy use, pollution, and waste. As a discretion to a new approach to green architecture, an eco-effective regenerative building would not only restore and improve the environment by using renewable sources to generate energy but would also promote the health and well-being of occupants by adaptive design. On the one hand, plant materials such as trees, shrubs, and greenery in the design process spur the potential of architectural strategies that activate sustainable environments and can increase the ecological resilience of the community. Some might argue that the overtly green design is too bland and unadventurous. It can be equally critical to acknowledge that `green design' is `green dressing'. However, the bottom line implies that architects who are willing to challenge the experiential paradigm often lead potential for a shift to genuine green opportunism. For the optimistic cause of architectural sustainability, this study focuses on environmentally progressive, eco-effective design solutions that support the high-rise building development of mixed-use density to provide necessary physical and technical support for sustainable architecture.

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2020, Civil Engineering

Seismic risk has increased noticeably in the last decades due to rapid growth of earthquake-prone urban regions and deterioration of aging infrastructure. Meanwhile, mounting evidence of changing climate has reinforced experts' efforts to develop new techniques for sustainable design of structures. Recent studies point to the need for an integrated approach to include both sustainability and resilience criteria in design of building environments. This dissertation integrates seismic resilience quantification methods with economic input-output life cycle assessment and whole-building energy simulation methods to present a new comprehensive decision model for design of building environments. A new multi-criteria decision framework is introduced to integrate various resilience and sustainability measures including asset loss, downtime, number of casualties, greenhouse gas emissions produced by construction, maintenance, and seismic repair, and annual energy consumption and cost. The risk in decision analysis in addition to vulnerability and loss analyses are included via a combined model using analytic hierarchy process, multi-attribute utility theory, and Technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) methods. Results show that with a multi-criteria approach, the benefits of sustainable design techniques can outweigh possible shortcomings in structural performance. The proposed framework is implemented on a series of steel diagrid and reinforced concrete buildings. A comprehensive investigation into the nonlinear dynamic performance of steel diagrids is also conducted and new seismic performance criteria are developed for loss estimation. Diagrids are found to have a substantial collapse capacity but, the non-structural loss due to large maximum absolute floor acceleration may increase expected total loss. Lastly, a new framework is introduced for resilience quantification and rapid safety evaluation of building structures using data obtain (open full item for complete abstract)

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2019, Engineering and Applied Science: Civil Engineering

Buildings account for almost 75% of total electricity consumption and nearly 40% of CO2 emissions in the US. Improving the energy-efficiency of buildings is one of the most effective and affordable ways to decrease greenhouse gas emissions on a large scale. Thus, Energy Modelling Software (EMS) are required to analyze a building for its energy use. These software are designed to evaluate energy performance of buildings during design phase, and not for buildings that already exist. For existing buildings, any attempt to evaluate energy-efficiency strategies should begin by understanding how it currently consumes energy by constructing its model in the software. The goal of this research is to better understand how Existing University Buildings (EUB)s use energy, to determine what factors impact the energy consumption and how changes in these factors affect its energy consumption. It also evaluates potential use of existing energy modelling software for simulating energy consumption of an existing building and provides recommendation on how to improve simulation results and reduce energy consumption. The methodology included analyzing architectural and HVAC equipment details of an existing building at University of Cincinnati, modeling the building in an EMS (eQUEST), comparing its utility consumption to actual data provided by the university, and performing a sensitivity analysis to determine factors affecting energy consumption. Recommendations on how to improve the energy simulation results and reduce the building's energy consumption were then developed.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Thermal comfort is an important factor in designing high-quality buildings. The well-conditioned environment can keep occupants healthy and productive and ensure workplace safety. The heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system plays an important role in providing and maintaining indoor thermal comfort for buildings. The faults in an HVAC system not only waste energy but also cause poor thermal comfort, building-related illnesses, or even safety accidents. This research adopted the model-based method to detect and diagnose the faults in a selected HVAC system. First, a simulation model of the case study building was created and validated based on both energy and thermal performance. Then, by comparing the indoor air temperatures between the simulation model and the real situation, three common types of faults in the HVAC system were detected for summer and winter, including: 1) control fault, 2) facility fault, and 3) design fault. In addition, the simulation fault was identified in the winter time. For each type of faults, the corresponding solutions were proposed, which will help building operators to locate and solve the faults quickly and accurately. As another important factor to designing high-quality buildings, building energy efficiency could reduce building's energy consumption and their environmental footprint. To lower buildings' significant energy consumption and high impacts on environmental sustainability, recent years have witnessed rapidly growing interests in efficient HVAC precooling control and optimization. However, due to the complex analytical modeling of building thermal transfer, rigorous mathematical optimization for HVAC precooling is highly challenging. As a result, progress on HVAC precooling optimization remains limited in the literature. One of the main contributions of this research is to overcome the aforementioned challenge and propose an accurate and tractable HVAC precooling optimization framework. The main results are (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Sciences (Engineering), Case Western Reserve University, 2019, EECS - Electrical Engineering

This thesis discusses an integrated tripartite method of building performance evaluation, analysis, and improvement. This method is described and explained through the context of studies involving the Olin Building on the campus of Case Western Reserve University. The three methods of design analysis, data collection, and fieldwork are introduced, and performance is defined as an optimization of comfort, energy efficiency, and reliability. Relevant history of the building's construction and renovation are discussed, including insights developed by the author regarding the consequences of various design features and modifications. Olin's major renovation in 1996 is a major focus, and the current controls installed in the building are discussed in detail. Data collection and analytical methods used and devised by the author are reviewed, and effective fieldwork techniques are outlined. The author concludes by summarizing major themes, illustrating accomplishments in Olin, and enumerating future work that could be done.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2016, Engineering

Variable Air Volume (VAV) systems are the most popular HVAC systems in commercial buildings. VAV systems are designed to deliver airflows at design conditions which only occur for a few hours in a year. Minimizing energy use in VAV systems requires reducing the amount of airflow delivered through the system at part load conditions. Air Handling Unit (AHU) fans are the major drivers of airflow in VAV systems and installing a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) is the most common method of regulating airflow in VAV systems. A VFD drive does not necessarily save energy without use of an appropriate control strategy. Static pressure reset (SPR) is considered to be the most energy efficient control strategy for AHU fans with VFDs installed. The implementation of SPR however has many challenges; for example, rogue zones—zones which have faulty sensors or failed controls and actuators, system dynamics like hunting and system diversity. By investigating the parameters associated with the implementation of SPR in VAV systems, a new, improved, more stable SPR algorithm was developed and validated. This approach was further improved using Fault Detection and Diagnostics (FDD) to eliminate rogue zones. Additionally, a CO2-Demand Control Ventilation (DCV) based minimum airflow control was used to further reduce ventilation airflow and save more energy from SPR. Energy savings ranging from 25% to 51% were recorded in actual buildings with the new SPR algorithm. Finally, a methodology that utilizes historical VAV data was developed to estimate the potential savings that could be realized using SPR. The approach employed first determines an effective system loss coefficient as a function of mean damper position using the historical duct static pressure, VAV damper positions and airflows. Additionally, the historical data is used to identify the maximum mean duct damper position realizable as a result of insuring a sufficient number of VAVs are fully open at any time. Savings ar (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2015, Industrial and Systems Engineering (Engineering and Technology)

The workforce is becoming more age diverse. Approximately seven in ten older adults say they will continue to work full or part time instead of retire (Khan, Rutledge, & Wu, 2014). Therefore, people of different age groups working together will be common across many industries. In this experiment, age diverse teams participated in three different lean simulations. The purpose of this research was to determine if lean simulations could improve team performance in age diverse teams. Assessments were used to determine if the experiment improved perceptions of age diversity and which activity reduced age salience and improved team interactions the most. Results indicated that appreciation of age diversity and team interpersonal processes were not statistically significant. Salience of age diversity was statistically significant between age groups and over time for the younger age group. Additionally, type of task was significantly related to how well participants perceived team interaction.

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2010, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Architecture (Master of)

The building skin provides opportunity to significantly impact the success of a built project. It is responsible for serving a multitude of performative functions as well as providing the visiting card of the building. It mediates between the in and out. The facade is often exploited and developed as a marketing tool, representing the identity of the institution it serves. As Leatherbarrow stated, “The idea of the facade as a distinct representational face of the building has existed since the late medieval and early Renaissance periods.” My thesis inquires if existing, run-down buildings can be renovated and rehabilitated using the building skin as the primary tool for the renovation. As buildings deteriorate and fail to have the ability to accommodate its users and modern building systems, they are often demolished. This destruction fails to take advantage of the existing structure and economic conditions as well as completely eliminates cultural recognition and identity of the community in which it is built. Renovation through recladding achieves a number of established goals. The reclad accounts for higher performance and efficiency. It also allows the client to present the proper identity and image through a high level of aesthetic quality. The thesis suggests that a renovation through a recladding process will be able to achieve the said goals as well as maintain cultural recognition and the identity of the community.

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2009, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Architecture (Master of)

Our expectations for a building's usefulness have become less permanent. As user needs change rapidly, buildings often outlive their intended use. Buildings that are purpose-built are difficult to adapt and costly to renovate; conventional construction methods yield results that are too permanent. Demolition and new construction is costly, time consuming, and detrimental to the environment. Off-site fabrication provides greater efficiency by cutting waste and on-site construction time.Buildings - like the neighborhoods they occupy - are not static and need adjustment to remain attractive, safe and useful. Buildings must be planned and constructed differently to adapt for changing functions, standards of use and modification. The aim of this research is to offer potential solutions and demonstrate the benefits of integrating off-site fabrication with adaptable design strategies. The project is a high-rise building in an urban context that tests the integration of these two methods.

BUP/MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2008, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Community Planning

Asset Mapping utilizes the concepts of physical capital, human capital, and social capital, as a holistic way of evaluation for revitalization and economic development. Challenges exist within most communities and focusing on only one aspect of development and/or revitalization separate from the others is not beneficial in the long run for sustainable planning and more often than not causes a disconnection between residents, organizations, and local/regional institutions. Asset Mapping encourages cooperation between the components of a community that make it work, or not, and examines the structures of process. A capacity building initiative, Asset Mapping focuses on positive resources instead of needs and problems, encouraging momentum towards networking that can build a strong foundation connecting social and institutional dichotomy. Asset Mapping makes it easier to deal with community negatives by identifying and accentuating the positive resources which can be utilized efficiently and directly to resolve challenges and issues.

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2003, Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning : Community Planning

A future with a diminishing supply of nonrenewable resources is raising concerns in every aspect of our lives. The phrase ‘sustainable' or ‘green' development is being used to describe a wide variety of issues that take these concerns into consideration during the planning, design, and implementation process. In an effort to increase the number of green buildings developed throughout the country the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) established the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Guidelines. The guidelines are a framework which assists members of a development team to quantify whether or not a project is in fact ‘green' or ‘sustainable'. The guidelines provide a step by step approach within several categories associated with green development. The goals of this paper will be to explore how the guidelines have already been implemented on a city level in an effort to encourage the development of green buildings. Along with an understanding of how the guidelines have been used to promote green development, there will be a discussion of what the potential benefits of green development would be if implemented on a county level and why such practices have not already occurred.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2011, EDU Policy and Leadership

Student neighborhoods near urban university campuses are unique neighborhood settings. Social problems resulting from thousands of college aged students living in dense enclaves in neighborhoods near university campuses are numerous. Rioting, high crime, negative neighbor relations and poor living conditions are examples of the many problems of the student neighborhood. As universities develop and implement strategies to address the challenges of the campus proximal student neighborhood, research must guide those practices. This study examines the effects of a specific community building program sponsored by a large mid-western research university located in a large metropolitan setting on social outcomes in the densely populated student neighborhood adjacent to its campus. The community building program is designed by Student Life staff to strengthen social ties and community in the student neighborhood. Social disorganization theory and sociological approaches to the study of neighborhoods are used to theorize important exogenous and intervening independent variables relevant to the student neighborhood context. These independent variables include demographic structures such as race, gender, age and socioeconomic status along with intervening structures such as friendship density, network associations (university versus neighborhood) and participation in university sponsored programs to build community. Dependent variables include social ties, sense of community, perceptions of informal social control and neighborhood satisfaction. Regression analysis is used to determine the extent to which participation in university community building programs predicts the outcome variables. The study concludes that participation in university sponsored programs has effects on social ties and perception of informal social control in the student neighborhood. Gender and race were found to negatively predict social ties formation. The study also concludes that livin (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2010, Social Work

The importance of the principal has been found to be a critical factor in student and school success. School principal responsibilities traditionally encompass operations and management. However, many principals are unable to fulfill these expectations because of students' social and behavioral issues. Consequently, this qualitative study explored principals' perceptions, experiences, and resources needed to address non-academic barriers to learning. Tape-recorded semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations, and a demographic questionnaire provided the sources for data collection. The purposive sample was comprised of 19 principals from urban and suburban schools. Grounded-theory methods and a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software program were used to analyze data. Following data analysis, four major themes emerged: (1) the hustle; (2) support from home; (3) it-factor; and (4) student baggage. Additionally, three sub-themes emerged: (a) relationship building; (b) the need for additional pupil-support services; and (c) university training. The findings revealed that principals believe that specific resources are needed to address non-academic barriers to learning, including: (1) additional pupil-support staff; (2) more parental involvement to bridge home to school; (3) collegiate courses on non-academic barriers; and(4)educator training on rapport-building skills. The results of this study provide information for educators to identify gaps in knowledge preparation to work more effectively with students and families. The results also inform educators of pupil-support service staff of appropriate methods for combating non-academic barriers to learning and providing resources in schools. This study is beneficial for school social workers for understanding the needs of education administrators, resource service gaps in school systems, and avenues to advocate for change with education reform policies. Recommendations for school social work re (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Architecture, The Ohio State University, 2009, Architecture

The paper explores the notion of a digital detail for the design and the fabrication of a multi per formative building skin. The performative aspects of the building skins are inquired using a taxonomy which classifies the envelope according to the materials, the structural system, the passive thermal strategies, the transparency and the construction techniques. The research proves the need for a rational computational approach, a digital detail that integrates the materiality, the performance and the fabrication techniques. The method employs an algorithmic process that synthesizes the information from a double curved surface to construct an emergent, a performative and an intricate detail. The process uses a recursive computing technique to generate the variations, which makes it difficult to decide a discrete moment where the transformation happens from structure to transparency or vice versa. The material and tectonic implications of the process are addressed in a smaller scale, using a material that simulates the fabrication and construction technique.

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2006, Environmental Studies (Arts and Sciences)

This thesis addresses the obstacles and opportunities of incorporating principles of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System in a new building project, the Integrated Learning and Research Facility (ILRF), located on the Ohio University campus. Through review of ILRF project documents, interviews with Ohio University building planning and maintenance staff as well as design professionals from private firms, and a literature review, obstacles were identified. These obstacles include a lack of interest in LEED from project owners, an inadequate knowledge of LEED by the design team, insufficient funding mechanisms for green features, a lack of incentives for project architects to pursue LEED, and the need for more data regarding performance of existing buildings on campus. A literature review, a detailed examination of ILRF project meeting minutes, and interviews with Ohio University building planning and maintenance staff as well as design professionals from private firms, are used to make recommendations for future efforts to incorporate LEED into building design on the Ohio University campus.

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2006, Environmental Studies (Arts and Sciences)

This thesis aims to evaluate the lighting efficiency of three Ohio University campus buildings. The primary research question is: What are the short- versus long-term costs and benefits to Ohio University of renovating the lighting systems of these older buildings? The research was conducted as a case study with examination of two subquestions: What types of lighting fixtures are currently being used and how efficient are they? How efficient can proposed lighting fixtures be? Results indicate that the cost of installing more energy-efficient lighting fixtures can be quickly recaptured in older buildings. With replacing the present lighting fixtures Ohio University would pay approximately 2.5 times less than it pays currently for the lighting utilities cost of the case study buildings. With these energy savings it would take 3 to 4 years to reclaim the money spent for reinstallation of the energy-efficient lighting fixtures.

MFA, Kent State University, 2010, College of the Arts / School of Art

My thesis body of work is the conclusion of a study that began ten years ago. The processes I employed in this show began as an idea that lay dormant in my mind four years. After returning to clay the idea became a study. I named the process I designed the Dimpling Technique. After many explorations and refinements to the origins of the process it has soared. My thesis walks one through the development and exploration of the Dimpling Technique. It is not the end but only the beginning of my work. There are endless avenues yet to explore with the Dimpling Technique.