Master of Environmental Science, Miami University, 2014, Environmental Sciences

Through the Master of Environmental Science program with the Institute for the Environment and Sustainability (IES) and my time as an intern with the environmental consulting firm, Parsons Corporation, I have gained a significant amount of knowledge and experience for work within the environmental consulting field. I now have a clear understanding of the environmental laws and regulations that are relevant to the permitting process for pipeline construction projects. I am capable of conducting low-flow groundwater sampling projects. I have gained experience with wetland mitigation and wetland delineation, and I have found a niche within this industry. Through the courses offered in the IES program, I was able to gain the skills necessary to be successful in the consulting field. This program taught me the importance of stakeholder input, clear communication and teamwork, and has led me to a bright future in the consulting industry.

Committee: Vincent Hand PhD (Advisor); Jason Rech PhD (Committee Member); Richard Munson PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Health; Environmental Law; Environmental Science

MS, Kent State University, 2022, College of Architecture and Environmental Design

The construction industry's environmental impact is a growing concern, necessitating a shift towards sustainable practices. The construction industry is the leading cause of carbon emissions and greenhouse gases (Globalabc, 2019). The global construction industry is increasingly likely to fall short of the promise of the Paris Agreement to decarbonize by 2050 (Paris Agreement, 2015). To reach the goal, our standard for sustainability and environmental sustainability must be higher. As the paradigm of construction and materials shifts towards sustainable practices, we must conduct a comprehensive assessment of different materials and processes. This research introduces a comprehensive approach to the environmental assessment of Mass Timber, specifically cross-laminated timber (CLT) using the Environmental Value Engineering (EVE) methodology. When comparing different environmental assessment methodologies such as cost-benefit analysis, Life Cycle Cost Analysis, Input-Output Analysis, EMERGY analysis, and EVE analysis it was found that only EVE is the unique methodology that incorporates all the inputs of Environment, Fuel, Goods, and Services throughout the life cycle. Acknowledging the environmental challenges posed by construction, the study focuses on comparing the environmental effects of CLT. Analyzing each life cycle phase, including the resource formation stages, is crucial as the raw material for mass timber is renewable and comes from nature. Grounded in the need for a holistic assessment method, the study aims to bridge gaps in the evaluation of the environmental effect of cross-laminated timber. It employs a quantitative and qualitative approach, utilizing EMERGY values as the cornerstone for the analysis. From the EVE analysis, the Transformity of the cross-laminated timber was determined to be 6.48E+11 solar emjoules/board foot. The EMERGY of a 20'X10' CLT panel was calculated to be 8.91E+14 SEJ. The analysis of individual life cycle phases revealed tha (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. Lameck Onsarigo (Committee Chair); Dr. Anthony Mirando (Committee Member); Dr. Simon Adamtey (Committee Member) Subjects: Architectural; Architecture; Civil Engineering; Environmental Engineering; Environmental Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Public Health

Background: Occupational exposure to airborne chemical agents is a concern for thousands of workers in the United States. Regulatory limits determine the level at which workers may be exposed to chemical agents, and exposure over these limits may indicate a risk for health hazards. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate exposure to specific airborne chemical agents by industry group, by occupation group, and over time using occupational exposure monitoring data in order to determine potential groups of workers that should be targeted for intervention and future research. In addition, this study used an auto-coding program in order to code the free text job descriptions to standardized occupation codes for the first time, as only industry was provided as a standardized code within the applied dataset. Methods: The study employed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) and Occupational Safety and Health Information System (OIS) databases to evaluate personal air monitoring samples taken from 1979 through 2015. The OSHA IMIS/OIS is the largest occupational exposure database in the United States. Analyses were conducted in SAS. Exceedance fractions over an agent's threshold limit value (TLV) or permissible exposure limit (PEL) were calculated through frequency analyses and linear regression was used to determine changes in geometric mean of exposure level over time. Statistical procedures included using logistic regression and mixed-model analyses to obtain odds ratios for the likelihood of exposure over an agent's TLV or PEL in comparison to other industry or occupation groups. The NIOSH Industry and Occupation Computerized Coding System (NIOCCS) version 3.0 was used to auto-code free text job descriptions into standardized occupation codes. Results: Examination of benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylene (BTEX) occupational exposure indicated that manufacturing industry groups inclu (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Michael Bisesi PhD (Advisor); John Crawford PhD (Advisor); Carolyn Sommerich PhD (Committee Member); Christopher Weghorst PhD (Committee Member); Olorunfemi Adetona PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Occupational Health; Public Health

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2015, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Community Planning

The Jeju naval base is a huge construction project that will bring about roughly 7,000 new people to the population in the small village of Gangjeong, Jeju Island, Korea. The village population of Gangjeong is about 5,000 residents and they have relied on the local environment. Thus, the large construction project has generated several kinds of issues, including environmental, local social, economic, and so forth. Although the authorities of Jeju naval base have argued that the base should be helpful for the village in terms of local economy primarily, many experts have be concerned about the negative impacts of Jeju naval base causing problems of environment, society, and economy, especially in the tourism industry.

Committee: Danilo Palazzo Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Carla Chifos Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Urban Planning

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2008, Engineering : Civil Engineering

One of the ongoing challenges in the quest to make the built environment more sustainable is to identify and mitigate environmental impacts in all phases of buildings, from design phase, to construction, to Building Use/Maintenance and finally end of life phases. In this study a comparison of life cycle environmental burdens of constructing Composite Metal Deck and Hollow Core floor systems for commercial buildings by using a Hybrid Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach is carried out. The study covers material extraction (cradle-to-gate) and construction (gate-to-gate) phases and includes a detailed assessment of both direct and supply chain impacts. A comprehensive set of results is obtained from the study. These results are presented in several categories for comparative assessment - energy use, Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), PM10 and VOC emissions. Other categories include solid waste and liquid emissions. The overall conclusion from this study can be summarized as follows:(1)Total environmental burdens from Composite Metal Deck floor are higher than Hollow Core floor for all emissions considered. The environmental burdens from Composite Metal Deck floor range from 8% higher for SO2 to 32% higher for HC; (2) Hollow Core floor impacts in the Construction phase are higher compared to Composite Metal Deck floor; (3) Composite Metal Deck floor impacts are higher than Hollow Core floor in the Material extraction and Production phase.

Committee: Cynthia Tsao PhD (Committee Chair); Jeffrey Molavi PhD (Committee Member); Mingming Lu PhD (Committee Member); Margaret Kupferle PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2006, Civil Engineering

Evaluating the performance of user safety of an environment against crimes has many challenges. Firstly, safety is not a quantity that can be measured. Although many statistical measurements are used as a reference for safety performance analysis, they do not reflect the real condition of the environment. Secondly, the relationship between crimes and environmental designs need to be clarified so improvements of the design can be justified. Thirdly, an indicator that can be used as a standard of the safety performance of the environment must be established in order to prioritize the improvement. Lastly, a program that demonstrates the evaluation of the safety performance analysis is needed to facilitate the evaluation process. This research focuses on the examinations of factors that affect the safety of users in a constructed environment, specifically a campus parking garage. Two survey data sets were used for statistical analysis. One data set was derived from a study in 2004 that prescribed the Crime Prevention through Environmental Design approach as the primary tool against crimes and as the basis for safety evaluation. The second set of data was from an Internet survey which included 12 parking garages at The Ohio State University. This survey was conducted in 2006 for the compilation of the responses of users and for determining the environmental designs. The result of this study shows that 5 independent environmental factors: completeness of safety components, distance, illumination, environmental isolation, and circulation can be used to explain the variation of safety performance for campus parking garages. A computer program named Safety Performance Analyzer for Constructed Environments was built for the safety evaluation of the environment and demonstration of the optimal solution with intelligence embedded in the program. Functions of this program include database queries for the survey result, demonstration of results of the factor analysis, design of t (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Fabian Hadipriono (Advisor) Subjects: