PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2004, Education : Criminal Justice

This study investigates the concept of criminality of place, specifically considering residential theft (i.e., residential burglary and residential larceny). By utilizing official police records, this study examined the spatial distribution of theft across residential locations in a large, Midwestern city. Land parcel level analyses were conducted using geographic information systems (GIS), tabular analyses, logistic regression, and a spatial-scan statistic. The results showed that not only were thefts not uniformly distributed among residential locations, but that a few locations (less than five percent) were responsible for most of the thefts reported to the police. Further, the spatial-scan statistic analysis indicated that that risk of residential theft is significantly clustered at relatively few places and the non-random distribution is likely due to some underlying risk factors. Finally, this study then examined the characteristics of these locations to determine whether elements of social disorganization, routine activities or an integrated theory perspective resulted in the prediction of these high theft incident locations. The results showed that a combined model had more predictive ability than either theory alone.

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2020, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice

Residential facilities are commonly used for treatment of serious juvenile offenders. However, the costs associated with housing youth in these facilities, along with the weak and inconsistent evidence to support their effectiveness, have raised questions about their utility. To date, much of the literature has focused on whether residential placement reduces recidivism. Yet, a growing body of literature has focused on the health status and the health needs of youth in these facilities. Understanding these aspects and how they might affect youths' treatment outcomes served as the primary motivation for the current study, which was conducted in a juvenile residential treatment facility located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Data were collected from the residents' archived files covering 2017 to 2019 (N = 99). The results suggested most youth entered this facility with pre-existing health conditions, including mental, sexual, and physical health challenges. Many youths also presented with an extensive record of risky sexual behaviors and adverse childhood experiences. The results also shed light on availability and utilization of health services, such that some youth refused to take advantage of health services they were offered at the facility. Substance use disorder and ADHD were the most prevalent mental health diagnoses, followed by anxiety and depression. The symptoms associated with these conditions, along with the treatment interventions the residents received, appeared to affect youths' successful participation in the program.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2013, Higher Education (Education)

The study explored transfer alumni perceptions of their community college and university experiences, their alumni affinity as measured by the frequency of alumni engagement with each institution, and what motivates that engagement. Study participants rated their university experiences more positively than those at their community college and reported engaging in more alumni activities with their university than their community college. Based on the findings, recommendations for practitioners include enhanced documentation and communication of the learning and development outcomes gained through the community college experience, increased university support services for transfer students, and increased community college outreach efforts with alumni.

MSARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2012, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

Housing in Slovenia is caught in the intersection between its modernizing, capitalist housing market and their traditional, or colloquial reliance on localized social systems. This collision is evidenced in their current residential mobility rate, which is exceedingly low for a country on the free market. Instead of approaching the discussion from a critique of residential immobility, as is common in Western housing studies, this thesis reverses the argument. The flip side of residential immobility is understood as an increased degree of permanence; residential permanence. Permanence, according to sense of community theory, is place-based, creates an increased sense of belonging, and is an active participant in the construction of identity. While the transitioning Slovenian housing market attempts to provide more diverse housing options, it will, in effect increase residential mobility. Subsequently, those social systems that grounded the traditions of permanence are in danger of being lost. While the intersection between the traditional mode of permanence and modern mode of mobility is discussed in the Slovenian context, the value of both modes will provide a timely reflection on housing in the US. As a system that is heavily dependent on the economic participation of the housing industry, the US housing market, in recent years, has dramatically reduced its residential mobility rate. As a reflection, this study will introduce a new perspective into the contemporary US housing debate that illuminates the value of residential permanence in situations of immobility.

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2006, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Architecture (Master of)

In recent years, university spending on housing has experienced huge growth, because universities have begun placing a new importance on student housing, considering it to be an important part of the “total university experience.” Student housing holds enormous potential to contribute to the overall goals of a university, as well as to the development of students by providing opportunities in which living, learning and socializing happen simultaneously. The residential college system infuses social and educational opportunities into campus housing by including social spaces and opportunities for students to interact with faculty in a more intimate residential setting. This thesis will investigate how the ideas of the residential college system can be translated into design principles and strategies in order to enhance the way in which student housing contributes to development of students and the goals of the university.

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2013, Educational Leadership

The purpose of this project was to put voice to residential educator experiences in order to understand their experiences. Residential educators were defined here as persons teaching in overnight settings where education was not the primary setting purpose; these settings were designed to house, treat, and punish youth. What was it like to teach in settings where education was not the primary purpose? What was it like to teach in setting where education was not privileged? What were the experiences of REs working a residential setting with youth identified as multi-risk? Were there common themes across these settings? I utilized a grounded approach and weaved ideas about care (Noddings, 1994, 2003, 2006), notions about the search for meaning as a universal experience (Frankl, 1984), and general feminist theories including a specific focus on Chela Sandoval's Methodology of the Oppressed (2000) and differential movement within their stories. Results of the present study indicated that residential educators constructed their students as wholly abandoned educationally and otherwise. While they admittedly contributed to the societal abandonment process, educators concurrently conveyed a sense of responsibility to both their students and society. Their youth representations both aligned with and conflicted with cultural constructions of youth as problematic, needy, and troubled. New representations emerged as RE's commented about their students as “just kids,”; they reflected on the inhumanity of residential settings. These and similar comments provided clues to educators' experiences of care for their students and meaning in their work. It was across these spaces where educators located refuge from their workplace frustrations and discontent about widespread youth abandonment. Finally, each educator expressed a unique action style particular to his/her own perspectives and an (in)ability to manage the workplace and its particular multi-disciplinary perspectives and poli (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2005, Graduate School

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Regional Development Planning

In 2022, Qualified Allocation Plans (QAPs) for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) in Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee had various policies that favor construction using “green-rating systems” to improve energy consumption and reduce the carbon emissions of affordable housing, thereby addressing climate change. Green rating systems measure ecological techniques for optimizing energy efficiency in buildings. Yet, no one has investigated how green buildings impact LIHTC residents' utility bills or affect their well-being. The hypothesis underpinning this research is that housing developed with ecologically sustainable features improves the quality of life for LIHTC residents. The study also measured the impact of low rent and features promoting health on the residents' experience. This study contributes to knowledge about green building technology, residential satisfaction, and the planning process for administering LIHTC. Utilizing indicative Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) surveys, interviews were conducted with LIHTC residents living in four pairs of apartment complexes matched in all key respects except that one followed a green rating system (categorized as green); the other did not. The State Housing Finance Agencies (SHFAs) planners were interviewed to supplement the tenant responses and to understand the QAPs' goals. Developers, architects, and staff were interviewed to better appreciate the nuances of compliance with the green requirements in practice. The study combined qualitative data with quantitative survey data using software powered by artificial intelligence to record and transcribe the interviews. The findings indicate that green rating systems result in twenty-five to forty percent savings on tenant electric bills. Respondents from the green developments were more likely to agree that their home was energy efficient, with statistically significant results. On the other hand, green buildings cost more to develop, and these upf (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Studies and Public Affairs, Cleveland State University, 2024, Levin College of Public Affairs and Education

When designing fare structures, transit agencies are primarily concerned with generating revenue. They must however adhere to social justice goals set by transit governing bodies. Considering that travel is a derived demand, equitable access to public transportation enhances accessibility to desired destinations, especially for transit-dependent households. This three-essay dissertation addresses selected research questions in current transit pricing literature. The first essay examines the potential implications of fare capping policies for low-income transit users. The findings indicate that the introduction of monthly fare caps reduces total monthly fare expenditure among Extremely-Low-Income (ELI) riders and increases the likelihood of ELI riders earning unlimited monthly rides. The second essay explores how distance-based fares (DBF), compared to flat fare, potentially alters the travel expenditure of transit riders. This research finds that ELI riders experience significantly lower fare spending under a DBF system compared to a flat fare structure. The third essay tests current methodologies of extracting geodemographic information from mobile fare payment data. The findings show that land use type and the concentration of employment and housing in a neighborhood are significantly associated with the accuracy with which the residential locations of transit users can be inferred from mobile fare payment data. The analyses conducted in this dissertation are based on transit user activity data and survey data from a three-year federal grant led by NEORide, in partnership with multiple agencies in Ohio and Northern Kentucky. The research findings offer valuable insights into the current landscape of transit pricing and mobile fare payment technology in the United States.

Master of City and Regional Planning, The Ohio State University, 2024, City and Regional Planning

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has emerged as a cost-effective alternative to Light Rail Systems (LRT), yet its impact on urban land use remains understudied compared to rail-based transit systems. This study examines land use changes within a 0.5-mile buffer along the Red Line BRT corridor that passes through Apple Valley, Bloomington, Burnsville, and Eagan, Minnesota. Using before-after analysis ranging from 2010 to 2020, this study assesses and statistically describes the conversion of areas covered by other land uses to commercially and residentially oriented land uses post-BRT implementation in 2013. Results indicate a higher ratio of conversion within the buffer zone, suggesting some influence of the BRT corridor on land use dynamics, particularly in transitioning undeveloped land to single-family detached and retail/commercial uses.

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

The street serves as a connection point between the people that work within a city and the residents of that city's buildings. It is a place where people can interact and form social bonds with people of the same community. Interacting along the street and inside of the building allows for people to be more social; they seek and enjoy the companionship of others. The modern urban context has pushed people away from the street and minimized the opportunities for social life. It is important that the site responds in an effective way to reclaim the place of interaction with people. The lack of housing, the increase in remote work, and the disconnect from the street are all reasons that the city has become less social which can cause negative health effects for people in the long term. Downtown Louisville is in need of community-based mixed-use architecture that brings together the people that the city has made distant from each other.

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 0, Social Welfare

A residential move is a relatively common experience for families with children in the United States. Although research has documented a significant link between residential mobility and child development, less attention has been paid to residential moves during early adolescence and their impacts on socioemotional development. Moreover, the extant mobility research generally fails to address critical issues of selection bias in the relationship between residential mobility and children's developmental outcomes. Guided by Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory, the family stress model, and social capital theory, this study examined the effects of residential mobility during early adolescence (ages 9 to 15) on socioemotional development (age 15), and the extent to which these associations varied by household poverty and neighborhood collective efficacy. To test study aims, a secondary data analysis was conducted using data derived from a sample of 2,680 adolescents and their families from the Future Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS). A series of ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and inverse-probability of treatment weighted (IPTW) regression analyses were performed. A wide range of covariates from adolescents, mothers, households, and neighborhoods were included in all analyses. Additional sensitivity analyses were performed to test the robustness of study findings. Findings from OLS and IPTW analyses suggested that high residential mobility during early adolescence was significantly associated with higher levels of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. However, no evidence emerged of any moderating effect of either household poverty or neighborhood collective efficacy in the relationship between residential mobility and socioemotional development. These findings were robust to sensitivity analyses. Findings underscore the need of policy and practice actions that support highly mobile adolescents and their families or reduce the fr (open full item for complete abstract)

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2023, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

This thesis is chiefly an exploration of narrative drive in residential architecture. It draws from a set of so-called Archetypal Spaces, a term signifying dramatic spatial conditions which connect a user to primal experiences such as enclosure and overlook. Using these spaces as a brief, the project presents a series of five houses to be viewed as a public exhibition. The goal of such a presentation is to capture the imagination of the visitor and inspire a desire for an architecture which activates the subconscious mind and additionally creates a language with which a designer can speak to their client in order to create more specialized places.

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2023, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

Rising energy costs, inflation, and the ever-growing pressures of climate change have quickly forced people to reassess the construction methodology of residential construction. In addition, architectural reactions to the housing crisis vary widely, thus leaving many questions concerning economic and political stances towards residential construction methodology. This mixed reaction has caused a variety of responses, some of which have already been put into place, while others will not be implemented for the next decade. Many home builders have been forced to explore new building materials during the Covid 19 pandemic to overcome supply chain issues. These explorations range from simplified i-joist to higher-rated R-value materials to help create more efficient homes. This sparked discussions about why the housing industry has taken so long to adopt better construction methods. However, as economic inflation rises in a post-Covid world, these materials no longer help maintain somewhat affordable housing. Causing other builders, engineers, and architects to exploit newer construction methodologies. Many are already heavily used in other parts of the world yet have remained an anomaly in the United States housing market. In addition, they would require years of developing the necessary infrastructure to implement on a large scale. These newer methodologies range from various mass timber options to 3D printed homes and even modular homes. This thesis will focus on the exploration of a mass timber product called cross-laminated timber (CLT) construction and the possibility of it replacing stud frame construction in the next ten to twenty years. Using CLT as the primary building material to develop multiple prototype homes comparable in size to standard stud frame homes. Once developed, these CLT homes will be evaluated and compared to their stud frame counterparts to determine if this method could replace stud frame construction. Specific comparisons include (open full item for complete abstract)

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2023, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

Biophilic design, a design practice that promotes wellness through the connection of people and the natural world, has grown in popularity over the years but is often discussed only in the context of its implementation in large-scale architectural projects. As a practice that is regarded by many as overtly beneficial, it is intriguing that it is mainly discussed in terms of its application in the workplace or commercial projects when its most widespread benefit can be felt in the one place that almost everyone has in common: the home. The application of biophilic design in the home, while not a new topic, is one that is primarily skipped over or assumed to be out of reach for the majority of society. This practice should not be limited in this field due to the immense opportunity for far-reaching benefit that lies in making biophilic design practices widely available to projects at the smaller residential scale. Through familiarization with the major literature on biophilic design and an investigation into the ways in which biophilic practices have already been implemented in residential scale projects, this thesis will investigate how biophilic design practices are related to the idea of well-being for the user and how they can be generalized and executed on the residential scale in order to provide the benefits of nature in an extensive way. These general practices will be compiled in a comprehensive catalog, or pattern book, that will be used to inform the design of a series of biophilic home prototypes concentrated on providing maximum wellness benefits to its residents. This design will be documented through drawings and each of the different practices will be further described in the pattern book as to how they can be implemented and what specific benefits they provide to the user. This thesis will yield a resource for the application of biophilic design in the residential environment in the way of a pattern book of design applications that can provide (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2023, Environment and Natural Resources

The burning of fossil fuels for electricity production greatly endangers global sustainability. One strategy in combatting this issue is the widespread adoption of household renewable energy sources such as residential photovoltaic systems (RPVS). Effective communication strategies are critical for promoting solar diffusion at the household level. One important factor in this process is the messenger who disseminates solar information. Known as the ‘messenger effect', one who communicates a message can influence how their audience perceive and respond to a product, which can shape future behaviors. Three pre-registered studies explore this effect in several dimensions of consumer engagement with RPVS. Study 1 reveals that traits differ across various messenger types, finding higher levels of warmth, trust, and vulnerability in known messengers compared to unfamiliar messengers and higher levels of dominance in entity messengers compared to their individual representatives. Study 2 explores whether these differences will influence consumer engagement with the technology, finding neighbors elicit higher levels of openness to learning. Study 3 builds on previous findings to examine the influence of message delivery platforms with results indicating neighbors who share about RPVS via phone calls increase the likelihood of future conversations. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2022, Medicine: Industrial Hygiene (Environmental Health)

Residential air quality, when compromised by bioaerosols and airborne black carbon, can affect dwellers and some workers. One booming profession of concern is the home healthcare occupation. Home healthcare workers are exposed to harmful airborne contaminants during their duty in their clients' homes which represent their workplaces, and during their commute to work. However, no occupational standard exists to protect them. Therefore, assessing potential hazards and thereby, initiating the establishment of such standards is important. The central objective of this study was to characterize and evaluate bioaerosols indoors and outdoors of a residential site, to compare novel real-time measurements to various traditional off-line methods (TOLMs), and to investigate the correlation between bioaerosols and black carbon concentrations. Indoor and outdoor residential bioaerosols were assessed and compared. A wideband integrated bioaerosol sensor (WIBS) was used to measure in real-time fluorescent aerosol particles (FAPs), which were further classified into seven types: A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, and ABC. The number concentrations of total aerosol particles (TAPs), total fluorescent aerosol particles (TFAPs) and most individual FAP types were significantly higher indoors than outdoors. TFAP fraction (TFAPs/TAPs) was significantly higher indoors (23%) than outdoors (19%). Type A particles (bacteria) dominated indoors, while types B, BC and ABC particles dominated outdoors. A substantial portion of bioparticles (> 95%) were of size < 2 µm. The small size of most bioparticles can represent a potential health risk. Indoor environments can have high bioaerosol concentrations and may need regular assessment. Choosing the appropriate method to measure bioaerosols still remains a challenge. Residential bioaerosols were concurrently measured using the direct-reading WIBS and four TOLMs, including optical microscopic counting, microbial cultivation, quantitative polymerase c (open full item for complete abstract)

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2022, Medicine: Industrial Hygiene (Environmental Health)

Home healthcare workers (HHCWs) are exposed to numerous hazards within the patient's residence. These workers have no control over residential workplace hazards such as safety, chemicals, second-hand smoke, biohazards, and bioaerosols, which are all contingent on a given home and its environmental conditions. Examples of bioaerosols include bacteria, fungi, pollen, and viruses. Currently, there are no occupational health and safety regulations for HHCWs employed in patient homes; however, such provisions are published for healthcare settings such as hospitals. Unfortunately, exposure assessment is challenging due to the nature of HHCWs job duties as well as cross-contamination, cost, and instrument operation requirements. Therefore, the development of a practical approach to collect and interpret data to predict and prevent bioaerosol exposures to HHCWs is required. This dissertation aimed at understanding how home healthcare workers are exposed to bioaerosols and what types of bioaerosols are present within a residence during everyday activities. Bioaerosol concentrations were measured in different ventilation, spatial, and temporal conditions using a novel technology: a fluorescence-based direct-reading instrument (InstaScope, DetectionTek, Boulder, CO, USA). The effect of seven activities of daily living (bedsheet changing, cooking, dusting, showering, sleeping, vacuuming, and walking) on bioaerosol generation was studied. Higher concentrations of pollen and fungi were consistently measured compared to bacteria. Further, the concentrations of fluorescent particles were higher than non-fluorescent particles. Showering, cooking, and bedsheet changing experiments were found to have increased bioaerosol concentrations compared to dusting, sleeping, vacuuming, and walking. Next, PM10 and PM2.5, both categorized as total and biological particles, were investigated. The objective was to characterize the spatial and temporal variation of bioaerosol concentrations (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2022, Educational Leadership

Financial literacy is a tool necessary for navigating adulthood, often overlooked when preparing students for college decision-making. Despite the lack of preparation, research indicates financial issues as one of the most significant concerns for student retention, affecting first-generation and minority students the most. The purpose of this study is to improve the financial literacy of first-year students at Texas A&M University-Commerce, a mid-sized institution with a majority-minority student population. This mixed-method action research study uses surveys and interviews to establish themes around the perceived financial literacy of students from a sample of first-year students, business faculty, and campus housing staff. The themes emerging from the analyses show a lack of knowledge and willingness to learn about the five chosen financial concepts and a need for progressive program-based education that includes campus-wide participation. The action plan resulting from the data analysis includes the implementation of expanding the current residential curriculum to include financial literacy learning outcomes. The residential curriculum process includes creating an interdepartmental task force including both faculty and staff, creating collaborative and progressive workshops, and meetings to collect and analyze data for the continual growth of the action plan. Success is based on student participation and feedback from surveys. Implementation of the first phase would take a minimum of two years. The first is to be used for development, and the second for a full cycle implementation. The budget for the implementation is low. Stakeholders involved in the task force will provide space and marketing for programs. The largest resource to manage is the time commitment of the faculty and staff implementing the action plan. This study involves a campus-wide process of understanding first-year students and their perspective on their financial literacy while developin (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2022, Environment and Natural Resources

Coyotes (Canis latrans) are now commonplace in cities across the United States, and bobcats (Lynx rufus) are growing in numbers within city limits as years pass. These generalist mesocarnivores have adapted their behaviors to thrive in an anthropogenic environment. This phenomenon is largely unnoticed by much of the public. However, humans have struggled to adapt their behaviors in response to the increased presence of mesocarnivores in cities. The urban public in the United States is generally uncertain how to foster a healthy relationship with wildlife in urban areas. Management agencies tend to be more reactive rather than proactive in dealing with carnivores, but proactive management may be necessary to foster human-carnivore co-existence in urban areas. We sought to better understand residents' judgements of appropriate responses to interactions with coyotes and bobcats in scenarios not involving a threat to human safety. To do this we conducted cross-sectional surveys of adult residents of the United States and the state of Ohio and embedded randomly assigned carnivore interaction scenarios in which respondents were asked to choose the most appropriate method of predator control in response to each scenario. In our first study (chapter 2) we determined the likelihood that an individual would switch their preferred method of predator control between two human-mesocarnivore scenarios. We found that switching was predicted best by the location in which the scenarios occurred (i.e., residential or agricultural area) and second by an increase in severity between the two scenarios' context. Interestingly, a variety of cognitive (e.g., wildlife value orientations, affect towards the species of carnivore) and demographic (e.g., gender, level of urbanization in respondent residency) factors identified in prior studies is impacting judgments about the acceptability of various types of control had no impact on the odds of a respondent preferring the same form of predat (open full item for complete abstract)