Spring Thesis Proposals Part II

Alexandria Keeble

A Discourse Analysis of Stakeholder Positions Regarding Reopening the Gold Mine at Wolf Creek, Nevada County, California

In order to get a better idea of how people view the mines and other stake holders Alexandria is going to do a discourse analysis based on previously identified stake holder groups. Dresden is the primary informant for discourse theory and how Alex has designed her study. To do this  study she will use the Qtest which in general terms is to administer surveys to determine how stakeholder groups think the other group members see them and how they see themselves. This will provide insight into how the discourse is working in regards to the reopening of a mine. She will be interviewing members from various stakeholder groups and then doing analytical comparisons about how they ranked statements in interviews. From this analysis she hopes to shed light onto groups functioning opinions of others and what their opinions really are. This may make it possible for these groups to work together more closely instead of assuming they stand on different sides of the issue.

Shannon Feeny

Impacts of Anthropogenic and Natural Stressors on Southern California Eelgrass Ecosystems for Regenerative Planning and Management”

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is a federally protected marine seagrass due to its importance as a fish nursery, predation refuge and food source. It is estimated that there are less than 5000 acres of eelgrass today in the Southern California area. It is protected under the Southern Caifornia Eelgrass Mitigation Policy (SCEMP) revision 11. The overarching question is how can eelgrass stressors be identified, altered and avoided in order to create sustainable eelgrass communities that promote greater biodiversity throughout Southern California coastal areas? Shannon proposes to measure the following variables – dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, conductivity, salinity, fecal coliform bacteria, turbidity, temperature, nitrates, phosphate, and pH. Data collection will be at Peters Landing Marina and Jack Dunster Marine Biological Reserve. In addition to the chemical differences she will measure the number of shoots per meter and the overall size of the beds to determine health and density. Data will be analyzed statistically to aid in her understanding.

 

Eric-Valentin Issertes-Carbonnier

Adaptive Building Envelopes:Integration of Transitional Technologies”

The subject of Eric’s research are building envelopes. Traditionally they are perceived as static and non-participatory within our active environment. Adaptive building envelopes are a concept that integrates transitional technologies, which couple building performance and the natural environment. The main objective of this research is to prototype an adaptable building envelope inspired by a combination of innovative passive and active technologies known as transitional technologies. The main research questions of this proposal are: How can transitional technologies enhance a building envelope’s affinity with the exterior and interior environment to reduce energy consumption? What are the emergent regenerative qualities of adaptable building envelopes? The testing will be completed using computer analysis and physical testing. Data loggers will be used to measure internal temperatures and automated building functions will also be tested. Integration of automated functions offer a greater capacity to improve indoor thermal comfort and reduce building energy consumption while maintaining an affinity with the natural environment.

Spring Thesis Proposals Part I

Enrique Huerta

Exploring an Environmental Impact Reports Value Sharing Process: A Case Study of a Transit Oriented Development

Enrique is proposing to analyze the practices of urban planners involved in developing the North Hollywood area at the end of the Red subway line. Transit oriented developments (TODs) are high density living and working areas. TOD tries to connect different land uses and create dense land use around transit areas. He will interview people involved in TOD approval and analyze the gap between vision goals and outcomes.

 

Rachel Camp:

California School Gardens: Structure, Funding, and Community Participation

School gardens have been a part of the modern educational movement since the mid 1800’s. These gardens teach subjects like science, nutrition, history, math, and can be literature supplements. In addition to academic subjects they are used to teach social skills, cooperation, critical thinking and reasoning. Rachel proposes to do site visits in order to determine which practices gardens are doing. These practices will be observed in person and analyzed through interviews with garden managers. Practices will be judged based on how regenerative they are, how common they are, and how successful they are. Gardens will be chosen randomly to reflect different climate zones and areas of California. All participating schools will be public institutions to insure a common base line of academic standards. A better understanding of school gardens and finding ways to encourage them is critical to a healthy future and a secure food system.

Allison Okihiro

Regenerative Design in the Field of Landscape Architecture: Theory, Impediments, Applications and Future

Over the course of the history of landscape architecture, particular design methodological theories have become prominent and in time fallen to the wayside. Regenerative design or other similar concepts have existed for several decades within the profession yet have not become fully integrated into the way we design. Allison is proposing to use discourse analysis from a grounded theory approach to analyze the elements, rules, expectations, and judgments of landscape design. To do this she will study design theories and compare them based on the elements of design, the rules of design, design outcomes, and judgments of success. By discerning the limits and restrictions set out by design theory they can be nullified and mitigated to more fully incorporate regenerative design into the landscape architecture field.

Regenerative Studies students team up with architecture students and go to Mexico City to learn about climate appropriate design

Habitat 21 is continuing its work to help provide low-cost sustainable shelter for people in developing countries through Pablo LaRoche’s spring quarter class, ARC 499: Low Cost Sustainable Housing. From June 15th through the 19th, LaRoche and students from ARC 499 traveled to Mexico City to work with architecture students and faculty from Universidad Autonoma in Mexico City on possibly adapting the Tijuana project to the city of Veracruz.

LaRoche visited Universidad Autonoma in December of 2008 as a keynote speaker in an international seminar and it was during this time that he and the faculty there decided to collaborate on low cost sustainable housing through a future project. This trip was the culmination of those plans.

During the visit, faculty in Mexico City gave Cal Poly Pomona students lectures on urban issues and climate appropriate design. Professor LaRoche lectured on energy modeling for low energy buildings. The class also toured local Barragán architecure. A visionary Mexican architect, Barragán is regarded as one of the most important architects of the 20th century. His buildings are renowned for their mastery of space and light, but Barragán was equally influential as a landscape architect and urban planner.

The ultimate goal of the trip was to experiment with the application of the students' individual research projects. A requirement of the course was that the students had to have participated in the Tijuana Project and that they be willing to participate in the design experience. The entire class worked together as a team in the design of their class projects, and this trip was unique in that it brought together both architecture students and Regenerative Studies Master’s Students for the first time. The architecture students who went on the trip were: Michael Yao, Jon Orr, Cynthy Harris, James Anderson, Yazmin Lozano. Regenerative Studies students who went were: Rael Berkowitz, Cristina Halstead, Michelle McFadden, and Eric Carbonnier.

Dean’s Outstanding Student Award – Regenerative Studies – Ms. Jennifer Strouse

Jennifer Strouse and Dr. Kyle Brown

Since her enrollment in the Master of Science program, Jennifer Strouse has consistently demonstrated academic excellence, achieving outstanding grades in her coursework and has been a valued employee on the Center’s staff, working on a number of specific gardening projects. 

 

This past year she received a grant from the Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation to support her Master’s Project, the development of a public medicinal plant garden in San Diego.  Her approach integrated research from three fields of study:  healing garden design, herbal science, and regenerative studies, to create a model for a community-based health resource, which is also environmentally sustainable.  Funding from the grant allowed Jennifer to construct a portion of the garden project and employ some of her fellow students in the process. 

In addition to her academic work, Jennifer has been instrumental in the effort to promote the use of biodiesel on campus.  This effort resulted in a commitment by the University to use biodiesel in their fleet, and this past spring a biodiesel tank was installed on campus. 

The faculty, staff and students of the Lyle Center congratulate Jennifer on her receipt of this award and thank her for her contributions to the goals of the Center.

 

Final Thesis Presentations for Three MSRS Graduates

Left to right: Juan Araya, Azita Rezvan, Lora Hall, Jennifer Strouse, Dr. Kyle Brown

Left to right: Lora Hall, Azita Rezvan, Jennifer Strouse

On June 8, 2009, three MSRS students who recently graduated gave their final thesis presentations. Following is a brief synopsis of each one:


Lora Hall

“Behavior of Biodegradable Good Containers in a Vermicompost System.”

The premise of Lora’s thesis was that garbage has no value because we assign it none. Contemporary landfills are closing and garbage has nowhere to go. A large portion of our waste that would otherwise be shipped away could be recycled or composted. The idea of zero waste – upcycling - is thinking about how things are packaged and how easily it can be dismantled for reuse. Composting has been hampered by the lack of infrastructure and pulic understanding. Packaging decomposition in vermiculture was the subject of Lora’s study. She took several bioplastics and polystyrene alternatives and put portions in the vermicompost at Santa Monica College. Of the 8 different corn based plastics with a polystyrene control that were tested, only one sample broke down within the testing period. Most bioplastics did not decompose in the vermi-system. Most bioplastics are designed to break down in the high heat of an industrially maintained system. The palm fiber (from oil palms) started to break down first and in the end was the only substance to breakdown in the vermi system.

Azita Rezvan 

"Regenerating semi-open spaces in Iranian House Architecture"

Azita researched the role of semi-open spaces in traditional and modern Iranian houses. She was interested in looking at the way semi-open spaces mediate climate and social interactions and ways these spaces could be regenerated in the design of contemporary houses. She researched three historical periods of Iranian housing development to establish the importance that semi-open spaces have in people's daily lives. She then conducted a survey and interviews with people to try to understand the loss of the use of the Eyvan (porch) and other semi-open spaces in contemporary houses and finally, she developed a series of suggestions and guidelines for regenerating the semi-open space to once again make it an integral part of Iranian houses, climate, and social interactions.

Jennifer Strouse

Project: creating a medicinal herb garden

The objective of Jennifer's masters project was to further the understanding of landscape design in San Diego California with regard to natural treatment for common diseases. The components of her healing garden were herbal medicine and regenerative technologies fused to form a design approach called Medicinal Plant Landscape Design (MPLD). Jennifer designed a one acre garden to illustrate these principles. The design is composed of seven gardens defined by human physiological systems of the body including the cardiovascular, digestive, immune, muscle, nervous, reproductive and skin systems. For each condition, garden formulas were developed, including how much to use of each plant and dosages of different types of delivery forms including team tincture, capsules, and syrup. She created a garden website at www.herbalscapes.org providing information about sustainable landscaping practices that reduce pollution, conserve water and energy. A step-by-step instructional guide is available. This project helps promote healthy communities of suburban populations throught holistic gardening. Jennifer recommends further research to bridge the gap between healing gardens and medicinal plant gardens.