This thesis develops and tests a process based model of streamflow and nitrogen concentration in the urban stream network of the Bassett Creek watershed. The model treats the watershed as a control volume. This allows for a simplified but physically grounded representation of nitrogen inputs, transformations, and losses. Streamflow is used as the primary control variable. Hydrologic variability is modeled as a key factor shaping nitrogen export over time. This model uses a forward Euler method for two differential equations of streamflow and nitrogen dynamics. These equations are implemented manually in MATLAB to emphasize clarity and sensitivity to parameter changes. The model is calibrated using long term data on rainfall, streamflow, and nitrogen concentrations. Sensitivity analyses are used to identify which parameters most strongly influence outcomes. Results show that the streamflow model captures general runoff behavior with moderate accuracy. The nitrogen model reveals useful qualitative trends but struggles with predictive power due to limited data and the complexity of underlying processes. By grounding the model in first principles and real world observations, this thesis offers an accessible alternative to black box models. It is particularly well suited for environments with limited data and exploratory research in urban watershed systems.

This thesis investigated the ability of field-based and remote sensing variables from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to predict plant species diversity in an alpine ecosystem on Snodgrass Hillslope, located adjacent to Mount Crested Butte, Colorado. Using multiple linear regression models across 88 field plots, soil moisture and slope aspect were the most consistent predictors of species diversity. Other variables in models included slope angle, soil texture, soil temperature, and infrared temperature. Field-based models explained between 37% and 77% of the variance in plant species diversity, with the strongest performance in the upper forested grid. The incorporation of remote sensing variables, including Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and estimated percent vegetation coverage, improved model performance in most cases and most significantly improved performance when modeling the combined lower and upper plots. Remote-only models using NDVI minimum and slope aspect provided a visualization for species diversity across the entire grids but explained less site-level variance with R2 values of 0.6663 (Adj. R2 = 0.555) for the upper grid and an R2 of 0.4123 (Adj. R2 = 0.2227) for the lower grid. These results highlight both the advantages and limitations of solely UAV-based modelling in mountainous terrain. Future projections using SnowClim v1.0 climate projections demonstrated that areas such as Snodgrass Hillslope will become warmer and more stressed for late-season moisture as snowpack decreases, snowmelt timing advances, and summer temperatures rise. These climate shifts may reduce species diversity in water-limited habitats and alter plant community composition in alpine landscapes. Keywords: alpine plant species diversity, multiple linear models, volumetric water content (VWC), slope aspect, soil texture, remote sensing, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), SnowClim v1.0

Extreme heat events are increasingly salient in South Asia as a consequence of anthropogenic climate change. However, existing buildings in the region are not equipped to withstand such elevated temperatures, posing a risk to human health. Retrofitting the building envelope with insulation has been proposed as an effective means of improving energy efficiency of cooling. Hence, jute stick is proposed for investigation as a novel resource for creating thermal insulation, representing a sustainable and accessible solution for mitigating heat stress, as well as enabling the valorization of agricultural waste. Expanding upon the existing literature on biomaterial-based insulation, this thesis characterizes the thermal properties of jute stick through imaging and obtaining an experimental value for thermal conductivity. Methods of processing jute stick are explored for the fabrication of insulation panel prototypes, while energy modeling facilitates a comparative analysis of insulation-derived benefits. Ultimately, jute stick emerges as a promising biomaterial for application as thermal insulation.

This thesis presents an investigation into the structural behavior of a concrete beam with welded connections in an operational parking garage. Long-gauge fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors were installed at strategic locations to measure strain under various loading configurations. The research explores the discrepancies between numerical calculations and measured beam response to understand how the complex geometry and boundary conditions influence structural behavior. Finite element analysis (FEA) simulations were conducted using Abaqus software to establish boundary conditions representing two extreme cases: a simply supported beam and a beam with constrained points. These models served as limit states for interpreting the influence of welded connections on beam strain. Measured strain data was compared with FEA predictions, and the effect of welded connections was quantified using a percent effectiveness metric. Results demonstrate that welded connections exert diverse influences on beam deflection depending on both measurement location and load configuration. The connections' behavior generally falls between that of a simply supported beam and one with fixed constraint points, with the proximity to either extreme end condition varying throughout the beam. FEA models showed particular difficulty in accurately predicting lateral bending behavior. The study was constrained by limitations in sensor placement, load magnitude restrictions, and simplifications in the FEA models. Despite these constraints, the methodology demonstrates an effective approach for analyzing structures with complex geometries and boundary conditions. This research contributes to understanding CarbonCure concrete performance in operational structures and supports the ongoing development of structural health monitoring techniques that can enhance the safety and maintenance of built infrastructure.

A geothermal heat pump (GHP) is a heating and cooling system that uses the Earth as a heat source and sink. GHPs possess the environmental benefits associated with all forms of renewable energy, and further have the benefit of meeting a significant demand—building heating and cooling—by tapping an energy source located on site. Moreover, GHPs are efficient and require minimal maintenance. The main drawback of this technology is its high capital cost, which is largely attributed to borehole drilling and pipe installation. Geothermal energy piles (GEPs) provide a way to decrease that cost. On projects that require foundation piles for structural support, geothermal heat exchange tubing can be installed within the piles without any detrimental effect to the foundation's structural integrity. Geothermal energy piles thus increase the viability of GHPs.

This thesis assesses the feasibility of a geothermal energy pile system on the proposed Newark Liberty International Airport AirTrain stations, which will rest on pile foundations. The analysis addresses both the capacity and cost effectiveness of this system. First, calculations demonstrate that geothermal energy piles can provide sufficient heating and cooling capacity given the energy demand, soil conditions, and proposed pile layout. Second, a cost assessment indicates that this system will save money over time despite a higher installation cost. The installation of GEPs on this project could increase awareness of this beneficial technology, which remains relatively uncommon and unknown.

Highways pose several environmental, health, and social concerns. The air and noise pollution from vehicles pose a health risk to those living near highways, often disproportionately affecting marginalized communities. One solution to mitigate these negative externalities is highway capping—constructing lids above highways for conversion into deck parks. A highway capping project was recently proposed for the Cross-Bronx Expressway, but little research has been done on its environmental impact, as it is still in the ideation phase. Thus, this thesis uses a differential analysis to assess how the proposed Cross-Bronx Expressway cap would impact air quality in the surrounding area. Using a Gaussian equation model and verifying results through AERMOD, the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulatory atmospheric dispersion model, pollutant concentrations were calculated in areas adjacent to the proposed cap for the no-build and build scenarios. The study found that air quality marginally improves in areas directly adjacent to the cap, but worsens in areas close to the cap exits, particularly the east exit. While the cap keeps PM2.5 and CO concentrations within the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), it exacerbates existing high NOx concentrations near the cap exits. These findings reveal that there is high variation in how community members will be impacted, depending on their proximity to the cap exits.

As the global building stock expands to accommodate a growing urban population, embodied greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are expected to represent an increasingly significant share of total urban emissions. This study presents a comprehensive assessment of embodied building emissions in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Drawing on over 90 years of tax-parcel data, a detailed case study of material intensities for both formal and informal residential typologies, and geographically specific life cycle emission factors, this thesis quantifies the annual embodied carbon associated with new residential and commercial construction. Findings estimate average annual new construction in São Paulo generates approximately 1.46 million tons of CO₂-e/year in embodied emissions, which is equivalent to ~9% of the city’s emission profile (including energy, transport, and waste) and ~30% of emissions from the building sector (including operational emissions from electricity use, heating/cooling, and cooking). The study then evaluates the emission implications of three decarbonization strategies: inclusion (upgrading informal settlements to meet minimum floor area standards), sufficiency (reducing excess floor area per capita), and dematerialization (substituting carbon-intensive materials with lower-emission alternatives). While the inclusion scenario results in a negligible increase in emissions, an ambitious sufficiency scenario could reduce embodied emissions by up to ~23%, and an aggressive dematerialization scenario (modeled on near-optimal cement decarbonization) could cut embodied emissions by ~60%. These findings highlight the importance of integrating material-focused mitigation strategies and inclusive urban design into climate action plans.

As temperatures have increased with a changing climate, streamflow in the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB) has declined, posing a severe threat to public well-being. Much of this downstream surface water originates as groundwater in mountainous catchments. As conditions warm, plants’ demand for water increases, potentially reducing groundwater's contributions to surface water downstream. Yet this response to warming is complicated by transpiration’s dependence on energy and water limitation, which varies spatially and temporally in topographically complex catchments of the UCRB.

This study quantifies the effect of warming on summer transpiration in the East-Taylor Watershed (ETW), a representative catchment of the UCRB, under conditions of varying energy and water limitation. ParFlow-CLM is used to model hydrologic and land surface processes with meteorological forcing input from a wet year (WY2017) and dry year (WY2018). Baseline temperature forcings are then uniformly increased by 1.5oC to explore the effects of projected warming alongside different precipitation inputs, resulting in four total simulations. Analysis focuses on transpiration and recharge, studying the spatial variation of these fluxes with land cover type and elevation. Results indicate that warming has a more substantial effect on plant groundwater use in the ETW during an energy limited water year. Analysis of daily soil moisture change across each root zone layer further reveals an increased reliance on deeper root zone moisture with warming, which is strongest under hot and dry conditions.

With global warming induced rising temperatures heavily affecting populations in the global South, it is becoming increasingly important that low-cost and energy efficient methods are developed to cool structures. Passive radiative coolers are an ideal solution because they cool without an external energy source and are able to achieve subambient internal temperatures. However, the extent of internal cooling is limited to how low of a temperature the passive radiative cooling surface is able to reach. Ideally, internal heat would dissipate without a barrier—most commonly a roof—and escape to space through the atmosphere’s longwave infrared window. Polyethylene is a commonly available and low-cost plastic with high transmittance in the longwave infrared spectrum, making it ”transparent” in the range of 8-13µm. However, it does not possess mechanical properties that make it suitable for use as a building material. This thesis explored the thermal performance of various types of polyethylene in a thermally transparent roof design. Reinforcement for the polyethylene and applications of these designs at large scales was also studied.

As global warming intensifies and climate change causes sea levels to rise in coastal communities, storm surge barriers are essential to protecting lives and property. Ideally, these structures would serve not only as emergency barriers but also have a secondary function, such as a pedestrian bridge for everyday use. This proposed dual-purpose concept is referred to as the Sustainable Hybrid Bridge-Barrier (SHBB) in this thesis. The objective of this thesis is to evaluate the aerodynamic wind coefficients and structural feasibility of a hybrid tube bridge-barrier structure. To do this, a design prototype was developed using Newtown Creek in NYC as the site, based on the NY-NJ HATS study. The minimum dimensions of the SHBB were determined by analyzing both site constraints and design code requirements. Inspired by existing tube bridges, several CAD models were created and 3D printed to test different design features in a wind tunnel. Three tube bridges were tested: one with no holes, and two with 25% porosity, one using smaller holes and the other using larger holes. A metal deck and printed arch were also tested in various combinations with the tubes. Wind tunnel results confirmed that adding porosity reduces the drag coefficient, with larger holes producing lower drag than smaller holes. The deck had little effect on drag and lift, while the arch had a significant impact. Without the arch, the lift coefficients were approximately zero. Drag coefficients ranged from approximately 1.2 to 1.5. As a result, the recommended tube bridge design should feature large perforations for reduced drag, a minimum diameter of 13 feet, and a conservative wall thickness of approximately 4 inches (assuming a steel material), though thinner sections may also be feasible.

Extreme weather events pose significant challenges to the reliability and efficiency of commercial air travel in the United States. As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of these events, it is essential to understand how airline networks are able to manage their responses and which structural features improve operational resilience. This thesis investigates the impact of Hurricane Helene (September 2024) on U.S. airline operations by modeling airline networks as graphs and analyzing changes in flight activity and connectivity.

Using historic flight data from Flightradar24, the study compares airline networks during a control period and during Hurricane Helene, quantifying disruptions through changes in flight volume and network structure. Airline performance is evaluated using both standard centrality metrics and measures such as percent change in number of flights and network distance, a measure of the dissimilarity edge structure between two networks. Additionally, a series of ridge regressions are performed across different scales to assess how airline-specific structural characteristics, including number of destinations, number of routes, number of hubs, low-cost status, and partnership status, relate to observed changes in performance.

The findings reveal that network disruptions were uneven across airlines, and that structural features such as redundancy, connectivity, and decentralized operations contributed to greater performance. Airlines with more routes and without extensive partnerships tended to perform better during Hurricane Helene. The study also finds that the effects of the hurricane propagated beyond directly impacted areas, influencing distant parts of the network. The results highlight the importance of network design in disruption management and support the use of network science as a practical tool for understanding and improving airline robustness and resilience. This case study provides a foundation for integrating empirical data with theoretical models to inform strategic planning in aviation systems.

As the risks for coastal hazards increase, traditional countermeasures such as flood walls and storm surge barriers pose a problem, as they hinder access to the beach and diminish coastal beauty. A kinetic hypar umbrella has been proposed as an alternative solution that can provide hybrid benefits of coastal protection and structural art. While hydrostatic and hydrodynamic loads have been tested for the hypar geometry, wind loads have not yet been tested. This thesis seeks to understand the aerodynamic performance of the kinetic umbrellas under varying conditions of inclination and incidence angles. To do so, $CRUE20OWT$ (a wind tunnel at the Forrestal Campus of Princeton University) was validated by comparison with data sets collected at a vetted wind tunnel located at the University of Oviedo. Secondly, a velocity profile was measured for $CRUE20OWT$ to understand the variance in wind across the face of the nozzle. Both tests concluded that the difference between the data sets and the variance in the velocity profile was within the realm of testing errors to vet the wind tunnel, especially to study the behavior trends of the aerodynamic coefficients.

The impacts of changing inclination angles on drag and lift coefficients were observed to match the general behavior of airplane wings and its angle of attack. The drag and moment coefficient curves showed a U-shaped curvature with respect to inclination angles, which increased in value as the inclination decreased or increased away from 0 degrees. The lift coefficient showed a more sine-like curvature with a point symmetry about the 0 degrees point. With respect to the angle of incidence, the drag and moment coefficient curves also displayed a U-shaped curvature, increasing in value as the inclination decreased or increased away from 90 degrees. The lift coefficient exhibited a cosine-like curvature where the value decreases as the incidence angle increases from 0 and continues to decrease as the incidence angle increases to 180 degrees. The shape of the curvatures with respect to angle of incidence matches the expected behavior; changing the incidence angle rotation is essentially changing the angle of attack in another axis.

Many subscription box services market their products as uniquely tailored to each consumer’s individual preferences. This personalization typically begins with an on- boarding quiz where consumers articulate their tastes and preferences, creating the expectation that each subsequent delivery will reflect these stated choices. While 85% of businesses believe they are offering a personalized service, only 60% of consumers agree. This disconnect suggests that “personalization” often functions more as marketing rhetoric than as a substantive product feature. The implications of failed personalization extend beyond poor customer satisfaction; they also drive significant waste: from discarded products and excessive packaging to carbon emissions generated by unnecessary manufacturing and shipping. This thesis investigates whether companies truly deliver on the promise of personalized selection. The research employs a two-part methodology: (1) a controlled 2x2 factorial experiment comparing expert vs. non-expert participants who receive either preference-aligned or preference-misaligned boxes, and (2) qualitative interviews to explore participants’ perceived satisfaction, product fit, and personalization. The experiment was carried out on two different subscription boxes from distinct product categories: IPSY, which delivers a curated beauty box, and MistoBox, which ships subscribers a hand-picked bag of coffee. The findings illuminate the intersection between consumer experience, algorithmic design, and environmental impact, offering ways in which personalization strategies can be optimized to serve consumer and sustainability objectives. Notably, in the experiment, over 80% of IPSY products went unused, highlighting the urgent need for more effective personalization models to reduce waste and improve product relevance.

This thesis works through the design process for a flood protection barrier falling within a special sub-category that the research team has defined: Sustainable Hybrid Bridge Barriers (SHBB). The design starts with what is known as a visor gate, which has some limited precedent around the world. But this project offers a unique new approach to that basic structure, which not only performs as a barrier in large storms, but also incorporates a pedestrian bridge, functions in a relatively more sustainable fashion, and has aesthetic appeal. The design process for each element of the barrier, including its unique ballast system, are worked through in the paper. Future work to be done to implement such a design in reality is also described systematically. The design on this iteration was unfortunately unsuccessful, but the groundwork has still been laid for next steps.

Rocking isolation is a form of base isolation that relies on a structure’s ability to uplift and rock during ground excitations, dissipating energy via impact with the ground. In 2D, the planar rocking motion is easily understood and modeled. But in the 3D scheme, the system becomes more complex, requiring more intensive calculations and parameters to consider. This thesis will use Distinct Element Modeling to simulate the 3D rocking behavior of free-standing columns and their framed systems. A parametric approach is taken to examine how a column’s geometry and a frame’s orientation can impact its rocking behavior and overall stability under various ground accelerations modeled using a Single-Pulse Sine wave and time history velocities of recorded earthquakes. The analyses reveal that a column’s capacity to endure intense ground excitations can be predicted based on its column’s size and shape. Additionally, this thesis finds that when an array (2D) or matrix (3D) of solitary columns are capped by a freely supported, rigid beam or slab, its capacity to endure intense ground movements is enhanced. The rocking behavior will be ascertained through the numerical analysis of the vertical displacements and velocities of the column’s centroid, in tandem to the qualitative observations of the system’s overall displacements from its original position. Small-scale, physical experimentations are performed to provide qualitative observations of how the 3D rocking model behaves under real-time loading conditions and constraints. Discussion of results will be done in context of performance-based design criteria in hopes of informing applications to modern designs.

Space frames are three-dimensional, structural frameworks composed of both linear and surface elements arranged in geometric patterns. While space frames are designed to efficiently distribute loads with minimal self-weight, their construction can be time-consuming due to assembly of numerous individual, yet separate components. Kirigami—the Japanese art of folding and cutting to create three-dimensional shapes from a single sheet of material—offers a promising approach to overcome the limitations of traditional space frame fabrication. While many kirigami space frame patterns have been discovered, this thesis aims to investigate variables that affect the triangular “Spin Valence” kirigami space frame, with the goal of optimizing for stiffness. I initially hypothesize that cut and fold patterns which minimize the eccentricity of deployed Spin Valence space frames will also enhance structural stiffness. First, simplified, two dimensional frame models were constructed to explore the theoretical effects of eccentricity on stiffness. Following these preliminary studies, three-point bending tests were conducted on physical steel Spin Valence models; results were used to construct and validate corresponding three-dimensional FEA models. Finally, FEA simulations were performed across a variety of Spin Valence space frame cut patterns to identify the most optimal design. The results of these simulations revealed that while eccentricity influences structural stiffness, other factors, such as structural depth and diagonal leg angle, also play significant roles. My findings demonstrate that these geometric parameters are codependent on each other in the Spin Valence space frame, interacting to inform the most optimal design.