UMD Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/3

New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a given thesis/dissertation in DRUM.

More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.

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2015 - 20162

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    The Ecology of Urbanization: A Study of Soil Microbial Community Rosponse
    (2016) Epp Schmidt, Dietrich Jonathan; Yarwood, Stephanie A; Environmental Science and Technology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Urbanization is associated with global biodiversity loss of macrophauna and flora through direct and indirect mechanisms, but to date few studies have examined urban soil microbes. Although there are numerous studies on the influence of agricultural management on soil microbial community composition, there has been no global-scale study of human control over urban soil microbial communities. This thesis extends the literature of urban ecology to include soil microbial communities by analyzing soils that are part of the Global Urban Soil Ecology and Education Network (GLUSEEN). Chapter 1 sets the context for urban ecology; Chapters 2 addresses patterns of community assembly, biodiversity loss, and the phylogenetic relationships among community members; Chapter 3 addresses the metabolic pathways that characterize microbial communities existing under different land-uses across varying geographic scales; and Chapter 4 relates Chapter 2 and 3 to one another and to evolutionary theory, tackling assumptions that are particular to microbial ecology.
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    Convergence: The Airport Terminal as the Global Main Street
    (2015) Hunjan, Charishma; Simon, Madlen; Rockcastle, Garth; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    World conflicts largely stem from a lack of understanding among people. Ignorance between cultures often breeds separation and, at times, hostility. In response to this lack of interaction between people, this thesis explores the potential that exists at nodes of convergence. The international airport provides a lens for this exploration. At its core, the airport terminal is a mechanism for movement. Its purpose has traditionally been to capture, filter, and organize people as they progress towards their destination. This thesis takes advantage of the condition of the airport to promote an agenda of fostering human interaction. The design will focus on the journey of the individual as a means of enhancing the collective experience.