Graduate and Undergraduate Student Research
Recent Submissions
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Application of a fully polynomial randomized approximation scheme (FPRAS) to infrastructure system reliability assessments
(2017-08-06)Networked systems make the reliability assessment of critical infrastructure computationally challenging given the combinatorial nature of system-level states. Several methods from numerical schemes to analytical approaches, such as Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) and recursive decomposition algorithms (RDA), respectively, have been applied to this ... -
Resilience-informed infrastructure network dismantling
(2022-09-13)Large-scale networked infrastructure systems contribute significantly to modern society. Highly intra- and interconnnected systems enable communities to be more productive, at the expense of becoming more vulnerable to extreme events, cascading failures, and operational demands, including random failures and even targeted attacks. The resilience of ... -
Morphological diversity of extracellular vesicles revealed by cryo-electron microscopy
(2022-10-01)Introduction: Exosomes are extracellular vesicles 80-150 nm in diameter, containing proteins, mRNAs, microRNAs, and lipids reflecting the parent cell. While there has been an extensive characterization of the cargo incorporated in exosomes, a detailed morphological analysis of exosomes purified by various isolation techniques has not been performed. ... -
Morphological diversity of extracellular vesicles revealed by cryo-electron microscopy
(2022-10-01)Introduction: Exosomes are extracellular vesicles 80-150 nm in diameter, containing proteins, mRNAs, microRNAs, and lipids reflecting the parent cell. While there has been an extensive characterization of the cargo incorporated in exosomes, a detailed morphological analysis of exosomes purified by various isolation techniques has not been performed. ... -
Environmental Control in Appalachia: Politics of the Red River Gorge Dam Controversy, 1962-1975
(2022-03-30)In 1962, Congress approved the building of a dam on the Red River in Eastern Kentucky because of recurring floods affecting Powell County, Kentucky. This dam threatened a beautiful and ecologically unique part of the Red River, and, in response, in 1967 a group of environmental activists gathered together to challenge the building of this dam. After ... -
Autocorrelation Reflectivity of Mars
(2020)The seismic structure of the Martian interior can shed light on the formation and dynamic evolution of the planet and our solar system. The deployment of the seismograph carried by the InSight mission provides a means to study Martian internal structure. We used ambient noise autocorrelation to analyze the available vertical component seismic data ... -
Silences on the Strand: Contesting Public Memories of Slavery and Freedom in Galveston’s Civic Historical Landscape (1871-2021)
(2022-05)On June 19, 2021, a mural was unveiled in Galveston, TX titled Absolute Equality. It depicts several scenes representative of enslavement and freedom and it is located at the former site of the Union Army Headquarters and where U.S. Gen. Granger read the orders that abolished America’s last vestige of slavery. The mural was unveiled with effervescent ... -
Negotiating Mexican Foreign Policy on Cuba: Between Domestic Interests and the United States: 1959-1964
(2022-05)This thesis analyzes Mexico's foreign policy regarding Cold War era developments in Cuba and the United States' response to said policy. It finds that while Mexico oftentimes defied the anticommunist agenda the United States pushed on to Latin America during this period, it did so not as an immediate affront to the United States, but rather to keep ... -
Freedom’s Archive: Slavery, Emancipation, & Reconstruction in Fort Bend County
(2022-05)This thesis tells the story of the Wheat family from their enslavement in Fort Bend County by Frederick Allen Rice through their experiences during emancipation, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow. It studies questions of change and continuity and grapples with the inadequacies of traditional sources to try and tell a rich, colorful story of one Black ... -
Machine Learning Detection of P-Waves in Laboratory Acoustic Emission Events to Understand Deep-Focus Earthquakes
(2022)The mechanisms of deep-focus earthquakes (DFEQs)—those between 350 and 700 km depth—remain poorly understood due to our inability to directly measure their fault properties in situ. One potential explanation for DFEQ nucleation is the transformational faulting hypothesis, which theorizes mineral transformations initiate the faults. To analyze these ... -
When is Drone Photogrammetry Useful for Flood Risk Assessment?
(2021-05)Drone technology and the high resolution datasets it enables stand to revolutionize our understanding of the Earth’s surface. This research is Houston specific, and studies how drones can be used to systematically collect photogrammic data to detect environmental changes, and how that data is valuable for flood planning purposes. This data is the ... -
Diversity, Equity, and Justice in Voluntary Carbon Markets
(2021)Demand for carbon credits in the voluntary carbon markets is expected to grow exponentially in the next decades [1], with the market projected to reach $30 billion in transactions by 2030 [2]. Because of this projected increase in market scale, it's important to consider who will be able to participate in and financially benefit from the voluntary ... -
Orgullo Crítico: An Anti-Capitalist Approach To Pride In Spain And The United States
(2021-05)Every June, many people around the world come together to celebrate queer identities at various state-sponsored Pride events. However, given the infiltration of rainbow capitalism in mainstream Pride movements, many radical leftists within the queer community have begun to organize anti-capitalist "Critical Pride" protests. In this thesis, I trace ... -
The Impacts of Concrete on pH and Calcium Concentration in Houston’s Bayous
(2021-05)As the human population grows, so does the percentage of people living in urban areas. This means that an increasing amount of landmass must be used for urban infrastructure and housing to accommodate a greater number of people. The environmental impacts of urbanization are not completely understood. However, one important aspect that may be impacted ... -
Affection: Essays on Affect, Empathy, and the Politics of Feeling
(2021-05)Often, we view feelings as squishy—personal and subjective, therefore private and apolitical. Even within ourselves, our feelings can often seem reflexive and out of our own control. This thesis represents my attempt to hold these squishy feelings and look at them up close, from different angles. In doing so, I hope to see how our affects may not ... -
Exploring Barriers to Women's Political Representation in Thailand
(2020)Gender quotas have proven to be one of the more effective ways of improving women’s representation in legislatures worldwide. While extensive literature exists on the efficacy of these quotas throughout Europe, the Americas, and Africa, there is a newfound need to shift focus to gender representation in Southeast Asian nations. This study applies ... -
Talking Trump: Exploring the use of Populist Rhetoric in Partisan Rallies
(2020)Presidential speeches have immense power to advocate for policy, influence public opinion, and portray an image of a president. While extensive literature exists studying presidential addresses until the Obama era, this body of work needs to be updated to include the Trump presidency. Donald Trump’s rhetorical strategies have become a spectre of ... -
Increasing Health Literacy
(2020)Low health literacy is a widespread problem in the United States. In 2006, the U.S. Department of Education released the first-ever national assessment of health literacy for English-speaking adults. The survey indicated that 9/10 adults struggle using everyday health information. Possessing health literacy skills is essential for safeguarding against ... -
Sara Rozin Video Interview
(2020-11-19)Sara Rozin has had fifteen years of management experience in public and private sectors in the areas of health education, disaster preparedness, and disease management, in both domestic and international healthcare settings funded by governments, non‐government agencies, and private industries. Her project management experience includes project design, ...
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