Graduate Student Thesis List
These are the theses that I have mentored
in the Graduate Program in Environmental Science at Pace
University.
They are all in the Pace Library collection. Electronic copies of some may
be obtained by request.
Farmland to Suburb:
The Changes in Land Use and Impervious Cover in Yorktown, New York over a
65-year Period
Margaret Ann Smith, May, 2014
This study used the US Forest Service iTree
Canopy and VUE programs to determine the changes in land use in Yorktown, NY
since 1947. It used historical aerial orthophotos and compared different
remote sensing land use evalutaion tools.
The Creation of a Field Guide with Management Options for the Non-native Plants of the Marshlands Conservancy
Michele Klein, December, 2013 with Dr. Franklyn Commisso
Invasive plants have gained a foothold in Westchester County. The regional nature preserves want to halt the advance of these plants and preserve native species. The results of this study produced a guidebook for volunteers to use to determine whether a plant is invasive and methods to remove it from the Marshlands Conservancy.
Effects of the Storage of Deicing Agents on Water Quality in the Middle Branch Reservoir of the Croton Watershed
Amy Blum, December, 2013 with Dr. Martin Rowland
There were many long-term storage piles of salt and other deicing agents for I-84 in the Middle Branch Reservoir watershed. The sodium and chloride ions were monitored during the period before the piles were covered and after. The study showed that there are long-lasting effects of the storage because the area downgradient from the salt piles is saturated with salt.
Do Certain Water Quality Parameters Affect American Eel Tributary Selection
During Inland Migration into the Hudson River?
Theresa Pellechi, May 2013 with Dr. William
Flank
American Eel migrate into tributaries of the Hudson River.
This study looked at a set of chemical, physical and biological characteristics
of several streams and determined that there was no correlation between eel
numbers and any of the parameters measured.
Analysis of Carbon Dioxide Sequestration by Urban
Forests in Westchester, New York Using 2010 ICLEI CO2 Reports and
iTree – VUE
Jeffrey H. Devine, July 2012
The ICLEI method of determining carbon dioxide emissions by towns in four towns
in Westchester was used to compare to the results of an iTree VUE analysis of
the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed and sequestered by the town forests.
Growing Moringa oleifera in
Haiti - a Suitability Study
Antonio Scarfone, December 2011
Haiti is a country plagued by problems, but the topic of this study is a tree
that offers to stabilize soils, provide nutritious food, oil and a viable cash
crop to
revitalize the agricultural sector of this deforested land.
Development of a Method to Monitor and
Enforce Exacted Conservation Easements by Local Municipalities Using GIS
Patrick Walsh-Vernetti, November 2011
Property developers have often been allowed to build more densely than zoning
allows if they place a portion of the plot in a conservation easement.
Often, these easements make no sense in a larger planning context.
However, they must be monitored to avoid easements becoming a sham. This
study focuses on Somers and Bedford, NY, where exacted conservation easements
have had very different effects.
An Analysis of Trees Planted by the New
York Restoration Project in Two New York Neighborhoods
Fulvio Serra, July 2011
The New York Restoration Project planted small trees in both 2009 and 2010 in
most of the boroughs of New York City. This thesis looks at two of these
neighborhoods to determine both the mortality rate and the benefits provided by
the surviving trees. Both environmental and monetary benefits are
discussed.
A Comparison of Methods to Control
Bird/Aircraft Interaction at Airports of North America and Europe
Erica Vella, July 2011
Birdstrikes involving airplanes and birds have been a problem since the early
days of human aviation. This thesis examines the methods used at five of
the ten busiest airports in the US and five of the ten busiest airports in
Europe. The thesis examines the causes of this problem and provides
suggestions for new ways of control.
Hydrological Analysis of the Impact of
the Removal of Impervious Surfaces at Pace University in Pleasantville, NY
Luke Latimer, May 2011
Pace University is considering altering the campus and replacing some of the
impervious surfaces with pervious materials. This study quantifies the
changes in stormwater runoff with various scenarios of percentage of removal.
The analysis was done with a combination of GIS and iTree Hydro, a Beta version
of the US Forest Service's iTree suite of software for assessing the impact and
benefits of vegetational cover.
A Study of the Causes of and Solutions
for Flooding in the Black Dirt Region of Orange County, NY
Marlene Robles, May 2011
The Black Dirt region of Orange County, NY is a productive agricultural area
that is situated on an ancient floodplain. The soils are deep and rich in
organic matter. Farmers in the region are distressed over periodic
flooding. This study analyzes the attitudes of farmers, environmentalists
and planners about this problem and suggests ways to ameliorate or lessen the
flooding problems.
Determining the Carbon Footprint for the
Stone Barns Center for Agriculture and Education
Francesco Russo, December 2010
The carbon footprint due to the different activities at Stone Barns was
determined. This study included the contributions to the carbon emissions
from all building activities, farming, composting, the employees' vehicle use,
the summer camp and visitors to the restaurant and educational center.
Mapping Conservation Easements with GIS in
Norwalk, Connecticut
Yu Sun, December 2010
The individual conservation easements by private developers to the city of
Norwalk, Connecticut were kept as paper files until this study, which converted
the paper files to electronic and mapped out the easement areas for the
city. These mapped areas can now be a part of Norwalk's GIS database and
can also be viewed in Google Earth.
A
Plan to Control Phragmites Australis in Cattus Island
,
Rose Wardell, August 2010
The relatively pristine nature preserve is being quickly overgrown with
Phragmites australis. This paper proposes a non-chemical method for
controlling the invasive species in a low-budged way.
Determining
the Onsite Wastewater Treatment and Management Educational Needs in Katonah, NY
Allison Tapley Thompson, August 2010
To prepare the citizens of Katonah for the concept of decentralized wastewater
treatment management, a manual for homeowners and a series of educational
modules were developed after a survey was conducted to determine how well
residents understood their wastewater treatment systems.
Volunteer
Stream Monitoring: A Comparison of Methods Used in
The adjacent areas of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut use different methods
to evaluate their streams using the power of volunteer groups. In this
paper, the different methods and protocols are compared and evaluated.
The
Struggles of Regulated Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Communities in
Implementing the Stormwater Phase II Requirements In
Natalie Browne, June 2010
Communities have been forced to evaluate their stormwater handling methods by
the EPA in an unfunded mandate. This paper looks at how communities have
coped with this mandate and how they implement the requirements with no money
for manpower.
Decentralized Wastewater Management Options for the
Village of Katonah in Bedford, New York.
Agustina Lopez-Novilla, November 2009
Onsite wastewater treatment management programs in the Northeast were evaluated
for relevance to the needs of Katonah, NY.
Analysis of 2007 Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Government and Community Sources
in Tarrytown, NY
Jennifer Zunino-Smith, October 13, 2009
The town of Tarrytown, NY signed on to an international agreement that allows
communities to assess their carbon dioxide output by different community
sectors. This study detailed where the carbon dioxide is generated.
Development of a Tree Ordinance for New Castle, New York
The
Development of a Tree Ordinance for the Town of New Castle, New York
Xiaoliang Yang, July 2009
The town of New Castle had a tree ordinance, but it was very outdated and the
town was no eligible for Tree City, USA status. Using tree ordinances of
similar towns in similar climates around the USA, the student crafted an
ordinance that could be used as a model for New Castle as they work through the
process of creating their new ordinance.
Optimizing Tree Planting in New York City
Arianna Morani, July 2009
She worked with the New York Restoration Project in New York City on the Million
Trees initiative. She used GIS and the US Forest Service's UFORE and iTree
programs, along with data on air pollution around the city. She determined
where the trees should be planted, what the expected mortality rate would be and
had a tree maintenance schedule.
An Assessment of the Reduction of Mercury Emissions
at a Steel Manufacturing Company in the State of New Jersey
Indira Rattiram, 2008
Steel recycling plants use discarded automobiles as their feedstock.
This thesis evaluated different adsorbents used in the stacks of one plant in
reducing the amount of mercury discharged out its stack.
A Historical
and GIS Investigation into the Locations of Historic Hat Factory Sites in
Danbury, Connecticut
Sunera Rahman, 2008
Danbury, Connecticut was the site of many hat factories from the mid 1800's
until the 1940's. The widespread use of mercury for carroting the fur led
to a variety of ailments, many of which were mental. This study is the
first to accurately locate where each of the hat factories were sited and
identifies the properties on the tax map that either are or could be affected by
historic mercury contamination.
Using GIS to Determine the Capacity of Green Roofs to
Reduce Stormwater in the Combined Sewer Overflow Area in
Safeera Gaffar, 2008
A large area of Yonkers,
A Comprehensive Plan to Improve Choate Pond
Choate Pond is the centerpiece of the Pace University Pleasantville, NY campus.
Since it was enlarged in 1975, there has been no maintenance, resulting
in severe filling of the pond and persistent vegetative growth in and around the
water. This plan calls for a
systematic approach to improving the pond and maintaining it sustainably.
A Reporting Protocol for Golf Courses in Audubon
International Program
Michael Colombo, 2007
Audubon International has been certifying golf courses as wildlife sanctuaries
for over fifteen years. While the
intention of the thesis was to correlate adoption of the program by golf courses
to reduction in chemical use, Michael found something more troubling:
The records that were submitted for certification had no consistency or
order and were never reviewed by the association.
He developed a format for Audubon to adopt in order to formalize the
certification process and allow it to stand up to scrutiny.
Using GIS Mapping to Assist Historical Preservation Programs in the
Town of
Angela Hough, 2006
Bedford
,
Using GIS Mapping to Determine the Impact of a Wetland
Ordinance in the Town of New
Greg Fleicher, 2006
New Paltz’s mayor was an upstart 24-year-old who ran on an environmental
platform. He initiated the change in
the wetland setback regulations to 100 feet (from 50 feet).
This changed the amount of developable land, but also preserved several
important wetlands in the area. He
used GIS to map out the affected lands and established the importance of the
affected areas.
The Relationship Between Successional Lands and
Shantytown Location on Sint Maarten and the Identification of Possible Solutions
Beverly Mae Nisbeth, 2006
She mapped out the shantytowns on the island and identified the root causes of
the proliferation of these areas. It
was an economic, demographic, social and legal nightmare, but she found the
causes and identified possible solutions.
Consideration of Municipal Wastewater Treatment Methods
in
Solange Yayi, 2005
She worked with information about the wastewater treatment needs of
The New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Environmental Remediation'
Draft DER-10 Technical Guidance for Site Investigation and Remediation as
Applied to the Retail Petroleum Industry
Brian Melancon, 2004
He worked at a consulting company where the team members had to grapple with the
everyday application of the almost-unintelligible language of the DER-10
legislation. He developed a guide
for working with the document, so that his company could better interpret the
regulations and how they should advise their clients.
Judaism and the Environment: A Proposal for
Tradition and Change
Jennifer E. Richardson, 2004
After having worked in Jewish day camps for several years, she came to the
realization that there was a need for environmental education in the suburban
Jewish community. She developed an
educational program to use Old Testament teachings to reinforce environmental
stewardship. She made a program to
be taught at day schools. She is now
in charge of outreach programs at
The Development of a
System To Evaluate The Effectiveness Of Wastewater Treatment Plants in
Hardley G. Blake, 2003
This project involved inspecting all of the resort wastewater treatment plants
on the island and determining what aspects of the different plants were
operating properly and what were the effects of mismanaged plants.
It developed a systematic method to evaluate the facilities.
An Assessment on the Impact of a Series of Beaver Ponds
on the Quality of Water Running Through Them
Melissa LaMacchia, 2003
She monitored the nutrients and other chemical components of waters as they
progressed through a series of beaver ponds in a secluded area of
Do Best Management Practices Reduce
the Impacts On
Elizabeth Carleton Kline, 2002
This project involved doing chemical and benthic macroinvertebrate
sampling upstream and downstream of a site where a bridge was to be replaced.
She established the baseline conditions and monitored the sites during
and after construction to see if the proposed sediment control plans worked
satisfactorily (They did.).
Hazardous Tree Assessment at
Katrina R. Shindledecker 2002
Parks are becoming increasingly vulnerable to lawsuits because of tree damage to
property or lives. Since RSPP has
many trees that are at maturity, many are in danger of causing damage.
She mapped out all the dead and dangerous trees and identified the
species. She mapped all of this,
using GIS.
The Pace University
Surface Water Quality Monitoring and Analysis Project
Danielle Jackson, 2001
In order for Pace to get permission to execute development plans, there had to
be a water monitoring program in place. She
developed a water monitoring plan and compared the results that were obtained
from a certified lab to the results she got from using Hach kits.