Student Theses

Congratulations to all of our students! Completion of a graduate degree requires hard work and dedication. If you are interested in browsing any of these theses, visit: digitalcommons.usu.edu/laep_stures

Lisa Aedo | MLA

Thesis Title: The River, the Residents, and the City: A Holistic Vision Study for Logan River’s Upper Reach

Major Professor: Caroline Lavoie

Lisa looked at challenges facing a portion of the Logan River, and she provided a holistic vision with design solutions to address said challenges.

Brandon Blauer | B+MLA

Thesis Title: Augmenting the Site Analysis Phase of the Design Process Using Virtual Reality and Drones

Major Professor: Benjamin George

Brandon developed a methodology for generating a three-dimensional (3-D) terrain model using drones and photogrammetry software, then importing the 3-D terrain model to an immersive virtual reality program, along with GIS data and other online resources, to conduct a large-scale site analysis using VR.

Jessica Clements | B+MLA

Thesis Title: Conserving Water Through Modular Planting Design: Water-Wise Templates for Ogden’s Residential Front Yard Landscapes

Major Professor: David Evans

Jessica created water-wise landscape templates by researching topics such as water-wise plants for Northern Utah, templates utilized in other areas, modular planting, and existing organizations with similar goals.

Foster Cook | MLA

Thesis Title: Resilient Golf Course Design: Renovating Eaglewood Golf Course to Improve Stormwater Management & Increase Wildlife Habitat

Major Professor: David Evans

Foster’s thesis focused on how golf courses can be designed to recreate native habitats and provide onsite stormwater management to reduce water needs. He used Eaglewood Golf Course as a test site for these designs.

Anna Farb | MLA

Thesis Title: A Deep Dive Into Natural Swimming Pool Filtration: Living Walls as Technical Wetland Filters

Major Professor: David Anderson

Anna investigated whether a living wall could be integrated into an natural swimming pool system for water filtration purposes, given that the vertical filter would have to produce excellent water quality for human swimmers.

Erin Mann | MsEP

Thesis Title: Evaluating Planning and Management of Natural Resources Within the Utah State Park System

Major Professor: Keith Christensen

After conducting a content analysis, and interviewing managers at ten state parks within Utah, Erin discovered a disparity between the Resource Management plans and the day-to-day operations in regards to natural resources.

Humaira Yusuf Nabeela | MsBRP

Thesis Title: An Indicator Based Transportation Sustainability Assessment in Regional Development: A Case Study for Cache County, Utah

Major Professor: Keith Christensen

Humaira’s thesis offers a regional scale sustainability assessment for transportation systems that will address local changes while also reflecting national requirements.

Logan Oates | MLA

Thesis Title: Designing Water Conservation Landscapes Using Local Water Audit Data

Major Professor: David Anderson

Logan’s thesis examines the data collected in the water efficiency checks in Eagle Mountain, Utah, to assist in the design of the low water use demonstration garden at Eagle Mountain City Hall.

Zach Warner | MLA

Thesis Title: Chinese Gardens: Solutions for Urban Nature Deficit

Major Professor: Benjamin George

In Zach’s thesis, he identified possible barriers to using Chinese garden design principles and construction techniques within the U.S. He then outlined solutions for these barriers, to encourage the adoption of these gardens among local communities.

Tiffany Woods | MsBRP

Thesis Title: Cultural Ecosystem Services of Agroecosystems Along the Wasatch Front, Utah

Major Professor: Brent Chamberlain

Tiffany surveyed local stakeholders to identify their cultural ecosystem services (CES) values regarding agroecosystems.