http://hdl.handle.net/1957/29547 2013-05-25T11:08:04Z http://hdl.handle.net/1957/35837 Defining one’s role in citizen science: an exploration of the roles, perceptions and outcomes of participation in citizen science activities Clarke, Karl Citizen science (formally public participation in science research) has emerged in recent years as an innovative and interactive tool for engaging many diverse groups in science and research. Defined as the collaboration of science professionals and the public in science research, citizen science has tremendously improved the reach of science. With such reach, the research community has taken note by its extensive studies of one-half of citizen science participants, the public. This exploratory study expanded upon the research by investigating the specific tasks of the public and program coordinators (their roles), their perceptions, and participation outcomes. A socio-cultural theoretical framework was used in this investigation. Twelve participants responded to an online survey, and three interviews were conducted. The study found that participants assumed the roles of data collector (a very common role of participants), teacher-facilitator, and/or creator (an uncommon role). In sum, participants believed and partook in authentic practice while they engaged in this scientific endeavor. Graduation date: 2012 2012-12-17T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1957/32819 Shape Modeling and GPU Based Image Warping Burri, David This project addresses the problems of manually placing facial landmarks on a portrait and finding a fast way to warp the annotated image of a face. While there are many approaches to automatically find facial landmarks, most of them provide insufficient results in uncontrolled environments. Thus I introduce a method to manually adjust a non-rigid shape on a portrait. This method utilizes a statistical shape model based on point distribution models. With these manually placed landmarks the image of a face can be warped into another shape. To warp the image I use a piecewise affine transformation. This way of transforming, however, tends to be computationally intense and therefore slow. Thus in the second part of the project I introduce a way to perform a piecewise affine transformation with enhanced performance using shaders in OpenGL. This project is made in collaboration with the Pedagogical University of Berne, Switzerland and will be part of a system for diversity research named chic-o-mat. Eventually the system will run on an iPhone as an application available to the public. Therefore, the provided solutions are based on iPhone programming using the multi-touch screen for the shape adjustment and the GPU of the latest iPhone 4S. A test application demonstrates up to 20X speedup performing piecewise warping using the GPU. 2012-08-14T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1957/30875 Ecosystem services provided by Olympia oyster (Ostrea lurida) habitat and Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) habitat; Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister) production in Willapa Bay, WA Ramsay, Jessica Oyster reefs provide an array of ecosystem services. Specifically, they provide structurally complex habitat for fish and invertebrate species such as the commercially important Dungeness crab, Metacarcinus magister. This ecosystem service, once provided by the native oyster Ostrea lurida, is now provided by the commercially cultured oyster Crassostrea gigas in many estuaries on the U.S west coast. An economic investigation was conducted examining the ecosystem services provided by oyster habitat, common economic valuation theories and techniques, and tradeoffs between oyster restoration and aquaculture expansion. A scientific investigation, comprised of three studies, was also conducted to examine Dungeness crab production as an ecosystem service provided by oyster habitat. Because natural ecosystems, such as oyster reefs, provide beneficial goods and services through time, they should be valued as any other economic asset or capital. Until recently many of these beneficial services have not been accounted for within resource management plans, often resulting in the over-exploitation of those resources. Activities such as coastal development, dredging, aquaculture expansion, or even habitat restoration can affect estuarine ecosystems. While valuing the ecosystems themselves might be difficult, valuation of the services they provide can be a useful tool for identifying and protecting key ecosystem services while implementing plans with minimal negative impact. The oysters, O. lurida and C. gigas inhabit different regions of the tidal zone. O. lurida is predominantly found in subtidal and low intertidal regions whereas C. gigas is predominantly found in intertidal regions. The shift in the dominant species has resulted in a subsequent shift of available recruitment habitat for M. magister. We conducted an across-estuary study to examine settlement of M. magister in existing O. lurida, C. gigas, eelgrass, and open mud habitats in Willapa Bay, WA, Netarts Bay, OR, and Coos Bay, OR, to determine tradeoffs in crab production between habitat types. A second study using shell bags as settlement substrate at various tidal elevations was conducted in Yaquina Bay, OR, to obtain density data of M. magister by depth. We used these densities, in combination with pre-existing data from Willapa Bay, to compare the production of Dungeness crab as an ecosystem service historically provided by O. lurida habitat and production currently provided by C. gigas habitat in Willapa Bay, WA. A third study using shell piles was conducted in Yaquina Bay, OR to estimate survival of juvenile M. magister. The results of these three studies generally support prior research indicating that densities of juvenile M. magister are greater in oyster and eelgrass habitats than in open mud, and are generally greater in oyster habitat than in eelgrass. The Yaquina Bay shell bag study indicated greater densities of juvenile M. magister in subtidal regions, while the shell pile study indicated greater densities in higher intertidal regions. 2012-06-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1957/29317 Managing for a Healthy and Diverse Parkway Tree Population: A Case Study in The Village of Mount Prospect, Illinois Krebs, Jennifer Parkway trees, trees within a designated landscape and often owned by the city, can be an asset to any municipality but also have the potential to be a liability if improperly managed. The many benefits of parkway trees include increasing property and retail value, providing natural shade and windbreaks that act to reduce household energy costs, preventing soil erosion, reducing urban noise, and enhancing the beauty of the parkway. However, parkway trees are highly susceptible to damage, insects, pests, and disease and careful long-term monitoring of their condition is necessary. The Village of Mount Prospect, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois has over 25,000 parkway trees. Yearly, the village inventories a subset of trees; the resulting data contribute to preparation of the annual budget and risk assessment report, and service requests. Each tree within the parkway is marked with a serial number at the time of planting, which is used for identification throughout the life of the tree. From June to September 2011, I inventoried 5,000 parkway trees from five sections within the village. I recorded each tree’s crown width and trunk diameter at breast height, and also recorded visual assessments of root structure, trunk stability, and potential presence of insects or disease. Each tree was given a numerical rating based on these observations and recommendations for treatment or removal were made accordingly. Information for each tree was collected in a tree inventory database, known as Hansen, and tree locations were noted in ArcPad GIS software. Given the importance of parkway trees to municipalities, planting a diverse and healthy parkway tree population is critical to the success of urban forestry. Over the summer of 2011, the trees within the village experienced major losses due to several storms (including one confirmed tornado), and the presence of two stressors, emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) and Dutch elm disease (Ophiostoma ulmi). These types of losses illustrate that parkway trees are susceptible to chronic problems from pests and diseases, and to acute and often catastrophic problems such as major storm events. As it is costly and time consuming to remove trees, it is important for urban foresters managers to identify specific program goals to ensure the health and vitality of their urban trees. To do so, they need to make long term plans for creating and maintaining a diverse parkway tree population. Based on my experience this summer and coursework taken through the PSM program, my internship report presents a community plan that addresses: (1) the importance of a healthy and diverse parkway tree population and (2) methods and practices that would allow a community to effectively maintain a healthy and diverse parkway tree population through development of a community urban forest plan. Original file is in .doc format. It was converted to .pdf using Microsoft Word for Mac 2011, Version 14.2.1 2012-04-12T00:00:00Z