Hanley Sustainability Institute

Bio: Alex Zawacki graduated in May 2024 from the University of Dayton with a B.S. in Sustainability with a focus on energy. He is currently pursuing a M.S. in Renewable and Clean Energy in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. As a graduate assistant with the Hanley Sustainability Institute (HSI), Alex’s research focuses on recording and analyzing energy production of solar panels at different tilt angles and collecting temperature and humidity data of the climate beneath solar panels. Alex aims to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of solar energy systems through his research.

Project title: Experimental Validation of Temperature and Performance of Optimized Photovoltaic Tilt Angles

 Mentors: Rydge Mulford (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering), Andrew Schrader (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering) and Chelse Prather (Biology)

About the project: Although the design of a photovoltaic panel (PV panel) array appears simple, there are actually many design principles required to ensure a fully functional PV array which maximizes power production. Two of the most important variables are the tilt angle and azimuth angle of the panels in the array. The current “state of the art” rule of thumb regarding panel tilt angle selection is to select a tilt angle equivalent to the longitudinal angle of the panel. However, this rule of thumb neglects several important impacts. Using PV modeling software, updated optimized tilt angles have been calculated, with optimized tilt angles differing by up to 10 degrees from the state-of-the-art suggested tilt angles. However, experimental determination of an ideal tilt angle is lacking in the literature. Further, the influence of these panels on the biological life surrounding them is not well documented. For this project, we will complete a long-term PV panel tilt angle experimental validation utilizing the newly constructed “On Sun Solar Facility” on the south side of KL. A small array of PV panels will be erected on the pad of the solar facility, with half of the panels oriented at the optimal tilt angle and half of the panels oriented at the state-of-the-art tilt angle. After a sufficient time, the performance of the two arrays will be compared. During these tests the temperature of the environment immediately surrounding the panel will be directly monitored in order to explore the impact on small mammals, birds and insects of the two different tilt angles.

Bio: Angelo graduated in May 2024 from the University of Scranton with a B.S. in Environmental Science. He is now working toward an M.S. in Renewable and Clean Energy Engineering. Through the Hanley Sustainability Institute (HSI), Angelo will be working on establishing sufficient sustainability for Dayton. He will be working to analyze and research purchases to determine if they contribute to the common good. With a passion for solar, Angelo looks to work within the field of renewable energy to radicalize the use of clean energy while applying sustainable practices following his time at the University of Dayton.

Project title: Benchmarking Sustainable Procurement for Higher Education: Procurement for the Common Good

Mentor: Ben Hazen (Management Information Systems, Operations and Supply Chain Management, and Business Analytics)

About the project: “Procurement for the Common Good” is an ongoing initiative from University of Dayton’s Office of Procurement and Payable Services. Ultimately, we seek to improve how academic institutions in general and UD in particular, can develop a more sustainability-focused supplier base while incorporating emerging best practices for sustainable purchasing. The goal is to provide visual cues in advance of purchase and visual feedback after purchase to indicate to the requestor how much they advanced the common good. Some data is known today though not available to institutional buyers but much of the data needed to make a balanced decision is unavailable or limited to specific supply chains. The student will conduct literature reviews, surveys and interviews to build and validate a theoretical framework. Then, they will use these insights to inform the development of a practical analytics application that will help purchasing professionals incorporate salient aspects of sustainability into purchasing decisions. The successful candidate with have a keen interest in sustainable business practices and strong data analysis capabilities. Candidates from all backgrounds and experiences are welcome. Preferred programs for the HSI Graduate Fellow include the School of Business’ Master of Science in Business Analytics (MBAN) program and the Master of Science program in interdisciplinary studies offered in the College of Arts and Sciences. However, other program options can be considered. 

Bio: Connor Kurz graduated in fall 2020 from the University of Montana with a B.S. in Wildlife Biology. He has worked seasonally with wildlife over the past eight years. Most recently, Connor worked as a black bear/furbearer technician in Missouri. He is very passionate and enthusiastic about his studies and is pursuing his M.S. in biology.

Project title: Green Energy, Wild Neighbors: Mammal Responses to Solar Energy Developments

Mentor: Mariela Gantchoff (Biology)

About the project: Renewable energy sources like wind and solar energy will play a crucial role in decreasing environmental pollution, particularly greenhouse gas emissions, by providing a clean and sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. However, it is essential to acknowledge that while renewable energy represents a significant step towards environmental sustainability, we do not yet fully understand their interactions with wildlife composition and diversity and the impacts of renewable energy (like solar farms) on vertebrate species is still a growing and active area of research. The MS student funded by HSI for this project would work on conducting wildlife surveys in the Great Miami Valley area within three categories of sites: active solar sites, potential solar sites (e.g. urban empty or abandoned lots) and natural areas. The student could develop research questions such as: Does mammal richness (i.e. number of species) and diversity (i.e. variety of species) differ among the different categories of sites? Are bats affected by solar developments? Is wildlife-friendly fencing effective in allowing wildlife to utilize these areas? To achieve this, we will use wildlife cameras and acoustic monitors to document terrestrial and aerial mammals, quantifying their richness and diversity. The MS student's involvement in this project will be multi-faceted, encompassing survey design, stakeholder engagement, logistical management, data collection, analysis, and the subsequent dissemination of research findings in the form of scientific articles and conference presentations. This information should provide vital information to local stakeholders & guide decisions related to site selection, design, and ongoing management, providing valuable insights in their decision-making processes.

Bio: Darcy Beazley graduated in 2021 from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry with a B.S. in Wildlife Science. Following graduation, she worked several temporary field jobs involving various research and conservation methods. Her interests are primarily based on herpetofauna, specifically amphibians and their conservation. She is following this passion by completing an M.S. in biology at the University of Dayton.

Project title: Species Resilience in the Dayton Metropolitan Area: Investigating How a Once Widespread Amphibian Has Endured with Rapid Urbanization

Mentors: Maggie Hantak (Biology) and Ryan Reihart (Biology)

About the project: Urbanization poses a rapid, unprecedented, threat to biological diversity at a global scale. Amphibians are particularly susceptible to the effects of urbanization as most species have limited dispersal capabilities, complex life cycles, and much of their oxygen uptake occurs through absorption across their skin. Thus, amphibians have been widely considered bioindicators of habitat health and their presence or absence and traits such as body condition and genetic diversity across human-modified landscapes can provide pertinent baseline information on ecosystem health and determine whether habitat management strategies need to take place. The HSI master’s fellow will study how urbanization around the Dayton area has altered the distribution and traits of the Blanchard’s Cricket Frog (Acris Blanchardi), which is listed as a species of concern in the state of Ohio. The master’s student will gain experience with field work, testing water quality, collecting morphological measurements of frogs and genetic techniques and analysis. The student will also work with Dayton MetroParks community partners to manage Cricket Frog habitat based on the outcomes of this project. Expected professional outcomes include conference presentations and a peer-reviewed paper in a relevant ecology journal.

Bio: Darion Smith, a Dayton native, got her B.S. in Sustainability at the University of Dayton, and is returning as a Hanley Sustainability Institute (HSI) graduate fellow to research environmental communications. Prior to her academic career, Darion was an F-16 Fighting Falcon mechanic in the United States Air Force. When she left the Air Force, Darion wanted to return home and pursue higher education. UD became her top choice because of the HSI, its mission and a sustainability degree, which other regional schools did not offer. Darion currently works as a communications specialist for the Miami Conservancy District and enjoys being able to meet so many professionals who are working to improve the environment and their communities. A research topic she is really interested in exploring is how to better communicate about climate change in ways that effectively cross political divides. Also, identifying elements within organizational structures that lead to planning or implementation failure in sustainability efforts, especially focusing on what makes effective sustainability leadership. She is very interested in urban environmental education, particularly in developing curriculum for children that inspires a connection to their environments and fosters a deeply seated land ethic. Finally, sustainability is incredibly important to her because she has a 5-year-old daughter. Every day she wakes up wanting the world to be a cleaner, healthier, more equitable place for her, her generation and every generation after.

Project title: Justice in the Gem City: Communicating Environmental Messages in Dayton

Mentor: Danielle Julita Quichocho (Communication)

About the project: Public relations (PR) firms that conduct activities such as developing campaigns and earning the attention of media outlets, and bringing stakeholders together in conversation can be effective in helping organizations work toward their environmental initiatives. However, it is important to disrupt the western-centric history, theory, and practice of PR to question who has political, social and economic power in regards to making environmental decisions for marginalized people. Examining PR from this decolonial perspective can help bring important, often-ignored voices to the tables where environmental decisions are being made. An HSI fellow involved in this social science research would therefore help develop useful criteria for what qualifies as an “environmentally just” organization in the Dayton area, conduct interviews with communication professionals within that organization to understand its environmental work (e.g. who are the important publics, how does messaging frame environmentalism), and examine the organization’s messages. Findings for this work would help make specific and strategic recommendations for an organization’s environmental communication, as well as enhance understanding of how decoloniality can be a fruitful perspective for communication research. Skills a graduate student would gain include working with a community partner towards environmental good, writing interview guides, conducting and analyzing related data, synthesizing broader patterns of communication in a given context, and recognizing how our construction of the environment in messaging can hold power for making productive changes (e.g. addressing climate change via policy).

Bio: Isabelle Blackwell graduated in May 2024 from the University of Dayton with undergraduate degrees in environmental geology and sustainability with a concentration in sustainable watersheds. She is currently working on her master of public administration. She has interned for the City of Dayton Water Department in the Environmental Management division for the past two years. In her role, she conducts storm water sampling along the rivers and monitors businesses for compliance, protecting and preserving the city’s vast water resources.

Project title: Groundwater Discharge Dynamics Regulated by the Hydrostratigraphic Architecture of Lithium-rich Brine Aquifers

Mentors: Sarah McKnight (Geology and Environmental Geosciences), Chris Sheehan (Geology and Environmental Geosciences) and Chia-Yu Wu (Geology and Environmental Geosciences)

About the project: Understanding groundwater flow through rock and sediment with different structural properties, otherwise known as hydrostratigraphy, is key for understanding groundwater discharge. However, the influence of flow on groundwater-surface water interactions remains unconstrained in understudied arid environments, despite a documented range in groundwater flow properties in such aquifers. Lithium-bearing aquifers in arid and endorheic basins are crucial mining sites for the development of lithium-ion batteries as part of the “green revolution.” Yet, concerns increasingly emerge over the impact of mining-related groundwater extraction on ecosystem-critical lakes, since groundwater extraction could diminish inflow to such lakes. Thus, this work endeavors to answer the question: How does hydrostratigraphy control groundwater flow and discharge patterns? The successful applicant to the fellowship will conduct a series of models in the simulation code known as MODFLOW to investigate discharge dynamics under the various hydrostratigraphic conditions observed in arid and endorheic basins. Through a set of statistically randomized but geologically realistic distributions of hydrostratigraphy, the fellow will demonstrate the structural conditions required to produce the distribution of discharge commonly observed in these types of environments, along with projections of how groundwater flow and discharge would vary from possible changes in recharge and groundwater pumping. Findings from this work would provide an enhanced perspective for policy-makers and stakeholders interested in conserving the fragile ecosystems associated with lakes in arid climates and would further inform those who are interested in evaluating impacts from the consumption of lithium in the process of advancing the “green revolution.”

Bio: Lauren Claas recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with a B.S. in Environmental Geography. As an undergraduate, she engaged in two research projects. The first focused on utilizing historical datasets and aerial imagery to assess how agricultural practices from Euro-American settlements contributed to the extensive accumulation of alluvial sediments in the Whitewater River Valley Basin, Mn. Her second project involved conducting field research in Šķēde, Latvia, where she investigated mass-execution trenches from the Holocaust during World War II using noninvasive archaeology and interpreted aeolian sediment stratigraphy. As she advances to earning her graduate degree in interdisciplinary studies, Lauren is eager to integrate her interests in geomorphology and environmental systems with the goal of addressing contemporary challenges related to anthropogenic influence.

Project title: Monitoring the Effects of Land Development on Stream Dynamics Across the Greater Dayton Area

Mentors: Chris Sheehan (Geology and Environmental Geosciences), Chia-Yu Wu (Geology and Environmental Geosciences) and Sarah McKnight (Geology and Environmental Geosciences)

About the project: Humans have a massive impact on sediment moving through river and stream channels. Anthropogenic activities such as land use change and climate change alter the hydraulic and erosional characteristics of these channels, disturbing their natural balance of water and sediment. Over the next several years, forests and fields surrounding metropolitan Dayton will be converted to new houses by land developers. These changes may induce erosion and other geomorphic effects, negatively impacting both riverine ecosystems and local communities across southwestern Ohio. The HSI Graduate Fellow will join a research team that aims to quantify the effects of land development on sediment in stream channels across the greater Dayton area. The research project integrates field data collection and computer modeling to monitor erosional changes in stream channels before, during, and after the onset of construction on nearby land. The HSI Fellow will receive mentorship and training to (1) Construct a record of 20th century land use change for each field site using historical imagery and GIS; (2) Conduct field surveys using GPS, environmental data loggers, and photogrammetry; and (3) Create, organize, and maintain a database to store the field data. The HSI fellow is also encouraged to expand the project, particularly in multidisciplinary directions that focus on river ecology and biodiversity. The project outcomes will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and national conferences.

Bio: In July 2019, Mequanent Mengie earned a B.S. in hydraulic and water resources engineering from Arba Minch University in Ethiopia. With the guidance and financial backing of Arba Minch University, he completed his undergraduate thesis titled "Study and Design of an Irrigation Project in Lower Weito Rift Valley Basin, Ethiopia." His professional experience includes a four-month internship program at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project. Since February 2020, he has worked as an irrigation engineer at the Ethiopian Engineering Corporation in Ethiopia. In his role, he has been actively involved in different projects related to irrigation, flood management, water supply and road engineering. Mequanent has co-authored six research publications and delivered presentations at national and international conferences, including the International Conference on Water Food and Energy Security.

Project title: Exploring the Environmental Justice Implications by Assessing Flood Vulnerability in Southwestern Ohio

Mentors: Chia-Yu Wu (Geology and Environmental Geosciences) and Donald Chase (Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics)

About the project: Flooding is one of the most devastating hydro-meteorological disasters known to humankind, and southwestern Ohio, particularly the city of Dayton, has experienced flood events. Recent climate models further indicate the escalation in temperature is expected to lead to an increased occurrence of flood events. Therefore, it is pivotal to understand spatial distribution of flood vulnerable area according to the recent climate change projections. In addition, the lingering effect of historical redlining policies in the Dayton metropolitan area has shaped its current demographic distribution; a higher concentration of underserved minorities residing in the Northwestern Dayton adjacent to the Great Miami River. This raises concerns about flood vulnerability and potential environmental justice issues. Therefore, my current study aims to: 1) construct flood exposure in our study area according to the impact of climate change, and 2) to estimate a Social Vulnerability Index by considering various socioeconomic, racial, and demographic factors. The HSI Graduate Fellow will join a multi-disciplinary of researchers collaborating on understanding the link between flood exposure and social vulnerability. The research project involves an innovative approach that models both local hydrology and socioeconomic factors, we will also engage community members to design the solutions to make our community become more resilient and protectant of all in the face of climate change. The HSI fellow will receive mentorship from faculty and conduct modelling works by using software of ArcGIS, HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS and R language. The research outcome will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journal articles and presented at conferences. The successful candidate should have a background in geography, sustainability, geology or civil engineering; experience in using ArcGIS and HEC-RAS models is highly desirable. The candidate should also have excellent oral and written communication skills, attention to detail, effective teamwork, and time management skills. The HSI graduate students should apply to the master program in Interdisciplinary Studies offered in the College of Arts and Sciences or Civil and Environmental Engineering offered in the School of Engineering.

Early each Fall, HSI invites proposals from sustainability scholars for projects that would benefit from the support of an HSI-funded research assistant. Proposals should explain the research question guiding the study, the methods that will used in answering that question, and the practical and theoretical significance that those answers promise. You should also detail the role that the graduate fellow would play in the research and how their involvement could contribute to their intellectual and professional development. Proposals will be selected based on their resonance with HSI’s strategic plan, which prioritizes research that deeply engages the community, brings together different disciplines and develops innovative frameworks for investigating sustainability; additionally, we give weight to projects that generate meaningful research experience for fellows by involving them in multiples phases of research and including fellows as co-authors of publications and presentations within the typical two-year duration of their graduate programs.

Students can find the upcoming year’s fellowship opportunities in December, and should email faculty mentors through the links below for more information about particular positions. Prospective fellows for the 2024-25 academic year should submit their application here by Jan. 31, 2024. Applicants should include a one-page cover letter describing their interests in and qualifications for one of the research opportunities, their current curriculum vitae or resume and an unofficial transcript. Note that receiving a fellowship is conditional upon earning acceptance into a graduate program at UD, and that students must apply separately to those programs for consideration.