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Theses and Dissertations

Theses and Dissertations

Ever wonder what kind of thesis projects students have worked on while here in our program?  Check out the topics our students explored!

2024

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Name Thesis/Dissertation Title
Inderjit Sing Yadav GENOMICS ENABLED GENE DISCOVERY IN DIPLOID AND POLYPLOID WHEAT
Patrick R. Boyle DESIGNING AN ACCESSIBLE AGRICULTURAL GARDEN: CONNECTING SOLIDARITY & AGROECOLOGY
Adam W. Schoen INTEGRATING FORWARD AND REVERSE GENETIC TOOLS FOR FAST FORWARDING WHEAT IMPROVEMENT
Azadeh Esmaeli     INVESTIGATING THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN BUILT AND NATURAL WINDOW VIEWS, AND STUDENTS PERCEIVED RESTORATION USING VRITUAL REALITY

Katherine          McCormick

Co-Creating the Yard: A study in defining dignity in the workplace for landscape labor 

Brandt Dirmeyer        

INTEGRATED EDIBLE LANDSCAPES: CELEBRATING MULTICULTURALISM AT BROOKSIDE GARDENS

Mary Christensen

Spreading the Seeds of a Solidarity Landscape: Co-creating a Biophilic Landscape and Training Curriculum in Northern Italy
Shipon Md Miah MAKING APPLES BLUSH: UNDERSTANDING HOW THE COMBINED USE OF REFLECTIVE GROUNDCOVERS AND PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS IMPACT RED SKIN COLORATION AND QUALITY OF ‘HONEYCRISP’ APPLES IN THE MID-ATLANTIC US
Lillyanna House Refining the understanding of the crosstalk between auxin and indolic defense compound metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana to improve transferability of the model system to major crops
Boyoung Park THE ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF STORMWATER BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (BMPS) ON HOUSING SALE PRICES IN WASHINGTTHE ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF STORMWATER BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (BMPS) ON HOUSING SALE PRICES IN WASHINGTON, D.C.ON, D.C.
Erin Myers PRODUCTION RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INDUSTRIAL HEMP (CANNABIS SATIVA) FOR FIBER PRODUCTION IN MARYLAND: OPTIMIZING PLANTING DATE FOR FIBER YIELD, QUALITY, AND WEED MANAGEMENT
Jennifer Morash THE USE OF ORGANIC WASTE PRODUCTS AS SOIL AMENDMENTS FOR TURFGRASS ESTABLISHMENT: EFFECTS AND REGULATORY INFLUENCES

2023

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Name Thesis/Dissertation Title
Daniel Bentley

Improving tree canopy cover within single family residential front yards and the case for neighborhood trees case study: Galway elementary school district

Carrie Perkins

 

To What Extent Do Mode of Reproduction, Levels of Genotypic Diversity, and Connectivity in Vallisneria americana Michx. Confer Resilience to a Changing Climate?

Helen Boniface  Quantifying climate-smart farming practices for improved management and long-term carbon storage
Alison Schulenburg  Management options for farmers facing saltwater intrusion on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay
Debra Shteinberg

 

Illuminating Public Spaces Through Artful Lighting Design: A Response to the Proposed Elevated Seawall on Staten Island

Aliya Mejias  Applying Green Complete Streets on Georgia Avenue NW: Redesigning an Urban Right-of-Way for Sustainable Mobility and Urban Water Quality
Audrey Seiz The Brain Does Not Lie: A Case Study of Psychophysiology and Landscape in South Clifton Park
Erin Callahan

Growing Stewards – Reimagining a Historic Landscape as a Venue for Climate Change Awareness through Education, Adaptation, and Play

Matthew Reise

From Harm to Hope: Reimagining an Abandoned Asylum as a Space of Reflection, Rejuvenation, and Rejoice

Shravya Peddigari Understanding Organic and Conventional Turfgrass Management Programs and Rhizosphere Microbiome for Sports Turf in Maryland 
Lauren Marshall Reimagining Vacant Assets with a Land Use Economy System: Design to deliver diverse benefits
Marci-Ann Smith Creating Space for Nature Rx at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Micaela Ada A Place in Public Space: Re-designing Palmer Park to be Autism-friendly for Adults
Taylor Schulden Positional Cloning of Broad-Spectrum Leaf Rust Resistance Gene, Lr57, from
Aegilops geniculata, a Tertiary Gene Pool Member of Wheat

Jainee Priyesh Shah

Reviving Connections: A Proposal to Improve Water Quality of the Anacostia River and Connect the City to its River through Sustainable Urbanism
Stephen Carl Boushell Spray Strategies and Selection for Fungicide Resistance: Fenhexamid Resistance in Botrytis cinerea as a Case Study

2022

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Name Thesis/Dissertation Title

Martin, Bryn

RE-RO(O/U)TING: Reconfiguring mobilities and materialities through the design of a green-blue infrastructure corridor in Baltimore, Maryland

Sretenovic, Simon

Developing and Improving CRISPR-Based Genome Editing Technologies in Plants

Castillo Gonzalez, Humberto

Investigating the hyperdiversity of fungal endophytes in wild Rubiaceae tropical plants and coffee plantations.

Malzahn, Aimee Alyssa

Developing and Expanding CRISPR-Cas Plant Genome Engineering Systems

Fann, Audrey Erin

On the Verge: A Design Framework Using Landscape Ecology and Edge Design Principles to Reconnect Habitats and Diversify Vegetation in Southeast Texas

Mallory, Jonathan Richard

Healing with Nature: Integrating Biodiversity at MedStar Montgomery Medical Center

Cosseboom, Scott David

Epidemiology and Fungicide Sensitivity of Grape Late Season Bunch Rots in the Mid-Atlantic

Savio, Hannah L

After the Flood: Designing Land Reuse in New York's Hudson Valley

Deaver, Wesley

The Plant Rhizosphere-Phyllosphere Connection: Analysis of root-associated Pseudomonas sp. -induced changes in Fruit Surface Phytochemical Profiles of Heirloom and Modern Tomato cultivars and effect on Salmonella enterica association

Stokes, Bridget Allison

Designing for the People: A Participatory Design Approach for Duane Avenue Park

Singh, Lovepreet

Multifaceted Approaches to Control Fusarium Head Blight in Wheat: Genetic Mapping, Mechanistic Studies, and Fungicide Efficacy Analyses

Liu, Xingchen

Integrating Food Safety and Sustainability: Investigating Lettuce and Kale Interactions with Salmonella as Influenced by Stress and Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria

Moody, Kelsey

A Study into the Application of Occupational Therapy Theoretical Framework in a Public Space Design for Kirkwood Neighborhood Park

Ren, Xiaojin

A Nature Space for Wellness: Outdoor Design for the Villa Rosa Nursing and Rehabilitation Center

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

Click on Thesis/Dissertation title to view

Name Thesis/Dissertation Title
Christopher T. Frye/ Maile C. Neel BENEFITS OF GENE FLOW ARE MEDIATED BY INDIVIDUAL VARIABILITY IN SELF-COMPATIBILITY IN SMALL ISOLATED POPULATIONS OF AN ENDEMIC PLANT SPECIES
Tamara Diane Collum CHARACTERIZATION OF TOBACCO MOSAIC VIRUS DIRECTED REPROGRAMMING OF PHLOEM GENE EXPRESSION TO PROMOTE VIRAL PHLOEM LOADING AND SYSTMEIC MOVEMENT
Cesar S. Herrera/ Yuuri Hirooka/ Priscila Chaverri PSEUDOCOSPECIATION OF THE MYCOPARASITE COSMOSPORA WITH THEIR FUNGAL HOSTS
Katelin Marie Posthuma

Kintsugi: A New Framework For Post-Industrial Transformation 

Jun Zhang 

IDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF IAA OXIDASES AND THEIR ROLE IN IAA HOMEOSTATIC REGULATION IN ARABIDOPSIS 

Cody Kepher 

UNDERSTANDING LATE SEASON FRUIT ROT PATHOSYSTEMS AND INSECT INTERACTIONS IN MID-ATLANTIC VINEYARDS 

Sarah Michelle Allard 

Bacterial communities of the specialty crop phyllosphere: response to biological soil amendment use, rainfall, and insect visitation 

Jun Jiang 

A MORE COMPLETE STREET A STREET FOR EVERYONE TO ENJOY, NORTH EAST STREET, FREDERICK, MARYLAND – A DESIGN INVESTIGATION OF DIFFERENT STREET DESIGN THEORIES 

Laura Kristine Templeton

Changes in the community structure of urban and rural forest patches in Baltimore from 1998 to 2015 

Nathan Allen 

MOWING TO GROWING: TRANSFORMING A MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSE TO URBAN AGRICULTURE IN BALTIMORE CITY 

Amina Ibrahim Mohamed 

SHIFTING SCALES, ADJUSTING LENSES: A FRAMEWORK FOR INVESTIGATING BALTIMORE’S URBAN VACANCY 

George Sorvalis 

MAXIMIZING LANDSCAPE PERFORMANCE AT ADVENTIST HOSPITAL: HEALING THE PEOPLE, HEALING SLIGO CREEK 

Kathleen Hayes 

Regenerative Stormwater Conveyance: Design Implications of an Urban Case Demonstration in Baltimore, Maryland 

Xiayun Xiao 

EFFECT OF COMPOST ON THE MICROCLOVER ESTABLISHMENT AND USE OF COMPOST AND MICROCLOVER TO REDUCE LAWN NUTRIENT RUNOFF 

Chioma Egekwu 

Influence of Nitrogen and Sink Competition on Shoot Growth of Poplar 

 

2015

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Name Thesis/Dissertation Title
Jordon Harris/ Yilmaz Balci POPULATION STRUCTURE OF THE BACTERIAL PATHOGEN XYELLA FASTIDIOSA AMONG STREET TREES IN WASHINGTON D.C.
Nicholas William Yoder

Changing Course: Repurposing Golf Landscapes for Wildlife Habitat and Recreation 

 Daniela Michelle Miller 

Genetic Control of Flowering Time in a Soft Red Winter Wheat Doubled Haploid Population 

Siqi Chen 

EVALUATION OF COMPOST TOPDRESSING, COMPOST TEA AND CULTIVATION ON TALL FESCUE QUALITY, SOIL PHYSICAL PROPERTIES AND SOIL MICROBIAL ACTIVITY 

Yaopeng Zhou 

MAPPING QUANTITATIVE TRAIT LOCI FOR GRAIN YIELD AND YIELD RELATED TRAITS IN A HEXAPLOID WINTER WHEAT DOUBLED HAPLOID POPULATION 

Sanghyun Han

SALMONELLA ENTERICA INTERACTIONS WITH TOMATO: PLANT GENOTYPE EFFECTS AND SALMONELLA GENETIC RESPONSES 

Sydney F. Wallace 

Diversity of Phytophthora Species in Costa Rica's Tropical Forest 

Harris Brian Trobman 

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN HAITI: UTILIZING FOUND MATERIALS AND PROVEN TECHNIQUES TO GROW FOOD AND FILTER WATER 

Jonathan Gemmell 

Rethinking Playgrounds: A Design Investigation of Playscape Theory 

Justine Beaulieu 

Genotypic Diversity of Common Phytophthora Species in Maryland Nurseries and Characterization of Fungicide Efficacy 

Elizabeth Taussig Barton 

A Comparison of Organic Matter Amendments for Use in Extensive Green Roof Substrates 

Matthew Morris 

Effects of a Simulated Dicamba Misapplication on Non-tolerant Soybeans (Glycine max) 

Robyn Edwards 

Choice Experiments and Design Decision-Making 

Tommy Phannareth 

SALMONELLA-INDUCED SYSTEMIC ACQUIRED RESISTANCE IN TOMATO AND ITS IMPACT ON SALMONELLA COLONIZATION OF TOMATO LEAVES 

 

2014

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Name Thesis/Dissertation Title
Jordan Lee Harris 

Epidemiology and population structure of Xylella fastidiosa, the causal agent of bacterial leaf scorch, among urban trees in the District of Columbia 

Whitney Griffin 

EXTENSIVE GREEN ROOF SUBSTRATE COMPOSITION: EFFECTS OF PHYSICAL PROPERTIES ON MATRIC POTENTIAL, HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY, PLANT GROWTH, AND STORMWATER RETENTION IN THE MID-ATLANTIC. 

Joshua Yoshi Silverstein 

Parchment to Touchscreen: Landscape Journey and Experience for 21st Century Learning 

 Anna Elizabeth Wallis 

Local lettuce: heat tolerant romaine cultivars and vermicompost soil amendment to increase sustainability in the Mid-Atlantic 

Shoshanah Zahavah Haberman 

The Micro -Landscape Modular Urban Apartment Gardens 

Travis Wierengo 

REVIVAL THROUGH RESILIENCE: Small Craft Harbor Design within a Coastal Urban Community 

Amy Marin 

Operation Market Garden: Establishing a Sustainable Food System in West Baltimore's Poppleton Neighborhood 

Paul Edward Jester 

Shifting Gears: Exploring Parametric Design to Renovate an Urban Waterfront 

Elisabeth Jane Walker 

Exploring Socio-Cultural Dimensions of Sustainability. How Cultural and Social Factors Inform a Sustainable Redesign of Whitmore Park (Annapolis, MD). 

Nancy Fruchter Britt 

Greenway as the Framework for Community Design on the Patapsco River Valley 

Adriana Mendoza 

Anacostia: Community As Form 

Benjamin Conway 

MAPPING DISEASE RESISTANCE QTL FOR FUSARIUM HEAD BLIGHT AND LEAF RUST IN A WHEAT DOUBLED HAPLOID POPULATION 

Cesar Samuel Herrera 

SYSTEMATICS OF THE GENUS COSMOSPORA (NECTRIACEAE, HYPOCREALES), AND COSPECIATION OF COSMOSPORA SPECIES WITH THEIR ASSOCIATED FUNGAL HOSTS. 

Catalina Salgado-Salazar 

MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY AND TAXONOMIC REVISION OF FUNGI IN THE GENUS Thelonectria AND RELATED SPECIES WITH Cylindrocarpon-LIKE ANAMORPHS 

 

2013

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Name Thesis/Dissertation Title
Catalina Salgado-Salazar
Amy Y. Rossman
Priscila Chaverri
NOT AS UBIQUITOUS AS WE THOUGHT: TOXONOMIX CRYPSIS, HIDDEN DIVERSITY AND CRYPTIC SPECIATION IN THE COSMOPOLITATION FUNGUS THELONECTRIA DISCOPHORA (NECTRIACEASE, HYPOCREALES, ASCOMYCOTA)
Clark DeLong 

EVALUATION OF PLANT SPECIES FOR SURVIVAL, GROWTH AND CONTRIBUTION TO GREEN ROOF FUNCTION 

Megan Elizabeth McConnell 

Distribution and involvement of Phytophthora cinnamomi in white oak (Quercus alba) decline in mid-Atlantic United States forests 

Qingmel Guan 

MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF PLANT RESPONSES TO COLD, HEAT AND SALT STRESSES IN ARABIDOPSIS 

Olyssa Starry 

The comparative effects of three Sedum species on green roof stormwater retention 

Sarah C. Ashmun 

Healing Invisible Wounds: Landscapes for Wounded Warriors Suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 

Matthew Busa 

Designing for the Shrinking City: Re-imagining Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, OH 

 Emilie Carroll Carter 

Designing for Interpretive Signage: Best Practices for Increasing Attraction Power 

Mingyu Cui 

COMPLETE STREETS CODE FOR ROADWAY FACILITY IMPROVEMENT IN COLLEGE PARK CAMPUS, THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND - A CONTEXT-SENSITIVE APPROACH 

Nicholas Alan Patrick 

Experiencing Temporary Artscapes 

Erica Marie Thum 

Light in the Landscape 

Laura M. Kendrick 

The Purposeful Edge: Designing for Wildlife Along the Anacostia River 

Sarah Watling 

WHAT DOES THE MINE HAVE TO TELL US? ART AS A RECLAMATION STREATEGY IN THE POST-MINED LANDSCAPE OF THE OLDEST KNOWN MINE IN THE WORLD, NGWENYA MINE SWAZILAND 

Wenjie Li

A SCENARIO PLANNING APPROACH FOR SCHOOL GREEN ROOFS TO ACHIEVE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT BENEFITS: A CASE STUDY OF BRIER'S MILL RUN SUBWATERSHED 

Risa Dessel Abraham 

Revealing Risk & Redefining Development: Exploring Hurricane Impact on St. Croix, USVI 

Patrick Howard Watkins 

Nitrogen Management in Corn: Influences of Urea Ammonium Nitrate (UAN) Applications With and Without Nitrogen Stabilizer Products. 

Jennifer Carol Himmelstein 

MECHANISMS OF DISEASE SUPPRESSION BY A HAIRY VETCH (VICIA VILLOSA) COVER CROP ON FUSARIUM WILT OF WATERMELON AND THE EFFICACY OF THE BIOCONTROL ACTINOVATE. 

 

2012

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Name Thesis/Dissertation Title

Emily Pettengill

Cecile Parmentier-Line

Gary D Coleman

Evaluation of qPCR reference genes in two genotypes of Populus for use in photoperiod and low-temperature studies

Xiao Wang

James Culver

DNA binding specificity of ATAF2, a NAC domain transcription factor targeted for degradation by Tobacco mosaic virus
Emily Ann Pettengill  NITROGEN REMOBILIZATION AND THE NUCLEOSIDE PHOSPHORYLASE-LIKE VEGETATIVE STORAGE PROTEIN FAMILY IN POPULUS: CHARACTERIZATION, REGULATION AND TRANSGENES
Carol Dianne Allen 

TRANSMISSION OF CYMBIDIUM MOSAIC VIRUS IN ONCIDIUM ORCHIDS BY PERIPLANETA AUSTRALASIAE 

Michael Warren Lloyd 

Genetic consequences of habitat fragmentation and restoration 

David Emmanuel Ruppert 

Redox and Soil Manipulation Effects on Ditch Soil Phosphorus Processing 

Jennifer Zoe Clarkwest

COMMUNITY BASED APPROACHES TO STORMWATER DESIGN IN A BALTIMORE NEIGHBORHOOD 

Kimberly Jean Moyer 

Wildness as Infrastructure 

Chris H. Myers

DESIGNING FOR BIODIVERSITY TO INFLUENCE HABITAT ON A GREEN ROOF IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 

Rosamaria Mora Montenegro 

"PUERTAS": THE MEANING OF GATEWAYS AND A DESIGN PROPOSAL FOR THEIR INTERPRETATION IN CASCO ANTIGUO, PANAMA

Kroy Anne Kreiseder 

Addressing New Stormwater Policies in the Redesign of the National Grove of State Trees at the United States National Arboretum 

Allison Palmer Jensen 

GREEN AND BLUE SCHOOLS: THE USE OF ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE RAINWATER DESIGN AT GEORGETOWN VISITATION PREPARATORY SCHOOL IN GEORGETOWN, WASHINGTON DC. 

Michael Allen Boeck 

Reimagining the Cambridge Shoreline: Encouraging Implementation of Sustainable Shoreline Erosion Controls in Cambridge, MD 

Matthew J. Sickle 

Nomadic Memorial: Dynamic Landscapes of Commemoration for the Civilian Public Service 

Julia Mae Harshman 

Evaluation of Raspberry (Rubus sp.) Genotypes for Postharvest Quality and Resistance to Botrytis cinerea 

Joseph Ikley 

The utility of saflufenacil on glyphosate-resistant horseweed and its effect on select soybean varieties 

 Romina Gazis 

EVALUATING THE ENDOPHYTIC FUNGAL COMMUNITY IN PLANTED AND WILD RUBBER TREES (Hevea brasiliensis) 

 Joyce Kelley 

Redefining the ORILLA: community awareness at the water's edge in Baltimore 

 

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2003