CEGU / Environmental and Urban Studies
2024 BA Thesis & Capstone Symposium
Friday, May 24, 2024
Room 142, 1155 E. 60th St.
Join graduating CEGU/Environmental and Urban Studies majors for presentations of their BA Thesis and Capstone research. Six panel discussions with thesis writers are interspersed with video+poster sessions by capstone-track students throughout the day.
Thesis Presentations by Shant Armenian, Connor Bentley, Jane Candy, Kimberly Carrillo Rivera, Domingo Cortinez, Savannah Doty, Nate Drew, Jonathan Garcia, Will Harding, Eli Harrell, Sofia Johansson, Adam Light, Parker Otto, Will Sampson, Nathan Sander, Regina Shen, Alexander Stern, Chloe Thompson, Carly Weigel , and Alyssa Wiegers.
Capstone Videos by Samuel Cody, Marcos Gonzalez, Asher Jaffe, Cooper Komatsu, and Anthony Oliveria
Capstone Posters by Michael Cherny , Sophia Kang, Yoohan Ko, Mohini Kumar, Tara Makhija, Leila Pulaski, Vero Ramos Kuzuhara, Jefferson Reyes Diaz, Kendra Thornburgh-Mueller, Mati Yang, and Christina Zhang.
8:30–9:00am | Coffee & Light Breakfast
9:00–9:10am | Welcome and Introduction by Fredrik Albritton Jonsson
9:10–10:15am | Thesis Session 1: Navigating Urban Landscapes: Identity, Heritage, Ownership, and Public Wellbeing
Moderated by Evan Carver
Constructing Identity: (Re)Making ‘Armenian’ Space in Three American Cities
Shant Armenian
Between Tradition and Innovation: Balancing Architectural and Societal Heritage through Conscious Stewardship of Garden Cities since 1903
Nate Drew
Negotiating Ownership and Management of Public Green Space: How the TEP Ménilmontant Community Challenges Paris’s Top-Down Urbanization
Sofia Johansson
A Symbol of the City’s Wellbeing: Frederick Law Olmsted, Public Health, and Central Park, 1858-1893
Nathan Sander
10:15–10:35am | Capstone Videos by Samuel Cody, Anthony Oliveria, and Cooper Komatsu
10:35–10:55am | Coffee Break and Poster Session with Stella Bennett, Michael Cherny, Tatiana Jackson-Saitz, and Yoohan Ko
10:55–11:45am | Thesis Session 2: Transforming Urban Landscapes: Greenways, Brownfields, and Lakefronts
Moderated by Christopher Kindell
The Important Role of the Physical Environment on Greenway Development: A Comparative Analysis of the Chicago Lakefront Trail, the Atlanta Beltline, and the Hudson River Waterfront and Walkway
Kimberly Carrillo Rivera
From Brownfields to Greenspace: Evaluating the Calumet Open Space Reserve
Connor Bentley
DuSable Lake Shore Driving Us Apart: Neighborhood Livability and Chicago’s Lakefront Expressway
Parker Otto
11:45am–12:00pm | Capstone Videos by Marcos Gonzalez and Asher Jaffe
12:00–12:45pm | Lunch Break and Poster Session with Vero Ramos Kuzuhara, Mohini Kumar, Tara Makhija, Leila Pulaski, and Sophia Kang
12:45–1:35pm | Thesis Session 3: Environmental Challenges and Public Policy
Moderated by Jessica Landau
Addressing Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Wastewater Treatment Plants through Stakeholder-Engaged Regulatory Frameworks
Jane Candy
Muddying the Waters: The Upper Mississippi River, Nitrates, and Environmental Regulation in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa
Carly Weigel
Electrifying Residential Heating in Chicago: Equitable Decarbonization through Heat Pump Technologies
Will Sampson
1:35–1:55pm | Coffee Break and Poster Session with Jefferson Reyes-Diaz, Kendra Thornburgh-Mueller, Mati Yang, and Christina Zhang
1:55–3:00pm | Thesis Session 4: Climate Change, Environmental Disasters, and Resilience
Moderated by Raymond Lodato
Why Small Towns are a Big Deal: Evaluating the Lasting Impacts of Greensburg, Kansas’ Resilience Plan and Its Role as a Model for Small Towns in the Face of Climate Change
Alyssa Wiegers
Planning Beyond Cars: Natural Disasters, Public Transportation, and Municipal Evacuation Plans in Seattle, Washington
Savannah Doty
Heads in the Sand: Beach Access and the Public Trust Doctrine under Future Climate Scenarios on Illinois’s Lake Michigan Coast
Jonathan Garcia
Aging During Environmental Crisis: Extreme Weather Vulnerability, the Age-Friendly City Framework, and Intergenerational Environmental Justice in Chicago
Chloe Thompson
3:00–3:50pm | Thesis Session 5: Diversity and Socioeconomic Dynamics of Urban Development
Moderated by Derick Anderson
Repairing Communities Through Demolition: Who the Chicago Housing Authority’s Plan for Transformation Benefited and Who It Left Behind
Adam Light
Mixed-Income, Mixed Motivations: Drivers of Socioeconomic Diversity in Rogers Park, Chicago and North Hollywood, Los Angeles
Alexander Stern
Missed Opportunities: The Impact of Opportunity Zones on Small Business Development in New York City
Regina Shen
3:50–4:40pm | Thesis Session 6: International Perspectives on Climate Change, Migration, and Energy
Moderated by Mary Beth Pudup
Governing International Climate Finance: Earmarked Funding’s Outsized Influence in the UN
Domingo Cortinez
Problematizing Temporary Protected Status Policy in Constructing a Framework for Climate Migration in the US
Will Harding
A User of What, Exactly? Infrastructures of Energy Transition and Planetary Digital Subjectivity
Eli Harrell
4:40–5:00pm | BA Prize Announcement
5:00pm | CEGU End-of-Year Party (North Courtyard, 1155 E. 60th St.)