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- All Subjects: Sustainability
- All Subjects: Creative Project
My Honors Thesis was a creative project in which I created a new course, The Road to Women’s Economic Empowerment (SGS 494). This course explores how different societal features affect the agency and economic development of women worldwide. We begin by defining women’s agency and conceptualizing the barriers to women’s economic empowerment. Barriers include gender norms, health conditions, degradation of environmental and/or natural capital, discrimination, and skewness in political representation. Each barrier is given further investigation through case studies in a variety of countries. We end the course by looking at policies and laws in different countries, evaluating their success and failures to improve women’s economic and social autonomy. This is an online course which includes video interviews and podcasts from scholars and activists, a quiz every other week, video posts which enable discussion of material with peers, and a final project to apply the concepts introduced in class.
The purpose of this thesis was to understand the importance of supply chain visibility (SCV) and to provide an analysis of the technology available for achieving SCV. Historical events where companies lacked efficient SCV were assessed to understand how errors in the supply chain can have detrimental effects on a company and their reputation. Environmental, social, and governance standards within the supply chain were defined along with the importance of meeting the legal and consumer expectations of a supply chain. There are many different organizations dedicated to helping companies meet ESG standards to achieve ethical, sustainable supply chains. Examples such as the Responsible Business Association and the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development were considered. A government solution to SCV, called the Freight Logistics Optimization Works Initiative, considered the importance of data sharing for large companies with complex supply chains, and this solution was assessed for understanding. Current companies and technologies available to achieve SCV were examined for understanding as to how the issue of SCV is currently addressed in the industry. A case study on the company Moses Lake Industries looked at how their complicated chemical manufacturing supply chain has adapted to achieve SCV. This included understanding supplier location, manufacturing processes, and risks. Future technologies that are currently being developed which could further benefit the supply chain industry were considered. Other future considerations, such as the movement of manufacturing out of high risk areas and the need for centralization of SCV solution, were also discussed.
The policy design process in the United States has been guiding policymakers for decades. In order to keep up with the developing sustainability challenges that the US is facing, a new method of policy design needs to be determined for long-lasting, sustainable change. Human-centered design principles provide a new, unique perspective for analyzing sustainability challenges. Through the integration of human-centered design principles into policy systems, a new framework for policy design can be created. Through this project, a new framework that allows for the adaptation to new technologies, scientific information, and developments in the sustainability crisis to be accounted for and adequately addressed in future policies has been created.
This project was an exploratory take on outreach in the life sciences - looking into the existing literature and practices and formulating a proof of concept for future outreach with synthesizes my findings. The research culminated in the creation of an insect guide for the novice observer, which reads as a modern take on the dichotomous key and allows amateur insect observers to develop some skills of identification with relatively little entomological knowledge.
The WELL Building Standard is the first of its kind to focus on the health and wellness of building occupants. It’s a dynamic rating system between design and construction with evidence-based health and wellness interventions. It’s a holistic design approach addressing seven concepts: air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind. Within these concepts are 100 “features” intended to address specific aspects of occupant health, comfort, and knowledge. To model these concepts and features, I will be using my Spring 2022 interior design studio project to exemplify the importance and benefits of the WELL Building Standard in workplace design.