Matching Items (22)
Description
This paper studies the change in social diversity and interaction space from the Classic to Postclassic periods in the Mimbres Valley and East Mimbres Area. Between the Classic and Postclassic periods the Mimbres region of the American Southwest exhibits an increase in diversity of ceramic wares. Previous research suggests that increased diversity of ceramics indicates a more diverse community, which could pose challenges to local social interaction (Nelson et al. 2011). I am interested in whether the architecture of plazas, focal points of communities' social structures, change in response to the growing social diversity. To examine this, I quantify the diversity of painted ceramics at Classic and Postclassic villages as well as the extent of the enclosure of plazas. I find that there is a definite shift towards greater plaza enclosure between the Classic and Postclassic periods. I conclude this paper with a discussion of possible interpretations of this trend regarding the social reactions of Mimbres communities to the changes which reshaped the region between the Classic and Postclassic periods.
ContributorsHarkness, Rebecca Jean (Author) / Nelson, Margaret (Thesis director) / Hegmon, Michelle (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Lean and Green construction methodologies are prevalent in today's construction industry. Green construction implementation in buildings has progressed quickly due to the popularity and development of building rating systems, such as LEED, Green Globes, and the Living Building Challenge. Similarly, lean construction has become more popular as this philosophy often leads to efficient construction and improved owner satisfaction. Green construction is defined as using sustainable materials in the construction process to eliminate environmental degradation and ensure that material and equipment use aligns with the design intent and promotes efficient building performance. Lean construction is defined as a set of operational/systematic processes that reduce waste and eliminates defects in the project process throughout its lifecycle. This paper describes the implementation of Lean and Green construction processes to determine the trends that each methodology contributes to a project as well as how these methodologies synergize. The authors identified common elements of each methodology through semi-structured interviews with several construction industry professionals who had extensive experience with lean and green construction. Interviewees report lean and green construction philosophies are different "flavors" of the industry; however, interviewees also state if implemented together, these processes often result in a high-performance building.
ContributorsMaris, Kelsey Lynn (Co-author) / Parrish, Kristen (Co-author, Thesis director) / Olson, Patricia (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Del E. Webb Construction (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
As construction and building methods advance so should their focus on reconstruction post-natural disasters. For the past 50 years there has been an average of 6.2 hurricanes making landfall, and several recent unfortunate occurrences in the past year that have caused immeasurable damage and taken priceless lives (Chris Landsea 2017). Damages could have been significantly reduced to residential homes and lives saved if proper, hurricane-resistant construction was used. It is important to continue advancement in efficient planning and reconstructive methods to restore individuals into their homes and ensure their safety in the future. Utilizing tested resilient building methods may increase construction costs but has a visible payoff through mitigation of economic losses in the future. This can also help develop response and mitigation plans based on the very specific conditions of each community or affected location. To do so, it is crucial to continue research and test various methods of construction and materials in residential homes. This study was a comparative analysis of the current roof systems implemented in residential homes, the role of hurricane testing facilities in maintaining building codes, and how damage incurred by hurricanes can be significantly reduced through a shift in the approach of homeowner insurance incentive. The purpose of this study was to provide a feasible and practicable solution for increasing implementation of hurricane resistant construction into homes. The results of this analysis concluded that there is a low percentage of homeowners investing in making their homes hurricane resilient. By re-inventing the incentive methods that insurance companies offer, this problem can step into the right direction in making more homes hurricane resilient consequently reducing damages, deaths, and economic loss.
ContributorsVarkalaite, Migle (Author) / Sullivan, Kenneth (Thesis director) / Ayer, Steven (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Del E. Webb Construction (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The Mimbres tradition of southwestern New Mexico, underwent what can be characterized as continuity with change, a form of non-collapse transformation, from the Late Pithouse (ca. 550-1000 CE) to Classic (ca. 1000-1130 CE) period. Both transitions are characterized by large-scale shifts in housing, settlement patterns, pottery, and mortuary customs.The goal of this thesis is to evaluate changes in the intrasite and inter-site frequencies of selected nonlocal items in Mimbres burial contexts dating to the Late Pithouse and Classic periods. Because those living in the Mimbres region seem to have dramatically changed the ways in which they lived and expressed their social identities it is reasonable to assume that their mortuary use of these high-value objects might have also transformed.
ContributorsOwen, Paige Elizabeth (Author) / Nelson, Ben (Thesis director) / Nelson, Margaret (Committee member) / Russell, Will (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor)
Created2013-12
Description
A new honors class created at Arizona State University utilizes a new "thinking" paradigm. The new paradigm is a problem solution using deductive logic and natural laws to replace the traditional acquisition and usage of detailed knowledge. When utilizing deductive logic, less time is required for students to learn, and students are able to resolve unique issues with minimal amounts of information. Students use their logic and processing skills to replace the traditional need of collecting large amounts of detailed information. The concepts taught in the class have come from the industry success of the Best Value (BV) approach developed by a leading research group at Arizona State University over the last 17 years. The research group identified the source of the industry's problem is due to the traditional business approach of management, direction and control (MDC). With over 1500 tests conducted, delivering $5.7B of services, with results showing: 30% decrease in cost, 30% increase in value, and customer satisfaction improvement by up to 140%, the Best Value (BV) approach has been identified as more efficient and can deliver better quality services than the traditional MDC approach. Through the research group's implementation of the new paradigm in higher education, the author identified a windfall effect that was able to give students understanding and an increased ability to cope with stressful situations, disease and extraordinary complications. It also exposed students to potentially harmful practices in their lives and has helped them to change. The study tested in K-12 proved potential value in exposing the paradigm to K-12 students, and what impact it may have on future professionals. The author's results include satisfaction rating of 9.5 (out of 10), increased career alignment by up to 113%, increased understanding of self by up to 70%, and a reduction of stress by up to 71%. The author's K-12 case studies aligned with the successful results shown in the industry and college classes run by the leading research group. The pattern of the new paradigm shows as resistance to it decreases, productivity, efficiency, processing speed, understanding, and effectiveness all increase.
ContributorsRivera, Alfredo (Author) / Kashiwagi, Dean (Thesis director) / Collofello, James (Committee member) / Nelson, Margaret (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Management (Contributor) / Del E. Webb Construction (Contributor)
Created2013-12
Description
The purpose of this creative thesis project is to create the framework of an educational class package based off of a course offered at Arizona State University. The course chosen for this project is an honors course titled Deductive Logic: Leadership and Management Techniques and is taught by Dean Kashiwagi, PhD. The class package is designed to be published over an online platform so students and professors from various institutions can access the material. Currently the platform is in its final stages of development and is slated to go live on July of 2014. The future development of the package will be geared towards facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration between institutions based off of course concepts.
ContributorsGunnoe, Jake Alan (Author) / Kashiwagi, Dean (Thesis director) / Kashiwagi, Jacob (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Del E. Webb Construction (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
Abstract The purpose of this project is to utilize the models and concepts from Information Measurement Theory (IMT) to help minimize future decision making with respect to my career path. When I began this project, my future was clouded, my initial conditions were unknown, my stress over future career-path decisions was high, and I had eight possible career paths in mind. I have narrowed my career-path options from eight to four. In addition, I have determined a one-year plan that enables me to be prepared to pursue any of the four career paths that I have found align with me. In this project, I explored my dominant initial conditions with respect to my career path. I tracked the job history of my grandparents and parents. These efforts allowed me to identify the strengths and weaknesses that I was exhibiting by the age of three. Natural law dictates that the strengths and weaknesses of my younger self will be the same strengths and weakness that I excel at and struggle with today. I then used my understanding of natural law and the event model process to map the strengths and weaknesses of my parents and grandparents and to compare and contrast these to my strengths and weaknesses, including those that were apparent by the time that I was three years old. Focusing in on what I really want from a job, four main goals were established to grade the various future career-path options. Finally, I documented my transition from uncertainty to clarity. It began with my sobriety and ended with a milestone one-year plan that will give me information that I need to commit to my career path. This transition has had significant impact. The elusive "who am I" has been addressed, not completely but addressed sufficiently so that the question no longer plagues me. I know from where I have come. I have gained significant insight from those around me who know me. All of this has been documented for my own personal use, and for my children someday. This process permitted me to eliminate outliers from my eight original career paths, reducing them to four. In addition, application of IMT models and concepts has allowed me to see one year into the future. With my new-found knowledge, I will listen and watch the doors close on three of the remaining four career paths, as there is only one path I am meant to take.
ContributorsRichardson, Trevor Woods (Author) / Kashiwagi, Dean (Thesis director) / Kashiwagi, Jacob (Committee member) / Industrial, Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Del E. Webb Construction (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
This project created a teaching curriculum resource guide for using the popular series, The Hunger Games, in 6th-8th grade classrooms to introduce cultural issues such as child soldiers and international development to students. Studies have shown that literature can cultivate empathy and encourage youth to act. This combined with the expanding phenomenon of participatory culture and fandom activism as outlined by Henry Jenkins demonstrate the potential for youth to learn and act when given the opportunity and resources to do so. The curriculum is composed of three units: The first is a three-week reading of the books with various activities for students to really understand the narrative and source text. The second and third units address the issues of child soldiers and international development using The Hunger Games as a framework and a keystone to build connections so that these complex issues are accessible to youth. This project is a first step in the development of a curriculum that spans the full trilogy and covers a variety of current event topics.
ContributorsSimpson, Rebecca (Author) / Sivak, Henry (Thesis director) / Blasingame, James (Committee member) / Nelson, Margaret (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
The construction industry is inefficient. Technological advancements alone do not provide a full solution. By simplifying the complexity of a construction project, and implementing the views of IMT (Information Measurement Theory) through a value driven system, the construction industry can be improved. In Bechtel's recent film, Dream Big: Engineering our World, the integration of their company values on emerging engineers resulted in astounding solutions towards making the future of the construction industry more efficient as a whole. This thesis demonstrates how Bechtel was able to direct the Dream Big movement with an emphasis on leadership and simpler thinking of future generations. Under the direction of Dr. Kashiwagi's Research and Solution Model (KSM) it is possible for young people aware of their potential and understand "simplicity" to be effective leaders. Through observation, these new leaders understand that they have been making a difference since their birth. As individuals are able to identify their core values, they are better able to find their strengths, align their values with a company, and ultimately make the construction industry more efficient.
ContributorsPirkl, Amber Victoria (Author) / Kashiwagi, Dean (Thesis director) / Kashiwagi, Jacob (Committee member) / Del E. Webb Construction (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
This honors thesis is a combination of analytical and creative endeavors. The research portion of the project examines contemporary transgender issues, including social, emotional, and cultural concerns. Most notably, the research focuses on the relationship between social support and mental health. These findings suggest that children who fail to receive adequate support are liable to face severe developmental and emotional consequences. The accumulation of this research ultimately serves as the foundation and justification for the creative work, which is presented as a children's book directed at transgender and gender non-confirming youths.
ContributorsBellon, Kyana JeRay (Author) / Nelson, Margaret (Thesis director) / Barca, Lisa (Committee member) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12