Seniors at the University of Cincinnati in the College of Engineering and Applied Science have an opportunity to complete a senior design capstone course. Seniors in the Mechanical Engineering program work with external clients on real industrial problems of practical importance. Selected senior design capstone reports are chosen for publication in Scholar@UC. More information on all senior design reports is at: https://libraries.uc.edu/libraries/ceas/services/senior-design-reports.html.
Trinity Tobe designed an inclusive playscape for the Boone County Arboretum that is accessible for a range of mobility devices and different mental capabilities.
The current infrastructure of horticulture in the United States of America, lacks BIPOC representation. The purpose of the review and research is to address the effects of white dominance in horticulture and combat the current system to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for BIPOC in horticulture. By juxtaposing past, present, and future contributions to horticulture from BIPOC individuals to the current concepts exhibited in horticulture we observe 3 things: The contributions of BIPOC ideas to Horticulture, the current representation of BIPOC individuals in horticulture, and the theorized future with solutions applied. This research is based on existing diversity equity and inclusion research seen in other fields, which theoretically will apply in the same context with horticulture. Under this assumption, it can be understood that horticulture is not the sole perpetrator in non-inclusive work environments for BIPOC but is rather a subcategory of the many organizations and communities within the United States that are systemically oppressive to BIPOC.
Keywords: [BIPOC, horticulture, diversity in horticulture, inclusion in horticulture, colonization, culture, anti-racism, equity, colonialism]
Over 400,000 quarries have been left abandoned and seemingly in a state of disrepair once their resources have been depleted or no longer valued. Before 1977, there were no laws or regulations in place to protect these sites. Owners and contractors were able to leave the site as is with tools, machinery, jagged rocks, slabs of cut stone, trash, and anything in between. This project explores the oldest marble quarry in the country, the Norcross-West marble quarry located in Dorset, Vermont. The design answers the question of how to repurpose this site by combining the site history to create educational opportunities, vegetation implementation to create habitats for at risk species, and sustainable practices such as marble carving and rainwater collection create a space that fulfills needs within the site that have long sense been forgotten. These practices reform the space and set a precedent for the dozens of other nearby abandoned and active quarry sites.
“Permaculture is: design protocols for critical thinking, decision making, and problem solving all based on the patterns of nature” as defined by Larry Santoyo, the founder of The Permaculture Academy (Definitions of Permaculture, 2017). However, these design principles are often used on large scale properties such as farms, ranches, or even homesteads that have multiple acres of land to be managed. Therefore, this design is asking how can permaculture design be applied to be within county regulations at a suburban middle class home to produce food and enhance shared family maintenance time. In order to answer this question this research explores a design which follows the principles of permaculture and implements them through elements of the landscape. The design is based on a half an acre lot in a suburban neighborhood located in Medina, Ohio. This design addresses how permaculture design principles could be effectively used to feed a family and have a maintenance schedule that is in tune with family life all while following county regulations set for residential zones.
