Morphological studies can be used to examine paleoecological issues, such as the effects of environmental change on organisms. Much has been written on extinction caused by environmental change; however, relatively little research has been directed at species which survive these changes. The Marvacrassatella (Mollusca: Bivalvia) lineage is widely distributed and abundant in space and time. This study concentrates on the latter portion of the lineage. Five previously recognized groups of specimens, which have been thought to possibly represent three to five species, survived three episodes of habitat alteration over three million years. Approximately 800 specimens representing seven formations (Yorktown, Duplin, Raysor, Jackson Bluff, Tamiami, Chowan River, and James City) and three members (Rushmere and Moore House Member of the Yorktown Formation, and the Edenhouse Member of the Chowan River Formation) from the early late Pliocene to the early Pleistocene from Virginia to Florida were examined. Eighteen quantitative measurements were made on each valve. Principal-components analysis assessed shape variation within the Marvacrassatella lineage. Canonical discriminant analysis on geometric means produced two canonical variables that explain the separation among species. Most changes in shell and muscle shape occurred in adductor muscle dimensions, pedal retractor height, and the distance from the pallial line to the ventral margin, which have been overlooked in previous studies. Although the morphospace for each species overlaps, each has its own unique morphology. Analyses reveal morphological stability in the early late Pliocene, followed by an extinction event and a possible migration event in the late Pliocene, with later events leading to the complete extinction of the Marvacrassatella lineage in the early Pleistocene. / Master of Science

This thesis involves two aspects of Music and of Architecture. Art as Object and Art as Event. The study is presented in two parts: Architectura Poetica and Architectura Practica. Architectura Poetica - Art as Object. The poeticus of this project, the objective elements, are those things concerned with the timely; the means of construction; the structure itself; the non-parallel walls desired in spaces for music. These are expressions <i>about</i> Architecture. Architectura Practica - Art as Event. The practicus of this project, the subjective elements, are those things created by and brought-to-life by the experiencing person, but offered by the objective elements. They are impressions of the objective elements: public/private, dynamic/static, light/dark, formal/informal, inside/outside. These are expressions <i>of</i> Architecture. / Master of Architecture

The burial place of the future should engage the living in the process of death and remembrance in a way which counteracts the negative responses associated with death and remembrance in a way which counteracts the negative responses associated with death. A new cemetery design which acknowledges the need for a place for acceptance, memory, and interaction with one’s feelings for those we have lost is the basis of this examination. / Master of Architecture

The relatively recent success of the aquarium as a tourist destination has promoted a National interest in marine life. In the past twenty years cities have built aquariums that draw millions annually to various locations, justifying financial maintenance of delicate underwater life systems and increasing local tourism. Some successful aquariums such as the Monterey and Boston city aquariums have not only effectively drawn large numbers of visitors, but also have gained architectural recognition with award winning designs, therefore adding a new dimension to the recent trend in museum design. Still, with the emphasis on tourism, an issue that has yet to be addressed is the function of the aquarium as resource center of marine life. This proposal for the Jacksonville city aquarium endeavors to address the function of the aquarium as an institute for research and education, while utilizing the unique marine ecology setting to promote awareness of local underwater ecosystems. In this way, educational research and wildlife awareness set a new standard for aquarium design. Tourism can simultaneously emphasize inner-city urban development and promote the wealth of its existing ecology. This educational focus, in conjunction with the three states of marine habitat, establishes the basis for the aquarium design. By integrating the building design into the existing fabric of the city and focusing the research on the local rivers and habitats, the aquarium design will achieve the integrity needed to support this ambitious venture. / Master of Architecture

Architecture must go beyond merely sustaining and supporting our needs. It has the ability to enlighten and to enrich our lives. However, it cannot succeed when the origin lies in merely satisfying programmatic needs. The pathway to a rich and meaningful architecture begins by examining the symbols and rituals that are a part of our history as well as our everyday lives. These rituals and symbols can begin to form the framework or to generate the form and order of our architecture. Whether or not the inhabitants of our buildings are able to interpret our intentions is irrelevant. Individuals will find meaning as they live and experience life in our work. For an individual to find meaning in the built world, our architecture must communicate to them. They must be able to understand the role or significance that a building plays in a larger built environment. There must be a language of material, form, and order that gives some buildings more significance than other others, and define that buildings role within a larger community. Architecture that has been generated from an understanding of the rituals and symbols of the institution it houses shall be able to communicate its meaning without the reliance on traditional icons. The monastery is an institution with a history rich with symbolism that supports a way of life guided by ritual. The monastery is composed of individual structures vastly different in their role and significance that are brought together as a unified entity. / Master of Architecture

The creation of laboratories that provide a means of inspiration for scientists by wedding architecture to the natural environment. / Master of Architecture

Men frequently speak of space and time as if they were only concrete in extent and duration such as the individual consciousness can feel, but enfeebled by abstraction. In reality they are representations of a wholly different sort, made out of other elemently according to a different plan and with equally different ends in view. Emile Durkheim The parti is the basic design concept for a building or group of buildings. As a diagram it might suggest certain enclosures and uses. Yet that same diagram can be developed in different ways to create very different types of spaces. The reuse of that parti can offer a new understanding of the essence of that singular parti diagram. This project is the union of an existing city's parti and the demanding spatial program that, through necessity, opposes that parti. This project demonstrates a reinterpretation of the existing parti diagram by using a new orientation to accommodate a new function, that of accessible housing. / Master of Architecture

The ability to record collective experience and learn from it is one of the hallmarks of civilization. The library, in all its forms, has an integral role in this passing of experience; both in how knowledge is stored and how it is retrieved and used. This role is the heart of this thesis investigation. How, in our time, can the library fill these traditional roles? Acknowledging the advent of the information age, what could the design response be? I approached this library as a collection of spatial experiences. Architectural situations are used to relate people to each other, the library environs, and the library media. Though these relationships, and personal interaction, the library answers the call of a new age. / Master of Architecture

Thesis is the quest to uncover, investigate and define the inherent, personal architectural principles that drive design. The thesis project is the vehicle that gives the boundaries and construct within which the discovery process takes place. Studying the thesis project as well as studio work from previous years is the process used to uncover where the opportunities for architecture lie. The opportunities for discovery are found where forms, elements and/or materials meet, the connections. These connections are affected by the site and program, creating a unique structure for each project. The pulling apart of structure and materials to reveal what 'is,' provides the basis of these separations and connections. The separations show the individual components of the connection, allowing for clarity of structure. The place in which these components meet is the threshold. Threshold is the key to this thesis and design. There have been many theories relating to the concept of threshold that have affected my thoughts and apply to this thesis design. In historical order, Plato’s Theory of Opposites, Aristotle's Theory of Contrariety, Van Eyck's Twin Phenomenon, Venturi's Both-And, Norberg-Schulz's Intermediary Objects, and von Meiss's Threshold Theory. Each theory deals with the connection between contradictory or opposing phenomenon. It is at the threshold that these phenomenon or forces are articulated. In studying the theories and the thesis design three clear types of threshold are apparent. They are separating, mediating and transitional. For all types, the threshold is where architecture comes alive. The program and site for the thesis project gives a context in which to study architecture. The project chosen for thesis study is a Unitarian Universalist Church for the New River Valley Fellowship in Blacksburg, Virginia. The ideology of the Unitarian Universalist religion as well as the specific views of the Blacksburg congregation are important to the selection of the site, the division of the spaces, and the design of the structure. The program was set out by the congregation for the new facility recently completed. A new site was chosen in Blacksburg. The ideology of the Blacksburg congregation in combination with the program and site create boundaries for the thesis project. The design process takes them all into account, creating an inherent order and hierarchy to the building. The thesis design is affected on all levels by the need to separate and reveal the structure, to articulate the joint, and explore the "in-between realm." This investigation of threshold is interwoven into all the design explorations such as geometry, path, structure, form and construction. The resulting building, its elements and materials, create the character of the building. The experience of sequence, color, form and feel of each place. / Master of Architecture

The increasing dominance of technology in everyday life has created a challenge to the role Fine Arts plays in today’s society. The struggle of the Fine Arts to retain and strengthen its role in the culture of a technologically-driven society presented a unique opportunity to explore the reuniting of two major Fine Arts realms the Art School and Museum. The challenge of this thesis was to unite the School and Museum in such a way as to strengthen the part Fine Arts has in today’s culture. Over time art schools and museums have become separated both physically and psychologically. They are treated as two individual building types in architecture, each with its own functional goals. By synthesizing the two building types, the opportunity is created to both view art and learn the processes by which it is created. The architecture of the school/museum seeks to celebrate these two activities: the school as "Place" where creation of the art occurs, the museum representing "Occasion" - the celebration of the art. The ability for both activities to occur within the same building encourages understanding of the Fine Arts by exposing people to its two realms. Through such encouragement, as presented by the building’s architecture, society may rediscover the important role the Fine Arts have in everyday life and in its cultural legacy. / Master of Architecture