The Maritime Museum finds its home in a corner of the Baltimore harbor near the intersection of Boston Street and Clinton Street in Canton. As an institution focusing on the historical context of Baltimore, I chose to align the building with Fort McHenry; a National Monument and Historic Shrine as well as a place that I have enjoyed visiting since childhood. The site itself, is an area that my family used frequently. Afternoons were spent in the small park located not far from a public works building and parking lot. The city keeps most of their unused equipment and vehicles behind that building and it creates the only unpleasant corner of an otherwise well-developed intersection. This corner is also a focal point for commuters driving into the city along Boston Street. I always thought of the great potential the corner had and how it could be helped. If I were to take away the public works building and the refuse surrounding it and replace it with an extended green space and a building that people would enjoy using, I believe it could revitalize the area and bring visitors from the city center and into a neighborhood that is only used by residents and passers-by. The museum will include offices, archives, a restoration lab, small exhibition spaces as well as the main gallery; an enclosed dry-dock which displays a skipjack, Kathryn. During the design process, I searched for many historical ships and felt as though it was essential for the ship to be of Maryland origin. I chose Kathryn because of her reasonable size and history. She was built in 1901 and endured many years of service in the oyster-dredging industry before undergoing extensive reconstruction in 1954. Over the past few decades, Kathryn has become a National Historic Landmark and she is currently being restored in Tilghman Island, Maryland. In theory, The Maritime Museum of Baltimore would offer a home to the newly restored Kathryn. The materials, form, and construction were chosen to reference the craft of ship-building. Engineered wood is used as the main structure and is exposed in the main exhibition areas of the building. This approach would create a thoughtful connection between the artifacts and an environment similar to those they previously existed within. As for the central space of the museum, the roofof the dry-dock gallery is designed to resemble the formwork used in ship construction. The curvature changes from bay to bay eventually ending at its highest peak over the harbor. The form conveys a gesture of the building opening itself toward the water and welcoming the view of the historic fort across the harbor; thus creating a special transitional moment where the water meets the land. Working on this project has been an absolutely enjoyable experience. I was able to work with a meaningful site and create a proposition that I have thought about for a long time. From this project, I would take away the sense of detail and how the construction of a building can have a direct relationship to its program as well as the sensibility of designing a project that is not only site specific but also finds context within the city. / Master of Architecture

A short term forecast model is developed for use by the Baltimore FICB in estimating their new money requests two months in advance. New money requests are the difference between new loans made and paydown. New money requests were forecasted by estimating two separate equations, one for new loans made and one for paydown. Ordinary least squares was used to estimate the parameters. Results of the estimation are reported. The forecast model developed in the study accounts for 83.59 percent of the monthly variation within the database in new money requests. Tests of the model include Theil's inequality coefficient, turning point analysis, and forecasting beyond the database. The results of these tests indicate that the model's estimates closely track actual new money requests. Due to the presence of multicollinearity, the individual effects of the independent variables are not identified. Multicollinearity was not a concern, however, since the model is to be used exclusively for forecasting. In addition to the statistical results, a computerized forecasting program is developed. The program can be used to predict new money requests for the Baltimore FICB two months in advance. It incorporates the results of the research into an easy to use package requiring a minimum of user supplied input. / Master of Science

Urban Interventions are too often regarded by long-time inhabitants of city neighborhoods as a means to displace them from their homes to make room for expensive chain stores and exclusive residential buildings - gentrification. This view is unfortunately correct more often than not. An intervention should instead aim to improve the physical environment, public space. It will allow equal access to all residents. The street will shift from automobile centered to people-centered. The introduction of vegetation to the urban environment in an intervention not only improves air and water quality and reduces urban heat, but offers long lasting positive effects on the general well-being of residents by providing psychological relief. The forms that shape this urban intervention will take the above mentioned items into consideration, and in addition possess qualities that spur interactions that shape memory of the place. Undulations, extrusions that provide shade and shelter, bridging features - allow an urban scene to unfold. Careful placement of vertical planes will provide a sense of enclosure and a place for respite from the hectic activity beyond. / Master of Architecture

The thesis project was the vehicle for an investigation of prefabrication, assembly, and the design of a lived space. Elements are separated from the building and from each other. This separation is both physically and functionally significant. This separation of elements is presented as the architecture of a joint. The wall is divided into two parts: exterior and interior; creating a wall that is analogous to a double wall system. The exterior wall is the weather barrier, while the interior wall houses the functional necessities for a building, and the extremities of lived spaces. The gap, or joint, is exploited for its ability to be a transportation system. The joint is both vertical and horizontal, separating inside from outside and one unit from the other. The clarity of elements and the method of construction articulates the joint. A well designed element is fabricated and brought to the site. Its independence in construction is a metaphor for the element's ability to stand alone with its architecture, and when assembled underlines the strengths of the unit. The unit presented is one investigation of the varying possibilities of assembly. / Master of Architecture

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Catholic University of America. / Bibliography: p. 113-117.

Several studies and reports have indicated that grade 09 learners are underperforming in science. The underperformance of learners in science is very concerning and has evoked research interests into teaching strategies that can be used to improve the performance of learners in science. This study investigated the impact of student teams achievement divisions (STAD) cooperative instructional strategy on the performance of grade 09 learners in science. A mixed method approach specifically quasi-experimental design and interviews were used to collect data. The population for the study composed of grade 09 learners from Baltimore circuit in Limpopo. The sample consisted of sixty learners from two purposively selected secondary schools. The dependent samples t-test was used to analyze the data collected. The results revealed that student teams achievement divisions (STAD) cooperative instructional strategy resulted in better performance of learners in science than traditional teaching method. In addition, learners expressed an increased interest, motivation and self-efficacy after exposure to cooperative learning. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

Several studies and reports have indicated that grade 09 learners are underperforming in science. The underperformance of learners in science is very concerning and has evoked research interests into teaching strategies that can be used to improve the performance of learners in science. This study investigated the impact of student teams achievement divisions (STAD) cooperative instructional strategy on the performance of grade 09 learners in science. A mixed method approach specifically quasi-experimental design and interviews were used to collect data. The population for the study composed of grade 09 learners from Baltimore circuit in Limpopo. The sample consisted of sixty learners from two purposively selected secondary schools. The dependent samples t-test was used to analyze the data collected. The results revealed that student teams achievement divisions (STAD) cooperative instructional strategy resulted in better performance of learners in science than traditional teaching method. In addition, learners expressed an increased interest, motivation and self-efficacy after exposure to cooperative learning. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

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Já que terá que fazer esta alteração, sugiro que dê 4 espaços antes do seu nome na primeira página, dê 7 espaços antes do título na segunda página, 4 espaços depois do nome na página 4, on 2017-01-20T12:54:35Z (GMT) / Submitted by Anthony Scott (as4489@columbia.edu) on 2017-01-20T14:46:49Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Thesis_Published_AScott_Final.pdf: 1182445 bytes, checksum: ff9680ec17f7d8a4c995ecaf718d646f (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Josineide da Silva Santos Locatelli (josineide.locatelli@fgv.br) on 2017-01-20T14:51:45Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Thesis_Published_AScott_Final.pdf: 1182445 bytes, checksum: ff9680ec17f7d8a4c995ecaf718d646f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-01-23T11:43:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Thesis_Published_AScott_Final.pdf: 1182445 bytes, checksum: ff9680ec17f7d8a4c995ecaf718d646f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-01-19 / Ever since microfinance gained popularity in the United States in the early 1990s, American microfinance institutions (MFI) have been trying to figure out how microfinance fits in the American financial system. Initially, the U.S. bought into microcredit’s theory of change as a financially self-supporting vehicle to help the poor exit poverty (Where Credit is Due, 2015), however structural challenges in the U.S. economic system make microfinance difficult for scale, like that seen in developing countries. In 2012, for example, the U.S. microfinance industry served over 361,000 people with a total loan volume of $366 million, while in Brazil - a country of comparable population, for example - served over 3 million people with a volume of $2.5 billion (FIELD, 2012; Microfinance Information Exchange, 2016). When it comes to microfinance specifically for housing in the U.S., the sector is virtually non-existent. This is largely a result of the U.S. debt-heavy model, which discourages progressive housing construction in favor of requiring the client to buy the entire house upfront. Consequently, most research has discarded microfinance as a viable option for housing purchase in the U.S., resulting in a lack of analysis on using it for a more targeted market in home improvements and repairs. The key assumption this paper makes is that the housing microfinance (HMF) repair market might be more financially sustainable in the U.S. due to both the smaller dollar value, relative to home purchase, and the high and reoccurring need for repair that is unlike microloans to businesses. This paper maps the barriers to scaling the microfinance industry in the U.S., as it pertains to home maintenance and improvement for low-income households. It uses the American city of Baltimore as the context for analysis, due to the city’s high need for housing repair and large percentage of residents with limited access to finance. Analysis relies on qualitative interviewing of both lenders and borrowers, concluding that microlending for housing repairs can only be financially sustained with private and public partnership. What Baltimore demonstrates is that HMF, unlike microloans for businesses, is impacted by subsidized interest rates due to government and philanthropic priorities in housing, which prioritize affordability over financial sustainability. Further research is needed on extending microcredit to small landlords for rental properties, since the need and impact on the poor is greater. / Desde que as microfinanças ganharam popularidade nos Estados Unidos no início da década de 1990, as instituições de microfinanças americanas (MFI) têm tentado descobrir como as microfinanças se encaixam no sistema financeiro americano. Inicialmente, os EUA aderiram à teoria da mudança do microcrédito como um veículo financeiramente autossustentado para ajudar os pobres a sair da pobreza (Where Credit is Due, 2015), porém, os desafios estruturais dificultam a expansão, como os países em desenvolvimento. Em 2012, por exemplo, a indústria de microfinanças dos EUA serviu a mais de 361 mil pessoas, com um volume total de empréstimos de US$ 366 milhões, e no Brasil – por exemplo, um país de população comparável – atendeu mais de 3 milhões de pessoas com um volume de US$ 2,5 bilhões (FIELD, 2012; Microfinance Information Exchange, 2016). Quando se trata de microfinanças especificamente para habitação nos EUA, o setor é praticamente inexistente. Isso é em grande parte resultado do modelo de dívida pesada dos EUA, que desencoraja a construção progressiva de moradias em favor de exigir que o cliente compre a casa inteira antecipadamente. Consequentemente, a maioria das pesquisas descartou o microfinanciamento como uma opção viável para compra de moradia nos EUA, resultando em uma falta de análise sobre como usá-lo para um mercado mais direcionado em melhorias e reparos em casa. O pressuposto-chave deste artigo é que o mercado de reparo de microfinanças habitacionais (HMF) pode ser mais financeiramente sustentável nos Estados Unidos devido ao menor valor em dólar, em relação à compra de imóveis, e à alta e recorrente necessidade de reparo que é diferente dos microcréditos para empresas. Este artigo mapeia as barreiras à expansão da indústria de microfinanças nos EUA, uma vez que se refere especificamente à manutenção e melhoria de domicílios para famílias de baixa renda. A cidade americana de Baltimore é usada como o contexto para a análise devido à grande necessidade de reparo de moradia que a cidade possui, além da grande porcentagem dos residentes com acesso limitado ao financiamento. A análise baseia-se em entrevistas qualitativas de credores e mutuários para traçar um contexto de mercado diferenciado, concluindo que o microcrédito para reparos de moradias só pode ser sustentado financeiramente com a parceria privada e pública. São necessárias pesquisas adicionais para estender o microcrédito aos pequenos proprietários de imóveis alugados, uma vez que a necessidade e o impacto sobre os pobres são maiores.

The rehabilitation of urban environments by giving old buildings new functions is an old practice, but policies meant for encouraging rehabilitation trace their American origins back to the 1960s with the growing criticism of urban renewal plans and the rise of historic preservation values. In the U.S., historic rehabilitation has proven to be a way of revitalizing cities which have faced deindustrialization, disinvestment and shrinking tax revenues. Built heritage is especially vulnerable in these places because of the willingness of city governors to attract investment and development at any costs. This willingness of local authorities to let developers run amock in their cities might prove to be a bad strategy in the long run, even though it can bring capital back into the city fairly quick. In a climate of toughening regional and global competition over tourism and the location of business headquarters, the images and cultures of cities have gained an increasing importance. Careful and well planned redevelopment of the built environment has an crucial role to play in the re-imaging of industrial cities. Not including the new jobs and other direct economic benefits of rehabilitation, historic structures carry a large part of a city’s character and identity, ingredients desperately sought after when cities need to get an edge and show why they are worth visiting or relocating to. This paper has argued that successful rehabilitation not only makes use of the historic built environment, but also that it has the potential of renegotiating and redefining the history of a city (or at least parts of it). In this way rehabilitation can prove to have great public benefits in making new spaces available for public access and civic intercourse. City governors should not just look at quick economic benefits. A city where the urban fabric has been destroyed through profit-oriented and shortsighted development runs the risk of having gone into a dead end. A more prosperous future for the population, not just the developers, might instead be found in democratically planned and financially scaled down solutions in which the built environment is systematically reused. American developers and cities have proven to be successful in making rehabilitation financially successful for the property owner. Considerably less interest have been shown for the public benefits of these projects, often making them into isolated enclaves lacking legitimacy among the public and causing conflicts within the neighborhood. Developers are repeatedly accused of gentrification, displacement and for ignoring the public need for affordable housing. Despite the unclear public benefits these projects are often heavily subsidized on federal, state as well as city level. After having dealt with the growing general importance of cultural policies for cities, U.S. policies on historic rehabilitation are discussed and two large redevelopment projects in Baltimore and Durham presented. After that a Swedish case of inner city redevelopment through rehabilitation is presented, showing a contrast in both national policy and local practice. Swedish redevelopment has not been subsidized in the same generous manner as in many states of the U.S., and it has been more integrated into urban planning. In the Swedish case the city governors were not interested in preserving the built environment, but due to disinvestment new construction did not occur. In the 1970s, there was a consensus between leading politicians and local developers that preservation values would not be allowed to stand in the way of development. Until the early 1980s there was also a lack of local public support for preserving industrial buildings, as in many deindustrialized cities where industry has come to symbolize unemployment and stigmatization. The unique environment of the Industrial Landscape was finally preserved not through the actions of local government, but of architectural historians and curators representing government authority. Development of the historic district needed close monitoring at a national level since the developer had a very strong influence on local politics. In Swedish preservation policies local authorities have the possibility to landmark and protect environments much in the same way as in many U.S. cities with preservation commissions. If an urban plan seems to interfer with preservation goals, however, national authorities have the possibility of intervening in a similar way to that of state preservation offices in the U.S. In the 1990s development within the Industrial Landscape went into a more mature and democratically influenced phase in which goals of public access and attractiveness became increasingly important. The lesson from Sweden shows that redevelopment through rehabilitation can be affordable and that it does not need a whole lot of public subsidy. It also shows that the historical and aesthetic values need to be stressed in order for the development project to win the public support that is needed in a democratically lead community. The political leadership in this city, paralyzed by economic crisis, was heavily influnced by the developer, who was a large property owner in the city. But through monitoring, academic research and participation in public debate by preservation professionals, the table was turned and the preservation of the Industrial Landscape gained more and more support from the city in the 1980s. Instead of giving subsidies to the developer, the government located a national museum of labor to the district at a time in which economic support was badly needed. This showed that successful rehabilitation was possible here and that it would have considerable public benefits. Finally, it is also argued that the historical experiences of the national preservation movements have influenced the way rehabilitation is carried out. In Sweden, historic preservation has largely been a task for national government, whereas in the U.S. it has to a large extent been organized through national and local non-profit organizations buying up properties and lobbying for preservation causes. In this way historic preservation has been more integrated in Swedish urban politics, whereas in the U.S. preservationists have been identified as just one interest among others.

This study aims to investigate the fate of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in sediments via using an anaerobic dechlorination model (ADM). PCBs are ubiquitous environmental pollutants, accumulated mostly in aquatic sediments. Significant attention was placed on the anaerobic dechlorination of PCBs since this process leads to the conversion of highly-chlorinated biphenyls to lower chlorinated ones, resulting in less toxic and more biodegradable congeners. An ADM was developed previously for the identification and quantification of anaerobic dechlorination pathways. In the present study, this model was improved and applied to laboratory and environmental sediment PCB data from Baltimore Harbor (BH), Maryland, USA, where PCB contamination has been recorded. The laboratory PCB data was from a 500 day microcosm study conducted with BH sediments which was used to validate the model, as well as to gather information on dominant dechlorination pathways affecting the sediments. ADM predicted the laboratory PCB data almost perfectly and subsequently very well predicted the environmental sediment PCB profiles. A complete identification and quantification of the anaerobic dechlorination pathways occurring in the BH sediments is achieved with this study for the first time. The significant similarity between the sediment sample PCB profiles and the model predicted profiles reveals that the BH sediments have undergone anaerobic dechlorination via a combination of previously identified dechlorination activities (N, P, M) with selective pathways. Model findings are consistent with microbial analysis of the sediments. Better understanding of anaerobic dechlorination mechanisms should aid in predicting natural attenuation of PCBs or developing bioremediation strategies for contaminated sites.