A few things that influenced this collection of poems: shifting memory, mirroring, opposites, river rapids, patterns that repeat and spread both in the natural world and in writing... rhizomatic root systems, veins, an aerial view of rivers...

The results of a survey on the relative abundance of sulfur isotopes are presented, together with a review of previous work on the same subject. The possible causes of the variations found, and the biological and geological significance of these varia­tions is discussed. In addition, the equilibrium constant for the isotopic exchange between hydrogen sulfide and hydro­sulfide solution is determined experimentally and the results related to theoretical cal­culations based on partition functions. / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)

Decision making is heavily influenced by the environment around us. Berry et al. (2014, 2015, 2019) showed that viewing images of natural environments during the delay discounting task resulted in lower impulsive choice, as compared to viewing images of built environments or geometric figures. Berry et al. proposed that attentional factors could explain this effect, however, recent attempts to reproduce Berry et al.’s findings in a different laboratory have been unsuccessful (Johnson 2017, 2018, 2019). The present study tested if manipulating the participants’ observing responses towards different types of images (natural, built, and no images) modulates the effect reported by Berry et al. Eighty-seven college students were exposed to a matching-to-sample task aimed at increasing observation responses to the images (attentional manipulation) throughout the same delay discounting task implemented by Berry et al. (2014). It was expected that increasing the participants interaction with the images via the matching task would increase the magnitude of the effect reported by Berry et al. (2015); namely, further reduction of impulsive responses after being exposed to images of natural environments and increase of impulsive choice when exposed to built environments. Results indicated that participants who engaged in matching images of built environments had a higher rate of discounting than the group that replicated Berry et al. (2014). Matching images of natural environments did not seem to reduce impulsive choice, as predicted based on Berry et al.’s findings. Furthermore, none of the groups of the present study reproduced the rates of delay discounting originally reported by Berry et al. Participants in Berry et al., (2014) overall discounted less steeply when compared to participants in the present study. This finding resembles the results reported by Johnson et al. (2017, 2018, 2019) in their replica attempts. Lastly, participants’ self-reports regarding time spent in natural and built environments did not correlate with rate of discounting. Future research should use the number of correct responses as a measure of procedural integrity. Also, it is possible that perhaps participants failed to match more often in the built condition, and such aversive condition could have increased the impulsive choice for that group (Flora et al. 1992, 2003).

This thesis aims to apply an abstract method of design concerned with the integration of Islamic texts and building. This method was applied to a mosque floating on the water in the city of Jeddah, where the spaces were formed in a manner that was inspired by Islamic religious texts. The result is a sacred experience that can be felt through the evocation of texts within the architectural space. / Master of Architecture / The profound significance of geometric patterns in our universe and their presence in various aspects of human culture cannot be overlooked. From Kepler's exploration of planetary distances to the religious symbolism found in squares, circles, and triangles, geometry speaks a universal language that resonates across time and civilizations. The Islamic faith exemplifies this connection through the veneration of the Kaaba, a sacred structure embodying a perfect cubic shape. The circular motion of Muslims around the Kaaba unifies them in their devotion and harmonizes with the natural order. The mosque, designed with meticulous attention to detail, amplifies the spiritual experience of worshippers. The sound of hurried footsteps on the wooden path signifies Their enthusiasm to meet God, , while the carefully positioned skylight symbolizes the pursuit of righteousness. Additionally, the thoughtful arrangement of the entryway from darkness to light and the strategic placement of the chair to stimulate the right side of the brain contribute to an environment that nurtures creativity and emotional connection. Ultimately, the interplay between geometric patterns, spirituality, and architecture showcases the deep-rooted human yearning for unity, transcendence, and the divine.

Renaissance England was a period of tremendous flux; ideas about science, gender and knowledge or how we come to knowledge come under examination. These areas of flux intersect with the text examined here in their relationship to the key concept of nature. In John Milton’s, Paradise Lost, nature appears in various forms over sixty times. By first examining the word nature in relation to the ideas in flux during the period and next examining Milton’s use of the word in the epic, an overlooked yet significant aspect of his epic emerges. Milton uses the mutability of nature to further “justify the ways of God to man.” How his use of nature develops an association between nature and Eve is of even greater significance. In a carnivalesque inversion of the convention of the period, Milton’s development of nature in the poem and his development of the association of Eve with nature reveal an association of Eve with human nature.

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This dissertation is the first full-length study to examine William Blake's poetry and designs in light of the eighteenth-century concept of "nature's economy," a view of nature that prefigures twentieth-century ecological discourse by describing all earthly entities as integral parts of a dynamic, interactive system or whole. On the one hand, Blake celebrates the positive ethical potential of this model of existence, for "nature's economy" emphasizes the communal interdependence of all things. On the other hand, Blake is often highly suspicious of this paradigm of nature, for its logic tends reductively to consider individual entities in terms of the functions they perform within larger systemic wholes. In Blake's view, I argue, such instrumentalism raises the problem of interpretive practice. since the scientific or religious "Priesthoods" claiming special knowledge of "whole" systems may invoke holistic views of nature in ways that naturalize culturally constructed modes of political authority. By clarifying Blake's imaginative critique of the relationship between nature (as a cultural concept) and particular modes of governmental ideology. this dissertation challenges the common argument that Blake was unequivocally hostile toward material existence. Chapter One contextualizes Blake's general views of nature in light of his response to the politics of Enlightenment Deism, English industrialism, antinomian and Miltonic theories of creation, and contemporary debates on animal rights. Building on this historical context, Chapter Two examines the relationship between Blake's anthropomorphic symbolism and the instrumentalist politics of pastoralism and gender in The Book ofThe!. By shifting focus to the epic poetry and designs of Milton, Chapter Three argues that Blake's famous critique ofNewtonian science involves not a rejection of materiality per se, but Blake's antinomian opposition to a physical "legalism" that enslaYes both nature and humanity. Chapter Four synthesizes the major concerns of the preceding chapters by analyzing the relationship between the fall of humanity and the fall of nature in Jerusalem's radical Christian mythology, emphasizing the adverse social and enYironmental implications of anthropomorphism, "Patriarchal Religion," and primitiYist modes of identification with nature. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This thesis explores the mental, physical, and emotional healing benefits of nature and the built environment to oneself. Strategically located across from downtown Wilmington, North Carolina, along the Cape Fear River, the site serves as a social and active place that promotes engagement with the natural surroundings while healing the individual. The addiction crisis in the United States is deadlier than ever. The number of overdoses, hospitalizations, and relapses is at an all-time high. Rehabilitation centers, sober housing, and transitional living programs are failing to provide the mental and physical stabilities in which patients wish for in sobriety. Most rehabilitation centers in the country create an isolated environment in which patients primarily focus on detox and therapy while being disconnected from societal engagements for weeks or months on end. Mental well-being is a prominent cornerstone of those institutions, but what about incorporating education, life, and building career proficiencies? According to the SAMHSA, "work is one of the best predictors of positive outcomes for individuals with a substance abuse disorder." Wilmington is one of the strongest addiction recovery communities in the southern region. Unfortunately, as a result, Wilmington thus faces a higher rate of drug and alcohol relapses. By providing educational resources and career-building programs, recovering addicts are better equipped to reengage in society while finding purpose in sobriety. This thesis creates spaces for recovering addicts with programs that promote healing and provide education within a nurturing atmosphere to create a foundation for one's journey to sobriety. Natural lighting, ventilation, materiality, vegetation, and views of the landscape engage the mind and body by activating the five senses: the auditory, visual, olfactory, somatosensory, and gustatory. Winding, natural pathways on the ground create an intimate and direct interaction with the landscape, whereas the elevated pathways above the landscape create a dynamic and social interaction with the surrounding trees and nearby pedestrians throughout the calendar year. The design creates a therapeutic community that accommodates the social, educational, or therapeutic needs of each individual resident. A transitional living development focused on being a place of learning, growing, and recovering in Wilmington generates a stronger sense of community between the recovering addicts and the city. My thesis focuses on the master plan development of the site, as well as developing the boathouse and boat building facility, where individuals learn the process of building and restoring boats. This boathouse is a safe space for collaboration and creativity; therefore, offering the tools used to exercise one's mind and body while contributing to Wilmington's historic boating destination. The boathouse is one facet of the overall master plan, providing a foundation to reconnect with the environment, engage the five senses, and find purpose beyond sobriety. / Master of Architecture / This thesis explores the mental, physical, and emotional healing benefits of nature and the built environment to oneself. Strategically located across from downtown Wilmington, North Carolina, along the Cape Fear River, the site serves as a social and active place that promotes engagement with the natural surroundings while healing the individual. The addiction crisis in the United States is deadlier than ever. The number of overdoses, hospitalizations, and relapses is at an all-time high. Rehabilitation centers, sober housing, and transitional living programs are failing to provide the mental and physical stabilities in which patients wish for in sobriety. Most rehabilitation centers in the country create an isolated environment in which patients primarily focus on detox and therapy while being disconnected from societal engagements for weeks or months on end. Mental well-being is a prominent cornerstone of those institutions, but what about incorporating education, life, and building career proficiencies? According to the SAMHSA, "work is one of the best predictors of positive outcomes for individuals with a substance abuse disorder." Wilmington is one of the strongest addiction recovery communities in the southern region. Unfortunately, as a result, Wilmington thus faces a higher rate of drug and alcohol relapses. By providing educational resources and career-building programs, recovering addicts are better equipped to reengage in society while finding purpose in sobriety. A transitional living development focused on being a place of learning, growing, and recovering in Wilmington generates a stronger sense of community between the recovering addicts and the city. The design creates a therapeutic community that accommodates the social, educational, or therapeutic needs of each individual resident. My thesis focuses on the master plan development of the site, as well as developing the boathouse and boat building facility, where individuals learn the process of building and restoring boats. This boathouse is a safe space for collaboration and creativity; therefore, offering the tools used to exercise one's mind and body while contributing to Wilmington's historic boating destination. The boathouse is one facet of the overall master plan, providing a foundation to reconnect with the environment, engage the five senses, and find purpose beyond sobriety.

As the population grows we will continue to be challenged to meet the high demand for housing in our growing cities. As we strive to meet this demand it is important that we fulfill these needs in a manner that supports human health and well being by providing the inhabitants with access to the outdoors and Biophilic experiences. I will attempt to address these issues through the design of a mixed use housing complex that provides readily assessable private outdoor spaces to all its inhabitants while responding to unique site conditions that support the existing urban fabric of its surroundings. / Master of Architecture / As the population grows we will continue to be challenged to meet the high demand for housing in our growing cities. As we strive to meet this demand it is important that we fulfill these needs in a manner that supports human health and well being by providing the inhabitants with access to the outdoors and experiences with nature. I will attempt to address these issues through the design of a mixed use housing complex that provides readily assessable private outdoor spaces to all its inhabitants while responding to unique site conditions that support the existing urban fabric of its surroundings.