Suchergebnisse

The New River is influenced by a variety of pressures ranging from economic development and attendant environmental impacts, to changing community expectations and choices, to infrastructure investments by local government. Coordinating local action to improve sustainability of the river is complex, with many stakeholders, conflicting priorities, and systems-level impacts that are poorly understood. Local universities can contribute to this challenge through community-based service learning (CBSL). CBSL involves exposing students to structured, real-life problem solving opportunities working with community stakeholders to develop and apply solutions in the real world. This presentation describes a series of CBSL experiences employed in graduate and undergraduate sustainable building and infrastructure courses at Virginia Tech over a three-year period. Experiences included facility assessment and designing and building a new feline housing area at the Radford Animal Shelter along the river, followed by a comprehensive Sustainable Riverfront Development Plan for the City of Radford including the entire riverfront. Current efforts involve designing and building new environmentally friendly access points for recreational access to the river in Bisset Park. Partners include the City of Radford, Radford University, local businesses, and others. The presentation includes outcomes, impacts, and lessons learned for others interested in this approach.

"Construction is one of the biggest industries in the world, providing necessary facilities for human prosperity ranging from the homes in which we live to the highways we drive, the power plants that provide energy for our daily activities, and the very infrastructure on which human society is built. The construction sector, including the building sector, has among the largest potential of any industry to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. This ambitious and comprehensive textbook covers the concept of embedding sustainability across all construction activities. It is aimed at students taking courses in Construction Management and the Built Environment. Written in a lively and engaging style the book sets out the practical requirements of making the transition to a sustainable construction industry by 2020. Case studies are included throughout making the book both a core reference and a practical guide"--

El aprendizaje de servicio basado en la comunidad se utiliza en los planes de estudio de ingeniería y construcción para involucrar a los estudiantes en problemas interesantes y complejos que benefician a la comunidad, al tiempo que desarrollan competencias esenciales para la práctica profesional. Los proyectos de aprendizaje servicio exponen eficazmente a los estudiantes a cuestiones que de otro modo serían difíciles de enseñar, como las limitaciones críticas de recursos, las tácticas para superarlas, las compensaciones entre las posibles soluciones, la integración de sistemas y los retos organizativos de la implementación. Sin embargo, a menudo se infrautilizan debido a los riesgos y desafíos que supone su integración en las clases y la gestión de la participación de los estudiantes. Este artículo explora las cuestiones que hacen que los proyectos CBSL tengan éxito y los retos a los que se enfrentan tanto el profesorado como los estudiantes que participan en ellos. Las conclusiones se basan en un análisis bibliográfico de los retos y en una revisión de dos proyectos de aprendizaje servicio llevados a cabo por una clase conjunta de nivel superior/grado sobre sistemas de instalaciones sostenibles en Virginia Tech. Las lecciones aprendidas se identifican en tres áreas clave: el diseño como escucha frente al diseño como inspiración, los objetivos conflictivos y tácitos, y las realidades de la construcción. Los proyectos de aprendizaje de servicio ofrecen un entorno seguro en el que aprender sobre los retos de la construcción, donde lo inesperado es una parte esperada y valorada del aprendizaje. A través de estas experiencias, los estudiantes pueden comprender mejor las compensaciones necesarias para perseguir la sostenibilidad en los proyectos de capital y pueden situar mejor los objetivos de sostenibilidad como "minimizar los residuos" y "reutilizar los materiales de construcción" en el contexto de lo que estos objetivos requieren en la práctica. Estos proyectos también benefician a los clientes de la comunidad y brindan la oportunidad de que los estudiantes se comprometan cívicamente, lo que les permitirá continuar con su vida después de graduarse.

Estados Unidos (EE.UU.) e India son dos naciones democráticas muy pobladas que contribuyen en gran medida al cambio climático global y a las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero. Para hacer frente a estos problemas, el programa LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) es una de las herramientas más utilizadas por ambas naciones para reducir el impacto medioambiental negativo de los edificios. Esta investigación estudió las formas en que los edificios con certificación LEED ofrecen beneficios sociales a sus comunidades circundantes en diferentes contextos socioeconómicos. Para este estudio, se seleccionaron intencionadamente dos edificios con calificación LEED Platino en EE.UU. y en la India, y se identificaron las tecnologías y estrategias utilizadas para conseguir la calificación Platino. Estas tecnologías y estrategias se clasificaron en función de los beneficios sociales ofrecidos a la comunidad circundante, y se compararon los casos para evaluar si los beneficios variaban entre los dos contextos. En el caso del edificio situado en EE.UU., 26 de 70, y en el del edificio situado en la India, 18 de 57 tecnologías y estrategias debían ofrecer beneficios sociales a la comunidad circundante. Para estos casos, no se encontró ninguna diferencia significativa en la proporción de beneficios sociales potenciales esperados entre los proyectos de estudio de casos en el país desarrollado frente al país en desarrollo. Las investigaciones futuras deberán seguir explorando y cuantificando los beneficios sociales reales conseguidos por los edificios certificados.

Overwintering brown marmorated stink bugs (Halyomorpha halys) (Stal) are a notable domestic nuisance. In addition to disruptive activity, dead individuals remain in homes, sometimes in large numbers. To better understand the effects of these remains on overwintering behavior, adult H. halys were subjected to several experiments to test their responses to dead conspecifics. In non-tactile tests of individuals exposed to groups of dead conspecifics, H. halys did not respond to 1-yr-old desiccated dead conspecifics, but avoided corpses that were freshly killed. In tactile tests of individuals exposed to groups of dead conspecifics, H. halys joined those corpse aggregations significantly more often than not, and preferred corpses to cotton when given a choice. In tests of exposure of overwintering individuals to fresh dead conspecifics over the course of a winter, no necrophagy or evidence of survival advantage was observed, but overall females had higher survival rates than males. ; USDA-NIFA SCRI award [2011-51181-30937, 2016-51181-25409] ; Apparatus construction was made possible by the Virginia Tech Myers-Lawson School of Construction. Insect collection assistance was provided by the Virginia Tech VIPR Lab. This research assistance was provided in part by the Virginia Tech BioBuild program, and by USDA-NIFA SCRI awards 2011-51181-30937 and 2016-51181-25409. ; Public domain authored by a U.S. government employee

Intentional and unintentional openings in a building's envelope provide opportunities for unwanted pests to enter buildings. The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stal), is one such pest, causing a significant domestic winter nuisance in many locations. One important means of pest control is exclusion, or blocking openings through which they can enter, although some openings are intentional and cannot be completely blocked without putting a building at risk. To help understand what size openings are relevant to entry, adult H. halys ready for overwintering were driven out of heated boxes through openings designed to limit passage by their lateral pronotal and dorsoventral dimensions. Pronotally limited holes of 8 mm wide were passed by only one female (3.3% of those tested), and no females and only one male (3.3%) passed through 7-mm-wide holes. For dorsoventrally limited slits, few (13%) of females passed through 4-mm-high slits, and no individuals passed through 3-mm- high slits. Dorsoventral heights and pronotal widths of 930 individuals collected in Virginia were measured. Females were consistently larger, with pronota averaging 8.33 mm wide to the males' 7.47 mm and heights at the point of leg movement restriction averaging 4.03 mm to the males' 3.50 mm. Based on experimental data and size data, we conclude that most H. halys individuals will be excluded by slits smaller than 3 mm and holes smaller than 7 mm. ; Virginia Tech BioBuild program; USDA-NIFA SCRI [2011-51181-30937, 2016-51181-25409] ; Test apparatus construction was made possible by David Goldsmith and the Virginia Tech BuildLAB. Test subject collection assistance was provided by the Virginia Tech VIPR Lab. This research was supported in part by Virginia Tech BioBuild program and by USDA-NIFA SCRI awards #2011-51181-30937 and #2016-51181-25409. ; Public domain authored by a U.S. government employee

Brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) (Stal) is a household nuisance pest that seeks shelter in buildings during the winter months. It has been found in a variety of cavities and spaces between building elements, as well as in the objects stored within buildings. This experiment examined the cavity tightness preferences for these insects as they settled in winter refugia. Adult overwintering H. halys were placed in two types of simulated refugia made from rigid material. Each type had a cavity of constant width, while one had a flat lid and constant tightness, and the other had a sloped lid that became tighter as insects moved inside. Adults were allowed to enter and settle, then their locations were recorded. In sloped lid cavities, H. halys tended to settle where the cavity tightness was between 4.5 and 5.5 mm. In the flat lid cavity boxes, H. halys tended to move all the way back. In both configurations, H. halys had a significant tendency to orient their heads towards the cavity entrance. A field comparison of cavity tightness in refugia with less rigid cardboard substrates was also performed, with spacers consisting of one or two layers of 3-mm cardboard. This comparison found differences in cavity selection by sex, with males more likely to pick single-spaced layers, and females more likely to select double-spaced layers. Understanding these preferences could be useful for collection, pest management, trap design, and study of impacts on structures. ; U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture SCRI [2011-51181-30937, 2016-51181-25409]; Virginia Tech BioBuild program; Virginia Pest Management Association ; This research was supported in part by U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture SCRI awards #2011-51181-30937 and #2016-51181-25409, the Virginia Tech BioBuild program, and the Virginia Pest Management Association. Fabrication facilities for the laboratory experiments were provided by the Virginia Tech BuildLAB and David Goldsmith. Test subject collection assistance was provided by the Virginia Tech VIPR Lab. ; Public domain authored by a U.S. government employee