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Lingzi Wu

Lingzi Wu is an Assistant Professor with the Department of Construction Management (CM) at the University of Washington (UW). Prior to joining UW in September 2022, Dr. Wu served as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of Alberta, where she received her MSc and PhD in Construction Engineering and Management in 2013 and 2020 respectively. Prior to her PhD, Dr. Wu worked in the industrial construction sector as a project coordinator with PCL Industrial Management from 2013 to 2017.

An interdisciplinary scholar focused on advancing digital transformation in construction, Dr. Wu’s current research interests include (1) integration of advanced data analytics and complex system modeling to enhance construction practices and (2) development of human-in-the-loop decision support systems to improve construction performance (e.g., sustainability and safety). Dr. Wu has published 10 papers in top journals and conference proceedings, including the Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering, and Automation in Construction. Her research and academic excellence has received notable recognition, including a “Best Paper Award” at the 17th International Conference on Modeling and Applied Simulation, and the outstanding reviewer award from the Journal of Construction Engineering and Management.

As an educator and mentor, Dr. Wu aims to create an inclusive, innovative, and interactive learning environment where students develop personal, technical, and transferable skills to grow today, tomorrow, and into the future.

Celina Balderas Guzmán

Celina Balderas Guzmán, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture. Dr. Balderas’ research spans environmental planning, design, and science and focuses on climate adaptation to sea level rise on the coast and urban stormwater inland. On the coast, her work demonstrates specific ways that the climate adaptation actions of humans and adaptation of ecosystems are interdependent. Her work explores how these interdependencies can be maladaptive by shifting vulnerabilities to other humans or non-humans, or synergistic. Using ecological modeling, she has explored these interdependencies focusing on coastal wetlands as nature-based solutions. Her work informs cross-sectoral adaptation planning at a regional scale.

Inland, Dr. Balderas studies urban stormwater through a social-ecological lens. Using data science and case studies, her work investigates the relationship between stormwater pollution and the social, urban form, and land cover characteristics of watersheds. In past research, she developed new typologies of stormwater wetlands based on lab testing in collaboration with environmental engineers. The designs closely integrated hydraulic performance, ecological potential, and recreational opportunities into one form.

Her research has been funded by major institutions such as the National Science Foundation, National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center, UC Berkeley, and the MIT Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab. She has a PhD in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning from the University of California, Berkeley. Previously, she obtained masters degrees in urban planning and urban design, as well as an undergraduate degree in architecture all from MIT.

Narjes Abbasabadi

Narjes Abbasabadi, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture at the University of Washington. Dr. Abbasabadi also leads the Sustainable Intelligence Lab. Abbasabadi’s research centers on sustainability and computation in the built environment. Much of her work focuses on advancing design research efforts through developing data-driven methods, workflows, and tools that leverage the advances in digital technologies to enable augmented intelligence in performance-based and human-centered design. With an emphasis on multi-scale exploration, her research investigates urban building energy flows, human systems, and environmental and health impacts across scales—from the scale of building to the scale of neighborhood and city.

Abbasabadi’s research has been published in premier journals, including Applied Energy, Building and Environment, Energy and Buildings, Environmental Research, and Sustainable Cities and Society. She received honors and awards, including “ARCC Dissertation Award Honorable Mention” (Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC), 2020), “Best Ph.D. Program Dissertation Award” (IIT CoA, 2019), and 2nd place in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Race to Zero Design Competition (DOE, 2018). In 2018, she organized the 3rd IIT International Symposium on Buildings, Cities, and Performance. She served as editor of the third issue of Prometheus Journal, which received the 2020 Haskell Award from AIA New York, Center for Architecture.

Prior to joining the University of Washington, she taught at the University of Texas at Arlington and the Illinois Institute of Technology. She also has practiced with several firms and institutions and led design research projects such as developing design codes and prototypes for low-carbon buildings. Most recently, she practiced as an architect with Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG), where she has been involved in major projects, including the 2020 World Expo. Abbasabadi holds a Ph.D. in Architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology and Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Architecture from Tehran Azad University.

Dylan Stevenson

Dylan Stevenson’s (Prairie Band Potawatomi descent) research examines how culture informs planning strategies and influences land relationships. More specifically, he investigates how tribal epistemologies structure notions of Indigenous futurities by centering Indigenous cultural values at the forefront of environmental stewardship and cultural preservation. He is currently working on a project researching how governments (Federal, State, and Tribal) embed cultural values in Water Resources Planning strategies, drawing from ethnographic research he conducted in the joint territory of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians and Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. His other research interests include ecological restoration, intangible cultural heritage, and food systems planning. Previously, Dylan has worked for public and quasi-public entities dealing with the implementation and compliance of local, state, and federal legislation in California and has forthcoming work analyzing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in planning programs.

Dylan earned his Ph.D. in the Department of City and Regional Planning at Cornell University. He earned his master’s degree in Planning with a concentration in Preservation and Design of the Built Environment from the University of Southern California, a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics with a minor in Native American Studies from the University of California—Davis, and an associate of arts degree in Liberal Arts from De Anza College.

Eero Saarinen, Eduardo Catalano and the Influence of Matthew Nowicki: A Challenge to Form and Function

Sprague, Tyler. (2010). Eero Saarinen, Eduardo Catalano and the Influence of Matthew Nowicki: A Challenge to Form and Function. Nexus Network Journal, 12(2), 249 – 258.

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Abstract

Matthew Nowicki befriended Eero Saarinen at the Cranbrook Academy and was succeeded as Chair of the School of Design at North Carolina College of Design by Eduardo Catalano. Nowicki's influence is evident in subsequent work of these two architects. Themes of function, structure and humanism resonated differently in each. All three of these interconnected individuals were engaged in the same intellectual milieu, each manifesting his own architecture in a unique yet contextual way. Taken as a whole, their endeavors stand as evidence of the shifting understanding of what modern architecture was about.

Keywords

Eero Saarinen; Eduardo Catalano; Matthew Nowicki; Modern Architecture; Hyperbolic Paraboloids; Saddle Shapes

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Residential Location in the US

Duncan, Glen E.; Dansie, Elizabeth J.; Strachan, Eric; Munsell, Melissa; Huang, Ruizhu; Moudon, Anne Vernez; Goldberg, Jack; Buchwald, Dedra. (2012). Genetic and Environmental Influences on Residential Location in the US. Health & Place, 18(3), 515 – 519.

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Abstract

We used a classical twin design and measures of neighborhood walkability and social deprivation, using each twin's street address, to examine genetic and environmental influences on the residential location of 1389 same-sex pairs from a US community-based twin registry. Within-pair correlations and structural equation models estimated these influences on walkability among younger (ages 18-24.9) and older (ages 25+) twins. Adjusting for social deprivation, walkability of residential location was primarily influenced by common environment with lesser contributions of unique environment and genetic factors among younger twins, while unique environment most strongly influenced walkability, with small genetic and common environment effects, among older twins. Thus, minimal variance in walkability was explained by shared genetic effects in younger and older twins, and confirms the importance of environmental factors in walkability of residential locations. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Homesites; Community Life -- Social Aspects; Structural Equation Modeling; Genetics; Analysis Of Variance; Environmental Health; Walking; United States; Environment; Neighborhood; Twins; Walkability; Physical-activity; Twin Registry; Epidemiology; Preferences; Selection; Zygosity

A Suggested Color Scheme for Reducing Perception-Related Accidents on Construction Work Sites

Yi, June-Seong; Kim, Yong-Woo; Kim, Ki-Aeng; Koo, Bonsang. (2012). A Suggested Color Scheme for Reducing Perception-Related Accidents on Construction Work Sites. Accident Analysis And Prevention, 48, 185 – 192.

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Abstract

Changes in workforce demographics have led to the need for more sophisticated approaches to addressing the safety requirements of the construction industry. Despite extensive research in other industry domains, the construction industry has been passive in exploring the impact of a color scheme: perception-related accidents have been effectively diminished by its implementation. The research demonstrated that the use of appropriate color schemes could improve the actions and psychology of workers on site, thereby increasing their perceptions of potentially dangerous situations. As a preliminary study, the objects selected by rigorous analysis on accident reports were workwear, safety net, gondola, scaffolding, and safety passage. The colors modified on site for temporary facilities were adopted from existing theoretical and empirical research that suggests the use of certain colors and their combinations to improve visibility and conspicuity while minimizing work fatigue. The color schemes were also tested and confirmed through two workshops with workers and managers currently involved in actual projects. The impacts of color schemes suggested in this paper are summarized as follows. First, the color schemes improve the conspicuity of facilities with other on site components, enabling workers to quickly discern and orient themselves in their work environment. Secondly, the color schemes have been selected to minimize the visual work fatigue and monotony that can potentially increase accidents. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Construction Industry Accidents; Industrial Hygiene; Industrial Safety; Empirical Research; Sensory Perception; Work Environment; Demographic Surveys; Job Performance; Color Scheme; Construction Industry; Labor Demography; Perception-related Accident; Accident Prevention; Accidents; Demography; Human Resource Management; Population Statistics; Color Schemes; Construction Works; Dangerous Situations; Rigorous Analysis; Safety Requirements; Temporary Facilities; Work Environments; Psychological Climate; Drivers; Emotion; Model

Characterizing the Food Environment: Pitfalls and Future Directions

Moudon, Anne Vernez; Drewnowski, Adam; Duncan, Glen E.; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Saelens, Brian E.; Scharnhorst, Eric. (2013). Characterizing the Food Environment: Pitfalls and Future Directions. Public Health Nutrition, 16(7), 1238 – 1243.

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Abstract

Objective: To assess a county population's exposure to different types of food sources reported to affect both diet quality and obesity rates. Design: Food permit records obtained from the local health department served to establish the full census of food stores and restaurants. Employing prior categorization schemes which classified the relative healthfulness of food sources based on establishment type (i.e. supermarkets v. convenience stores, or full-service v. fast-food restaurants), food establishments were assigned to the healthy, unhealthy or undetermined groups. Setting: King County, WA, USA. Subjects: Full census of food sources. Results: According to all categorization schemes, most food establishments in King County fell into the unhealthy and undetermined groups. Use of the food permit data showed that large stores, which included supermarkets as healthy food establishments, contained a sizeable number of bakery/delis, fish/meat, ethnic and standard quick-service restaurants and coffee shops, all food sources that, when housed in a separate venue or owned by a different business establishment, were classified as either unhealthy or of undetermined value to health. Conclusions: To fully assess the potential health effects of exposure to the extant food environment, future research would need to establish the health value of foods in many such common establishments as individually owned grocery stores and ethnic food stores and restaurants. Within-venue exposure to foods should also be investigated.

Keywords

Food Chemistry; Obesity; Health Boards; Dietary Supplements; Food Cooperatives; Restaurant Reviews; Coffee Shops; Food Consumption; Food Quality; Census Of Food Sources; Exposure; Health Value; Neighborhood Characteristics; Store Availability; Racial Composition; Physical-activity; Weight Status; Restaurants; Association; Proximity; Access; Business Enterprises; Fast Food Restaurants; Fish; Grocery Stores; Healthy Diet; Meat; Nutritional Adequacy; Supermarkets

The Geography of Diabetes by Census Tract in a Large Sample of Insured Adults in King County, Washington, 2005-2006

Drewnowski, Adam; Rehm, Colin D.; Moudon, Anne V.; Arterburn, David. (2014). The Geography of Diabetes by Census Tract in a Large Sample of Insured Adults in King County, Washington, 2005-2006. Preventing Chronic Disease, 11.

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Abstract

Introduction Identifying areas of high diabetes prevalence can have an impact on public health prevention and intervention programs. Local health practitioners and public health agencies lack small-area data on obesity and diabetes. Methods Clinical data from the Group Health Cooperative health care system were used to estimate diabetes prevalence among 59,767 adults by census tract. Area-based measures of socioeconomic status and the Modified Retail Food Environment Index were obtained at the census-tract level in King County, Washington. Spatial analyses and regression models were used to assess the relationship between census tract level diabetes and area-based socioeconomic status and food environment variables. The mediating effect of obesity on the geographic distribution of diabetes was also examined. Results In this population of insured adults, diabetes was concentrated in south and southeast King County, with smoothed diabetes prevalence ranging from 6.9% to 21.2%. In spatial regression models, home value and college education were more strongly associated with diabetes than was household income. For each 50% increase in median home value, diabetes prevalence was 1.2 percentage points lower. The Modified Retail Food Environment Index was not related to diabetes at the census-tract level. The observed associations between area-based socioeconomic status and diabetes were largely mediated by obesity (home value, 58%; education, 47%). Conclusion The observed geographic disparities in diabetes among insured adults by census tract point to the importance of area socioeconomic status. Small-area studies can help health professionals design community-based programs for diabetes prevention and control.

Keywords

Prevalence; Obesity; Us; Disease

Techniques for Continuous Improvement of Quality of Data Collection in Systems of Capital Infrastructure Management

Migliaccio, G. C.; Bogus, Susan M.; Cordova-Alvidrez, A. A. (2014). Techniques for Continuous Improvement of Quality of Data Collection in Systems of Capital Infrastructure Management. Journal Of Construction Engineering And Management, 140(4).

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Abstract

oLa infraestructura del transporte es una de las mas grandes inversiones que realizan los gobiernos. Las agencias gubernamentales de transporte administran este capital y utilizan la informacion de las condiciones de este para decidir la programacion y tipo de mantenimiento y recursos a ejercer. Para recolectar la informacion pertinente, las agencias emplean evaluadores adiestrados para evaluar la infraestructura, ya sea en sitio o analizando fotografias y/o videos. Las evaluaciones visuales son empleadas para inspeccionar las condiciones de la infraestructura, incluyendo el desgaste de la superficie de los caminos y carreteras. Este articulo describe un Data Quality Assessment & Improvement Framework (DQAIF) (Sistema de Evaluacion y Mejora de la Calidad de la Informacion) para medir y controlar los datos de los evaluadores del deterioro de carreteras, al controlar el criterio de estos. El DQAIF es en un proceso ciclico de Mejora Continua de Calidad compuesto por: a)la evaluacion del nivel de acuerdo entre evaluadores -por medio del analisis estadistico (inter-rater agreement analysis), b)la evaluacion de la consistencia a traves del tiempo -mediante analisis de regresion lineal, y c)la implementacion de practicas gerenciales para mejorar los resultados mostrados en las evaluaciones anteriores. Se llevo a cabo un estudio de caso para validar el sistema propuesto. Los resultados mostraron que el DQAIF es efectivo para identificar y resolver problemas de la calidad de los datos obtenidos en las inspecciones de infraestructura. Con este sistema se garantiza la reduccion del riesgo de la subjetividad y asi aplicar acciones de mantenimiento mas oportunas. El DQAIF puede ser empleado en un programa de gerencia de infraestructura o en cualquier programa de ingenieria en donde la informacion esta sujeta al juicio o criterio personal de los individuos que realizan la evaluacion. Este proceso puede ser adaptado, incluso, para evaluar el desempeno de sistemas automatizados de evaluacion de pavimentos.

Keywords

Manual Pavement Distress; Quality Control; Pavement Management; Inspection; Quantitative Analysis; Data Collection; Assets; Reliability; Construction Materials And Methods