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Browsing by Author "Malinin, Laura, committee member"

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    A multidisciplinary analytical approach to the identification of both modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors of dementia
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Willoughby, Kathleen Angela, author; Davalos, Deana, advisor; Rojas, Don, committee member; Malinin, Laura, committee member; Cleveland, Jeanette, committee member
    In recent decades, dementia has become a growing global epidemic. As people are living longer, the number of individuals diagnosed with dementia has risen exponentially. Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, presently afflicts more that 5.4 million Americans (Thies et al., 2011). Though great strides have been made in dementia research, there is still much to be done to better pin-point disease risk and ameliorate decline and related symptom progression. This dissertation will focus on the efficacy of early intervention and risk factor identification as a first line of defense in staving off dementia progression. Within the B Sharp community-arts engagement program, we will evaluate domain-specific changes in older adult cognition over an acute and extended-duration timespan. Within the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, we will identify relevant risk factors associated with the consistent acceleration of cognitive decline as well as the slowing of such decline. As these proactive treatment approaches are more fully understood, better strategies for healthy aging can be implemented at both a generalized and individual level.
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    Exploring campus architecture as a factor of expected sense of belonging
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Spitzer, Amanda N., author; Graham, Dan J., advisor; Delgado, Maria, committee member; Gardner, Danielle M., committee member; Malinin, Laura, committee member
    Background: The motivation, retention, and wellbeing of the increasingly diverse college student body is related to their sense of belonging at their university. Surroundings, one of Ahn and Davis' domains of university belongingness, remains underexplored, especially its subcomponent physical buildings. Additionally, prospective students name the physical campus as a major influence on their decision regarding which college to attend, and universities utilize campus photographs strategically for recruitment. Signaling theory provides a possible mechanism by which campus physical environments may influence a university's image and sense of belonging. Still, the Greek Revival and Gothic architectural styles, common on U.S. campuses, have historic ties to discrimination and racism. Purpose: The objective of study 1 is to inspect Ahn and Davis' (2020) surroundings domain and its interaction with the personal space domain, including identity variables such as first-generation status, ethnicity and race. The objective of study 2 is to explore how three architectural styles common on U.S. campuses may affect university image and students' predicted experience, including sense of belonging. Methods: In the quantitative study 1, over 600 participants answered a belongingness survey in response to a short, standardized university description and a photograph randomized to depict a Greek Revival, Gothic, or International Style (control) university building. In the qualitative study 2, fourteen interviews were conducted with first-year college students, in which participants were directed to compare three hypothetical universities, each depicted in three photographs of campus buildings in the same architectural style (Greek Revival, Gothic, or International Style). These interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis methods. Results/Findings: Through regression analyses, study 1 indicated no effects of architectural style on belongingness (p=0.29) nor interaction effects with first generation status (p=0.48) and ethnicity (p=0.30). Preliminary descriptive analysis suggested possible moderation by race. In study 2, three themes developed. Participants' impressions of the depicted universities were rooted in the buildings' communication of higher education, meaning university image began with imageability, which in turn, influenced beliefs about students and school climate. Additionally, participants discussed their predicted experience as a function of university image. Lastly, elements of the designed environment indicated imageability and predicted experience, meaning participants used environmental factors as signals. Conclusions: Study 1 addressed a crucial, but largely unexplored, potential inequity in education and experimentally investigated Ahn and Davis' (2020) surroundings domain and its interaction with the personal space domain. Study 2 has practical applications to image-based recruitment as it suggests strategies that may boost predicted experiences and aspects of university image that are communicated through architectural style. Overall, research into the relationship between campus architecture and student outcomes can equip designers and decisionmakers to create higher education environments that empower all current students, visitors, and future students.
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    Formal complications
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Schweiger, Alec, author; Bates, Haley, advisor; Harrow, Del, committee member; Moore, Emily, committee member; Malinin, Laura, committee member
    This thesis is concerned with the experiential understanding of the everyday-tactile environment. From public to private, infrastructure to daily-use objects, the things that exist in the constructed environment around me compel my investigations of material, form, and function. Specifically, how these qualities work in concert to inspire associations of purpose and value. Inhabiting a variety of formats from jewelry to sculpture to installation, the work allows me the space to pose questions about what makes an object important, and how that may be determined. The responsive decisions I make are informed by my experience with, and a sensitivity towards, materials and objects associated with packaging, adornment, domesticity, and industry.
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    Implementing digital visualization technology within AEC education: a pedagogical intervention
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Shull, Kacie, author; Killingsworth, John, advisor; Elliott, Jonathan W., committee member; Olbina, Svetlana, committee member; Malinin, Laura, committee member
    As the years progressed, the discipline of architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) continues to evolve in education and the practice due to advances in digital visualization technology—specifically in the virtual presentations. Research has shown that digital visualization influences end-users by facilitating productive and efficient communication between stakeholders in the built environment. Digital visualizations tools give the AEC professionals and the building end-users the ability to access information quickly and easily while promoting visualization of information in a three-dimensional configuration rather than multiple two-dimensional drawings. Not only has research shown that digital visualization has influenced the professional community, but it has also changed the context in how the higher education is taught in the AEC fields of study. In today's professional society, a common fundamental skill expected in the workforce is the knowledge of the latest software technology used in the industry: such as Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD, and SketchUp. In addition, students are expected to communicate and receive information from the latest technology and understand the graphic communications in the workforce by using their spatial cognition. Studies have shown that when individuals use three-dimensional software programs, a person's spatial cognition scientifically improves and they can mentally visualize two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and four-dimensional drawings. By using previous studies that focus on the importance of educating students by engaging them to virtual presentations and digital formatting software, this research was tested first-year AEC students during the fall 2017 on how developed their spatial cognition is with an eight-question quiz that challenges their spatial cognition abilities. Before the pedagogical intervention of their first-year drafting course, which incorporates with the latest industry technology, a quiz was sent to all participants of this research during the beginning of the fall 2017 semester. After the pedagogical intervention, the same eight-question quiz sent out to the same participants at the end of the fall 2017 semester to see if their spatial cognition improved from their first-year drafting course. By comparing the pre-quiz scores to the post-quiz score, this research was able to determine if the curriculum being taught is making an impact on the student and are helping them prepare for a successful career in the AEC field. The framework for this research focused on the academia digital visualization technology influenced by the pedagogical approaches in higher education and the student's learning in the AEC higher education. This study focused on how digital visualization tools influence a student's spatial cognition within an entry-level drafting course. This was achieved with an eight-question quiz that was given to the students twice; once in the beginning of the fall 2017 semester and again at the end of the fall 2017 semester.
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    Interaction and navigation in cross-reality analytics
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Zhou, Xiaoyan, author; Ortega, Francisco, advisor; Ray, Indrakshi, committee member; Moraes, Marcia, committee member; Batmaz, Anil Ufuk, committee member; Malinin, Laura, committee member
    Along with immersive display technology's fast evolution, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are increasingly being researched to facilitate data analytics, known as Immersive Analytics. The ability to interact with data visualization in the space around users not only builds the foundation of ubiquitous analytics but also assists users in the sensemaking of the data. However, interaction and navigation while making sense of 3D data visualization in different realities still need to be better understood and explored. For example, what are the differences between users interacting in augmented and virtual reality, and how can we utilize them in the best way during analysis tasks? Moreover, based on the existing work and our preliminary studies, improving the interaction efficiency with immersive displays still needs to be solved. Therefore, this thesis focuses on understanding interaction and navigation in augmented reality and virtual reality for immersive analytics. First, we explored how users interact with multiple objects in augmented reality by using the "Wizard of Oz" study approach. We elicited multimodal interactions involving hand gestures and speech, with text prompts shown on the head-mounted display. Then, we compared the results with previous work in a single-object scenario, which helped us better understand how users prefer to interact in a more complex AR environment. Second, we built an immersive analytics platform in both AR and VR environments to simulate a realistic scenario and conducted a controlled study to evaluate user performance with designed analysis tools and 3D data visualization. Based on the results, interaction and navigation patterns were observed and analyzed for a better understanding of user preferences during the sensemaking process. ii Lastly, by considering the findings and insights from prior studies, we developed a hybrid user interface in simulated cross-reality for situated analytics. An exploratory study was conducted with a smart home setting to understand user interaction and navigation in a more familiar scenario with practical tasks. With the results, we did a thorough qualitative analysis of feedback and video recording to disclose user preferences with interaction and visualization in situated analytics in the everyday decision-making scenario. In conclusion, this thesis uncovered user-designed multimodal interaction including mid-air hand gestures and speech for AR, users' interaction and navigation strategies in immersive analytics in both AR and VR, and hybrid user interface usage in situated analytics for assisting decision-making. Our findings and insights in this thesis provide guidelines and inspiration for future research in interaction and navigation design and improving user experience with analytics in mixed-reality environments.
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    Student learning across cultures and difference in co-curricular campus spaces at a historically white institution
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Smith, Nicholas Alexander, author; Stewart, D-L, advisor; Ellis, Michael, committee member; Felix, Oscar, committee member; Malinin, Laura, committee member
    This study examines what undergraduate students say they learn about engaging with difference and across cultures in the Michigan Union and the Trotter Multicultural Center at the University of Michigan, a historically white institution. The University of Michigan is a historically white institution because of its majority of white students, long-preserved values of eliteness and prestige, and history of racial inequity. This research is a constructivist, triangulated multiple case study (Bhattacharya, 2017) with the college union and multicultural center as the two cases. Information-rich maximum variation sampling (Patton, 1990) was used to inform participant recruitment. Using Strange and Banning's (2001, 2015) four component model of the campus environment and Pope et al.'s (2004, 2009) multicultural competence model, this study describes how co-curricular environments shape and influence student learning. Multiple semi-structured interviews were employed, including an education journey mapping exercise (Annamma, 2017) between participants and the researcher. Key findings emerged from this research about the Michigan Union, the Trotter Multicultural Center, commonalities across the two cases, and participant patterns. The Michigan Union data categories were: (1) Core to the University; (2) Connecting with Others; and (3) Learning with Others. The data categories from the Trotter Multicultural Center were: (1) A Central Meeting Place; (2) A Space Where You Can Be Yourself; and (3) Interactions with Difference. The four commonalities across the two cases of the Michigan Union and Trotter Multicultural Center were: (1) The Spaces were Birthed for Different Reasons, But They are Both Unionizing Spaces; (2) The Dominant Features Represent the People Who Inhabit Them; (3) Both Centrally Located, But Not Equitable in Size; and (4) Students' Range of Emotions About Both Buildings. Lastly, four patterns across the study's participants included: (1) Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Participants Saw Themselves in the Trotter Multicultural Center; (2) White Participants Connected Effortlessly in the Michigan Union; (3) Multicultural Competence is A Work in Progress for Everyone; and (4) All Participants Wanted to Disrupt Campus Structures That Do Not Work for Everybody. The researcher discusses findings considering current literature, implications for theory and practice, and recommendations for future study.
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    The art of love: using arts engagement as a promoter of relational maintenance in couples with dementia
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2019) Griggs, Anna Katherine, author; Faw, Meara, advisor; Long, Ziyu, committee member; Malinin, Laura, committee member
    Previous communication scholarship has thoroughly examined the use of relational maintenance behaviors as outlined by Canary and Stafford (2003) on various types of relationships. These relational maintenance behaviors include openness, positivity, assurances, shared tasks, and networks (Canary & Stafford, 2003). However, little scholarship applying relational maintenance to contexts involving a life-altering illness exists, especially from the care partner's perspective. With the rising threat of Alzheimer's Disease and related diseases (ADRD), it is necessary to better understand how these behaviors might play into interactions between loved ones. Specifically, this research explores the use of relational maintenance behaviors between partners where one person has ADRD and the other is their primary care partner as they are involved in a participatory arts engagement workshop. Data collection involved video observation during the workshop sessions and follow-up phone calls with care partners about their experience after each session. Using thematic analysis, this study implicates that participants use relational maintenance regardless of their mental capacity and that the use of these behaviors creates tensions primarily for care partners to balance. The findings of this research encourage further exploration of the use of relational maintenance by people with a life-altering illness and their loved ones in order to understand the complicated communicative process associated with the immeasurable effects of a life-altering illness.
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    The creative synthesis inventory: constructing quantitative measures capturing attributes of design thinking
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Badding, Sarah, author; Gloeckner, Gene, advisor; Leigh, Katharine, advisor; Makela, Carole, committee member; Malinin, Laura, committee member
    Stimulated by Lockwood's discussion of design thinking, creativity, and innovation and their impact on new business growth (2009), this research project sought to develop quantitative measurement of factors and attributes contributing to increased innovation in organizations; specifically within the context of creative synthesis encompassing the design thinking environment. Creative synthesis is the process or leap of faith and intuition leading to the achievement of an effective and creative problem solution. The development process resulting in the Creative Synthesis Inventory (CSI) considered the six step framework developed by Schmiedel, vom Brock, and Recker's (2014). The development process incorporated three phases and used responses from professional and industry experts and over six hundred student participants. Checkpoints were used at the conclusion of each step and the research design used mixed methods resulting in validation of a 19-item instrument. The CSI is intended to enable organizations and consultants to locate strengths and weaknesses for specific factors and attributes related to the constructs within the creative synthesis process.
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    The shape of sound: rendering interactive six-degrees-of-freedom audio in software
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Rehberg, Daniel, author; Ortega, Francisco Raul, advisor; Rajopadhye, Sanjay, committee member; Malinin, Laura, committee member
    Six-degrees-of-freedom (6DoF) audio is an area of growing interest in interactive software, but it has faced several challenges: it does not easily conform to object-based rendering when achieved with arrays of ambisonics microphones; prior studies rely on subjective metrics which do not clearly indicate how this additional audio interaction might aid a human in a localization task (an indication of enhanced spatial awareness of a sound event); and the ambisonics technique requires specialized equipment and recording space, as well as audio engineering expertise for setup and calibration to work properly. These factors limit the accessibility of 6DoF audio to be implemented in research experiments or within commercial products like videogames. My work has involved taking an interdisciplinary approach to design, prototype, and validate (with human subjects) an inherently object-based 6DoF rendering method. This method exploits computational geometry techniques and follows a rendering paradigm inspired by the programmable graphics pipeline to create 3D audio meshes which can be transformed in real time to dynamically render monaural audio samples – meaning the output of the method can still be input into contemporary audio filtering and spatialization functions/tools, like a head-related transfer function. This work includes two studies performed with human subjects as well as a breakdown of the rendering method and its prototype implementation. The results of the human-subject studies indicate clear advantages to localizing a spatial sound in 3D space compared to the contemporary three-degrees-of-freedom approach.
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    Use of BIM-based energy simulations to analyze the impact of occupant behavior on energy performance of commercial buildings
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Yogi, Sanjeev, author; Olbina, Svetlana, advisor; Strong, Kelly, committee member; Malinin, Laura, committee member
    The impact of occupant behavior on the energy performance of a building has been studied for a very long time. However, despite many studies, occupant behavior is difficult to understand due to its complex and unpredictable nature. Usually, occupant behavior is oversimplified and poorly represented; hence, one fails to make the correct assessment of the impact of occupant behavior on building energy performance. To make a precise prediction of the impact of occupant behavior on building energy consumption, it is imperative to develop better techniques in terms of analyzing occupant behavior and methods of research. Occupant behavior is stochastic in nature and varies widely depending on the characteristics of the building. Some occupants are proactive in saving energy while others are wasteful. Based on the workstyles of the occupants, occupant workstyles can be divided into three categories: austerity, standard and wasteful. As building characteristics influence both occupant behavior and energy performance of buildings, it is important to incorporate building characteristics into any building energy analysis to make the correct assessment of the impact of occupant behavior on the energy performance of the building. This can be achieved by using the building information modeling (BIM) based energy simulation for different categories of occupant behavior. This research used BIM to study and analyze the effect of different categories of occupant behavior on the energy performance of the building. To achieve this goal, most influential building characteristics and parameters of occupant behavior were identified; case study of occupant behavior on commercial building at Colorado. State University (CSU) was performed and guidelines to minimize the impact of wasteful workstyle on energy performance of the commercial buildings were developed. The identified most influential building characteristics of commercial buildings in this research were used to create the building information models in Revit which were then exported to DesignBuilder for simulations of annual building energy consumption. The identified parameters of occupant behavior for different types of workstyles were inputted in DesignBuilder before performing energy simulations. The simulation procedure was also illustrated in one of the commercial building at Colorado State University. The analysis of the simulation results showed that energy performance of the building is affected by the occupant behavior. The change of occupant workstyle from wasteful to austerity decreased the annual energy consumption between 41% and 58% while change of occupant workstyle from wasteful to standard decreased the annual energy consumption between 9% and 19%. Similarly, the decrease of annual energy consumption was between 33% and 45% due to change of workstyle from standard to austerity.
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    Use of reality capture technologies in the US construction industry
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Karbasiahvazi, Ali, author; Olbina, Svetlana, advisor; Elliott, Jonathan W., advisor; Malinin, Laura, committee member
    The construction industry has traditionally been slow to adopt new technologies. Reality capture technologies (RCT), including laser scanning and photogrammetry, have been around for many years; however, the benefits, obstacles, and application areas of these technologies in the construction industry have not been investigated nor quantified in detail. Clarifying the benefits and obstacles to implementing RCT by different construction project stakeholders could encourage decision-makers to invest in these technologies for their projects. This study aimed to explore the use of RCT within the commercial building sector of the US construction industry. A survey was used to investigate the extent of RCT use, including different commercial project types and throughout project lifecycles, and the benefits and obstacles of using RCT. The survey was distributed to owners/developers, designers, contractors, and construction managers/owner representatives across the US. Descriptive statistics indicated that most survey participants were familiar with RCT. Using ANOVA and t-tests, statistical comparisons revealed no significant differences by project stakeholders regarding the proposed benefits or obstacles of RCT use in commercial building projects. However, results showed a statistically significant difference for RCT benefits by project type, suggesting that participants perceived RCT use was more beneficial for additions, renovations, or maintenance projects than new construction projects. Additionally, statistical analysis revealed that participants perceived the use of RCT was less beneficial during the operation and maintenance (O&M) phase compared to other phases of project lifecycle. This research contributes to the body of knowledge by providing perspectives of US construction project stakeholders regarding RCT use. RCT providers and manufacturers can use the research findings to better fit their products to the needs of construction project stakeholders. The findings can also help AEC firms in the commercial building sector to implement RCT on their projects.