M.S. Building Science, Technology and Sustainability Alumni

Following is a list of Building Science and Sustainability Alumni and their thesis topics. You can also refer to the list of Ph.D. alumni dissertations for a broader range of research topics.

Dylan Arceneaux – Nodal Networks Generated from Construction Waste

Benjamin Taube – Energy and comfort performance assessment for a new occupancy sensing thermostat in residential buildings

Valerie Green – Impact of Fenestration-Wall Integration on Modeled Thermal Performance

Dana Miller – Cooling energy savings and occupant comfort in a two-year field study of automated ceiling fans installed as retrofits in 7 air conditioned buildings.

Megan Dawe – Field evaluation of occupant satisfaction and energy performance in eight LEED-certified buildings using radiant systems
Graduation Date: 2019

Mohammad Keshavarzi – RadVR: A 6DOF Virtual Reality Daylighting Analysis Tool
Graduation Date: 2018

Sebastian Cohn – Development of a Personal Heater Efficiency Index
Graduation Date: 2017

Gabriella Vasconcellos – Evaluation of Annual Sunlight Exposure (ASE) as a Proxy to Glare: A Field Study in a NZEB and LEED Certified Office in San Francisco
Graduation Date: 2017

Sara Tepfer – Material health assessment in the building industry: current practices, challenges, and opportunities
Graduation Date: 2016

Soazig Kaam – Time-Averaged Ventilation for optimized control of Variable-Air-Volume systems
Graduation Date: 2016

Taoning Wang – Direct Sun Control in Buildings with SUN CARVE​​
Graduation Date: 2016

Jared Landsman – Performance, Prediction and Optimization of Night Ventilation across Different Climates
Graduation Date: 2016

Kristine Walker – Indoor Environment Quality in Green-Rated Buildings: Understanding Conditions Affecting Performance
Graduation Date: 2015

Priya Ghandi – Commercial Office Plug Load Energy Consumption Trends and the Role of Occupant Behavior
Graduation Date: 2015

David Fannon – Developing Low-Energy Personal Thermal Comfort Systems: Design, Performance Testing, and Research Methods
Graduation Date: 2015

Christopher Elsworth – Preferred Air Speeds for Human Thermal Comfort at High Metabolic Rates
Graduation Date: 2015

Margaret Pigman – The Impact of Cooling Strategy and Personal Control on Thermal Comfort
Graduation Date: 2014

Gwen Fuertes – The Role of Plug Loads in LEED Certification and Building Performance Simulations
Graduation Date: 2014

Jingjuan Feng** – Design and Control of Hydronic Radiant Cooling Systems
Graduation Date: 2014

Bin Chen – Assessment and Improvements of the CBE Underfloor Air Distribution (UFAD) Cooling Load Design Tool
Graduation Date: 2014

Anoop Honnekeri – Indoor Environmenal Quality, Adaptive Action, and Thermal Comfort in Naturally Ventilated and Mixed-Mode Buildings
Graduation Date: 2014

Mallory Liza Taub – Power to the People: Personal Control in Offices for Thermal Comfort and Energy Savings
Graduation Date: 2013

Rongxin Yin – Identifying Efficient Demand Response Operations through LinkingMeas urements and Models in Commercial Buildings
Graduation Date: 2013

Brennan Less – Indoor Air Quality in 24 California Residences Designed as High Performance Green Homes
Graduation Date: 2012

David Heinzerling – Commercial Building Indoor Environmental Quality Evaluation: Methods and Tools
Graduation Date: 2012

Chandrayee Basu – Critical Simulation Based Evaluation of Thermally Activated Building Systems (Tabs) Design Models
Graduation Date: 2012

Allison Allbee – Old School: The Challenge of Behavior-Based Energy Programs as Conservation Strategies in Public Schools
Graduation Date: 2012

Krystyna Ewa Zelenay – Impact of Fixed Exterior Shading on Daylighting: A Case Study of the David Brower Center
Graduation Date: 2011

Benjamin Tarr Rosenblum – Collecting Occupant Presence Data for Use in Energy Management of Commercial Buildings
Graduation Date: 2011

Jeremy Fisher – Deep Energy Retrofits in Ten California Case Studies
Graduation Date: 2011

Katherine Clay Ackerly – Occupant Response to Window Control Signalling Systems
Graduation Date: 2011

Nathaniel Cooley Brown – Observing Patrons in Daylit Public Library Reading Spaces: Can Occupant Behavior Indicate Stressful Daylight Design Strategies?
Graduation Date: 2010

Hsin-Hsien Chiu – Intelligent Home Care Environments for the Elderly
Graduation Date: 2010

Mark Bradley Perepelitza – Integrated Building Facades: Performance Potential and Effective Applications
Graduation Date: 2010

Samuel Dalton Borgeson – Assessment of Energy Use and Comfort in Buildings Utilizing Mixed-Mode Controls with Radiant Cooling
Graduation Date: 2010

Lindsay Alana Baker – What School Buildings Can Teach Us: Post-Occupancy Evaluation Surveys in K-12 Learning Environments
Graduation Date: 2010

Mao Ye – Architectural Elements of Virtual Architecture/Environment in Cyberspace
Graduation Date: 2010

Yoon Soo Lee - Performance Assessment of Commercial Underfloor Air Distribution Building: Case Studies and Analyses
Graduation Date: 2009

Dong Eun Kim – Comfort and Energy Analysis of Task Ambient Conditions System
Graduation Date: 2008

Timothy Charles Moore – Simulation of Radiant Cooling Performance with Evaporative Cooling Sources
Graduation Date: 2008

Kirstin Nordgren Weeks – Green Roof Thermal Performance
Graduation Date: 2007

Carrie Ann Brown – Multizone Register Controlled Residential Heating: Optimized for Energy Use and Comfort
Graduation Date: 2007

Corinne Laura Benedek – Evaulating the Effects of Facades on Occupant Satisfaction in Office Buildings
Graduation Date: 2007

Tetsuya Yamamoto – Thermal Control System for Office Space Using Wireless Sensors and Occupants' Voting
Graduation Date: 2007

Anna May Larue – Distributed Sensing and Controlling of Residential HVAC Systems for Thermal Comfort, Demand Response, and Reduced Annual Energy Consumption
Graduation Date: 2006

Allan Wesley Daly – Building Investigation Using the Internet for Real Time Data Acquisition, Analysis, and Presentation
Graduation Date: 2006

Sahar Abbaszadeh Fard – Post Occupancy Evaluation of Indoor Environmental Quality in Commercial Buildings: Do Green Buildings Have More Satisfied Occupants?
Graduation Date: 2006

Jane Cho Hua Lin – The Practice of Designing Operable Windows in Office Buildings
Graduation Date: 2005

Keke Chen – Control Strategies for Dynamic Cooling of a Data Center
Graduation Date: 2005

Gwelen Paliaga – Operable Windows, Personal Control and Occupant Comfort
Graduation Date: 2004

Judy Roberson – Effect of Building Airtightness and Fan Size on the Performance of Mechanical Ventilation Systems in New U.S. Houses: A Critique of Ashrae Standard 62.2-2003
Graduation Date: 2004

Ryota Shirai – How Post-Occupancy Evaluation Can Help Commissioning of Green Building: An Example of Leed Gold Building with UFAD
Graduation Date: 2004

Naoya Motegi – Web-Based Energy Information Systems for Energy Management and Demand Response in Commercial Buildings
Graduation Date: 2003

Hannah Yan – Developing an Advanced Thermal Comfort Model for Environmental Deisgn
Graduation Date: 2003

Huilin Li – Transient Behavior of Air Distribution Systems in Buildings
Graduation Date: 2002

Charles Kingston Ehrlich – Computer Aided Perception: A Method to Evaluate the Representation of Glare in Computer Graphics Imagery
Graduation Date: 2002

Qiang Zhang – Room Air Stratification Model For Underfloor Air Distribution System
Graduation Date: 2001

Rachel Joanna Bannon – Case Studies in Architecture: A Framework for Analysis
Graduation Date: 2001

Erik William Ring – Mixed-Mode Office Builidings: A Primer on Design and Operation of Mixed-Mode Buildings and an Analysis of Occupant Satisfaction in Three California Mixed-Mode Office Builidings
Graduation Date: 2000

Eric Freitag – Automated Night-Time Pre-Cooling of Development Residential Housing: A Field Study of Four Houses Using the Smart Vent System
Graduation Date: 1998

Prerna Jain – Occupant Response to the Automatic Interior Shading System at the New Main San Francisco Public Library
Graduation Date: 1998

Thomas Graham Carter – A Comparison of Duct Airflow Measurement Techniques: Pitot Traverse and Tracer Gas
Graduation Date: 1998

Eric Freitag – Automated Night-Time Pre-Cooling of Development Residential Housing: A Field Study of Four Houses Using the Smart Vent System
Graduation Date: 1998

Anne Veronica Baughman – An Automated Survey Method for Environmental Quality Assessment in Office Buildings
Graduation Date: 1997