Runoff containing excess nutrients from agricultural land use causes eutrophic conditions in freshwater systems, including harmful algal blooms. The nutrient storage capacity of wetlands may help mitigate recurring annual harmful algal blooms that the Western Basin of Lake Erie experiences due to excess phosphorus (P) loads. Wetlands are hot spots of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and P cycling, and wetland plants temporarily store C, N, and P. We investigate how plant tissue chemistry (total P, total organic C, and total organic N) varies by plant taxa and tissue type (leaf vs. stem) within a well preserved Lake Erie coastal wetland. In the summer of 2019, we sampled aboveground plant tissues of two plant types in the Old Woman Creek estuary wetland: emergent plants (Phragmites and Typha), and floating leaf plants (Nelumbo and Nymphaea) to measure total C, N, and P concentrations of plant biomass as an index of plant nutrient storage. We predict that the emergent plant types (Phragmites, Typha) will have higher C and N concentrations than the floating leaf plant types (Nelumbo, Nymphaea) due to their higher allocation to structural tissues like rigid stems. We also predict that there will be higher P concentrations in the leaf tissues than in the stem tissues of all plant types. Plant tissue chemistry improves understanding of nutrient storage capacity of different plant types, thus informing wetlands preservation and management decisions.

Earthworms move through soil by a peristaltic wave of muscle contraction through a series of fluid-filled body segments. Sequential contraction and expansion of these segments results in the worm’s locomotion both above ground and within soil. Here, an earthworm-inspired soft robot is prototyped. The prototype consists of three polyethylene segments, which are inflated and deflated in a sequence that mimics the earthworm’s peristalsis. The current prototype is able to move through tubes of varied dimensions, and is an early step toward developing a soft robot that can explore buried environments. This may be especially applicable to archaeology, which often strives to explore such settings with minimal damage to a site. An earthworm-inspired robotic probe could provide information where currently used methods (such as geophysical sensing, excavation, and rigid soil probes) are ineffective.

The purpose of this comprehensive chart was to compile the possible categories, relationships, and qualities of ancient basket weaving techniques as they relate to bending active structures and textile weaving. Bending-active structures are structural systems that include curved beam or shell elements that base their geometry on the elastic deformation from an initially straight or planar configuration. These weaving attributes are then studied for their viability for the application of coconut coir fiber textile growing systems. The chart begins with an ancient weaving pattern either from Japanese or Native American descent and creates connections to current day projects that use similar techniques. From these ancient practices, we discovered new ways of deploying geometry, form, surface, and connection for possible coconut coir hydroponic growing textiles. The chart summarizes the similarities and attributes for the projects within each category or typology. The chart concludes with the hybridization of material assemblies and effects found within the outstanding basket weaving and joinery system potentials. The investigation of this study evolved from the involvement in a research project, BeTA Pavilion, that explored the formal opportunities of biotensegrity using bent fiber reinforced plastic rods and CNC knit textiles in a bending-active system. The global geometry of the structure was inspired by human anatomy and animal vertebrae typologies to reach structural equilibrium with a bandwidth of dynamic motion. The characteristics of pre-stressed and self-stabilizing modules prompted the investigation of basket-weaving techniques and their possible applications in architectural tectonics and hydroponic textile creation. The CNC knit textile for this project led to the next step in the study of creating a hydroponic textile to span between the tetrahedron vertebrae to deploy a lightweight growing system.

As green roofs gain popularity in North America, innovation is making roofs more ecologically productive and biologically diverse. One way to increase biodiversity is through selecting and planting local and regional native plant species in the roofs. Many native plants have been shown to survive and grow on green roofs. The question then becomes, what native plants can best establish and survive on green roofs? To answer this question, this study focuses on the native green roof plant establishment in the Great Lakes region. Through three separate studies: 1) creation of a native plant database for the Great Lakes green region; 2) analyzing native plant reseeding data, and 3) recording plant establishment methods. We hope to better understand how to design a biodiverse green roof that thrives in Northeast Ohio.