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Warfare and Woodlands: Tracing Environmental and Military History in the Hürtgen Forest
Get PDFThis thesis explores what happens when war enters a forest. From 1944 to 1945, American and German forces fought a long, brutal battle in the Hürtgen Forest near Germany’s western border. The dark, wet, and heavily wooded terrain made the fighting unusually difficult. Soldiers struggled not just with enemy fire, but with freezing rain, deep mud, low visibility, and constant stress. The forest shaped how the battle unfolded and intensified its hardships. But the war’s impact on the forest continued long after the soldiers left. Unexploded bombs and artillery shells littered the ground. During a heatwave in 1947, many of these munitions ignited, causing wildfires that destroyed large areas of woodland. In the aftermath, forest managers planted more diverse and fire-resistant tree species to reduce future risk. In this way, the forest became both a victim of the war and a site of human-led recovery. By combining military and environmental history, this study shows how people and landscapes are connected during and after times of war. The forest was not just a setting for combat—it influenced decisions, shaped experiences, and still carries visible and invisible traces of conflict. This story helps us see forests not only as natural spaces, but also as places that hold memory, trauma, and resilience
Exploring Biotic and Abiotic Drivers of Ecosystem Properties: The Influence of Waterbirds and Photodegradation on Wetland Ecosystems
Get PDFWetlands provide a wide range of valuable ecosystem services: these are benefits from the environment that support human well-being, such as water filtration, fish and bird habitat, and shoreline protection. Despite their importance, wetlands are among the most threatened ecosystems, facing increasing pressure from natural and human activities. To better predict the future of wetlands and guide effective management and restoration practices, we need to understand the various forces shaping their ecological properties. In this thesis, we examined the influence of two forces: waterbirds and photodegradation (the process by which sunlight breaks down plant material). To explore each of these drivers, we first performed a meta-analysis (in which we reviewed past studies to examine the impact of waterbirds on wetlands) and second, conducted a field experiment where we measured the production of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) via photodegradation in a high-latitude wetland.
From the metanalysis, we found that waterbirds can reduce the abundance, but not diversity, of both plants and animals. Although waterbirds did alter nutrients in the soil, these changes did not affect greenhouse gas production.
In our second experiment, we found that plant litter exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation in high-latitude wetlands produced higher emissions of carbon dioxide and methane, suggesting that photodegradation increases greenhouse gas movement from plants into the atmosphere in this habitat.
Together, these findings show that living and non-living forces, such as waterbirds and UV exposure, can have significant effects on wetland ecosystems. As climate change continues to alter bird migration patterns and UV radiation, wetland managers need to consider how these changes may reshape wetlands and the vital services they provide. This thesis represents a valuable step toward understanding how both biological and environmental drivers interact to influence wetland dynamics
Operation: Twisted Arm
Get PDFThis science fiction novella explores the postcolonial tensions that can exist between a settler population and the native population of the land they have colonized. It uses the science fiction genre to translate modern issues into a fully fictionalized setting and is written in novella form to best fit the form of the story. This novella is accompanied by a Critical Introduction which explains the methodology and rationale for many of the choices made in its construction, and references both literary works read in preparation for this project as well as works by other writers regarding fiction writing techniques. The story itself follows an apprentice investigator sent to locate a kidnapped prince, only to himself become captured by a terrorist group fighting for rights for the planet’s native population. The story explores the ideologies behind both occupying government and native partisan as the investigator attempts to rescue the prince and escape alive. This story specifically addresses the damaging nature of violence as a tool for enacting political change, the ways in which bigotry alters a population\u27s perception and allows violence to appear justifiable, and other abuses that extend from bigotry as a social and political tool necessary to maintain a colonial or postcolonial system
Tremblings, August 2025
Get PDFSmall-stand Challenges in the Northern Rockies
Brytten Steed, PhD, USFS Forest Entomologist (retired) Forest Health Protection - Missoula Field Office
Aspen in the Northern Rocky Mountains exist more often as small, scattered patches or “stringers” than the iconic landscapes of aspen found elsewhere. Like early-season fireflies, they dot the landscape where moisture is present, ringing potholes, lining streams, or clinging to topographies rich in subsurface moisture. Their rarity belies their importance to wildlife, livestock, fire movement, and humans. Aspen are preferred browse for large herbivores, a hotspot for birds, and home to a diversity of plants. People, too, gravitate to these communities for camping, hunting, photography, and retreat
Improving Retention and Knowledge Continuity in University CubeSat Laboratories
Get PDFThe Laboratory for Advanced Space Systems at Illinois (LASSI) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) trains students from diverse engineering disciplines in CubeSat design and mission development. Despite offering hands-on experience and industry-like training, LASSI previously faced challenges retaining students, particularly after the first semester. Knowledge gaps in these students and the loss of expertise in technical areas, such as software development and electrical engineering, in graduating senior members contributed to retention losses. This paper discusses strategies implemented to address these challenges, their measurable impacts, and the lessons learned during implementation. In 2019, LASSI transitioned from a student organization to a new curriculum-based model, creating a more structured learning environment to foster accountability and responsibility. Foundational CubeSat principles were introduced through lectures and coursework targeted at first-, second-, and third-year students, with students encouraged to pursue lab work independently. By 2021, LASSI split course time between classroom instruction and laboratory work, dedicating one day each week to applied learning. Students were expected to complete lab assignments outside of class hours, encouraging active engagement. Since restructuring, retention rates have increased from 11% in 2019 to 73% in 2025, and lab participation rates have improved significantly. The Protege Program was introduced in 2021 to address knowledge retention and expertise continuity. This mentorship initiative assigns students to subsystem teams (e.g., flight software, communications, structures, etc.), each led by a senior student or graduate mentor. Team leaders provide direct mentorship, ensuring expertise is passed down as senior members graduate. The program has grown from seven students in 2019 to fifteen students in 2025, with 100% of students indicating in surveys that mentorship enhanced their confidence and ability to contribute meaningfully to projects. While these efforts have produced measurable improvements, challenges remain. Balancing classroom and lab time has been difficult for students managing heavy course loads, leading to occasional drops in engagement. Additionally, team leaders reported struggles with the added responsibility of mentoring while managing their own tasks. To address these challenges, LASSI has allowed more flexibility with student\u27s schedules. Students can now meet with their separate groups outside of class time. These adjustments have contributed to sustained engagement and knowledge retention without overburdening participants. Results show that 88.9% of students feel that their work contributes meaningfully to real missions, and retention after the first semester of the Protégé Program being implemented has increased from 42.8% in 2021 to 73% in 2025. Students also report greater confidence in their technical and leadership skills, which better prepares them for aerospace careers. This paper provides a detailed overview of LASSI’s curriculum and mentorship programs, highlights implementation challenges, and demonstrates the broader impact of these strategies on university CubeSat mission success. The model serves as a blueprint for other academic programs seeking to improve retention, engagement, and knowledge continuity in aerospace education
NinjaSat Achievements and Lessons Learned
Get PDFNinjaSat is a 6U CubeSat dedicated to X-ray astrophysics, launched on November 11, 2023. Scientific observations began on February 23, 2024, and as of June 27, 30 X-ray sources have been observed, yielding numerous scientific outputs. Beyond its primary mission of astronomical observations, NinjaSat has contributed to additional fields, including X-ray pulsar-based navigation, atmospheric studies using X-rays passing through Earth’s limb, investigations of atmospheric structure through orbital decay analysis, and studies of the relationship between the orbital radiation environment and solar activity. By expanding beyond its initial astronomical focus, NinjaSat has demonstrated the versatile potential of scientific CubeSats. This paper reviews NinjaSat’s one-and-a-half-year journey in orbit, highlighting its key achievements and the lessons learned
Launch Support: Managing Complementor Bottlenecks in the Disruptive Innovation of Small Satellites
Get PDFSmall satellites represent a disruptive innovation that significantly reduces the time and cost of satellite production and launch. Despite the large number of small satellites launched today, initially, they were viewed as “second-class launch citizens,” with incumbent large-rocket companies resisting launching them. This paper examines how small-satellite manufacturers overcame this resistance before establishing their dedicated small-satellite ecosystem. We identify the adjustment costs that caused resistance from large-rocket companies and examine two specific strategies implemented by disruptors—technological standardization and forward integration—to mitigate these costs and gain support from large-rocket companies
SentinelCAM / SentinelTRAC: Leveraging an Optical System with Dual Functionality for Space Proximity Operations
Get PDFThe growing demand for on-orbit servicing missions such as inspection, refueling, repair, and assembly has increased the need for reliable, compact, and accurate sensing systems capable of supporting Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO). This paper presents the feasibility and advantages of employing Redwire’s SentinelCAM-1 and SentinelTRAC-2 as a dual function optical system to meet the sensing and attitude determination needs of RPO missions. Both systems share a common hardware system, with SentinelCAM-1 functioning as a high-resolution flight camera and SentinelTRAC-2 serving as a star tracker for real-time spacecraft attitude estimation. The shared design enables efficient cross-cueing, simplifies sensor fusion, and reduces hardware complexity and integration overhead. SentinelTRAC-2’s advanced star-tracking algorithm is capable of maintaining accuracy even in the presence of optical interference from reflections and propulsion exhaust. Meanwhile, SentinelCAM-1 offers low-light sensitivity and wide dynamic range, well suited to the high contrast lighting conditions of orbital environments. This dual-use architecture offers a streamlined and robust solution for modern RPO sensor suites, enhancing mission flexibility while supporting the growing trend toward spacecraft autonomy and life extension
The Role of Structured Light Sensors in Small Satellite In-Orbit Operations
Get PDFThe advancement of in-orbit servicing (IOS) technologies is crucial for establishing a circular economy in space, particularly for small satellites. Innovative sensing solutions are demanded to enable the reuse, repair, recycling and de-orbiting of space assets, providing critical support for the close-range navigation, robotic manipulation, and inspection tasks needed in IOS
Sailing to the Stars: Free-Flying Light Sails in Microgravity
Get PDFSailing to the Stars is a mission led by students at Cornell University that will use the International Space Station (ISS) to gather data related to the deployment of free-flying light sails in microgravity. As this light sail architecture is relatively new, additional information on how the sail deploys and the optimal deployment system is desired. This information is relevant for guiding the design of future missions that use this technology. For this experiment, astronauts shall deploy six light sails from two different CubeSat-scale deployer designs within the ISS. Video footage and IMU data will be recorded throughout the experiment, which shall be used to analyze the six deployment events. The team’s primary objective is to gain deeper insight into the advantages and disadvantages of each design based on the stability of the sail and the deployer post-deployment. This hardware is slated to launch to the ISS on the SpaceX Crew 11 mission scheduled for late Summer 2025