{"681948":{"#nid":"681948","#data":{"type":"event","title":"PHD Defense by Catharina Hollauer","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EDistributed 7 days in advance with approval from Associate Chair of Graduate Programs, the CEE Graduate Committee and the Institute.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESchool of Civil and Environmental Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPh.D. Thesis Defense Announcement\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDATA-DRIVEN STRATEGIES FOR MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT: IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY, INFRASTRUCTURE AND REGIONAL CIRCULARITY\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;Catharina Hollauer\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Advisor:\u0026nbsp; \u003Cstrong\u003EDr. Joe Frank Bozeman III\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECommittee Members:\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp; Dr. Omar Asensio (IDEaS, Public Policy), Dr. Oliver Heidrich\u0026nbsp;(University of New Castle), Dr. Yongsheng Chen\u0026nbsp;(CEE), Dr. Diego Pecin\u0026nbsp;(Amazon Research), Dr. Sof\u00eda Perez-Guzm\u00e1n (CEE)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDate and Time:\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;April 29th, 2025.\u0026nbsp; 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM EST\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELocation:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/teams.microsoft.com\/l\/meetup-join\/19%3ameeting_YmFhNDA5MjYtN2I5ZC00MmFhLTlhMzktZDk5MWQ3YTVhYjZm%40thread.v2\/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22482198bb-ae7b-4b25-8b7a-6d7f32faa083%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%225d8d0cf8-06cf-49e4-bc2c-3637c9a44459%22%7d\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Evirtual link\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003ECoda C1103.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EABSTRACT\u003Cbr\u003EIn the circular economy, a central point of discussion is the potential economic and environmental gains that emerge from more efficient waste management strategies and practices. This dissertation explores policy, infrastructural, and regional circularity aspects of the transition to circular waste management, focusing on plastic waste streams in the United States. It applies decision-support tools\u2014including optimization, machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI)\u2014to enable data-driven design of circular strategies and enhance policy evaluation related to the circular economy and climate regulations. The research centers on three applications: (1) circular policy evaluation, (2) circular infrastructure and strategic planning, and (3) analysis of regional drivers and barriers to circularity adoption. To begin, a generative AI approach for real-time evaluation of public perception toward circular waste policies is introduced. By analyzing social media discourse using Large Language Models (LLMs), this research assesses preferences regarding single-use plastics regulation and highlights LLMs as scalable, low-cost alternatives to traditional surveys.\u003Cbr\u003EBuilding on this understanding of public engagement, the next focus turns to the practical implications for small and medium-sized enterprises operating within localized circular infrastructure. An optimization-based framework models a Polyethylene Terephthalate bottle manufacturer\u2019s procurement strategy under extended producer responsibility and policy constraints, identifying trade-offs and decision-making strategies to mitigate resource scarcity, enhance supply chain resilience, and support circular business models.\u003Cbr\u003EFinally, regional drivers and barriers to circularity adoption are investigated using interpretable ML to highlight key sociodemographic, infrastructural, environmental, and technological factors. A composite circularity index reveals critical influences on regional adoption of circular waste strategies in the U.S.\u003Cbr\u003EThis dissertation contributes to the circular economy literature by integrating industrial ecology, optimization, and data analytics to support policy evaluation, infrastructure planning, and regional strategy in circular waste management.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDATA-DRIVEN STRATEGIES FOR MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT: IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY, INFRASTRUCTURE AND REGIONAL CIRCULARITY\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"DATA-DRIVEN STRATEGIES FOR MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT: IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY, INFRASTRUCTURE AND REGIONAL CIRCULARITY"}],"uid":"27707","created_gmt":"2025-04-22 13:26:37","changed_gmt":"2025-04-22 13:26:37","author":"Tatianna Richardson","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2025-04-29T09:00:53-04:00","event_time_end":"2025-04-29T11:00:00-04:00","event_time_end_last":"2025-04-29T11:00:00-04:00","gmt_time_start":"2025-04-29 13:00:53","gmt_time_end":"2025-04-29 15:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2025-04-29 15:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"location":"virtual link, Coda C1103.","extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"221981","name":"Graduate Studies"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"100811","name":"Phd Defense"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1788","name":"Other\/Miscellaneous"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"78771","name":"Public"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}