College of Science and Technology

Built Environment Research

The Remote Sensing and Geospatial Science team at the department of Built Environment is seeking highly motivated graduate research assistants to work on the funded projects:

Project 1:  UAV remote sensing for water quality assessment 

Project 2:  Geospatial data analytics for food desert mitigation 

Project 3:  Landslide monitoring and change detection using time-series remote sensing data

Qualifications: Applicants for these positions should hold a degree in engineering, geospatial science, computer science, physics, mathematics or related fields. The candidates are expected to be very motivated, work independently while, at the same time, cooperating with the project team. The support for the RAs includes stipend, tuition/fee, and conference allowance. For inquiries, please send an email to lhashemibeni@ncat.edu. 

2019 / 2023 Current Research Projects

Title

Faculty PI/CoPI/Researcher

Funder

Functional characterization of endocrine-disruptor pollutants in endometrial cancer

 Emmanuel Obeng-Gyasi

Looking Forward Pilot Program 
Variability and Predictors of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Exposure in Occupational Settings

 Emmanuel Obeng-Gyasi

BCSP Foundation
Assessment of Sustainable Affordable Housing, Health & Safety Hazards in Urban Low-Income Communities.

Musibau Shofoluwe

Howard University-HUD HBCU Research Center of Excellence
Biotreatment of GenX using combined attached growth anaerobic digester sludge reactors (July 2022-June 2024) Dongyang Dong  NC Collaboratory
Adsorptive removal of short-chain PFAS by electrostatic interaction mechanism (April 2022-April 2023) Dongyang Dong (CO-PI) Chemours
Wastewater Surveillance Through NC Collaboratory (May 2022-Aug 2023) Dongyang Dong NC Collaboratory
Wastewater Surveillance Project (Jan 1 2022-August 2022) Dongyang Dong North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management
Assessment of Barriers to Adoption of Insulating Concrete Form Technology in Residential Housing Musibau Shofoluwe Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Rapid floodwater extent and depth measurements using Optical UAV and SAR Leila Hashemi Beni NOAA Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR)
Soil Dust Ingestion for Children A Modeling and Data Collection Approach Based on Regional and Sociodemographic Differences Alesia Ferguson United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA-STAR)
Wastewater COVID-19 screening in Guilford County School Zones Dongyang Dong Guilford County Department of Public Health
Low-cost Water Quality Monitoring System Leila Hashemi - Beni

Wake Forest University

Evaluating the Transition to 3D Modeling Environment for Bridges Mohammed Mawlana

NCDOT

Combined effect of Allostatic Load and Lead Exposure on Cardiovascular disease Mortality among U.S. Adults Emmanuel Obeng-Gyasi

 NIH/ Washington University St. Louis

Targeting homes with high Lead exposure risks by leveraging big data and advanced machine-learning algorithms

 Emmanuel Obeng-Gyasi

 HUD

Grant 20-0105 Sustaining Our Neighborhoods Through Transformation Community Modeling Awarded

 Tony Graham

 Habitiat for Humanity of Forsyth County

NSF 2010398: Grant for ICRS 2020 

Dongyang Deng

NSF

NC2 Team Sustainable Polymer Nanocomposite.

Dongyang Deng

NSF

Grant 20-0105 Sustaining Our Neighborhoods Through Transformation Community Modeling Awarded

 Tony Graham

 City of Greensboro/Habitat for Humanity

Accuracy Assessment IoT Stream Gage

Leila Hashemi Beni

North Carolina Collaboratory

UAV Remote Sensing for Flood Modeling

Leila Hashemi Beni, PI

NSF Research Initiation Award

Data Collection and Data Analytic in support of Flood Management

Leila Hashemi Beni, PI

UNC Collaboratory - Flood Resilience

Initiation for Advanced Geospatial Analysis to Identify Suitable Areas for Renewable Energy Development

Leila Hashemi Beni, PI

Exelon R&D contract

Advanced Geospatial Analysis to Identify Suitable Areas for Renewable Energy Development

Leila Hashemi Beni, PI

Exelon R&D contract

Utilization of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle during Disaster Operations

Leila Hashemi Beni, PI

UNC Collaboratory

Student GIS Interns

Peggy Fersner

 

Broadening Female Participation STE

Andrea Ofori-Boadu

East Coast Construction Services

Beach Exposure & Child Health Study

Alesia Ferguson

Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative

E Cube Research Experience

Dongyang Deng

AEESP Foundation

NOCTI Test Acct

Robert Pyle

NOCTI

Flood Modeling and Management

Leila Hashemi Beni

 

Professional Identity Development

Andrea Ofori-Boadu

National Science Foundation

Mapping Soil Urban Lead Exposome

Emmanuel Obeng-Gyasi

North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences

In-Utero Lead Exposure and Thyroid Hormone Assessment

Emmanuel Obeng-Gyasi

Indiana University

Residential Construction Certificate Program

Andrea Ofori-Boadu

National Association of Home Builders

National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)

Andrea Ofori-Boadu and Robert Pyle

National Association of Home Builders/True Homes/national Housing Endowment

Building Competitive Capacities

Lead PI: Osei-Yeboe, PI, Christian Bock-Hyeng

USDA Rural Business Cooperative Service

Bashir, T., & Obeng-Gyasi, E. (2022). The Association between Multiple Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances’ Serum Levels and Allostatic Load. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health19(9), 5455.

Bashir, T., Asiseh, F., Jefferson-Moore, K., & Obeng-Gyasi, E. (2022). The Association of Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Serum Levels and Allostatic Load by Country of Birth and the Length of Time in the United States. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health19(15), 9438.

Babekir, A., Mustafa, S., Obeng-Gyasi, E. (2022) “The Association of Toxoplasma gondii IgG Antibody and Chronic Kidney Disease Biomarkers” Microorganisms https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10010115

Paul A. Sandifer, Alesia Ferguson, Melissa L. Finucane, Melissa Partyka,  Helena M. Solo-Gabriele, Ann Hayward Walker, Kateryna Wowk, Rex Caffey, and David Yoskowitz. March 2021 "HUMAN HEALTH AND SOCIOECONOMIC EFFECTS OF THE DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL IN THE GULF OF MEXICO." Oceanography | March 2021 Vol.34, No.1  174 – 191 (link)

Armijos, R.X., Weigel, M.M., Obeng-Gyasi, E. and Racines-Orbe, M., 2021. Elevated blood lead and metal/metalloid levels and environmental exposure sources in urban Ecuadorian school-age children and mothers. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 235, p.113770.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2021.113770

Mantripragada,Shobha; Deng,Dongyang;  Zhang,Lifeng;(June 2021) "Remediation of GenX from water by amidoxime surface-functionalized electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofibrous adsorbent", Chemosphere - In Press, Journal Pre-proof - online 16 June 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131235 

Ofori-Boadu, A.N.Bryant, D.Bock-Hyeng, C.Assefa, Z.Aryeetey, F.Munkaila, S. and Fini, E. (2021), "Physiochemical characterization of agricultural waste biochars for partial cement replacement", International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBPA-04-2020-0026

 Babekir, A., Mustafa, S., Obeng-Gyasi, E (2021) . The Association of Toxoplasma gondii IgG and Cardiovascular Biomarkers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(9) 
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094908 

Altomare, T.; Tarwater, P.M.; Ferguson, A.C.; Solo-Gabriele, H.M.; Mena, K.D. Estimating Health Risks to Children Associated with Recreational Play on Oil Spill-Contaminated Beaches. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 126. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18010126

Ferguson, A.; Dwivedi, A.; Adelabu, F.; Ehindero, E.; Lamssali, M.; Obeng-Gyasi, E.; Mena, K.; Solo-Gabriele, H. Quantified Activity Patterns for Young Children in Beach Environments Relevant for Exposure to Contaminants. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 3274. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph1806327

Obeng-Gyasi ,E., Roostaeri, J, Gibson JM (2021) . Lead Distribution in Urban Soil in a Medium-Sized City: Household-Scale Analysis. Environmental Science & Technology  https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c07317 

Ofori-Boadu, A.N., Owusu-Manu, D.-G., Edwards, D.J. and Asiseh, F. (2020), "A conceptual model of subcontractor development practices for LEED projects", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-08-2019-0425

Ofori-Boadu, A.N., Ofori-Boadu, V., Vanderpool, J. & Deng, D. (2020). Nascent Professional Identity Development in Freshman Architecture, Engineering, and   Construction Women. Conference proceeding of the 2020 Virtual American Society for Engineering Education   (ASEE). (June 21- 24, 2020).   Available at: https://strategy.asee.org/nascent-professional-identity-development-in-freshman-architecture-engineering-and-construction-women

Obeng-Gyasi, E. and Obeng-Gyasi, B., 2020. Chronic Stress and Cardiovascular Disease among Individuals Exposed to Lead: A Pilot Study. Diseases, 8(1), p.7.

Obeng-Gyasi, E., 2020. Chronic cadmium exposure and cardiovascular disease in adults. Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A, 55(6), pp.726-729.

Obeng-Gyasi, E., 2018. Lead exposure and oxidative stress—A life course approach in US adults. Toxics6(3), p.42. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics6030042

Deng, Dongyang; Zhang, L.; Dong, M.; Samuel, R.; OforiBoadu, A.; Lamssali, M. Water Environment Research (2020) Radioactive Waste: A Review.

Deng, Dongyang; Lamssali, M.; Aryal, N.; OforiBoadu, A.; Jha, M. K.; Samuel, R. E. Water Environment Research (2020) Textiles wastewater treatment technology: A review.

Aryal, N.; Wood, J.; Rijal, I.; Deng, Dongyang; Jha, M. K.; OforiBoadu, A. Water Environment Research (2020) Fate of environmental pollutants: A review.

Ferguson, A., Rattler, K., Perone, H. et al. Soil–skin adherence measures from hand press trials in a Gulf study of exposures. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-020-00269-2

Obeng-Gyasi, E., Armijos, R., Weigel, M., Filippelli, G., & Sayegh, M. (2018). Cardiovascular-related outcomes in US adults exposed to lead. International journal of environmental research and public health, 15(4), 759.

Obeng-Gyasi, E. (2019). Sources of lead exposure in various countries. Reviews on environmental health, 34(1), 25-34.

Ferguson, A., Del Donno, C., Obeng-Gyasi, E., Mena, K., Kaur Altomare, T., Guerrero, R., ... & Solo-Gabriele, H. M. (2019). Children Exposure-Related Behavior Patterns and Risk Perception Associated with Recreational Beach Use. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(15), 2783.

Alesia Ferguson, Kristina Mena, and Helena Solo-Gabriele “ Assessment for Oil Spill Chemicals: Current Knowledge, Data Gaps, and Uncertainties Addressing Human Physical Health Risk” Marine Pollution, 2020, 110746 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110746

Ofori-Boadu, A. N., Abrokwah, R., Gbewonyo, S., and Fini, E. (2018). Effect of Swine-   Waste Bio-Char Treatment Temperatures on Water Absorption Characteristics of        Cement Pastes, International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, 36(3), 283-299. https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1108/IJBPA-11-2017-       0055

Ofori-Boadu, A. N., Ofori-Boadu, V., Borders-Taylor, I., Waller, L., and Akangah, P. (2019). Professional Identity   Formation and Development in HBCU Construction Students. Proceeding of the 2019 American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) conference, Tampa, Florida.(June 16 – 19, 2019)   (https://www.asee.org/public/conferences/140/papers/25475/view)

Deng, D. & Lin, L.-S. 2017. Continuous sulfidogenic wastewater treatment with iron sulfide sludge oxidation and recycle. Water research, 114, 210-217. 

Deng, D., LIN, O., Rubenstein, A., Weidhaas, J. L. & Lin, L.-S. 2019. Elucidating biochemical transformations of Fe and S in an innovative Fe (II)-dosed anaerobic wastewater treatment process using spectroscopic and phylogenetic analyses. Chemical Engineering Journal, 358, 1208-1217.

Mantripragada, S., Gbewonyo, S., Deng, D. & Zhang, L. 2019. Oil Absorption Capability of Electrospun Carbon Nanofibrous Membranes Having Porous and Hollow Nanostructures. Materials Letters, 127069.

Soil Dust Ingestion for Children A Modeling and Data Collection Approach Based on Regional and Sociodemographic Differences - Dr. Alesia Ferguson (PI) - funded by United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Research Study On Children's Dust Ingestion | Dirt-child

This website called dirt-child is about recruiting and informing participants and researchers about EPA funded study to look at soil, dust ingestion for young children

www.dirt-child.com

 

Labs and Facilities

Dr. Leila Hashemi Beni-Photogrammetry and GIS-Price Hall 105, 115B, 117

Dr. Dongyang Deng: Water Quality Analysis Lab-JSNN Lab 106

Dr. Andrea Ofori-Boadu-Cement and Concrete Materials Lab - Price Hall 112C

Dr. Emmanuel Obeng-Gyasi- Environmental Health and Disease Lab- Hines Hall 313 and Price Hall 111B Student research area.

Dr. Yuhan Jiang  HUD - Project-  Price Hall 113 -

Smith 4007 Virtual Design room - managed by Dr Yuhan Jiang. 

Dr. Alesia Ferguson Price Hall 112L 

Geomatics Lab: All Geomatics Facility: Price 112

Soil Testing Lab: Price Hall-Mainly for Classroom Instruction-Price 111

EHS and Construction Teaching Labs-Price 115

3D Computer Room: Smith 4007

EBEW CENTER Transforming Women Participation in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) Professions. 

The mission of the Emerging Built Environment Women (EBEW) Center is to advance educational and institutional transformations that enhance the early awareness, attraction, interest, preparation, and persistence of girls and women into AEC professions through research, outreach, and education.

In 2019, Dr. Andrea N. Ofori-Boadu, an Associate Professor with the Department of Built Environment (BLTE) within the College of Science and Technology (CoST) at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University received a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award. The overall goal was to inform and implement educational and institutional transformations towards strengthening women participation in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) professions. Therefore, the research objective was to understand professional identity development processes in undergraduate AEC women. The educational objective involved engaging undergraduate women in the year-round AEC Professional Development Program. The outreach objective involved the establishment of the EBEW Center to provide resources and support to girls and women with AEC career interests, while disseminating research findings to advance educational and institutional transformations.  Additional details are available at this link: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1845979&HistoricalAwards=false

Our project webpage can be seen here  https://ebewcenter1.wixsite.com/ebew-center

The EBEW Center is located in Room 113 Price Hall in the Built Environment Department.