Senior thesis

Documenting the design process of my Thesis project during my senior year studying at the Herberger Institute of ASU.

The Social Issue I researched for my senior thesis project was the effect of smoking on the development of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Smoking is the main cause of COPD and is held responsible for around 8 in every 10 cases. The toxic chemicals in smoke cause damage to the lining of the lungs and airways, which destroys lung tissue, causes chronic inflammation, and narrows air passages. The longer a person smokes and the more cigarettes they smoke, the higher their risk of developing severe COPD. There is currently no cure for COPD, treatment can only help slow the progression of the condition and control the symptoms. I chose to research this issue for my project because of my own personal experience with smoking. After many years of nicotine addiction I ended up developing acute bronchitis, which lead me to my research. This correlation is an issue that I don’t think receives enough attention.