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Student wearing a blue suit presenting his project to a professor

Defense Announcements

There are three phases to a dissertation defense:

Public Presentation of the Dissertation and Defense 

In the public lecture or presentation, the candidate is expected to share the results of his or her dissertation research with the dissertation committee and audience. This presentation may vary in length depending on the circumstances and discipline. At the end of this public presentation, members of the dissertation committee, as well as members of the audience are encouraged to direct questions to the candidate pertaining to the research.

The Dissertation Committee's Meeting with the Candidate

At the conclusion of the public presentation and defense, the dissertation committee members will meet privately with the candidate to pose further questions about the candidate's research or to address issues related to the dissertation manuscript. The dissertation committee can ask the candidate to address these additional questions or changes to the manuscript. The dissertation committee chair presides at this meeting.

Evaluation of the Candidate's Performance

Upon completion of the public presentation and defense and the private meeting, the dissertation committee members, in the absence of the candidate and the audience, discuss the candidate's performance and decide whether or not she or he has passed the defense. The committee chair or one of the co-chairs leads the discussion and communicates the result to the candidate. 

For any questions or concerns in regards to a dissertation defense contact [email protected].

Defense information

Defense date, time, room number, summary and committee chair:

  • 1/24/25
    • Shweta Kapur at 9 AM in 2045 HHB
      • Human Movement Science, Ph.D.
      • This dissertation investigated the predictors of healthcare utilization for balance problems in community-dwelling adults. Upon comparing self-report and performance-based balance measures, 7 in 10 adults with performance-based balance deficits were unaware of their condition.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Daniel J. Goble | co-chair: Kwame S. Sakyi

  • 12/4/24
    • Suhas Gupta Thunuguntla at 9 AM in 347 EC
      • Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D.
      • In this dissertation, the analysis of the damage-induced dynamic response of geared transmission is carried out by understanding the dynamic response on the spur gear pair and applying it to the geared transmission accelerations.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Christopher Cooley

  • 10/30/24
    • Sajidah Alsaeed at 10 AM in 319 SFH
      • Applied Mathematical Sciences, Ph.D. 
      • The methodological topic of this dissertation is the nonparametric approach to
        subset selection of populations so as to contain the “best” population - to be defined - with a user - prescribed probability of a correct selection.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Dr. Dorin Drignei 
    • Alexandra Atang at 10:30 AM in 212 SFH
      • Biomedical Sciences: Health and Environmental Chemistry, Ph.D.
      • This body of work aims to understand the disease mechanisms behind two
        spectrin superfamily proteins; β-III-spectrin and α-actinin-2. Mutations in these proteins are associated with the neurodegenerative disease, Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 5, and cardiomyopathy, respectively. 
      • Doctoral committee chair: Dr. Adam Avery
    • Stephanie Nicole Budzisz at 11 AM in 311 SFH
      • Applied Mathematical Sciences, Ph.D.
      • We present a systematic approach to Balanced Incomplete Block Designs minimizing the range of block sums and formulate several new models to reduce the search space. We study the polyhedral structure of these spaces to improve the runtimes of integer and constraint programs.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Serge Kruk
    • Jennifer Vrabel at 12 PM on Google Meet
      • Psychology, Ph.D.
      • This research explored the link between narcissism and dichotomous thinking, and how this thinking style impacts anger after provocation. Findings show that narcissism was related to black-and-white thinking, which, in turn, was associated with anger following provocation.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Virgil Zeigler-Hill
    • Ahlam Faheem at 1:30 PM via Zoom
      • Early Childhood Education, Ph.D.
      • Physical activity is important to reduce the risk of disease. Perspectives on ABA interventions to increased activity in young children was assessed. Results of this research found that there is a need to increase ABA awareness and usage before directing toward specific interventions.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Jessica Korneder
    • Iman Bakhoda Lakalayeh at 4 PM via Zoom
      • Literacy, Culture, and Language, Ph.D.
      • This study investigates the feasibility of employing a robot to provide mediations during one-on-one interactive read-aloud sessions with young children. Results show effective engagement and structured feedback, but emotional connection and adaptive flexibility pose challenges.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Gwendolyn Thompson McMillon

  • 10/29/24
    • Carolynn Huyghe at 9:30 AM in 2045 HHB
      • Nursing, Ph.D.
      • The aim of this dissertation was to examine the effect of the spiritual discussions on delivered in faith-based team sports related to emotional and behavioral regulation in children, compared to children’s emotional and behavioral regulation in non-faith based team sports.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Meghan Harris

  • 10/28/24
    • Sarah A. Denha at 1:30 PM in 217 SFH or Zoom
      • Biomedical Sciences: Health and Environmental Chemistry, Ph.D.
      • My dissertation aimed to understand the molecular mechanisms by which the cytoskeletal protein β-III-spectrin maintains neuronal structure and function, and how mutations in β-III-spectrin cause the neurodegenerative disorder spinocerebellar ataxia type 5 (SCA5).
      • Doctoral committee chair: Dr. Adam Avery
    • Tracy Alberta at 2 PM in 2045 HHB
      • Nursing, Ph.D.
      • The purpose of this study was to describe the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and instructional practices of nursing faculty regarding teaching nutrition for health promotion. A nationwide survey of full-time nursing faculty was conducted.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Julia Claire Paul

  • 10/25/24
    • Hoon Lee at 11 AM via Zoom
      • Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D.
      • Early signs of fault are numerous, subtle, complex, and difficult to classify and detect with mathematics and signal processing. The collected diagnostic data will be processed and analyzed for unique patterns and features to be used as input to AI tools to train it.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Ka C Cheok

  • 10/24/24
    • Nashwan Sebi at 1 PM via Zoom
      • Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D.
      • This thesis emphasizes extracting information from a Reinforcement Learning algorithm developed as a rear-end collision avoidance system. The correctness of the extracted data was verified first using Simulink and then by using scaled robotic cars.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Ka C Cheok
    • Latifah Alremaih at 2 PM via Zoom
      • Early Childhood Education, Ph.D. 
      • This research explores the perceptions of non-Arab preschool teachers' experiences in assessing Arabic-English dual language learners using a well-established teacher scored authentic assessment of early childhood holistic development. The study also explored parents' perceptions.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Tomoko Wakabayashi
    • Amy Virginia Kuzniar at 3 PM via Zoom 
      • Education: Counseling, Ph.D. 
      • This dissertation utilized constructivist grounded theory to explore creative approaches of professional counselors. Results revealed expanded knowledge of professional identification, training, and methodology, leading to a new theory of Expressive Counseling.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Michael P. Chaney 
    • Md Nahid Newaz at 3 PM in 347 EC
      • Computer Science and Informatics, Ph.D.
      • This research focuses on developing novel, efficient, and scalable routing methods to reduce latency and optimized scheduling methods to improve throughput and system utilization.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Guangzhi Qu

  • 10/21/24
    • Bader Alabkary at 9 AM in 347 EC
      • Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D. 
      • This dissertation applies the k-means clustering algorithm to analyze synovial fluid compositions of healthy people and osteoarthritis patients.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Mohamed Zohdy 
    • Edrees Alhawsawi at 3 PM in 347 EC
      • Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D.
      • This dissertation presents a comprehensive framework for
        optimizing and controlling hybrid microgrids, integrating solar PV,
        wind turbines, CHP systems, and Battery Storage Systems in
        campus energy systems.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Mohamed Zohdy

  • 10/17/24
    • Ali Saeed Irshayyid at 10 AM in 347 EC
      • Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D.
      • This dissertation addresses critical challenges in autonomous vehicle (AV) control, focusing on complex highway merging control during lane reduction using multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL). Both centralized and decentralized approaches are investigated.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Jun Chen

  • 10/14/24
    • Hao Yan at 10 AM in 347 EC
      • Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D. 
      • This study introduces Imitation-Inspired Probabilistic Ensembles Trajectory Sampling (IIPETS) algorithms for TTRV reverse parking control. Using real-world truck-trailer driving data to initialize dynamics model and policy, and enhancing sample efficiency and optimization performance.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Mohamed Zohdy

  • 10/9/24
    • Barbara J. Shaya at 10 AM in 488 PH
      • Education: Counseling, Ph.D.
      • This dissertation explored the relationship between therapist differentiation of self (DOS) and vicarious traumatization (VT). Therapist factors that potentially influence the relationship between DOS and VT were also examined.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Dr. James T. Hansen

  • 10/4/24
    • Miranda Umbras at 1 PM in 5036 HHB
      • Human Movement Science, Ph.D.
      • Exploring dance as an exercise modality for pediatric cardiac rehabilitation and identifying barriers to exercise for children with congenital heart disease.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Melodie Kondratek

  • 9/23/24
    • Shuting Guo at 9 AM via Zoom
      • Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D.
      • Motivated by the development of the vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, the dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) and cellular V2X (C-V2X) are experiencing extensive evolution to support advanced vehicular applications. Applications for optimal performance are explored.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Dan Aloi

  • 9/13/24
    • Mariah Gleeson at 10 AM in 2045 HHB
      • Human Movement Science, Ph.D.
      • This study assessed the therapeutic effects of a resistance training intervention in women who presented with chemotherapy-induced polyneuropathy. Results demonstrate the feasibility of a resistance training intervention to attenuate symptoms and improve quality of life.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Lori Boright
    • Seth Higgins at 11 AM via Zoom
      • Human Movement Science, Ph.D.
      • This dissertation proposed a method of determining clustering model on different types of biomechanics time-series data. Our findings show how clustering analysis can find subtle variations in movement behavior in a wide range of different movement evaluations.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Daniel Goble

  • 8/27/24
    • Vanessa Thompson at 2 PM on Zoom
      • Educational Leadership, Ph.D.
      • This study explored students who participated in remote summer bridge programs during COVID-19. Findings showed enhanced student preparedness for college-level work and improved social connections despite negative attributions about remote delivery. 
      • Doctoral committee chair: Julia Smith

  • 8/19/24
    • Dorisa Tabaku at 11 AM on Zoom
      • Applied Mathematical Sciences, Ph.D. 
      • This dissertation introduces, analyzes, and tests through numerical experiments hybridized discontinuous Galerkin methods for multiphysics problems coupling free flow and flow in naturally fractured porous media.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Aycil Cesmelioglu

  • 8/16/24
    • Emna Ksontini at 11 AM in 347 EC
      • Computer Science and Informatics, Ph.D.
      • Investigative research into Docker projects on GitHub identify prevalent refactoring practices and the technical debts they address.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Hua Ming

  • 8/14/24
    • Sarah Aldaej at 10 AM on Zoom
      • Educational Leadership, Ph.D. 
      • This study examined Saudi Arabian international students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings revealed financial, academic, social, and personal impact, highlighting student persistence.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Julia Smith

  • 7/12/24
    • Bicheng Guo at 10 AM in 347 EC
      • Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D.
      • An in-depth study around determining the sensitivity of DS and improving the defect visibility to meet the practical needs of engineers to quickly select loads and quickly identify defects.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Lianxiang Yang

  • 7/11/24
    • Fatem Ali Hadadi at 9:30 AM on Zoom
      • Early Childhood Education, Ph.D.
      • A mixed method study of K-3 teachers use of technology to support students’ reading development. Teachers engage and motivate diverse learners with personalized strategies. Professional development and resources are needed. Implications for policy and future research are shared.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Julie Ricks-Doneen

  • 7/9/24
    • Muhammad Alolaiwy at 9 AM in 347 EC
      • Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D. 
      • This study focuses on creating a better communication platform for EnFVs without relying on centralized units.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Mohamed Zohdy

  • 7/1/24
    • Narendra Kintali at 9 AM on Zoom
      • Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D.
      • In a significant departure from traditional methods, this comprehensive analysis and feedback control design uses an optimization scheme to transform the redundant input process into an uncertain interval system.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Kac Cheok
    • Kaitlin Lowran at 10 AM in 104 MSC or Zoom
      • Biomedical Sciences: Health and Environmental Chemistry, Ph.D.
      • This research focuses on how FANCJ and REV1 uniquely bind to and unfold G-quadruplexes affected by the oxidative modification of guanine to 8-oxoguanine, impacting their stability and repair.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Dr. Colin Wu

  • 6/27/24
    • Huong Nguyen Quynh Tran at 11 AM in 130 MSC or Zoom
      • Applied Mathematical Sciences, Ph.D.
      • We develop a few graphical methods for the assessment of multivariate normality and of other probability distributions. We also consider the problem of supervised learning and develop approaches for it when distance based methods may not be very effective.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Ravindra Khattree

  • 6/14/24
    • Hannah Bradley at 12 PM in 187 MSC
      • Applied and Computations Physics, Ph.D.
      • Antiferromagnetic (AFM) spin Hall oscillators can create ultra-short spikes in response to a weak external stimulus and, therefore, can be used as ultra-fast artificial neurons. This research explores the use of AFM neurons for a variety of neuromorphic computing tasks.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Vasyl Tyberkevych

  • 6/10/24
    • Ran Liu at 9 AM via Zoom
      • Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D.
      • This study considers V2V range performance in a rural channel propagation scenario as a function of antenna type and location via simulation and field trials.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Daniel Aloi
    • Surinder Sandhu at 10 AM via Zoom
      • Educational Leadership, Ph.D.
      • The study explores teachers views of the integration of technology in teaching mathematics. The results indicated that current teachers have some knowledge of technological tools but not to the full extent that they can integrate them into their daily instruction.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Julia Smith

  • 6/3/24
    • Xiyun Wang at 8 AM in 347 EC
      • Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D.
      • A novel hybrid finite element method for solving ill-posed boundary value problems through inverse engineering, with a focus on accurately determining contact stress, identifying damage, and analyzing adhesive joints in mechanical engineering.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Randy Gu

  • 5/31/24
    • Ahmad Abbas at 10 AM via Zoom
      • Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D.
      • A comprehensive analysis and prediction of Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) system performance in vehicles with particular emphasis on the structural and acoustic aspects.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Zissimos Mourelatos

  • 4/29/24
    • Abdul Hammami at 9 AM via Zoom
      • Education Leadership, Ph.D.
      • A multiple case study of Islamic Higher Ed. institutions uncovered several key areas impacting the likelihood of obtaining accreditation.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Julia Smith

  • 4/11/24
    • Ibtihal Alanazi at 10 AM in 168 MSC
      • Applied Mathematical Sciences, Ph.D.
      • The thesis deals with three problems: (i) bounded variance point estimation of a function of the gamma scale parameter; (ii) fixed-width confidence intervals for comparing two proportions; and (iii) fixed-accuracy confidence intervals for the Weibull shape parameter using record data.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Jun Hu

  • 3/13/24
    • Sanjana Yagnambhatt at 10 AM in 347 EC
      • Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D.
      • Meeting global water demands by improving desalination energy efficiency. 
      • Doctoral committee chair: Jonathan Maisonneuve
    • Jordyn Truax at 10 AM via Google Meet
      • Psychology, Ph.D.
      • Three studies contribute to our understanding of human-animal interactions for the improvement of animal welfare and public perceptions of these facilities.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Jennifer Vonk
    • Hunter Craig at 10 AM in 203 DH
      • Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Ph.D.
      • I combined scholarship of biology and learning by: (1) using Metabolic Theory to describe thermal responses of a fungal pathogen and its amphibian host and (2) evaluating online versus face to face versions of a teaching lab activity introducing MT-based thermal models.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Thomas R Raffel
    • Victoria O'Connor at 12 PM via Google Meet
      • Psychology, Ph.D.
      • Behavioral flexibility was measured in 80 individuals of 17 species of carnivores through personality assessments predicting success on a multi-access puzzle box (MAB) and behaviors associated with cognition on both a MAB and an Impossible Task.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Jennifer Vonk

  • 3/11/24
    • Ahmad Khan at 9 AM in 347 EC
      • Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D.
      • Control method for electric air taxis using MPC and LQR for Li-Sulfur batteries. 
      • Doctoral committee chair: Mohamed Zohdy
    • Lei Zhang at 11 AM via Zoom
      • Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D.
      • Mitigating tin whisker growth in electronic connectivity. 
      • Doctoral committee chair: Xia Wang

  • 3/7/24
    • Todd Perkins at 10 AM via Zoom
      • Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D.
      • Explores new ways to control the torque converter clutch in an automatic transmission to improve driveline efficiency.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Dr. Manohar Das

  • 3/5/24
    • Sherrayna Coleman at 1:15 PM via Zoom
      • Literacy, Culture, and Language, Ph.D.
      • This two manuscript dissertation includes both a literature review and empirical study focused on supporting the literacy success of African American students with religious literacy programming.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Tanya Christ

  • 3/1/24
    • Anthony James Kulick at 10 AM in 376 MSC 
      • Applied Mathematical Sciences, Ph.D.
      • Exact and heuristic algorithms for solving a vehicle routing problem with time windows and an autonomous vehicle security attack algorithm.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Eddie Cheng
      • Co-Chair: Daniel Steffy

  • 2/23/24
    • Abhishek Paul at 3 PM via Zoom
      • Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D.
      • A method for active force cancellation for automotive application.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Michael Latcha

  • 2/19/24
    • Joy Ott at 11 AM via Google Meet
      • Psychology, Ph.D.
      • This dissertation explored religious value transmission through the lens of internalization across three notable life stages in Catholic individuals: young adolescence (Study One), young adulthood (Study Two), and parenthood (Study Three).
      • Doctoral committee chair: Jennifer Vonk

  • 2/16/24
    • Gavin Vance at 1 PM in Pryale Hall 130 
      • Psychology, Ph.D. 
      • This research employed a within-subjects design to compare changes in vaginal lubrication and pH in response to different audio stimuli to investigate whether women have evolved a physiological mechanism (i.e. production of more acidic vaginal pH) to avoid fertilization by rape.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Todd K. Shackelford

  • 2/9/24
    • Xiaobao Huang at 3 PM in 347 EC
      • Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D.
      • A new method to detect debonding (crack initiation) for adhesive joints
      • Doctoral committee chair: Dr. Gary Barber

  • 2/6/24
    • Abdullah Alsubaie at 9:30 AM on Zoom
      • Educational Leadership, Ph.D.
      • After the Covid lockdown, the Saudi Ministry of Education launched the Madrasati platform for distance teaching and learning for schools. This research surveyed teachers in Saudi Arabia concerning their experiences using the Madrasati platform.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Julia Smith

  • 1/18/24
    • Louis James Williams at 1 PM on Zoom
      • Early Childhood Education, Ph.D.
      • This study examined conducting home visits in a Midwest rural elementary school.  Findings included support for development of student-teacher relationships for academic success and support for home visits as an educational strategy.
      • Doctoral committee chair: Julie Ricks-Doneen

  • 1/17/24
    • Theawiana Bracewell at 3 PM on Zoom
      • Educational Leadership, Ph.D. 
      • This study focused on the experiences of African-American women in administrative roles at a predominately White institution in the Midwest. Key findings revealed that these African-American women continue to experience barriers to gaining access to advancement or promotions. 
      • Doctoral committee chair: Julia Smith

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