Doctoral Exam Schedule

Heeduk Oh, Horticultural Science, “Identification of Fruit Characteristics and Quantitative Trait Locis (QTLs) Associated with Quality Traits in Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.),” October 4, 2024, 1:00 p.m., PHHI, Kannapolis, NC. Major Professors: Dr. Massimo Iorizzo and Dr. Penelope Perkins-Veazie.

Kelsey Hargrove, Counseling and Counselor Education, “When We (Re)member: A Multi-phased Unearthing of the Storied Experiences and Embodied Healing Journeys of Black Women (Re)covering the Wounds of Body Image Standards and Disordered Eating: An ODE to Sisters of the Yam”, October 7, 2024, 1:00 p.m., Remote, Major Professor: Dr. Brean’a Parker.

Erica Prentice, Educational Leadership, “Charter School Leader Experiences with the Implementation of Weighted Lotteries in North Carolina Charter Schools”, October 7, 2024, 11:00 a.m., Remote, Major Professor: Dr. Jenn Ayscue.

Sean Steadley, Chemical Engineering, “A Molecular Dynamics Study of Liquid Crystalline Copolymers of 4-Hydroxybenzoic Acid and 6-Hydroxy-2-naphthoic Acid,” October 7, 2024, 12:00 p.m., EBI – 2018. Major Professor: Dr. Erik Santiso.

Donisha Barnes, Educational Leadership, “Sustaining Teacher Excellence: A Needs Assessment of Professional Development for Beginning Teachers”, October 8, 2024, 10:00 a.m., Remote, Major Professor: Dr. Lisa Bass.

Helen Wang, Textile Technology Management, “Exploring 3D printing technology in the modification of ready-to-wear clothing,” October 8, 2024, 2:30 p.m., WCOT-rm 3438, Major Professor: Dr. Traci Lamar.

Taylor Brodbeck, Civil Engineering, “An Experimental Investigation to Assess Strut-and-Tie Models for Deep Concrete Beams Reinforced with Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Bars,” October 9, 20205, 10:00 a.m., FWH-3301. Major Professors: Dr. Rudi Seracino/Dr. Giorgio Proestos.

Oindrila Hossain, Chemical Engineering, “Advances in Rapid, Low-Cost Miniaturized VOC Sensors for Detecting Plant Pathogens and Monitoring Vegetable Quality,” October 9, 2024, 2:00 p.m., PSB-3152. Major Professor: Dr. Qingshan Wei.

Ashley Loftis, Learning and Teaching in STEM, “Developing a Framework of Teacher Moves and Exploring the Relationship between Teach Moves and the Mathematical Modeling Cycle: A Grounded Theory Approach”, October 9, 2024, 1:00 p.m., Center for Technology and Innovation Room 230, Major Professor: Dr. Erin Krupa.

Jennifer Hauser, Educational Leadership, “Equity in Education: A Qualitative Case Study of the Impact of District Leadership on Principal Equity Leadership”, October 10, 2024, 12:00 p.m., Remote, Major Professor: Dr. Jenn Ayscue.

Shantel Summerfield, Educational Leadership, “A Qualitative Study of Middle School Teacher and Principal Perceptions of the North Carolina Teacher Evaluation System’s Ability to Measure Teacher Effectiveness”, October 10, 2024, 10:00 a.m., Remote, Major Professors: Dr. Lisa Bass and Dr. Jenn Ayscue.

Tiffany Boss, Educational Leadership, “A Comparative Analysis of K-12 academic achievement: Traditional vs. Year-Round Calendars in Durham Public Schools”, October 11, 2024, 1:30 p.m., Remote, Major Professors: Dr. Lisa Bass and Dr. Lam Pham.

Will Lamb, Educational Leadership, Educators’ Perceptions of their Preparedness for Teaching Spanish-Speaking Students in a Dual Language Immersion Classroom: An Exploratory Case Study in a North Carolina School District”, October 11, 2024, 10:00 a.m., Remote, Major Professor: Dr. Jenn Ayscue.

Hao Wei Teh, Entomology and Plant Pathology, “Characterization of the Interactions between the maize mosaic virus Glycoprotein and its insect Vector, Peregrinus maidis,” October 11, 2024, 11:00 a.m., RM 1417 Partners II. Major Professors: Dr. Anna Whitfield.

Emem Thompson, Educational Leadership, “Examining Practices, Strategies and Academic Achievement of Black and Hispanic students in the post-COVID era: An Exploratory Case Study of One Urban Elementary School in North Carolina”, October 11, 2024, 12: p.m., Remote, Major Professor: Dr. Lisa Bass.

Ken Crawford, Electrical Engineering, “Methods for Topology Monitoring on a Distribution System Using State Estimation,” October 14, 2024, 8:00 a.m., Zoom. Major Professors: Dr. Mesut Baran/Dr. Wenyuan Tang.

Deaja Sanders, Plant and Microbial Biology – Microbiology, “Characterization of the Textile Microbiome and Transcriptomic Analysis of Bacillus sp. Isolated from Worn Textiles for Discovery of Novel Polyethylene Terephthalate-hydrolyzing enzymes.” October 14, 2024, 9:00 p.m., Remote, Major Professor: Dr. Amy Grunden.

Shengjie Liu, Operations Research, “Scalable Abstractive Summarization for Large Document Collections and Online Streaming Text,” October 14, 2024, 11:00 a.m., Hill Library-2312E. Major Professor: Dr. Christopher G. Healey.

Janet Perkins, Educational Leadership, “An Exploratory Qualitative Case Study of Transition Plans and Reintegration Process to Traditional Education Settings from Alternative Learning Programs/Schools”, October 15, 2024, 10 a.m., Remote, Major Professor: Dr. Lisa Bass.

Nichole E. Montero Marin, Chemistry, “Leveraging Genetically Encoded Biosensors and Methyltransferases for the Production of Semi-Synthetic and Agricultural Macrolides”, October 15, 2024, 1 p.m., COX 400. Major Professor: Dr. Gavin Williams.

Mohammad Qambar, Civil Engineering, “Refined rational design methods for dapped ends in thin-stemmed prestressed concrete beams developed from full-scale experiments,” October 16, 2024, 1:00 p.m., Zoom. Major Professors: Dr. Gregory Lucier/Dr. Giorgio Proestos.

Cassandra Gluck, Animal and Poultry Science, “The Fecal Microbiome, in-vitro fermentation, iron metabolism, inflammatory cytokines and performance analysis in horses,” October 17, 2024, 9:00 a.m., Polk Hall, RM 125. Major Professors: Dr. Shannon Phillips and Dr. Vivek Fellner.

Shelton Langley, Educational Leadership, “Navigating the Crossroads: An Exploratory Qualitative Study on Intersectionality’s Influence on African American Female Superintendents in North Carolina”, October 17, 2024, 10:00 a.m., Remote, Major Professor: Dr. Jenn Ayscue.

Adam Ortmeier, Chemistry, “Advancing Zero- to Ultra-Low Field NMR: from Fundamental Physics to Hyperpolarization Chemistry,” October 17, 2024, 12:30 p.m., Plant Sciences Building, Rm. 4152. Major Professor: Dr. Thomas Theis.

Ariel Saffer, Geospatial Analytics, “Reducing Global Pest Forecast Uncertainty with Text Mined Media Records”, October 17, 2024, 1:00 p.m., Jordan Hall Room 5119, Major Professor: Dr. Ross Meentemeyer.

Sherif Hassan Aboubakr, Civil Engineering, “Biomimetic Multifunctional Structural Materials via Integration of Optical Fibers,” October 17, 2024, 2:00 p.m., Zoom. Major Professors: Dr. Jason Patrick/Dr. Kara Peters.

Tianning Wu, MEA, “Impacts of Changing Gulf Stream on Northwest Atlantic Coastal Ocean: Marine Heatwave and Sea Level Change,” October 18, 2024, 1 p.m., 1132 Jordan Hall. Major Professor: Dr. Ruoying He.

Meagan Mulcair, Chemistry, “Modeling MOF Motion: The Structural Dynamics Mediating Selective Gas Sorption,” October 18, 2024, 2 p.m., Cox 306. Major Professor: Dr. Brian Space.

Lindsey Beam, ELPHD, “School Leaders’ Perceptions of Flexibilities in the North Carolina Restart Model”, October 21, 2024, 1:00 p.m., Remote, Major Professor: Dr. Jennifer Ayscue.

Brittani Clark, Teacher Education and Learning Sciences, “An Intrinsic Case Study of a Dedicated Third Space for Cultural Identity Development in the Lives of Adolescent Black Girls”, October 22, 2024, 2:00 p.m., Cyma Rubin Visualization Gallery, Major Professor: Dr. Christy Byrd.

Yiqing Liu, Economics, “Three Essays on The Nonmarket Valuation of Air Pollution and Extreme Weather: Implications for Outdoor Recreation”, October 22, 2024, 11:00 a.m., Nelson Hall Room 3302, Major Professor: Dr. Roger von Haefen.

Mariah Walker, Educational Leadership, “A Qualitative Study of Current and Post-Covid Pandemic Challenges Confronting Secondary Female Principals in their Professional Journey.”, October 22, 2024, 8:30 a.m., Remote, Major Professor: Dr. Lisa Bass.

Annie Vogel, Horticultural Science, “Modulating Vegetative Growth and the Systemic Movement of Erwinia Amylovora in young people apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) trees through the use of cultural and chemical management practices,” October 22, 2024, 9:00 a.m., MHCREC, Mills Rover, NC. Major Professors: Dr. Thomas Kon and Dr. Gina Fernandez.

Sara Lewis Hood, Textile Technology Management, “Exploring the Impact of Consumer-Defined Sustainable Fashion Attricbutes on Generation Z consumers’ Attitudes, Behavioral Intentions and Consumption Behaviors,” October 23, 2024, 10:00 a.m., Zoom, Major Professors: Dr. Kristen Thoney-Barletta and Dr. Lori Rothenberg.

Amy Jones, Educational Leadership, “A Case Study of the Curriculum Implementation Process in a Low-Wealth School District: An Examination of the Perspectives of High School English Teachers, High School Principals, and District Leaders”, October 24, 2024, 10 a.m., Remote, Major Professor: Dr. Lisa Bass.

Zhaochen Sun, Economics, “Mining the Data to Identify Moral Hazard”, October 25, 2024, 10:00 a.m., Remote, Major Professor: Dr. Barry Godwin.

Kendall Hageman-Mays, Education Evaluation & Policy Analysis, “Examining the excellence gap: North Carolina’s gifted identification process and its role in equity, access, and opportunity”, October 25, 2024, 10:30 a.m., Center for Technology & Innovation Room 333, Major Professors: Dr. Anna Egalite and Dr. Lance Fusarelli.

Sina Azizi Machekposhti, Fiber and Polymer Science, “Microneedles in Transdermal Drug Delivery,” October 25, 2024, 11:00 a.m., Zoom, Major Professors: Dr. Roger Narayan.

Yuejiang Wen, Electrical Engineering, “High Dimensional Optimization for Electronic Designs,” October 25, 2024, 1:30 p.m., MRC-337. Major Professor: Dr. Paul Franzon.

Mohammed Talal A. Mira, Industrial Engineering, “Design of a Capacity Planning Model for Rural Healthcare,” October 29, 2024, 9:20 a.m., FWH-4103. Major Professor: Dr. Michael Kay.

Lily Liu, Environment Engineering, “Feasibility Evaluation of Sustainable Energy and Waste Management Systems from Environmental and Techno-Economic Perspectives,” October 29, 2024, 11:00 a.m., FWH-3301. Major Professor: Dr. Jeremiah Johnson.

Hualong Liu, Electrical Engineering, “Handling the Non-convexity and Uncertainty of Energy Systems With High Renewable Penetration,” October 30, 2024, 4:00 p.m., Zoom. Major Professor: Dr. Wenyuan Tang.

Vinicius Garnica, Plant Pathology, ” Influence of Environment, Risk of Disease Occurrence and Cultivar Stability to Stagonospora nodorum blotch in Winter Wheat,” October 31, 2024, 9:00 a.m., 202 Partners III. Major Professor: Dr. Peter Ojiambo.

Shaown Sarker, Computer Science, “Understanding obfuscated JavaScript by combining static and dynamic analysis,” October 31, 2024, 1:00 p.m., Zoom. Major Professors: Dr. Alexandros Kapravelos/Dr. Anupam Das.

Kewen Peng, Computer Science, “Principles for comprehensible, fair, and actionable software analytics,” November 5, 2024, 10:00 a.m., Zoom. Major Professor: Dr. Tim Menzies.

Ayanna Richard, Educational Leadership, “A Qualitative Study on the Perspectives of Secondary Special
Education Teachers in a North Carolina School System on Creating, Implementing, and Evaluating the Effectiveness of Transition Plans for Students with Disabilities”, November 6, 2024, 1:00 p.m., Remote, Major Professor: Dr. Jenn Ayscue.

Subid Ghimire, Civil Engineering, “Spatiotemporal analysis of travel behavior and demand for microtransit among low-income populations,” November 7, 2024, 12:00 p.m., FWH-3301. Major Professor: Dr. Eleni Bardaka.

Yi Tsung Lee, Aerospace Engineering, “Advancements in Low-order Modeling of Unsteady Airfoil Flows,” November 7, 2024, 3:00 p.m., EBIII-3235. Major Professor: Dr. Ashok Gopalarathnam.

Amanda Jones, Psychology, “Association between Telehealth Utilization and Mental Health Among High School Age LGBQ Youth,” November 11, 2024, 10:30 a.m., Remote. Major Professor: Dr. Mary Haskett.

Ahmed Shaban, Physics, “Spatially Resolved Galactic Outflows in Gravitationally Lensed Galaxies,” November 13, 2024, 10 a.m., Riddick 400P. Major Professor: Dr. Rongmon Bordoloi.

Luis Miguel Prieto Miranda, Civil Engineering, “Assessing Power Grid Robustness under Climate Variability and Decarbonization Targets: Case Study of the Duke Energy System,” November 21, 2024, 9:00 a.m., Remote. Major Professor: Dr. Jordan Kern.

Md Faisal Rahman, Nuclear Engineering, “A hardware/firmware-based switching gate multiplexing method for pulse mode radiation detectors,” November 22, 2024, 1:00 p.m., DH Hill-2310. Major Professor: Dr. John Mattingly.

Lochan Basnet, Civil Engineering, “A Comprehensive Leak Characterization Framework for Water Distribution Systems,” December 3, 2024, 1:30 p.m., FWH-3103. Major Professors: Dr. Kumar Mahinthakumar/ Dr. Ranji Ranjithan.

Estefania Gomiero Polli, “Evaluation of Pesticide Behavior and off-target movement in agricultural and non-agricultural settings,” December 5th, 2024, 1:30p.m., WMS 4401E. Major Professor: Dr. Travis Gannon.

Ruijie Xi, Computer Science, “Decoding Morality in Social Media,” December 9, 2024, 3:15 p.m., Zoom. Major Professor: Dr. Munindar P. Singh.

Kuangying Li, Operations Research, “Resource Management Strategies During the Pandemic Using Decomposition Method,” December 11, 2024, 12:30 p.m., FWH 4361. Major Professors: Dr. Ali Hajbabaie/Dr. Leila Hajibabai.

Yue Shan, Economics, “Studies Exploring Impacts of Contemporary Policy and Regulation on Global and U.S. Supply Chains”, December 12, 2024, 1:30 p.m., 4302 Nelson Hall, Major Professor: Dr. Kathryn Boys.

Febby Krisnadi, Chemical Engineering, “Liquid Metal Foams: Printable Inks, Growing Conductors, Shiny Enigmas,” December 18, 2024, 10:00 a.m., EBI-2015. Major Professor: Dr. Michael Dickey.