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2023-24 Doctoral Defenses

Marlene DeMaio
A Delphi Method Study: Exploring and Identifying Foundation Skills for Surgeons to Transform Surgical Education

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Kristen Betts
Committee Members: Christopher Wright, Dan Farahmand, Kaye Shelton
Date and Time: December 12, 2023 11:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact md3739@drexel.edu for link.

Grace Adams-Square
Federal Guidance and State Response to Cyberbullying Policy: A Document Analysis

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Bridget Blakely
Committee Members: Janet Sloand, Natasha Altema McNeely
Date and Time: December 11, 2023 12:00 PM
Location: Microsoft Teams - Contact ga423@drexel.edu for link.

Dominique McDaniel
Principal Stratification and Bayesian Testing in Clinical Trials with Intercurrent Events

Major: Biostatistics
Chair: Leslie McClure
Committee Members: Brian Lee, Alisa Stephens-Shields, Arman Sabbaghi, Karen Price, Loni Tabb
Date and Time: December 06, 2023 9:00 AM
Location: Nesbitt Hall, Room 132

Teresa LuPone
Development of a High Throughput High Content Imaging Viral Titer Assay to Investigate the Effect of Substance Misuse on HIV-1 Replicative Dynamics in hMDMs

Major: Microbiology and Immunology
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: October 13, 2023 10:00 AM
Location: New College Building, Geary A

Dion Patterson
AP Courses and Black Male Students: Perceptions of Educators

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Harriette Rasmussen
Committee Members: Craig Bach, Devonii Reid
Date and Time: October 06, 2023 10:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact dlp326@drexel.edu for link.

Karol Zhong
Maternal Psychotropic Medication Use During Pregnancy and Child Health Outcomes

Major: Epidemiology
Chair: Kristen Dodge
Committee Members: Lucy Robinson, Brian Lee, Dheeraj Rai, Michael Yudell
Date and Time: December 15, 2023 10:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact cz358@drexel.edu for link.

Lynette Schroeder
An Intrinsic Case Study of Girls' Experiences in a Secondary Education Mentoring Program

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Peggy Kong, Jen Katz-Buonincontro
Committee Members: Kimberly Spagone
Date and Time: October 12, 2023 9:00 AM
Location: Zoom

Giang Le Minh
Understanding mechanisms of OGT/O-GlcNAc regulation of breast cancer stem cells

Major: Biochemistry
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: November 15, 2023 1:00 PM
Location: New College Building, Room 11101

Tyler Bradley
Interactions between Nitrification, Biofilms, and Engineered Responses in Drinking Water Distribution Systems

Major: Environmental Engineering
Chair: Christopher Sales
Committee Members: Gail Rosen, Patrick Gurian, Joseph Hughes, Gary Burlingame
Date and Time: October 13, 2023 10:00 AM
Location: Zoom

Eden Callahan
Investigating Authentic Learning Experiences for Elementary English Learners: An Instrumental Case Study

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Kareem Edouard
Committee Members: Valerie Klein, Anthony Grazel
Date and Time: November 17, 2023 11:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact ec963@drexel.edu for link.

Andrew O'Brien
Dynamic Causality: Sparse Symbolic Regression as a Tool to Learn Causal Dynamic Structural Equations with Applications to Counterfactuals

Major: Computer Science
Chair: Edward Kim
Committee Members: Rosina Weber, Dario Salvucci, Hualou Liang, Kathleen McCoy
Date and Time: October 23, 2023 10:00 AM
Location: Microsft Teams

Mike Kovacevich
A Search for Neutrino Flares with 10 years of IceCube's Cascade Events

Major: Physics
Chair: Naoko Kurahashi Neilson
Committee Members: Eric Brewe, Michael Vogeley, Michelle Dolinski, Erik Blaufuss
Date and Time: December 11, 2023 10:00 AM
Location: Disque Hall, Room 919

Dionne Taylor
Female Patients with Healthcare Disparities Assessment of Physician Communication Styles and the Potential Impact on Care

Major: Health Sciences
Chair: William Lorman
Committee Members: Albert Rundio, Constance Perry, Mondraya Howard
Date and Time: October 23, 2023 10:00 AM
Location: Zoom

James Thomas
Powder adhesion on tools during pharmaceutical tablet manufacturing

Major: Materials Science and Engineering
Chair: Antonios Zavaliangos
Committee Members: Michele Marcolongo, Steven May, Marc Galop, Pratik Saha
Date and Time: November 03, 2023 1:00 PM
Location: LeBow Engineering Center, Room 240

Ben Robinson
Septin Regulation of Multivesicular Body/Late Endosome Maturation and Movement

Major: Biological Sciences
Chair: Ryan Petrie
Committee Members: Elias Spiliotis, Jennifer Stanford, Kari Lenhart, Michael Marks
Date and Time: November 16, 2023 10:00 AM
Location: Disque Hall, Room 109

Marcella Anthony
Black Mothering, Serious Mental Illness and Caregiving: An Exploratory Singular Case Study Using an Autoethnographic Approach

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Stephanie Budhai
Committee Members: Joy Phillips, Kathy Geller
Date and Time: November 06, 2023 5:30 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact maa58@drexel.edu for link.

Parsa Namakiaraghi
Engineering Cementitious Composite with Nature-Inspired Architected Polymeric Reinforcing Elements Using Additive Manufacturing Method

Major: Civil Engineering
Chair: Amir Farnam
Committee Members: Ahmad Najafi, Ivan Bartoli, Reza Moini, Grace Hsuan
Date and Time: December 18, 2023 3:00 PM
Location: Curtis Hall, Room 162

Lahari Uppuluri
Cas9 mediated methods for targeted analysis of genome using long read sequencing and optical mapping

Major: Mechanical Engineering
Chair: Matthew McCarthy
Committee Members: Li-Hsin Han, Andrei Jablokow, Joshua Mell, Ming Xiao
Date and Time: November 27, 2023 1:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact lu42@drexel.edu for link.

James Johnson
Optimization of Human Organotypic Brain Slice Cultures for Use as a Novel Model of NeuroHIV

Major: Microbiology and Immunology
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: November 17, 2023 1:00 PM
Location: New College Building, Room 8312

Nicholas Stachowski
Effects of BDNF and epidural stimulation on locomotor outcomes and spinal ROR interneurons after complete SCI in mouse

Major: Neuroscience
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: November 20, 2023 2:00 PM
Location: Queen Lane Campus, SAC Hall

Kevin Martinez Folgar
Urban Determinants and Disparities in Chronic Liver Disease

Major: Epidemiology
Chair: Usama Bilal
Committee Members: Mariana Lazo Elizondo, Steven Solga, Ana Diez Roux, Harrison Quick
Date and Time: November 27, 2023 3:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact km3785@drexel.edu for link.

Cassidy Buhler
Advances in optimization with applications to nature conservation

Major: Business Administration
Chair: Hande Benson
Committee Members: Avijit Banerjee, Jinwook Lee, Vasilis Gkatzelis, Anna Devlin
Date and Time: December 15, 2023 12:00 PM
Location: Gerri C LeBow Hall, Room 722

Savannah Patrick
Transitioning from Military Life: Furthering Higher Education for the Air Force Enlisted Member

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Harriette Rasmussen
Committee Members: William Lynch, Rebecca Weidensaul
Date and Time: November 20, 2023 3:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact sp3663@drexel.edu for link.

Candace Rizzi-Wise
Opposing Regulation of Fear and Other Contextual Responses by the Dorsal Versus Ventral Lateral Septum

Major: Neuroscience
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: November 21, 2023 10:00 AM
Location: Queen Lane Campus, SAC B

Giang Le Minh
Understanding mechanisms of OGT/O-GlcNAc regulation of breast cancer stem cells

Major: Biochemistry
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: November 15, 2023 1:00 PM
Location: New College Building, Room 11101

Alex Kalinowski
Developing Novel Triple Embeddings for Scalable Alignment of Knowledge Graphs and Natural Language

Major: Information Science
Chair: Yuan An
Committee Members: Jake WIlliams, Weimao Ke, Ying Ding, Jane Greenberg
Date and Time: January 12, 2024 2:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact ajk437@drexel.edu for link.

Carmen Price-Bullock
Exploring the Shortages of Black Educators in Special Education in Public Schools

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Chris Vorndran
Committee Members: Kristine Grant, Myrtle Dorsey
Date and Time: December 08, 2023 9:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact cp975@drexel.edu for link.

Henry Colby
Partitioning and Ammonium Replacement of Nicotine and Basic Gases to Particulate Matter

Major: Chemistry
Chair: Kevin Owens
Committee Members: Michael Waring, Daniel King, Karl Sohlberg, Peter DeCarlo, Ana Rule
Date and Time: December 20, 2023 1:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact hjc53@drexel.edu for link.

Zhouquan Fu
Bioprinting of Novel Gelatin Methacryloyl Hydrogels: Bioink Design, Printing Optimization by Machine Learning, and Applications in Cell Protections under Oxidative Stress

Major: Mechanical Engineering
Chair: Antonios Kontsos
Committee Members: Yinghui Zhong, Alan Lau, Wei Sun, Gongyao Zhou, Li-Hsin Han
Date and Time: December 11, 2023 9:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact zf58@drexel.edu for link.

Breanne Pirino
The kappa-opioid receptor in subregions of the nucleus accumbens shell in affective behavior and ethanol drinking

Major: Neuroscience
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: November 30, 2023 1:00 PM
Location: Queen Lane Campus, SAC B

Bani Malhotra
A Mixed-methods Art Therapy Study Examining Psychosocial Outcomes with Hospitalized Adult Burn Patients

Major: Creative Arts in Therapy
Chair: Girija Kaimal
Committee Members: Trish Shewokis, Johanna Czamanski-Cohen, Linwood Haith, Minjung Shim
Date and Time: December 11, 2023 9:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact bm3223@drexel.edu for link.

Ian Nichols
An examination of mammal community composition shifts and species turnover across landscape mosaics in Cameroon and on Bioko Island

Major: Biological Sciences
Chair: Sean O'Donnell
Committee Members: Ryan Petrie, Mary Gonder, Jon Gelhaus
Date and Time: December 07, 2023 3:00 PM
Location: Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building

Anthony Howcroft
Investigating the impact of content introduction and self-efficacy on student performance in general chemistry

Major: Chemistry
Chair: Ezra Wood
Committee Members: Jennifer Stanford, Susan Jansen-Vamum, Monica Ilies, Karl Sohlberg
Date and Time: December 15, 2023 1:00 PM
Location: Disque Hall, Room 108

Pam Shute
Influence of Social-Emotional Learning in Early Childhood Following the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Case Study

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Joy Phillips
Committee Members: Mary Jean Tecce DeCarlo, Toni Lehman
Date and Time: December 07, 2023 10:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact pes36@drexel.edu for link.

David Freiberg
Numerical Insights into Sticking and Other Complex Properties of Powder Compaction

Major: Materials Science and Engineering
Chair: Wei-Heng Shih
Committee Members: Miguel Pando, Andrew Magenau, Antonios Zavaliangos, Sean Garner
Date and Time: November 27, 2023 12:00 PM
Location: Lebow Engineering Center, Room 240

Asli Arslanbek Evci
Arts-based psychosocial intervention training in humanitarian emergency settings: Clinical, ethical, cultural, and professional implications

Major: Creative Arts in Therapy
Chair: Girija Kaimal
Committee Members: Rebekka Dieterich-Hartwell, Gaelynn Wolf Bordonaro, Holly Feen-Calligan, Adenike Webb
Date and Time: December 19, 2023 11:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact aa4352@drexel.edu for link.

Sandy Mason
¡Apoyo! Exploring How Support Shapes the Latinx Experience Around College and Career Readiness in an Urban High School: A Phenomenological Study

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Vera Lee
Committee Members: Yolanda Abel, Kristine Grant
Date and Time: December 08, 2023 2:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact sgm67@drexel.edu for link.

Carisssa Casey
Exploring Teachers' Racial Awareness About Black and Asian Identities through Race-Based Professional Development and Implicit Racial Bias: A Mixed Methods Case Study

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Peggy Kong, Vera Lee
Committee Members: Christen Clougherty
Date and Time: December 14, 2023 1:30 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact cc3733@drexel.edu for link.

Dara McDowell
Understanding Relationships and Experiences of Race-Related Stress, Historical Loss, Social Support and Substance Misuse among Black Young Adults

Major: Couple and Family Therapy
Chair: Jessica Chou, Ellen Stephanie Krauthamer Ewing
Committee Members: Reggie Banks, Bertranna Muruthi, David Bennett
Date and Time: December 15, 2023 9:00 AM
Location: Health Sciences Building, Room 11W74

John Bredin
Imagine a Hollywood for the Greater Good: A Story of Lost Film, Found Family, and Recovered Dreams

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Larry Keiser
Committee Members: William Lynch, Janna Jones
Date and Time: December 13, 2023 4:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact jb4436@drexel.edu for link.

Andrea Rosenkranz
Determining Secondary Structural Elements of Hepatitis B Virus Pregenomic RNA and Preliminary Analysis of the DDB1-HBx Interaction as a Therapeutic Target

Major: Molecular & Cell Biology & Genetics
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: December 07, 2023 9:30 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact ar3267@drexel.edu for link.

Jennifer Calixto
High School Counselors' Perceptions of the Role Extracurricular Activities Have on Reducing Truancy: A Phenomenological Study

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Janet Sloand
Committee Members: Jose Chavez, Karen Omosola
Date and Time: December 07, 2023 3:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact jc4398@drexel.edu for link.

Scott Sugar
An Investigation into the Mental Health of High School Student-Athletes in New York State: A quantitative study

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Cameron Kiosoglous
Committee Members: Madeline Barlow, Peggy Kong
Date and Time: October 17, 2023 3:00 PM
Location: Zoom

Ahmed Ibrahim
Additive Manufacturing of Multi-Material Composites

Major: Chemical Engineering
Chair: Aaron Fafarman
Committee Members: Giuseppe Palmese, Nicolas Alvarez, Antonios Kontsos, Richard Cairncross
Date and Time: December 18, 2023 12:00 PM
Location: Lebow Engineering Center, Room 241

Jonathan Richards
Neuroimmune Contributions to Mouse Chronic Neuropathic Pain: Macrophages Play a Dual Role in Sensory Discriminative and Affective Components of Pain

Major: Neuroscience
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: December 15, 2023 10:30 AM
Location: Queen Lane Campus, SAC B

Dara McDowell
Understanding Relationships and Experiences of Race-Related Stress, Historical Loss, Social Support and Substance Misuse among Black Young Adults

Major: Couple and Family Therapy
Chair: Jessica Chou, Ellen Stephanie Krauthamer Ewing
Committee Members: Reggie Banks, David Bennett, Bertranna Muruthi
Date and Time: December 15, 2023 9:00 AM
Location: Health Sciences Building

Lori Bignotti
Teacher Perceptions of Emotional Regulation Skills in K-4 Students

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Peggy Kong
Committee Members: Michael Haslip, Kelly Murray
Date and Time: December 14, 2023 3:30 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact llb69@drexel.edu for link.

Alisha Brown
Experiences of New Jersey Public School Communication Directors: A Phenomenological Study

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Joy Phillips
Committee Members: Bruce Levine, Keith Benson
Date and Time: December 14, 2023 11:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact amb642@drexel.edu for link.

Joanna Jones
Impact of Chromatin on HIV-1 Latency: Implications for Therapeutics and Cure Strategies

Major: Microbiology and Immunology
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: December 11, 2023 9:30 AM
Location: New College Building, Geary A

JT Kaltreider
The Role of Preschool Television Programming in the Development of Kindergarten Readiness Skills: A Mixed Qualitative Study

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Cameron Kiosoglous
Committee Members: Michael Haslip, Alice Wilder
Date and Time: December 11, 2023 3:00 PM
Location: Zoom

Jonathan Richards
Neuroimmune Contributions to Mouse Chronic Neuropathic Pain: Macrophages Play a Dual Role in Sensory Discriminative and Affective Components of Pain

Major: Neuroscience
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: December 15, 2023 10:30 AM
Location: Queen Lane Campus, SAC B

Shuyan Zhao
Comprehensive Design of Power Electronics Building Block Based Modular Medium-Voltage Direct Current Solid-State Circuit Breakers

Major: Electrical Engineering
Chair: Karen Miu Miller
Committee Members: Jun Wang, Fei Lu, Liang Du, Lifeng Zhou
Date and Time: January 19, 2024 2:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact sz568@drexel.edu for link.

Anthony Mignano
Understanding multi-fin swimming and maneuvering to develop highly capable swimming robots

Major: Mechanical Engineering
Chair: Harry Kwatny
Committee Members: George Lauder, James Tangorra, Matthew McCarthy, Sorin Siegler
Date and Time: January 26, 2024 1:00 PM
Location: Curtis Hall, Room 162

Neisha Young
"I Get To Tell My Story": A Design-Based Research Study Exploring the Affordances of Multiliteracies in Supporting Black Immigrant Youth Identity Navigation

Major: Education
Chair: Michael Haslip
Committee Members: Ayana Allen Handy, Kristy Kelly, H. Bernard Hall, Chonika Coleman King, Patriann Smith
Date and Time: May 09, 2024 10:30 AM
Location: Science Center, Suite 3000

Ozgun Acar
Multilayered Protection and Functionalization of Organohalide Perovskite Nanocrystals for Biomedical Applications

Major: Materials Science and Engineering
Chair: Caroline Schauer
Committee Members: Wei-Heng Shih, Andrew Magenau, Wan Shih, Yong-Jie Hu
Date and Time: March 21, 2024 1:00 PM
Location: Lebow Engineering Center, Room 240

Mark Ziegenfuss
Forced Distribution Performance Management Systems in the U.S. Army: Effects on Human Development and Organizational Practices

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Harriette Rasmussen, William Lynch
Committee Members: Ronan Ramirez
Date and Time: January 31, 2024 9:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact mz498@drexel.edu for link.

Tetyana Martynyuk
Mitigating secondary conditions of injury and disease; the dichotomy of soluble and transmembrane tumor necrosis factor

Major: Biological Sciences
Chair: Ryan Petrie
Committee Members: Kari Lenhart, Angelo Lepore, John Bethea, Tali Gidalevitz
Date and Time: March 01, 2024 12:00 PM
Location: Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building, Room TBD

Benjamin Haslund-Gourley
Glycosylation of immunoglobins: characterizing functional responses to bacterial and viral infections in humans

Major: Microbiology and Immunology
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: February 20, 2024 10:00 AM
Location: New College Building, Geary A

Jamie Mak
Transformative Learning as Part of Faculty Development in an Academic Biomedical Innovation Program: A Multiple Case Study of Faculty Experiences

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Kristen Betts
Committee Members: Kristine Grant, Banu Onaral, Kenneth Barbee
Date and Time: March 14, 2024 9:30 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact jm4662@drexel.edu for link.

Ankita Kulkarni
Essays on Signaling Theory in Crowdfunding

Major: Business Administration
Chair: Jade Lo
Committee Members: Dali Ma, Jeongsik Lee, Nikolay Merkulov, Srikanth Paruchuri
Date and Time: May 28, 2024 10:30 AM
Location: Gerri C LeBow Hall, Room TBD

Abby Mayer
Dramatic Tension, Social Support & Weight Loss Narrative Persuasion

Major: Communication, Culture and Media
Chair: Hyunmin Lee
Committee Members: Barbar Hoekje, Ernest Hakanen, Kevin Wright, Hilde Van den Bulck
Date and Time: February 28, 2024 1:00 PM
Location: MacAlister Hall, Room 5051A

Tara Li
The Effects of Firms' Technological Knowledge on The Search Process for Future Innovation

Major: Business Administration
Chair: Jeongsik Lee, Jade Lo
Committee Members: Jonathan Ziegert, Martin Ganco, Daniel Albert
Date and Time: May 03, 2024 2:00 PM
Location: Gerri C LeBow Hall, Room 501

Suzanne Przybyla
NEPHROLOGIST BURNOUT AND COPING STRATEGIES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Major: Business Administration
Chair: David Gefen
Committee Members: Rajiv Nag, Lauren D'Innocenzo
Date and Time: February 19, 2024 4:00 PM
Location: Gerri C LeBow Hall, Room 409

Sergey Matskevich
Generating comments from source using logical forms

Major: Computer Science
Chair: Colin Gordon
Committee Members: Yuanfang Cai, Santiago Ontanon, Jake Williams, Preetha Chatterjee
Date and Time: March 11, 2024 12:00 PM
Location: 3675 Market, Room 928

Tao Lin
The Importance of Social Responsibility in Mediating the Needs for Tax Credits in the Adoption of Solar Panels

Major: Doctor of Business Administration
Chair: David Gefen
Committee Members: Lauren D'Innocenzo
Date and Time: February 19, 2024 2:00 PM
Location: Gerri C LeBow Hall, Room 409

Elizabeth Friedman
Exploring the Impact of an Instructional Video on Educators¿ Views of Teaching Disability and Accessibility Awareness: A Mixed Methods Study

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Chris Vorndran
Committee Members: Michael Kozak, Giuseppe Salomone
Date and Time: March 12, 2024 1:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact ef537@drexel.edu for link.

Tanya Dockery
Using Brain-Based Learning to Teach Grit to Those with High Adverse Childhood Experience Scores: A Mixed Methods Study on Teacher Turnover Intentions

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Chris Vorndran
Committee Members: Kristen Betts, Austin Vasek
Date and Time: March 11, 2024 4:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact td633@drexel.edu for link.

Nichole O'Neill
Investigating the Nanostructure and Properties of Gly-X-Gly Fibrils with Aromatic Central Residues

Major: Chemistry
Chair: Aaron Fafarman
Committee Members: Brigita Urbanc, Monica Ilies, Ezra Wood, Haifeng Ji, Joel Schneider
Date and Time: February 21, 2024 3:15 PM
Location: Lebow Engineering Center, Room 240

Barry Leffew
Trust in the Machine: AI-Powered Tax Services vs. Human Experts

Major: Business Administration
Chair: David Gefen
Committee Members: Murugan Anandarajan
Date and Time: February 20, 2024 12:00 PM
Location: Gerri C LeBow Hall, Room 409

Swaksha Rachuri
Mutational Analysis of an Antimalarial Drug Target, PfATP4

Major: Microbiology and Immunology
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: March 14, 2024 2:30 PM
Location: Queen Lane Campus, SAC-B

Bryan Berman
Modeling the influence of HVAC systems on aerosol partitioning and chemical processing

Major: Environmental Engineering
Chair: Shannon Capps, Michael Waring
Committee Members: Peter DeCarlo, Patrick Gurian, Simi Hoque
Date and Time: February 22, 2024 12:30 PM
Location: Zoom

John Robert Walker
The Role of Mechanosensitive, IB4-Positive Nociceptive Afferent Input in Forelimb Motor Function and Rehabilitation after Spinal Cord Injury

Major: Neuroscience
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: March 11, 2024 3:00 PM
Location: Queen Lane Campus, SAC B

Alissa Bianculli
Incorporating Digital Technologies in Mathematics to Enhance Student Engagement: An Investigation of Early Elementary Teachers' Experiences

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Stephanie Budhai
Committee Members: Michael Haslip, Howard Koenig
Date and Time: March 14, 2024 7:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact ab4639@drexel.edu for link.

Yoonhee Kim
Guilty or Proud? On the Ambivalent Experience of Being Envied

Major: Business Administration
Chair: Mary Mawritz
Committee Members: Christian Resick, Jonathan Ziegert, Lingtao Yu, Lauren D'Innocenzo
Date and Time: March 28, 2024 10:00 AM
Location: Gerri C LeBow Hall, Room 722

Ali Mizrak
Utilization of 2D MXene Nano Particles in Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries

Major: Mechanical Engineering
Chair: Ahmad Najafi
Committee Members: Emin Kumbur, Nicholas Cemansky, Young Cho, Baris Taskin
Date and Time: March 15, 2024 10:00 AM
Location: Curtis Hall, Room 162

Vaibhav Venugopal Rao
Enhancing Analog Circuit Security Through Obfuscation

Major: Electrical Engineering
Chair: Baris Taskin
Committee Members: Ioannis Savidis, Bahram Nabet, Kapil Dandekar, Goran Karapetrov
Date and Time: March 14, 2024 3:00 PM
Location: Lebow Engineering Center, Room 240

Ericka Pitman
Creative Skills PK-8 Teachers Used for Instruction During COVID-19 and Beyond

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Larry Keiser
Committee Members: Amy Mount, Harriette Rasmussen
Date and Time: March 14, 2024 11:30 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact emp332@drexel.edu for link.

Tim Labik
Failure Prediction in Large Scale Composite Laminates Containing Bonded Repairs

Major: Mechanical Engineering
Chair: Ahmad Najafi
Committee Members: Tein-Min Tan, Jonathan Awerbuch, Sorin Siegler, Antonios Zavaliangos, Nicholas Cernansky
Date and Time: March 06, 2024 10:00 AM
Location: Curtis Hall, Room 162

Jessica Thacher
Exploring Educators' Perceptions of Professional Development Practices for Innovative Teaching and Learning: A Narrative Study

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Joy Phillips
Committee Members: Michael Kozak, Tricia Gutman
Date and Time: March 19, 2024 6:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact jt3299@drexel.edu for link.

Mike Beaulieu
Improving the Life Insurance Purchase Process through a Wallet Pass that Increases Trust in the Agents and Institutions

Major: Business Administration
Chair: David Gefen
Committee Members: Gregory Nini
Date and Time: March 07, 2024 4:00 PM
Location: Gerri C LeBow Hall

Taha ValizadehAslani
Using Large Language Models for Analyzing Drug Label Data

Major: Electrical Engineering
Chair: Gennady Friedman
Committee Members: Hualou Liang, Gail Rosen, William Dampier, Christopher Peters
Date and Time: March 08, 2024 1:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact tv349@drexel.edu for link.

Jackee Nielsen
Preparing Urban Teachers for Culturally Relevant and Responsive Practices: A Phenomenological Study

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Harriette Rasmussen
Committee Members: Valerie Klein, Tolaison Johnson Hooks
Date and Time: March 15, 2024 11:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact jwn39@drexel.edu for link.

Stephanie Mann Harvard
Exploring Elementary Teachers' Perceptions of Educational Technology Use in the Elementary Curriculum to Meet the Needs of All Learners: A Mixed Methods Case Study

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Harriette Rasmussen
Committee Members: Michael Hardisky, Deanna Hill
Date and Time: March 22, 2024 4:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact slm344@drexel.edu for link.

Heidi Hanania
A Mixed Methods Case Study: Exploring the Relationship between Expatriate Higher Education Faculty and Emirati Students Cultural Differences and the Effects on Student Performance in a UAE University

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Joyce Pittman
Committee Members: Peggy Kong, Ghanem Al Bustami
Date and Time: March 19, 2024 9:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact hh623@drexel.edu for link.

Kamila Kuabara
Macroecology and Macroevolution of Avian Chewing Lice (Insecta: Psocodea: Phthiraptera), Parasites of Neotropical Birds (Aves)

Major: Ecology, Evolution and Earth Systems
Chair: Jon Gelhaus
Committee Members: Jason Weckstein, Gary Rosenberg, Sean O'Donnell, Kevin Johnson
Date and Time: June 04, 2024 2:00 PM
Location: Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building, Room 103

Victoria Mischley
Rational Design of Molecular Glue Degraders via Computational Prediction of E3 Ligase Interactions

Major: Molecular & Cell Biology & Genetics
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: March 13, 2024 12:30 PM
Location: New College Building, Geary B

Stephanie Holmberg
Grades 3-5 Teachers' Perceptions of Teaching for Creativity and the Effects of Professional Development Training: A Mixed Methods Case Study

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Larry Keiser
Committee Members: Colin Hennessy Elliott, Stephanie Corbing
Date and Time: March 19, 2024 3:30 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact sth59@drexel.edu for link.

Sharnice Watson
Who Cares About Black Students?: A Phenomenological Study of Teachers' Experience in Referring Black Students to Special Education

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Ayana Allen Handy
Committee Members: H. Bernard Hall, Jacinta Calzada-Mayronne
Date and Time: March 20, 2024 12:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact sw3338@drexel.edu for link.

Andrey Borisyuk
Impacts of epidural spatial stimulation types on the recovery of function in combined bionic and biological SCI therapies

Major: Neuroscience
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: April 02, 2024 10:00 AM
Location: Queen Lane Campus, SAC B

Xueyuan Liu
An Integrated, Scalable Platform for rAAV Vector Development Designed for Translational Success

Major: Biomedical Engineering
Chair: Chris Rodell
Committee Members: Kara Spiller, Beverly Davidson, Kenneth Barbee, Lin Han
Date and Time: March 14, 2024 11:00 AM
Location: Gerri C LeBow Hall, Room 368

Fatemeh Nasrollahi
Modeling the effectiveness of flood adaptation strategies under climate change

Major: Architectural Engineering
Chair: Franco Montalto, Eugenia Victoria Ellis
Committee Members: Julia Rockwell, Philip Orton, Bita Alizadehtazi
Date and Time: April 11, 2024 10:00 AM
Location: Alumni Engineering Labs, Room 275

Howard Osborne
Organizational Impact on Evidence-based Policymaking and Affecting Change

Major: Business Administration
Chair: Daniel Tzabbar
Committee Members: David Gefen
Date and Time: March 04, 2024 3:00 PM
Location: Gerri C LeBow Hall, Room 722

Yang Xu
Bayesian Spatial Statistical Methods for Operationalizing and Estimating the Impact of Racialized Economic Segregation in the US

Major: Biostatistics
Chair: Loni Tabb
Committee Members: Leslie McClure, Issa Zakeri, Harrison Quick, Jackie Jahn, Irene Headen
Date and Time: May 20, 2024 1:00 PM
Location: Hagerty Library, Room L33

Morgan Bale
Empirical Explorations of Consumer, Brand, and Retailer Dynamics

Major: Business Administration
Chair: Elea Feit
Committee Members: Jillian Hmurovic, Michaela Draganska, Jeffrey Dotson, Eric Bradlow
Date and Time: April 23, 2024 1:30 PM
Location: Gerri C LeBow Hall, Room 409

Lashae Williams
Bilingualism and Cognitive Flexibility in Pre-School Aged Children with and without Autism

Major: Psychology
Chair: Diana Robins, Naomi Goldstein
Committee Members: Giacomo Vivanti, Evangelia Chrysikou, Lucy Robinson
Date and Time: May 31, 2024 10:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact tln36@drexel.edu for link.

Cameron Bale
Utility-Driven Approaches to Protecting Sensitive Data

Major: Business Administration
Chair: Matthew Schneider
Committee Members: Jinwook Lee, Hande Benson, Steven Weber, Harrison Quick
Date and Time: April 26, 2024 1:00 PM
Location: Gerri C LeBow Hall, Room 722

Gina Cusimano
Exploring Adenosine Deaminase 1 (ADA-1) as a Novel Molecular Vaccine Adjuvant

Major: Microbiology and Immunology
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: April 09, 2024 2:00 PM
Location: New College Building, Geary B

Adam Johs
A Qualitative Investigation of Explanation Goodness in a Biomedical AI System

Major: Information Science
Chair: Rosina Weber
Committee Members: Denise Agosto, Robert Hoffman, Jane Greenberg, Christopher MacLellan
Date and Time: April 17, 2024 1:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact ajj37@drexel.edu for link.

Julie Joseph
Regulating Immunity via Exosomes by the Retroviral b-Zip Protein, HBZ, in HTLV Associated Neuroinflammation

Major: Microbiology and Immunology
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: April 11, 2024 10:00 AM
Location: Queen Lane Campus, SAC B

Frederick Jackson
The Rebirth of Survivalist Entrepreneurship: A phenomenological study of African American Male Entrepreneurship, Unemployment, Wealth Transfer, and the Meaning of Legacy

Major: Business Administration
Chair: David Gefen
Committee Members: Trina Andras
Date and Time: March 11, 2024 3:00 PM
Location: Gerri C LeBow Hall, Room 722

Suzanne Przybyla
Nephrologist Burnout and Coping Strategies During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Major: Business Administration
Chair: David Gefen
Committee Members: Rajiv Nag, Lauren D'Innocenzo
Date and Time: February 19, 2024 4:00 PM
Location: Gerri C LeBow Hall, Room 409

Kecia Sturdivant
Belonging Through Other Mothering: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Black Female College Students at Predominantly White Institutions

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Harriette Rasmussen, Kenneth Jones
Committee Members: Aroutis Foster
Date and Time: May 22, 2024 10:30 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact kks99@drexel.edu for link.

Turea Hutson
Evaluating exclusion: Measuring the impact of identity-based rejection on Black women and femmes in higher education settings

Major: Education
Chair: Toni May
Committee Members: Jourdyn Lawrence, Deanna Hill, Alonzo Flowers, Ebony White
Date and Time: April 17, 2024 10:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact tmh52@drexel.edu for link.

Ana Dumitrescu
Development of novel fungal Arp2/3 complex inhibitors

Major: Biochemistry of Health and Disease
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: April 15, 2024 10:00 AM
Location: New College Building, Room 11101

Jessica Webster
Challenges in Exposure Characterization for Healthcare-Associated Infections: Applications in the Clinical Epidemiology of Clostridioides difficile Infection

Major: Epidemiology
Chair: Neal Goldstein
Committee Members: Brian Lee, Stephen Eppes, Michele Kutzler, Brisa Sanchez Loya
Date and Time: May 03, 2024 1:00 PM
Location: Nesbitt Hall, Room 132

Karen Malanda
Characterization of the ADP/ATP Carrier protein (PF3D7_1004800) in Plasmodium falciparum

Major: Microbiology and Immunology
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: April 19, 2024 2:00 PM
Location: Queen Lane Campus, SAC B

Photis Rotsides
The Antibiotic Sensing Mechanism of VanS from Type-B Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci

Major: Biochemistry
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: April 11, 2024 11:30 AM
Location: New College Building, Room 11101

Casey DeAngelis
Hyperglycemic Conditions May Promote Senescence & DNA Damage in TIMELESS Depleted Human Cardiac Fibroblasts

Major: Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: April 19, 2024 11:00 AM
Location: New College Building, Room 3219

Molly Split
Social Functioning as a Behavioral Marker of Cognitive Decline in Older Adults

Major: Psychology
Chair: Maria Schultheis
Committee Members: John Medaglia, Kate Devlin, Jennifer Gallo, Dawn Mechanic-Hamilton
Date and Time: April 19, 2024 12:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact ms4746@drexel.edu for link.

Fareshte Erani
A Neuroimaging Study of the Effort-Reward Imbalance Framework for Cognitive Fatigue in Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis

Major: Psychology
Chair: John Medaglia
Committee Members: Maria Schultheis, Evangelia Chrysikou, Roy Hamilton, Peter Arnett
Date and Time: May 10, 2024 10:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact fre25@drexel.edu for link.

Ashley Geczik
A mixed methods study of safety climate, safety behaviors, organizational outcomes, and injuries in three convenience samples of U.S. fire departments

Major: Environmental and Occupational Health
Chair: Jennifer Taylor
Committee Members: Alex Quistberg, Jin Lee, David Gefen, Christian Resick
Date and Time: May 15, 2024 10:30 AM
Location: Nesbitt Hall, Room 132

Kelsey Csumitta
Towards the Development of an Autonomy Supportive Parenting Intervention for Children with Down syndrome: Intervention Targets and Parent Acceptability

Major: Psychology
Chair: Nancy Lee
Committee Members: Brian Daly, Giacomo Vivanti, Emily Kuschner, Lauren Kenworthy
Date and Time: May 24, 2024 9:30 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact kdc72@drexel.edu for link.

Sarah Malik
Data-Driven Approach for Damage Detection Leveraging the Digital Thread

Major: Mechanical Engineering
Chair: Ahmad Najafi, Antonios Kontsos
Committee Members: Alan Lau, Dimitrios Fafalis, Edward Kim, Yolanda Mack
Date and Time: May 21, 2024 12:00 PM
Location: Curtis Hall, Room 162

Jeffrey Fairbanks
The Cognitive Economics of Virtual Background Bias in Hiring: Investigating the Intersectionality of Race, Gender, and Video Conference Backgrounds in Hiring Decisions

Major: Business Administration
Chair: Lauren D'Innocenzo, Mark Stehr
Committee Members:
Date and Time: April 11, 2024 12:00 PM
Location: Gerri C LeBow Hall, Room 722

Dwayne Chaney
How, When, & Why Do Army Leaders Choose to Overcome Constraints and Still Lead with Empathy

Major: Business Administration
Chair: Lauren D'Innocenzo
Committee Members: Rajiv Nag
Date and Time: April 11, 2024 1:30 PM
Location: Gerri C LeBow Hall, Room 722

Xuan Luo
Immune regulation by macrophage-derived small extracellular vesicles in attenuating inflammatory pain

Major: Pharmacology and Physiology
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: April 23, 2024 1:00 PM
Location: New College Building, Room 8312

Olivia Wons
A Novel Outpatient Augmented CBT Treatment Approach for College Athletes with Bulimia Spectrum Eating Disorders

Major: Psychology
Chair: Adrienne Juarascio
Committee Members: Meghan Butryn, Stephanie Manasse, Sasha Gorrell, Hayley Perelman
Date and Time: May 22, 2024 2:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact obw23@drexel.edu for link.

Sinead Meehan
Transforming the Design Landscape: Unveiling the Critical Dimensions of Elementary Teachers¿ Approaches to Problem Scoping in Engineering Design

Major: Education
Chair: Christopher Wright
Committee Members: Valerie Klein, Jason Silverman, Colin Hennessy Elliott, Kristen Wendell
Date and Time: May 29, 2024 11:00 AM
Location: 3401 Market Street, Floor 3

Elijah Davis
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: Lipopolysaccharide’s antiviral and proinflammatory influence on microglia during neurotropic betacoronavirus infection

Major: Microbiology and Immunology
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: April 26, 2024 12:00 PM
Location: New College Building, Geary A

Emily Kadhim
Exploring Science Teachers' Use of Personification Stories: A Convergent Parallel Mixed Methods Study

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Cameron Kiosoglous
Committee Members: Jen Katz-Buonincontro, Steven Bassett
Date and Time: May 06, 2024 3:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact emk358@drexel.edu for link.

Fuyu Yang
Characterizing Novel Allosteric Modulators for Human Dopamine Transporter

Major: Pharmacology and Physiology
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: April 18, 2024 1:00 PM
Location: New College Building, Room 8312

Karissa Barbarevech
Design of Point-of-Care Ultrasound Device and Applicator to be Used in an at-Home Setting: A Holistic Approach

Major: Biomedical Engineering
Chair: Fred Allen
Committee Members: Mark Schafer, Peter Lewin, Rose Ann DiMaria-Ghalili, W. Andrew Berger
Date and Time: May 14, 2024 2:00 PM
Location: Bossone Research Enterprise Center, Room 302

Jessica Edeal
A Case Study: The Impact of Successive Superintendent Turnover in One Rural, Midwest School District

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Peggy Kong
Committee Members: Kate Piselli, Tiffany Wright
Date and Time: March 22, 2024 8:00 AM
Location: Zoom

Lauren Villanueva
Should I Stay or Should I Go? Gendered Experiences of Retention in Institutional Advancement

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Kristy Kelly
Committee Members: Karin Botto, Aroutis Foster
Date and Time: June 06, 2024 11:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact lmr24@drexel.edu

Krystal Del Orbe
Strategies to Overcome the Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on Undergraduate Students: A Phenomenological Study

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Janet Sloand
Committee Members: Amanda Lannie, Adam Shellhorse
Date and Time: May 30, 2024 11:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact krl62@drexel.edu for link.

Sara Steinman
Exploring the Attitudes and Perceptions of Head Coaches Toward Transgender Athletes in Women's College Sports Before and After Intervention: A Phenomenological Study

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Harriette Rasmussen
Committee Members: Cameron Kiosoglous, Nicole Loyd
Date and Time: May 31, 2024 3:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact ss5342@drexel.edu for link.

Claire Trainor
A Brief, Emotion-Coaching Intervention for Caregivers of Adolescents with Eating Disorders: Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Impacts on Emotion Regulation

Major: Psychology
Chair: Stephanie Manasse, Adrienne Juarascio
Committee Members: Jennifer Schwartz, Sasha Gorrell, Mindy Solomon
Date and Time: June 12, 2024 1:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact cmt389@drexel.edu for link.

Bryan Kwok
Type V Collagen Orchestrates the Initial Matrix Templating in Developing Articular Cartilage and Meniscus

Major: Biomedical Engineering
Chair: Adrian Shieh
Committee Members: Lin Han, Chris Rodell, Li-Hsin Han, Nathaniel Dyment
Date and Time: April 22, 2024 1:00 PM
Location: Bossone Research Enterprise Center, Room 709

Ksenia Sergueeva
¿Can AI Help Me Make Green Choices?" Understanding the Role of AI Recommenders in Promoting Sustainable Consumption

Major: Business Administration
Chair: Chen Wang
Committee Members: Daniel Korschun, Jillian Hmurovic, YanLiu Huang, Seung Hwan (Mark) Lee
Date and Time: May 24, 2024 10:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact ks3788@drexel.edu for link.

Stephanie Deemer
Assistant Principals as Instructional Leaders: A Mixed Methods Collective Case Study in Northeastern Pennsylvania

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Michael Kozak
Committee Members: Jen Katz-Buonincontro, Kristin Kruger
Date and Time: May 09, 2024 3:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact sd3575@drexel.edu for link.

Lizbeth Gomez
Modification of Asthma Treatment Response by Environmental and Social Exposures: A Secondary Analysis of AsthmaNet Clinical Trials

Major: Environmental and Occupational Health
Chair: Jane Clougherty
Committee Members: Usama Bilal, Leslie McClure, Fernando Holguin, Ellen Kinnee
Date and Time: June 04, 2024 11:00 AM
Location: Nesbitt Hall, Room 132

Cassidy Buhler
Advances in optimization with applications to nature conservation

Major: Business Administration
Chair: Hande Benson
Committee Members: Avijit Banerjee, Jinwook Lee, Vasilis Gkatzelis, Anna Devlin
Date and Time: May 24, 2024 11:00 AM
Location: Gerri C LeBow Hall, Room 408

Candice Kaup Scioscia
Where Do I Belong? A Narrative Study of the Community College Tutor-Student Relationship

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Stephanie Budhai
Committee Members: Jose Chavez, Nicole Paternoster
Date and Time: May 28, 2024 12:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact cmk387@drexel.edu for link.

Rochelle Daniel
Experiences of Oregon Community College Faculty Who Are New to Online Teaching: A Phenomenological Study

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Stephanie Budhai
Committee Members: Kristy Kelly, Jason Shrontz
Date and Time: May 22, 2024 11:30 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact rmd352@drexel.edu for link.

Erica Askew
A Transcendental Phenomenological Study on the Impact of High-Stakes Assessments on Teacher Efficacy and Pedagogical Practices of Early Career Mathematics Teachers

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Stephanie Budhai
Committee Members: Colin Hennessy Elliott, Patrice Waller
Date and Time: April 30, 2024 12:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact eda37@drexel.edu for link.

Nia Ladson
Black Teachers Reflect on the Experiences that Contribute to Their Retention: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Kristine Grant
Committee Members: Deanna Hill, Donna-Marie Cole-Malott
Date and Time: May 30, 2024 9:30 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact nfl29@drexel.edu for link.

Kendall Yarosh
Reflections of Former High School Athletes on the Mental Health Experience: A Narrative Study

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Cameron Kiosoglous
Committee Members: Janet Sloand, Bev Warren
Date and Time: May 16, 2024 1:30 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact ky383@drexel.edu for link.