Edwin McCulley
Spatial Accessibility to Healthcare in the COVID-19 Era: A Relational Approach to the Effects of Context on Disparities in Infection and Mortality

Major: Epidemiology
Chair: Usama Bilal
Committee Members: Jana Hirsch, Alina Schnake-Mahl, Gina Lovasi, Brisa Sanchez Loya
Date and Time: June 06, 2025 1:30 PM
Location: Nesbitt Hall, Room 132

Kusuma Schofield
The Drexel University PA SNAP-Ed Dragon Project: Iterative Development and Efficacy of a Novel Nutrition Education Intervention

Major: Nutrition Sciences
Chair: Jennifer Nasser, Jennifer Quinlan
Committee Members: Michael Bruneau, Stella Volpe, Brandy-Joe Milliron
Date and Time: June 05, 2025 2:30 PM
Location: Health Sciences Building, Room 11W74

Sonia Pascua
A Novel Information Theoretic Framework for Information Representation, Knowledge Organization and Predictive Analytics

Major: Information Science
Chair: Weimao Ke
Committee Members: Xia Lin, Mat Kelly, Jung-Ran Park, Kazuhiro Seki
Date and Time: June 04, 2025 7:30 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact smp458@drexel.edu for link.

David Romanofski
The Importance of an Integrated Protocol in Reducing Medical Errors and Increasing Patient Safety in Radiation Therapy: A Variable-Oriented, Explanatory Sequential Design

Major: Educational Leadership and Management
Chair: Cameron Kiosoglous
Committee Members: Kristen Betts, Amy Harrison
Date and Time: June 04, 2025 2:30 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact dr3239@drexel.edu for link.

Leah Sodowick
Secondary Traumatic Stress in NICU Nurses: Risk and Protective Factors

Major: Psychology
Chair: Pamela Geller
Committee Members: Kate Devlin, Joan Bloch, Andrea Nelson, Chavis Patterson
Date and Time: June 04, 2025 10:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact lbs66@drexel.edu for link.

Georgia Bonney
A Qualitative Multiple Case Study on How Nontraditional Learning Centers Address the Educational Needs of K-12 Students Through Experiential Approaches

Major: Educational Leadership ad Management
Chair: Larry Keiser
Committee Members: John Gould, Greg Richards
Date and Time: June 02, 2025 12:30 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact gyb26@drexel.edu for link.

Wale Ayodele
Field-Scale Validation of Numerical Modeling of Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Leaching During Unsaturated Zone Flushing Using Lysimeter - Derived Porewater Concentrations

Major: Environmental Engineering
Chair: Christopher Sales
Committee Members: Joseph Hughes, Mira Olson, Erica McKenzie, Charles Schaefer
Date and Time: May 30, 2025 10:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact wa327@drexel.edu for link.

Kendall Butler
Pathway Formation and Dynamical Transitions by Neuronal Traveling Waves with Synaptic Plasticity

Major: Physics
Chair: Luis Cruz Cruz
Committee Members: Brigita Urbanc, Dave Goldberg, Vikas Bhandawat, Nicholas DiNardo
Date and Time: May 29, 2025 12:00 PM
Location: Disque Hall, Room 109

Mary Qin Hassig
Synthesis, Modification, and Characterization of Hydroxide-Derived Nanomaterials

Major: Materials Science and Engineering
Chair: Caroline Schauer
Committee Members: Michel Barsoum, Joshua Snyder, Andrew Magenau, Vibha Kalra
Date and Time: May 28, 2025 12:30 PM
Location: LeBow Engineering Center, Room 240

Lennie Parham
Examining the Lived Experiences of K-5 Principals' Leadership of Prioritizing Health and Wellness Subjects and Diversifying the Teacher Workforce: A Phenomenological Study

Major: Educational Leadership and Management
Chair: Cameron Kiosoglous
Committee Members: James Connell, Victor Ramsey
Date and Time: May 27, 2025 2:30 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact lp934@drexel.edu for link.

Matthew McDonald
Aminochronology and Biodiversity of Jamaican Land Snails: A Museum-based Analysis

Major: Environmental Science
Chair: David Velinsky
Committee Members: Gary Rosenberg, Elizabeth Watson, John Wehmiller, Edward Daeschler
Date and Time: May 27, 2025 11:30 AM
Location: Papadakis Integrated Science Building, Room 103

Chad Buckwalter
Integrating Internationalization and Diversity Efforts in U.S. Higher Education: A Phenomenological Study of International Education Professionals

Major: Educational Leadership and Management
Chair: Larry Keiser
Committee Members: Deanna Hill, Courtney Johnson Fowler
Date and Time: May 23, 2025 3:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact ceb356@drexel.edu for link.

Tao Xu
The Effect of Cross Channel Policy in Omnichannel Operations

Major: Business Administration
Chair: Wenjing Shen
Committee Members: Seung-Lae Kim, Min Wang, Avijit Banerjee, Konstantinos Serfes
Date and Time: May 23, 2025 1:00 PM
Location: Gerri C LeBow Hall, Room 722

Youngdai Won
The Safe Side of Multitasking: How Multitasking Shapes Risk Behavior

Major: Business Administration
Chair: Chen Wang
Committee Members: YanLiu Huang, Jillian Hmurovic, Nahyun Kim, Trina Andras
Date and Time: May 23, 2025 11:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact yw822@drexel.edu for link.

Clara Barajas
Health Care Access, Utilization, and Experiences Among California's Latino Population

Major: Health Services Research and Policy
Chair: Jan Eberth, Alex Ortega
Committee Members: Dylan Roby, Mark Stehr, Brent Langellier, Jim Stimpson
Date and Time: May 21, 2025 4:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact cbb57@drexel.edu for link.

Klein Wang
Improving Neural Network Performance with Bio-inspired Plasticity and Unraveling Interpretability with Information Entropy

Major: Physics
Chair: Luis Cruz Cruz
Committee Members: Hualou Liang, Chuck Lane, Brigita Urbanc, Naoko Kurahashi Neilson
Date and Time: May 19, 2025 2:00 PM
Location: Disque Hall, Room 919

Maxwell Franklin
Bolstering retention of undergraduate women in physics

Major: Physics
Chair: Eric Brewe
Committee Members: Naoko Kurahashi Neilson, Michelle Dolinski, Nicholas DiNardo, Benjamin Geller
Date and Time: May 09, 2025 12:00 PM
Location: Disque Hall, Room 919

Ian Zimmermann
Live, Love, Code: An Ethnography of Subcultural Capital, Liveness, and Affiliation among TidalCycles users

Major: Communication, Culture and Media
Chair: Brent Luvaas, Rachel Reynolds
Committee Members: Alex McLean, Ron Bishop, Wesley Shumar
Date and Time: May 09, 2025 10:00 AM
Location: 3401 Market Street, Room 110-U

Idris Robinson
Harnessing the power of the Black barbershop to increase physical activity behaviors among millennial Black men.

Major: Community Health and Prevention
Chair: Shiriki Kumanyika
Committee Members: Allison Groves, Melicia Whitt-Glover, Michael Yudell
Date and Time: May 07, 2025 10:00 AM
Location: Nesbitt Hall, Room 719

Jon Pomeroy
Generative AI in Healthcare: Strategic, Ethical, and Operational Readiness for Clinical Integration

Major: Information Science
Chair: Christopher Yang
Committee Members: Bhupesh Shetty, Lei Wang, Erjia Yan, Jason Lubken, Grace Lu Yao
Date and Time: May 02, 2025 12:00 PM
Location: 3675 Market Street, Room 928

Katelyn Reeb
Determination of Preclinical Potential and Molecular Mechanisms for Allosteric Modulators of Glutamate Transporters

Major: Pharmacology and Physiology
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: April 24, 2025 11:00 AM
Location: New College Building, Room 8312

Manasvi Sheta
The Role of DDX11 in Telomere Maintenance in Cancer Cells

Major: Cancer Biology
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: April 16, 2025 9:30 AM
Location: New College Building, Room 11101

Kareen Pestana
Copy Number Variations in Plasmodium vivax: Implications for Erythrocyte Invasion, Malaria Transmission, and Host-Pathogen Interactions in Ethiopia and Sudan

Major: Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: April 11, 2025 2:00 PM
Location: Queen Lane, Room SAC B

Nima Sarfaraz
Decoding Liver Cancer Biology: Optimizing Disease Models and Uncovering FAM99A as a Liver-Specific Translation Regulator

Major: Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: March 24, 2025 2:30 PM
Location: New College Building, Geary A

Ashley Vann
Depression Prevalence in the Black Aging Community vs. Their White Aging Counterparts

Major: Health Sciences
Chair: Kristine Mulhorn
Committee Members: Lynne Sutherland, Linda Wilson
Date and Time: March 20, 2025 10:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact av673@drexel.edu for link.

Shih-Chun Shen
Exploiting and Exploring the Role of IDVCs in Supporting Inflammatory Neovascularization

Major: Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: March 18, 2025 1:00 PM
Location: New College Building, Geary B

Karmi Oxman
Ethology and neurobiology of xeric-adapted isopods: Plasticity in bi-parental care and neuroantomy of Hemilepistus reaumuri

Major: Ecology, Evolution, and Earth
Chair: Jacob Russell
Committee Members: Sean O'Donnell, Michael O'Connor, Jocelyn Sessa, Itamar Giladi, Gabriella Wolff
Date and Time: March 14, 2025 10:30 AM
Location: Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building, Room 104

Breana Channer-Ellis
Evaluating TLR4 and Dopamine Mediated Inflammatory Responses in Human Macrophages Across Distinct Culture and Serum Conditions

Major: Pharmacology and Physiology
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: March 11, 2025 1:00 PM
Location: New College Building, Room 8312

Krista Clauser
Exploring Burnout in Family Micro-Business Owners: A Phenomenological Study

Major: Educational Leadership & Management
Chair: Cameron Kiosoglous
Committee Members: Constance Lyttle, Mollie Gambone
Date and Time: February 24, 2025 3:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact ksc86@drexel.edu for link.

Jay McKelvey
Slope Stability Enhancements Through Soil Arching

Major: Civil Engineering
Chair: Miguel Pando
Committee Members: Shi-Chieh Cheng, Robert Swan, Robert Liang, Timothy Stark
Date and Time: February 10, 2025 4:00 PM
Location: LeBow Engineering Center, Room 240

Regina Michael Zoot
Effectiveness of Strategies to Promote Exclusive Breastfeeding in Ghana

Major: Health Sciences
Chair:
Committee Members: Fran Cornelius, Beth Leonberg, Sunny Hallowell, Baniyelme Zoogah
Date and Time: January 17, 2025 10:00 AM
Location: Zoom - Contact rz348@drexel.edu for link.

Julia Farnan
Investigating the role of astrocyte reactivity in Melanoma Brain Metastasis

Major: Pharmacology and Physiology
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: January 13, 2025 10:00 AM
Location: New College Building, Room 8312

Kyle Yeakle
HIV1 Tat Activates ERK1/2 Signaling in HBV-infected Hepatocytes to Inhibit HBV Replication and Promote Hepatocyte Survival

Major: Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: January 08, 2025 10:00 AM
Location: New College Building, Room 11101

Jamie O'Brien
Outpatient Physical Therapists' Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs, and External Factors and their Influences on Utilization of Moderate to Vigorous Intensity Cardiovascular Training in Individuals Post-Stroke

Major: Health Sciences
Chair:
Committee Members: Linda Wilson, Fran Cornelius, Stephanie Miller
Date and Time: December 19, 2024 3:00 PM
Location: Zoom

Nolan Black
Multiscale structural optimization through second-order homogenization and machine learning

Major: Mechanical Engineering
Chair: Ahmad Najafi
Committee Members: Matthew McCarthy, Alan Lau, Tein-Min Tau, Daniel Tortorelli
Date and Time: December 09, 2024 10:00 AM
Location: Curtis Hall, Room 162

Rachel HaileSelasse
Men in Domestic Violence and Prevention: a Mixed Methods Study

Major: Community Health and Prevention
Chair: Allison Groves
Committee Members: Renee' Moore, Rachel Reynolds, Robert Reed, Sandra Bloom
Date and Time: December 04, 2024 9:00 AM
Location: Nesbitt Hall, Room 440

Shrobona Guha
The Role of Microtubule-Associated Motors and Crosslinkers in Neurodevelopment

Major: Neuroscience
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: November 18, 2024 1:00 PM
Location: Queen Lane, Room SAC B

Katie Hausman
Implications of PSGL-1 Expression in Dendritic Cells and their role in CD8+ T cell activation

Major: Cancer Biology
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: November 18, 2024 9:30 AM
Location: New College Building, Room 18101

Xiaohuan Sun
Tau-MAP6-Microtubule Axis as a Driver for Biphasic Neurodegeneration in Tauopathy-Patient-Derived Cortical Organoids

Major: Neuroscience
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: November 14, 2024 1:00 PM
Location: Queen Lane, Room SAC B

Camille Cunanan
BAP1 loss affords lipotoxicity resistance in uveal melanoma

Major: Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: November 12, 2024 1:30 PM
Location: New College Building, Geary A

Yih-Ping Su
Viral-host interactions: characterizing cis and trans interactions of integrated HBV DNA with the human genome

Major: Microbiology and Immunology
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: October 28, 2024 10:00 AM
Location: New College Building, Geary A

Qiaowei Xie
The impact of EcoHIV on cocaine related behaviors

Major: Pharmacology and Physiology
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: October 17, 2024 1:00 PM
Location: New College Building, Room 8312

Jintong Hou
Sample Size Estimation for Correlated Count Data with Changes in Dispersion

Major: Biostatistics
Chair: Lucy Robinson, Leslie McClure
Committee Members: Savina Jaeger, Issa Zakeri, Brian Lee
Date and Time: October 10, 2024 2:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Contact jh3646@drexel.edu for link.

Divya Kamireddi
Sustainable nanofiber yarns for structural applications

Major: Materials Science and Engineering
Chair: Andrew Magenau
Committee Members: Caroline Schauer, Christopher Li, Genevieve Dion, Ahmad Najafi
Date and Time: October 09, 2024 10:00 AM
Location: Bossone Research Enterprise Center, Room 302

Abhishek Rao
Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and Cathelicidin- related anti-microbial peptide (CRAMP) as Critical Regulators of Immune Responses in Neonatal IAV Infection

Major: Microbiology and Immunology
Chair:
Committee Members:
Date and Time: October 03, 2024 11:00 AM
Location: New College Building, Geary A