This calendar lists graduate thesis and dissertation defenses. Send all defense notices to the College of Graduate Studies at editor@ucf.edu
Announcing the Final Examination of Chelsea Nitsch for the degree of Master of Science in Biology Anthropogenic impacts have increasingly led to profound environmental changes on a global scale. Two of the most widespread and ecologically significant changes are 1) the eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems and 2) the shift in global carbon reservoirs due to accelerated greenhouse gas emissions. Soils …
Graduate Thesis and Dissertation DefensesAnnouncing the Final Examination of Rolando Bailey for the degree of Doctor of Education The study examined whether culturally responsive instructional practices would improve academic outcomes for Black male high school students in an urban school district. Educational policies and inequities have created different experiences for African American and White students (Darling-Hammond, 2005). Those experiences contributed to lower literacy rates, …
Graduate Thesis and Dissertation DefensesAnnouncing the Final Examination of Ashlynn Ramirez for the degree of Doctor of Education This study aimed to examine the impact of the Coronavirus Disease [COVID-19] on minoritized elementary students in Title I schools in one urban school district. This study followed an exploratory qualitative study research design. Through interviewing six school principals and asking a series of questions which …
Graduate Thesis and Dissertation DefensesAnnouncing the Final Examination of Michael Pierro for the degree of Master of Science Ignition delay times from undiluted mixtures of natural gas (NG)/H2/Air and NG/NH3/Air were measured using a high-pressure shock tube at the University of Central Florida. The combustion temperatures were experimentally tested between 1000-1500 K near a constant pressure of 25 bar. Mixtures were kept undiluted to …
Graduate Thesis and Dissertation DefensesAnnouncing the Final Examination of Sina Baghali for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Electric vehicles (EVs) are one of the eminent alternatives to decarbonize the transportation sector. However, large-scale EV adoption brings new challenges and opportunities to both transportation and power systems (TPSs). The challenges include the lack of understanding of EV driving behaviors and the associated charging demand …
Graduate Thesis and Dissertation DefensesAnnouncing the Final Examination of AJ Sona for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) often teach introductory lecture and laboratory sections in large, research intensive institutions. They are frequently left insufficiently supported inconsistent levels of professional development. Previous work using the TeachLivE mixed-reality teaching simulator showed that when GTAs …
Graduate Thesis and Dissertation DefensesAnnouncing the Final Examination of Elakkat Dharmaraj Gireesh for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Deep Neural networks (DNN) are fundamentally information processing machines, which synthesize the complex patterns in input to arrive at solutions, with applications in various fields. One major question when working with the DNN is, which features in the input lead to a specific decision by …
Graduate Thesis and Dissertation DefensesAnnouncing the Final Examination of Sydney Briggs for the degree of Master of Science An experimentally obtained comparison between the breakup of water droplets in the flow field behind both a detonation wave and shock wave is considered. The experiments presented here were completed to support ongoing research efforts into droplet breakup mechanisms at different Mach and Weber numbers. The …
Graduate Thesis and Dissertation DefensesAnnouncing the Final Examination of Nicolas Berube for the degree of Master of Science Initial results, design considerations, and experimental validation of a new detonation tube are presented to further improve detonation wave interaction research. The new structure consists of four independent portions: the deflagration to detonation initiation section, transition expansion section, operating test section, and dump section. The initiation, …
Graduate Thesis and Dissertation DefensesAnnouncing the Final Examination of Kendra Gilbertson for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Texts and Technology This dissertation analyzes the athlete activism in the WNBA, the use of social media for activism, and the social media discourse during the 2020 basketball season. The 2020 season was used as a case study of athlete activism and the use of …
Graduate Thesis and Dissertation DefensesAnnouncing the Final Examination of Mr. Levi Watson for the degree of Master of Arts in History This thesis examines the effects of climate change on coastal cultural heritage sites in Florida and explores climate adaptation strategies at two sites on Florida’s Atlantic coast. Current climate change models indicate the planet may see as much as 1.1 meters, or four …
Graduate Thesis and Dissertation DefensesAnnouncing the Final Examination of Ms. Rachael Root for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Integrative Anthropological Sciences In the last few decades, narratives of diversity and international declarations have directed higher education to become more inclusive. In México, new intercultural universities incorporate indigenous knowledges, skills, languages, and values into Western-style curriculum or create new curriculum that centers local …
Graduate Thesis and Dissertation DefensesAnnouncing the Final Examination of Jorge Ugan for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Speeding is a major concern leading to road accidents and fatalities. This research investigates speeding behavior and develops effective countermeasures to enhance road safety. It utilizes driving simulators, connected vehicle data, and dash cameras for analysis. The study focuses on urban roads in Central Florida, examining …
Graduate Thesis and Dissertation DefensesAnnouncing the Final Examination of Heesub Rim for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy This research aims to develop a comprehensive crash prediction strategy incorporating long and short-term predictive models on freeways. The first component of the proposed approach is the safety performance function (SPF), a long-term model that predicts the number of crashes per year. The second component is …
Graduate Thesis and Dissertation DefensesAnnouncing the Final Examination of Tyrone Thames for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Physics Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (ssNMR) spectroscopy can be a powerful tool for investigating the atomic-level structures and dynamics of biological macromolecules, including proteins. In this dissertation, I present an ssNMR study of three diverse proteins, revealing insights into their respective secondary structures, conformational …
Graduate Thesis and Dissertation DefensesAnnouncing the Final Examination of Mr. Cole Taylor for the degree of Master of Arts in History This study investigated the poetry and episcopal statutes of Theodulf of Orléans through the themes of love and food. Theodulf was a bishop around the end of the eighth and into the early ninth centuries, he served under Charlemagne and was eventually exiled …
Graduate Thesis and Dissertation DefensesAnnouncing the Final Examination of Ms. Abigail Moreshead for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Texts and Technology Using a feminist media historical lens, this dissertation examines three women artist-illustrators who participated in the early twentieth century wood engraving revival in the United Kingdom: Gwen Raverat (1885-1957), Clare Leighton (1898-1989), and Joan Hassall (1906-1988). Little scholarship exists on the …
Graduate Thesis and Dissertation DefensesAnnouncing the Final Examination of Ms. Lorianne R. Shultz-Johnson for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The development of efficient, sustainable, and selective heterogeneous catalysts for nitro and azo-reductions, as well as photocatalytic oxidations, span importance in industry, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and the environment. Thus, the development of robust, sustainable heterogeneous catalysts and elucidation of their mechanisms has become a …
Graduate Thesis and Dissertation Defenses