Week of Events
Monday, December 1, 2025
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December 1, 2025 -Dominic Okeke Dissertation Proposal Defense, Monday, December 1, 2025 @ 10:00 am Central Time
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December 1, 2025 -Natara McNary Dissertation Defense, Monday, December 1, 2025 @ 11:00 am Central Time
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December 1, 2025 -Natriez Peterson Dissertation Defense, Monday, December 1, 2025 @ 11:00 am Central Time
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December 1, 2025 -Emily Sims Master’s Thesis Defense, Monday, December 1, 2025 @ 11:00 am Central Time
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December 1, 2025 -Andre Walker Dissertation Defense, Monday, December 1, 2025 @ 1:00 pm Central Time
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December 1, 2025 -Yamini Swetha Nadella Master’s Thesis Defense, Monday, December 1, 2025 @ 1:00 pm Central Time
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December 1, 2025 -Blessing Dike Dissertation Defense, Monday, December 1, 2025 @ 1:00 pm Central Time
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December 1, 2025 -Foster Kwabena Ontumi Master’s Thesis Defense, Monday, December 1, 2025 @ 1:00 pm Central Time
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December 1, 2025 -Jenta’ Young Dissertation Defense, Monday, December 1, 2025 @ 3:00 pm Central Time
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December 1, 2025 -Adewumi Adeloye Dissertation Proposal Defense, Monday, December 1, 2025 @ 3:30 pm Central Time
Dominic Okeke Dissertation Proposal Defense, Monday, December 1, 2025 @ 10:00 am Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Suxia Cui TITLE: TRANSCENDING VON NEUMANN: PERFORMANCE AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS OF HYBRID IN-MEMORY AI ACCELERATOR FOR TRANSFORMER ABSTRACT: Deep learning has been revolutionized by Transformer-based AI models but remains computationally exhaustive owing to memory-bound operations and energy-hungry matrix multiplications. Graphic Processing Units (GPUs) and Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), which are conventional [...]
Natara McNary Dissertation Defense, Monday, December 1, 2025 @ 11:00 am Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Mohamed Chouikha TITLE: ACHIEVING EQUITY IN COMPUTATIONAL LEARNING SYSTEMS THROUGH FAIR OPTIMIZATION AND PRIVACY-PRESERVATION ABSTRACT: Bias in machine learning systems continues to raise critical concerns about equity, accountability, and reliability-especially in socially consequential domains such as criminal justice, housing finance, and healthcare. While fairness-aware learning has introduced important metrics and mitigation techniques, [...]
Natriez Peterson Dissertation Defense, Monday, December 1, 2025 @ 11:00 am Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Jerrel Moore TITLE A CAUSAL-COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RETENTION RATES AMONG PUBLIC LAND-GRANT UNIVERSITIES BASED ON CARNEGIE ENGAGEMENT CLASSIFICATION STATUS ABSTRACT: According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) data, in 2019–2020, public four-year institutions had a retention rate of 81.5%, compared to 68.8% at private, for-profit institutions. Public universities use such [...]
Emily Sims Master’s Thesis Defense, Monday, December 1, 2025 @ 11:00 am Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Gururaj Neelgund COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR: Dr. Raghava Kommalapati TITLE: COMBINED HYBRID CERAMIC MEMBRANES FOR ELIMINATING MICRO AND NANO PLASTICS FROM WASTEWATER ABSTRACT: A significant challenge in sustaining modern society is ensuring an adequate and high-quality water supply to meet the diverse needs of various specialized sectors. As a resolution to this challenge, the [...]
Andre Walker Dissertation Defense, Monday, December 1, 2025 @ 1:00 pm Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Patricia Miller TITLE: EXAMINING SCHOOL FACILITIES AND THEIR IMPACT ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT ABSTRACT: Facility management systems affect the quality of the environment, which in turn impacts the performance of students, teachers, and staff (How K-12 Facilities Impact Student Learning and Health 2022). Thus, it is likely that students attending healthy school buildings [...]
Yamini Swetha Nadella Master’s Thesis Defense, Monday, December 1, 2025 @ 1:00 pm Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Annamalai Annamalai TITLE: DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF LOW-COST LORA MESH NETWORK FOR RELIABLE AND SECURED PRECISION AGRICULTURE ABSTRACT: Rural precision agriculture requires reliable, low-cost, and energy-efficient communication systems capable of covering large farmland areas. Traditional wireless technologies, such as Wi-Fi, cellular, and satellite communication, are either expensive, consuming too much power, or [...]
Blessing Dike Dissertation Defense, Monday, December 1, 2025 @ 1:00 pm Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Cajetan Akujuobi TITLE: DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF ML-ASSISTED COOPERATIVE WIDEBAND ENERGY DETECTION FOR DYNAMIC SPECTRUM ACCESS IN 5G NETWORKS ABSTRACT: Dynamic spectrum access is a key strategy for enhancing the utilization of the increasingly congested wideband radio spectrum, particularly in 5G networks where traffic is bursty, users are heterogeneous, and spectral [...]
Foster Kwabena Ontumi Master’s Thesis Defense, Monday, December 1, 2025 @ 1:00 pm Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Gururaj Neelgund TITLE: SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE STRUCTURAL AND MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF NEODYMIUM AND SAMARIUM MOLYBDATES ABSTRACT: Centrosymmetric oxides, characterized by an inversion symmetry and ordered atomic arrangements, exhibit diverse structural, magnetic, and electronic properties that make them promising for spintronic, magnetoelectric, and quantum technologies. In this work, phase-pure Nd2MoO6 and [...]
Jenta’ Young Dissertation Defense, Monday, December 1, 2025 @ 3:00 pm Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Patricia Miller TITLE: ROAPMAP TO SUCCESS: PERSPECTIVES OF BLACK FEMALES OVERCOMING BARRIERS IN A DOCTORAL PROGRAM AT A PREDOMINANTLY WHITE INSTITUTION (PWI) AND A HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY (HBCU) IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS ABSTRACT: This study employed a qualitative research design to investigate the experiences of 10 Black female doctoral students as [...]
Adewumi Adeloye Dissertation Proposal Defense, Monday, December 1, 2025 @ 3:30 pm Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Annamalai Annamalai TITLE: SECURE SHELL AS A CYBER-PHYSICAL SHIELD: DETECTING AND MITIGATING DENIAL-OF-SERVICE ATTACKS IN SMART POWER GRID ABSTRACT: The increasing integration of digital communication and control networks within the electric power grid has introduced unprecedented efficiency—yet simultaneously expanded the attack surface for cyber-physical disruptions. This dissertation investigates the use of the [...]
Tuesday, December 2, 2025
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December 2, 2025 -Final Day to Apply for Degree Conferral only for Fall 2025 Graduation (No ceremony participation or name listed in the program)
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December 2, 2025 -Final Deadline for Final Defense of Thesis/Dissertation /Doctoral Project
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December 2, 2025 -Precious Kamsiyo Ejikeme Master’s Thesis Defense, Tuesday, December 2, 2025 @ 8:30 am Central Time
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December 2, 2025 -Glory Ollordaa Master’s Thesis Defense, Tuesday, December 2, 2025 @ 10:00 am Central Time
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December 2, 2025 -Chinenye Chisom Eze Master’s Thesis Defense, Tuesday, December 2, 2025 @ 11:00 am Central Time
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December 2, 2025 -Ijeoma Chukwuemeka Master’s Thesis Defense, Tuesday, December 2, 2025 @ 11:00 am Central Time
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December 2, 2025 -Promise Otuokere Master’s Thesis Defense, Tuesday, December 2, 2025 @ 11:00 am Central Time
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December 2, 2025 -Lucrecia Harris Dissertation Defense, Tuesday, December 2, 2025 @ 1:00 pm Central Time
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December 2, 2025 -Confidence Ogbonna Master’s Thesis Defense, Tuesday, December 2, 2025 @ 1:00 pm Central Time
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December 2, 2025 -Xavier Crawford Master’s Thesis Defense, Tuesday, December 2, 2025 @ 1:00 pm Central Time
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December 2, 2025 -Saquib Shahriar Master’s Thesis Defense, Tuesday, December 2, 2025 @ 3:00 pm Central Time
Precious Kamsiyo Ejikeme Master’s Thesis Defense, Tuesday, December 2, 2025 @ 8:30 am Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Noushin Ghaffari COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR: Dr. Judy Perkins TITLE: INTEGRATING GIS AND MACHINE LEARNING TO UNCOVER SPATIAL, TEMPORAL, AND CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO BICYCLE CRASHES ABSTRACT: The recent drive for a cleaner environment has led to an increase in greener modes of transportation. Cycling is becoming an increasingly popular choice for environmentally conscious individuals [...]
Glory Ollordaa Master’s Thesis Defense, Tuesday, December 2, 2025 @ 10:00 am Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Yingchun Li TITLE: DEGRADATION OF DYE BY GRAPHITIC CARBON NITRIDE (g-C3N4) USING H2O2 ABSTRACT: The industrialization of sectors such as textiles, leather, and paper has led to severe environmental challenges due to the discharge of synthetic dyes into waterways. These synthetic dyes are toxic, non-biodegradable, and disrupt aquatic ecosystems by affecting photosynthesis [...]
Chinenye Chisom Eze Master’s Thesis Defense, Tuesday, December 2, 2025 @ 11:00 am Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Harshica Fernando COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR: Dr. Sheena Reeves TITLE: LITHIUM TANTALATE, SOLID-STATE SYNTHESIS, UREA, PROCESS OPTIMIZATION ABSTRACT: Lithium tantalate (LiTaO3) is a multifunctional perovskite oxide widely applied in electrooptic modulators, piezoelectric sensors, and infrared detectors. Conventional solid-state synthesis often suffers from high processing temperatures, lithium volatilization, and incomplete phase formation, driving energy use, [...]
Ijeoma Chukwuemeka Master’s Thesis Defense, Tuesday, December 2, 2025 @ 11:00 am Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Andrea McDonald TITLE: ATTENTION-DEFICIT AND HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD) IN AFRICAN AMERICAN CHILDREN: AN EXAMINATION OF PARENTAL EXPERIENCE, ATTITUDE, AND PERCEPTION ABSTRACT: Attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder affecting children worldwide, yet disparities exist in its diagnosis, treatment, and management among Black children. Socioeconomic factors, cultural beliefs, and systemic [...]
Promise Otuokere Master’s Thesis Defense, Tuesday, December 2, 2025 @ 11:00 am Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Yunxiang Gao TITLE: DYE ADSORPTION ON CURVED CARBON LATTICES FOR SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENERGY APPLICATIONS ABSTRACT: Dye contamination in industrial wastewater remains a major environmental challenge, requiring selective and reusable treatment materials. This study comprehensively evaluates the adsorption performance and surface interactions of pristine and acid-modified single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) for removing [...]
Lucrecia Harris Dissertation Defense, Tuesday, December 2, 2025 @ 1:00 pm Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Patricia Miller TITLE: INVESTIGATING PARENT AND TEACHER PERCEPTIONS OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND THE IMPACT ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN THE LATINO COMMUNITY ABSTRACT: Parent and community involvement in education has garnered significant attention as a pivotal factor in enhancing educational outcomes and champion social improvement (Eden, Chisom, and Adeniyi, 2024). However, the Latino [...]
Confidence Ogbonna Master’s Thesis Defense, Tuesday, December 2, 2025 @ 1:00 pm Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Gururaj Neelgund TITLE: SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION, AND PHOTOTHERMAL PROPERTIES OF TRANSITION METAL COBALTATE NANOPARTICLES DEPOSITED ON NANOGRAPHENE OXIDE AND NANOGRAPHENE ABSTRACT: Developing efficient photothermal agents with strong near-infrared (NIR) responsiveness is essential for advancing biomedical applications such as cancer therapy and imaging. In this study, transition metal cobaltate nanoparticles (CuCo2O4, NiCo2O4, ZnCo2O4) were [...]
Xavier Crawford Master’s Thesis Defense, Tuesday, December 2, 2025 @ 1:00 pm Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Jaejong Park TITLE: OPTIMIZATION OF CONTINUOUS CARBON FIBER REINFORCEMENT STRATEGIES IN 3D-PRINTED ONYX COMPOSITES ABSTRACT: Continuous fiber reinforcement in Fused Deposition Modeling allows the production of composite parts with improved strength-to-weight ratios compared to standard polymer prints. However, overall performance depends on reinforcement strategy, layer height, print orientation, and material usage, which [...]
Saquib Shahriar Master’s Thesis Defense, Tuesday, December 2, 2025 @ 3:00 pm Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Jaejong Park TITLE: DESIGN AND INTEGRATION OF A BIOMIMETIC INTELLIGENT GRIPPER FOR OBJECT PERCEPTION AND GRASPING WITH THE FRANKA EMIKA PANDA ROBOT ABSTRACT: Robots are becoming an essential part of our daily lives. Nowadays, they are widely used in factories, hospitals, and delivery services. However, one of the challenges for robot designers [...]
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
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December 3, 2025 -Virtual Employer Forum: Careers at Handshake
Virtual Employer Forum: Careers at Handshake
December 3, 2025 Virtual Employer Forum: Careers at Handshake With Benjamin Corriette Zoom registration: https://howard.zoom.us/meeting/register/dN3zOyUITjSDuq6sAwW-jQ
Thursday, December 4, 2025
No events on this day.
Friday, December 5, 2025
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December 5, 2025 -Lea Taylor Doctoral Project Proposal Defense, Friday, December 5, 2025 @ 9:00 am Central Time
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December 5, 2025 -Tymara Thomas Doctoral Project Proposal Defense, Friday, December 5, 2025 @ 10:00 am Central Time
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December 5, 2025 -Jasmine Major Dissertation Proposal Defense, Friday, December 5, 2025 @ 10:30 am Central Time
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December 5, 2025 -Joulvous Drake Doctoral Project Proposal Defense, Friday, December 5, 2025 @ 11:00 am Central Time
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December 5, 2025 -Indi Johnson Dissertation Proposal Defense, Friday, December 5, 2025 @ 1:00 pm Central Time
Lea Taylor Doctoral Project Proposal Defense, Friday, December 5, 2025 @ 9:00 am Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Abida Solomon TITLE: ALL-OR-NOTHING: A DNP PROJECT TO IMPROVE UNIARY CATHETER MAINTENANCE BUNDLE DOCUMENTATION COMPLIANCE IN POSTPARTUM ABSTRACT: Introduction: Urinary catheter maintenance bundle compliance is a key nursing quality indicator closely tied to patient safety. In the postpartum department, inconsistent adherence to the all-or-none bundle elements has contributed to documentation variability, particularly [...]
Tymara Thomas Doctoral Project Proposal Defense, Friday, December 5, 2025 @ 10:00 am Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Abida Solomon TITLE: BRIDGING THE GAP: ENHANCING POSTPARTUM VENOUS THROMBOEMBOLISM (VTE) PREVENTION THROUGH NURSING EDUCATION ABSTRACT: Introduction: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains a leading and preventable cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in the postpartum period (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists [ACOG], 2023; James et al., 2022). Despite the availability of national [...]
Jasmine Major Dissertation Proposal Defense, Friday, December 5, 2025 @ 10:30 am Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Stacie Defreitas TITLE: DEVELOPING AND ASSESSING AN ADLERIAN PLAY THERAPY K-5TH MENTAL HEALTH CURRICULUM USING QUALITATIVE METHODS ABSTRACT: In the United States, 33% of students exhibit internalizing or externalizing behaviors in academic settings. These behaviors can impact student engagement and performance by disrupting affected students’ and their classmates’ ability to tend to [...]
Joulvous Drake Doctoral Project Proposal Defense, Friday, December 5, 2025 @ 11:00 am Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Chloe Gaines TITLE: UTILIZATION OF AN ON-SITE PRIMARY CARE CLINIC - AN EVALUATION ABSTRACT: Employers are increasingly incorporating on-site primary care clinics into their workplace health strategies to improve access to care, lower costs, and reduce employee absenteeism. However, even with these clear advantages, many organizations report low clinic utilization levels. Purpose: [...]
Indi Johnson Dissertation Proposal Defense, Friday, December 5, 2025 @ 1:00 pm Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Jerrel Moore TITLE: THE ROLE OF ACADEMIC MOTIVATION AND ATHLETIC IDENTITY IN THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE STUDENT-ATHLETES AT HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ABSTRACT: African American football student-athletes at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have unique challenges balancing their athletic and academic identities. Student-athletes often find it difficult [...]
Saturday, December 6, 2025
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December 6, 2025 -Ashley McClary Dissertation Proposal Defense, Saturday, December 6, 2025 @ 1:00 pm Central Time
Ashley McClary Dissertation Proposal Defense, Saturday, December 6, 2025 @ 1:00 pm Central Time
COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Reginald Bell TITLE: EXPLORING THE DRIVERS OF BLACK AMERICAN WOMEN’S PERCEPTIONS OF FEMALE LEADERSHIP AND THE QUEEN BEE PHENOMENON IN HUMAN RESOURCES ABSTRACT: In the current business landscape, Human Resource Management (HRM) stands as a pivotal department within organizations but has had a troubled history, marked by periods when it was viewed [...]
Sunday, December 7, 2025
No events on this day.