Graduate Student Dissertation and Thesis Defense Notices
Johnbosco Uchenna Osuagwu, February 19, 2026
Enhancing Readiness of the New England Dairy Industry to Mitigate Foot-And-Mouth Disease Impacts: Biosecurity, Modeling, and Policy Approaches
Defense: February 19, 2026, 1:00 p.m., Allen House 104 (French Family Classroom), Teams
Advisor: Julia M. Smith
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Animal Biosciences
Alison Krompf, February 19, 2026
Reframing School Mental Health: A Strengths-Based Approach to Reducing Student Mental Health Needs
Defense: February 19, 2026, 3:00 p.m., Waterman 427A
Advisor: Jessica Strolin, Ph.D.
Degree: Doctor of Education
Department: Education Leadership and Policy Studies
Bradley T. Cech, February 13, 2026
Protein Corona Structure and Evolution on Nanoparticles Examined by Dual-Color Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy (STORM)
Defense: February 13, 2026, 2:15 p.m., Innovation E432 Conference Room or Teams
Advisor: Christopher C. Landry
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Chemistry
Mostafaali Ayubirad, February 6, 2026
Constraint-Aware, Integrated Control of Fuel Cell Vehicles
Defense: February 6, 2026, 12:00 p.m., Innovation E425 Conference Room or Teams
Advisor: Hamid R. Ossareh
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Electrical Engineering
Jacob R. Mackinder, February 4, 2026
The Impact of Sphingosine on Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Virulence, Growth, and Antibiotic Susceptibility
Defense: February 4, 11:00 a.m., Med Ed 200 or Zoom
Advisor: Matthew J. Wargo, Ph.D.
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Sciences
Michael Roberts, February 4, 2026
Ambient Sound and Relational Songwriting in Place-based Education
Defense: January 23, 2026, 12:00 p.m., Waterman 427A
Advisor: Cris Mayo, PhD
Degree: Doctor of Education
Department: Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
Paula Smith, January 28, 2026
An Exploration of the Impact of Educational Debt on the Lived Experiences of New Doctor of Physical Therapy Professionals
Defense: January 28, 2026, 1:00 p.m., Teams
Advisor: Dr. Jane E. Atieno Okech, Ph.D.
Degree: Doctor of Education
Department: Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
Anita R. Grenier, January 23, 2026
The Validation of a Preschool Physical Activity Screener and Assessment of Caregiver Physical Activity-Related Knowledge, Beliefs, and Barriers/Facilitators: A Mixed-Methods Study
Defense: January 23, 2026, 1:00 p.m., Rowell Hall 201B
Advisors: Connie Tompkins, Ph.D. and Emily Coderre, Ph.D.
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Interprofessional Health Sciences