Scholars of Excellence
Outstanding Thesis & Dissertation Award
The Outstanding Thesis and Dissertation (OTD) Award recognizes graduate alumni whose research exemplifies the highest quality. The award recognizes those USF graduates who have demonstrated exceptional performance and whose thesis or dissertation has resulted in a significant impact to the discipline at the national level.
2022 Outstanding Dissertation Award Recipients
Elizabeth Hintz, Ph.D. (Communication)
Explicating the Process of Communicative Disenfranchisement for Women with Chronic
Overlapping Pain Conditions (COPCs)
Major Professor: Steven R. Wilson, Ph.D.
"Elizabeth Hintz (Ph.D. University of South Florida) is an Assistant Professor of Health Communication at the University of Connecticut. Elizabeth’s research examines how individuals managing complex, stigmatized, and poorly understood health conditions experience and navigate challenging conversations with partners, family members, and medical providers."
Ausmita Sarker, Ph.D. (Computer Science and Engineering)
Secure Hardware Constructions for Fault Detection of Lattice-based Post-quantum Cryptosystems
Major Professor: Mehran Mozaffari Kermani, Ph.D.
Shangqing Zhao, Ph.D. (Electrical Engineering)
Data-Oriented Approaches towards Mobile, Network and Secure Systems
Major Professor: Zhuo Lu, Ph.D.
"With advances in mobile technology, computing capabilities, and different wireless networks, the amount of data generated has increased tremendously. The data explosion broadens our horizons when seeking new approaches in the next-generation wireless network and security designs. Therefore, my research is mainly focused on novel system design, mobile and network security. I am also equally focused on data-driven designs for communication, network, and secure systems. Currently, I am interested in the development and applications of human-like neural networks."
2022 Outstanding Thesis Award Recipient
Ruchitha Chinthala, M.S. (Computer Science and Engineering)
An Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) Approach for Remote Assessment of Head and Neck
Cancer Patients
Co-Major Professors: Srinivas Katkoori, Ph.D. and Carmen S. Rodriguez, Ph.D.
"Head and neck cancer patients are currently evaluated in-person for trismus and shoulder dysfunction by doctors and their rehabilitation team during scheduled appointments. In between these appointments, the patient's condition may deteriorate, and/or determining progress and compliance with the rehabilitation plan may need to be monitored. Thus, there is an acute need for remote and automated monitoring for early detection of complications, lack of progress, and for the emergence of other problems or symptoms. In this interdisciplinary research, for the first time, we propose an IoMT (Internet-of-Medical-Things) application, namely, Automatic Measurement of Trismus and Shoulder Dysfunction (AMTSD), for such remote and accurate monitoring. Specific to trismus and shoulder dysfunction, on a daily basis, patients can use a desktop/laptop with a standard camera to automatically record their lower jaw extension and shoulder range of motion. The collected data is stored in HIPPA compliant server and is accessible to the care team to follow the patient's progress. "
| Name | Major | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Michelle Guitard | Marine Science | Dissertation |
| Title: Ocean Forcing of Quaternary East Antarctic Ice Sheet Evolution: An Ice-Proximal Sedimentary Perspective | ||
| Sheikh Ariful Islam | Computer Science | Dissertation |
| Title: Behavioral and RT-Level Synthesis of Secure Nano VLSI Digital ASIC Designs | ||
| Stephanie Phillips | English | Dissertation |
| Title: The Power of Non-Compliant Logos: A New Materialist Approach to Comic Studies | ||
| Sarah Schmid | Integrative Biology | Thesis |
| Title: Novel CO2 Transporters from Autotrophic Bacteria from Extreme Environments | ||
| Name | Major | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Kadriye Merve Dogan | Mechanical Engineering | Dissertation |
| Title: Stable Adaptive Control Systems in the Presence of Unmodeled and Actuator | ||
| Fiona Kearns | Chemistry | Dissertation |
| Title: Development and Application of Computational Models for Biochemical Systems | ||
| Zeinab Motawe | Molecular Pharmacology & Physiology | Dissertation |
| Title: Functional Significance of Endothelial Sigma-1 Receptors in Vascular Reactivity and Barrier Function | ||
| Kristen Grafton | English | Thesis |
| Title: 9/11 Then and Now: How the Performance of Memorial Rhetoric by Presidents Changes to Construct Hero | ||
| Name | Major | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Mengqiu Wang | Marine Science | Dissertation |
| Title: Spatial and Temporal Distributions of Pelagic Sargassum in the Intra-Americas Sea and Atlantic Ocean | ||
| Brent Kuenzi | Cancer Chemical Biology | Dissertation |
| Title: Off-Target Based Drug Repurposing Using Systems Pharmacology | ||
| Kim Miender | Music Education | Dissertation |
| Title: The Effects of a Self-Regulated Learning Music Practice Strategy Curriculum on Music Performance, Self-Regulation, Self-Efficacy, and Cognition | ||
| Dean Hobbis | Physics | Thesis |
| Title: A Fundamental Investigation into Low Thermal Conductivity P-Type Chalcogenides and Skutterudites with Potential Thermoelectric Applications | ||
| Name | Major | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Brad Steele | Physics | Dissertation |
| Title: Computational Discovery of Energetic Polynitrogen Compounds at High Pressure | ||
| Renee Fleeman | Cell Biology, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology | Dissertation |
| Title: Discovering Antibacterial and Anti-Resistance Agents Targeting Multi-Drug Resistant ESKAPE Pathogens | ||
| Kimberly French | Psychology (Industrial-Organizational) | Dissertation |
| Title: Episodic Work-Family Conflict and Strain: A Dynamic Perspective | ||
| Amanda Palmer | Psychology (Clinical) | Thesis |
| Title: Parsing the Influences of Nicotine and Expectancies on the Acute Effects of E-cigarettes: A Balanced Placebo Experiment | ||
| Name | Major | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Ashley Basiorka | Cancer Biology | Dissertation |
| Title: Changing the Pathobiological Paradigm in Myelodysplastic Syndromes: The NLRP3 Inflammasome Drives the MDS Phenotype | ||
| Jeremy Cohen | Integrative Biology | Dissertation |
| Title: Climate Change Drives Outbreaks of Emerging Infectious Disease and Phenological Shifts | ||
| Prerna Malaney | Pathology | Dissertation |
| Title: Significance of PTEN Phosphorylation and its Nuclear Function in Lung Cancer | ||
| Name | Major | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Jacqueline L. Fries | Chemistry | Dissertation |
| Title: Chemical Investigation of Antarctic Marine Organisms & Their Role in Modern Drug Discovery | ||
| Nikita La Cruz | Geosciences | Thesis |
| Title: Schreibersite: Synthesis, Characterization and Corrosion and Possible Implications for Origin of Life | ||
| Kaya Wei | Physics | Dissertation |
| Title: Investigation of Low Thermal Conductivity Materials with Potential for Thermoelectric Applications | ||
| JungA (Alexa) Woo | Molecular Medicine | Dissertation |
| Title: Role of the Slingshot-Cofilin and RanBP9 Pathways in Alzheimer's Disease Pathogenesis | ||
| Name | Major | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Aaron Craig | Curriculum & Instruction | Dissertation |
| Title: National Investigation of Pre-Activity Health Screening Procedures in Fitness Facilities: Perspectives from American College of Sports Medicine Certified Health Fitness Specialists | ||
| Jayita Das | Electrical Engineering | Dissertation |
| Title: Auxiliary Roles in STT-MRAM Memory | ||
| Jianing Fu | Cancer Biology | Dissertation |
| Title: Targeting T-bet for Prevention of Graft-Versus-Host Disease and Leukemia Relapse after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation | ||
| Robert Hardy | Marine Science | Thesis |
| Title: Assessments of Surface-Pelagic Drift Communities and Behavior of Early Juvenile Sea Turtles in the Northern Gulf of Mexico | ||
| Name | Major | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Brian Barnes | Marine Science | Dissertation |
| Title: The Combined Effects of Light and Temperature on Coral Bleaching: A Case Study of the Florida Reef Tract Using Satellite Data | ||
| Taegan McMahon | Integrative Biology | Dissertation |
| Title: Effects of Pesticides and the Pathogenic Chytrid Fungus on Aquatic Organisms with an Emphasis on their Role in Amphibian Declines | ||
| Darrell Nicholson | Creative Writing | Thesis |
| Title: Waterborne | ||
| Hillary Seifert | Molecular Pharmacology | Dissertation |
| Title: The Inflammatory Response Initiated by the Spleen to Ischemic Stroke | ||
| Name | Major | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Lyudmyla Adamska | Physics |
Dissertation |
| Title: Theory and Modeling of Graphene and Single Molecule Devices | ||
| Brian Dunst | Philosophy | Dissertation |
| Title: Embodying Social Practice: Dynamically Co-constituting Social Agency | ||
| Stefce Stefanoski | Physics | Dissertation |
| TItle: Synthesis and Physical Properties of Group 14 Intermetallic Clathrates | ||
| Claire Stephens | English | Thesis |
| Title: Split City Blues | ||
| Name | Major | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Julia Galkiewicz | Marine Science | Dissertation |
| Title: Microbial Ecology and Functional Genomics of Deep-Water Coral-Associated Microbes | ||
| Cristina Mazza | Geography, Environment, & Planning | Thesis |
| Title: The Influence of Meteorological Parameters on Rainfall and Severe Weather in Pinellas County, FL | ||
| Cecelia Padros | Applied Anthropology | Dissertation |
| Title: The Participation of NGOs in Healthcare: The Case of Pediatric Cancer Treatment in Argentina | ||
| Adrian Popescu | Applied Physics | Dissertation |
| Title: Carbon Nanotubes Interactions: Theory and Applications | ||
| Name | Major | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Huijuan Chen | Chemical Engineering | Dissertation |
| Title: The Conversion of Low-Grade Heat into Power Using Supercritical Rankine Cycles | ||
| Jason Lewis | Applied Physics | Dissertation |
| Title: Device Physics of Solution Processable Solar Cells | ||
| Javier Pulecio | Electrical Engineering | Dissertation |
| Title: Field-Coupled Nano-Magnetic Logic Systems | ||
| Matthew Tucker | Public Health | Dissertation |
| Title: Phenotypic and Genotypic Analysis of In Vitro Selected Artemisinin Resistant Plasmodium falciparum | ||
| Name | Major | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Koutstav Bhattacharya | Computer Science & Engineering | Dissertation |
| Title: Architectures and Algorithms for Mitigation of Soft Errors in Nanoscale VLSI Circuits | ||
| Michael Conroy | Applied Physics | Dissertation |
| Title: Density Functional Theory Studies of Energetic Materials | ||
| Sabrina Hughes | Art History | Thesis |
| Title: Empty Streets in the Capital of Modernity: Formation of Lieux de Mémoire in Parisian Street Photography From Daguerre to Atget | ||
| Scott Segro | Chemistry | Dissertation |
| Title: Surface-Bonded Sol-Gel Sorbents for On-Line Hyphenation of Capillary Microextraction with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography | ||
| Name | Major | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Beekman | Applied Physics | Dissertation |
| Title: Fundamental Investigations on Open-Framework Intermetallic Materials of Group 14 | ||
| Angela Gilbert | Geography | Thesis |
| Title: Air Toxics and Equity: A Geographic Analysis of Environmental Health Risks in Florida | ||
| Vishnu Nanduri | Industrial Engineering | Dissertation |
| Title: Generation Capacity Expansion in Restructured Energy Markets | ||
| Praveen Sekhar | Electrical Engineering | Dissertation |
| Title: Nanomanufacturing of Silica Nanowires: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications | ||
| Name | Major | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Shayam Aravamudhan | Electrical Engineering | Thesis |
| Title: Development of Micro/Nanosensor Elements and Packaging Techniques for Oceanography | ||
| Upavan Gupta | Computer Science & Engineering | Dissertation |
| Title: Utilitarian Approaches for Multi-Metric Optimization in VLSI Circuit Design and Spatial Cluster | ||
| Rebecca Kinkade Davis | Cancer Biology | Dissertation |
| Title: Rb-Raf-1 Interaction as a Therapeutic Target for Proliferative | ||
| Luca Lai | Applied Anthropology | Dissertation |
| Title: The Interplay of Economics, Climatic and Cultural Change Investigated Through Isotopic Analyses of Bone Tissue: The Case of Sardinia 4000-1900 BC | ||