Dissertation Defense Announcements

Candidate Name: Nina G Bailey
Title: Describing Critical Statistical Literacy Habits of Mind
 April 07, 2023  1:00 PM
Location: In person: Fretwell 315; Zoom: https://charlotte-edu.zoom.us/my/nbaile15?pwd=eEJ5Vi8rREZDWHRsdlV0Z1A1V0ZaZz09
Abstract:

How statistics are wielded and presented in the real world cannot be separated from the fact that social issues operate within systems of marginalization, privilege, and power. Thus, statistical literacy necessitates the application of a true critical lens. Continued calls for critical statistical literacy from a consumer orientation within K-16 education, points to the need for research on how critical statistical literacy is enacted, particularly among the population of preservice mathematics teachers responsible for answering such calls. This study employed case study methodologies to gain deeper insight into how secondary preservice mathematics teachers enact Critical Statistical Literacy Habits of Mind (CSLHM) when making sense of data representations from the media. Critical Statistical Literacy Habits of Mind (CSLHM) are the thinking behaviors called upon to make sense of statistical messages with a specific focus on how the statistics and/or statistical message are used to uphold or dismantle structures of inequity. Findings reveal that preservice teachers emergently enact CSLHM. Some preservice teachers enact particular CSLHM robustly, although not habitually. Broader implications include the need to support preservice teachers’ development of CSLHM so that they can support their students to do the same.



Candidate Name: Cheryl D Granillo
Title: PhytoRx: An Interdisciplinary Nutrition Learning Module
 March 31, 2023  9:00 PM
Location: CHHS 332
Abstract:

There is a long history of limited nutrition education in advanced healthcare curricula. This leaves healthcare providers unprepared to use nutrition to treat diagnoses that have been shown to respond to dietary intervention. This project attempted to determine if the knowledge, attitudes and confidence about nutrition could be improved with a short course.

The sample consisted of seven students in master’s programs in the social work and nursing fields. Students completed an eight module virtual training on the Mediterranean diet and phytochemical specific prescribing strategies. Participants completed a pre- and post-assessment evaluation gauging knowledge, Likert scale questions evaluating confidence, and open-ended questions assessing attitudes toward implementing gained knowledge into practice.

Results showed the mean score for the pre-assessment was 60.39 (S.D.=14.12) and for the post-assessment was 65.58 (S.D.=9.32). The Wilcoxon Ranks Test shows significant improvement (p<0.05) for fifteen of the eighteen questions related to confidence in nutrition information. Open-ended attitude questions revealed that participants were interested in sharing the newly-learned nutrition information with community members and clients. Social work and nursing students may benefit from incorporating added nutrition education into their curricula. Further programming implementations in the area, including possible trial integration into curricula, are needed to further evaluate effectiveness.



Candidate Name: Cynthia Stone
Title: Where are all of the Black women? The underrepresentation and experiences of Black women in intercollegiate athletic leadership
 March 30, 2023  3:00 PM
Location: Zoom
Abstract:

Higher education leadership demographics contrast sharply with formulaic narratives of
college campuses filled with gender and racial diversity, especially in intercollegiate athletics.
Black women occupy only 2% of athletic director positions at predominantly White institutions
and are vastly underrepresented in other leadership roles (National Collegiate Athletic
Association, 2022). Often overlooked and underrepresented in current intercollegiate athletic
literature, this qualitative, narrative inquiry aimed to provide an opportunity to both examine the
experiences and magnify the voices of Black women within intercollegiate athletic leadership
and explore how they access leadership opportunities. Ten in-depth, semi-structured narrative
interviews were conducted with Black women representing all levels of administrative leadership
within Division I, II, and III collegiate programs. Findings revealed the work experiences of
these Black women in athletic leadership were impacted by their need to maintain their
uniqueness/individuality as Black women, the devaluing of Black womanhood in college athletic
workplaces, and their motivation for persistence/survival in the industry. Understanding the
experiences of Black women who were successful in navigating the leadership hierarchy is
useful for higher education leaders to examine and revise current hiring, training, and
professional development programs to create a more diverse and inclusive environment in
intercollegiate athletic leadership.



Candidate Name: Morgan Murray
Title: Exploring the Experiences of Black Resident Advisors at Historically White Institutions
 April 03, 2023  10:00 AM
Location: Zoom
Abstract:

The resident advisor (RA) position is one of the most complex and important roles on college campuses in the United States. There are few other student staff positions that require the same level of training and have the same level of responsibilities. While these staff members serve many functions, a primary responsibility of RAs is to make their residents feel welcomed and valued in their community. Black students who take on the RA role at historically White institutions (HWIs) are charged with creating welcoming environments for students and making them feel valued in the community while often not feeling welcomed or valued themselves in these same environments due to the stereotypes and racism they encounter on their campuses. Navigating the RA role as a Black student may mean helping their residents develop their sense of belonging while simultaneously trying to find spaces where they feel they belong. This study is a qualitative phenomenological one that explored the lived experiences of Black students serving in the RA role at HWIs and where they found belonging and support in their residence life department. The study shares the stories of 10 students using interviews and photovoice. The findings of this study are broken down into five themes: (1) Motivation, (2) Isolation, (3) Stereotyping, (4) Labor, and (5) Underrepresentation. The words and images captured by the participants of the study are used to better understand these themes and the needs of Black RAs.



Candidate Name: Amy Biang
Title: Examining the Lived Expriences of Counselors of Color Working in the Eating Disorder Field
 April 10, 2023  2:00 PM
Location: Counseling Conference Room
Abstract:

AMY BIANG. Examining The Lived Experiences Of Counselors Of Color In The Eating Disorder Field: A Post-Intentional Phenomenological Study. (Under the direction of DR. CLARE MERLIN-KNOBLICH)

Though eating disorders (EDs) affect a diverse population, among professionals who treat EDs, Counselors of Color (COC) are under-represented (Jennings- Mathis et al., 2020). Because the ED field is predominately comprised of White professionals (AED, 2022; Jennings-Mathis et al., 2020), a danger exists that White invisibility hinders counselors and researchers from recognizing oppression and injustices that occur in the ED field. The purpose of this Post-Intentional Phenomenological study was to bring awareness of the experiences of COC in the ED field and create a dialogue for systemic and social change related to their experiences. Eleven participants were interviewed, and the interview material was analyzed using a post-intentional phenomenological design. Tentative manifestations, provocations, and productions emerged through a whole-part-whole analysis. Five tentative manifestations; unprepared, belonging, unspoken knowing, exhaustion, and microaggressions; seven provocations; vulnerability, race as an asset, complexity, sense of duty, nonmaleficence, double bind, and credibility, and two productions; cultural inclusion and fulfillment, offer valuable knowledge about the experiences of COCs in the eating disorder field. Implications for counselor education and the ED profession are discussed, along with limitations and future research considerations.



Candidate Name: Sayde J. Brais
Title: Exploring Sense of Belonging Among First-Generation College, Second-Generation Immigrant Students
 April 03, 2023  1:00 PM
Location: Zoom
Abstract:

As student demographics continue to evolve in higher education, the intersection of college-going generation status and U.S. immigrant-generation status needs to be considered; particularly, how these bi/polycultural experiences may play a role in the experience of belonging in college. This qualitative, phenomenological research study aimed to explore the lived experiences of four-year university students identifying as first-generation in college (FGC) and second-generation immigrants (SGI) in the U.S., with a focus on sense of belonging experiences at this identity intersection. Ten in-depth, semi-structured interviews with FGC-SGI students at an institution in the Southeastern U.S. were conducted to highlight identity and belonging narratives. Findings revealed that FGC-SGI students more readily engaged in identity disclosure with peers who shared at least one identity, and experienced implicit pressures to succeed due to their identities. Findings also revealed that FGC-SGI students sought out peers with similar identity characteristics to feel belonging, and that belonging played a critical role in how they viewed both their identities and their abilities to succeed in college. Thus, understanding FGC-SGI students' lived experiences may assist equity-minded higher education professionals with framing and creating settings that purposefully engage with this population to promote a positive, inclusive college experience, aiding in persistence and success.



Candidate Name: Maryam Hashemitaheri
Title: Machining and Chatter Avoidance: Predictive Analytics and Uncertainty Analysis
 March 29, 2023  10:00 AM
Location: Duke Centennial Hall, Room 106
Abstract:

The focus of this dissertation is on the topic of chatter avoidance during machining and the prediction of specific cutting forces and maximum tool temperatures during machining using machine learning. Self-excited regenerative vibration or “chatter” is a significant obstacle in machining which results in poor surface quality. To avoid chatter, a 2D diagram of the depth cut limit vs. the spindle speed, called Stability Lobe Diagram (SLD), is used. The SLD depends on the cutting parameters and structural dynamics parameters. Theoretically, chatter can be avoided using the physic-based SLD. But in practice, there is a gap between the empirical results and what the theory supports due to the uncertainties associated with the in-process structural dynamics parameters. using a multivariate Newton method, given the empirical data sets. The first part of the dissertation focuses on the inverse problem in chatter avoidance where the in-process structural dynamics parameters are extracted using a multivariate Newton method, given the empirical data sets. The SLD and the cutting parameters are assumed to be known and given. Using this knowledge, the structural dynamics parameters are obtained using the inverse approach. In addition, the uncertainty in the value of each structural dynamics parameter derived through the inverse approach is also presented. The results derived from the algorithm are used to discover the sensitivity of the boundary with respect to each parameter. The last part of the dissertation covers the prediction of the specific cutting force and the maximum tool temperature during machining using machine learning models.



Candidate Name: Katrina Green
Title: NURSES’ EXPERIENCES IN A BLENDED LEARNING COURSE FOR NURSE PRECEPTOR DEVELOPMENT
 March 30, 2023  11:00 AM
Location: https://uncc.zoom.us/j/7157555790?pwd=QVJXY1ovUXdZVncyeDVKVTRmNlk5QT09
Abstract:

Traditional methods of staff development do not meet the needs of current healthcare organizations. It is difficult to find training that is effective and flexible to meet staff needs with variable scheduling (Chen at al., 2022; Haggerty et al., 2012). Preceptor development was identified as a course that is important for the success of staff, but hard to attend the training with traditional methods. This study sought to gain insight to the experiences of nurses who attended a blended learning preceptor development course. The course trains preceptors to develop the confidence, identify tools, and know the resources needed to onboard new nurses so they are in turn confident and safe in their practice. The following research questions will guide this study: 1) What are the experiences of nurse preceptors who attended the blended learning preceptor development course?; 2) How do nurse preceptors perceive their level of preparedness in being able to successfully train and onboard new nursing staff after attendance in the blended learning preceptor development course?; 3): How do nurses who attended the blended learning course describe their ability to be able to precept a new hire?



Candidate Name: Shobhit Aggarwal
Title: PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT OF LORA NETWORKS FOR SMART CITY SCENARIOS
 March 27, 2023  1:00 PM
Location: EPIC-2354
Abstract:

Energy efficiency and scalability continue to be key considerations for the development of low-cost wireless networks for meeting the needs of the emerging world of the Internet of Things (IoT). Recent developments in low-power wide area networks (LPWAN) promise to meet these requirements by achieving long communication ranges at low data rates without increasing the energy cost.

Consequently, LPWAN technologies are rapidly gaining prominence in the development of IoT networks in comparison to legacy WLANs. LPWANs address the challenges of legacy wireless technologies that use multi-hop mesh networking for increasing connectivity and coverage. Long Range (LoRa) technology is receiving increasing attention in recent years for addressing the challenges of providing wireless connections to a large number of end devices in the field of IoT. LoRa has become the most prominent LPWAN standard due to its long transmission range, low power consumption, and large network capacity. Despite these benefits, LoRa networks may not be able to achieve their full potential unless additional improvements are achieved in the network scalability domain. Specifically, the probability of success under heavy network traffic loads or a large number of end devices needs to be improved.

In this dissertation, we present the causes of performance degradation of LoRa networks and propose several approaches to enhance their performance. Next, we present a novel framework to employ AI tools to make IoT applications smarter. The effectiveness of all the proposed approaches is validated using mathematical analysis as well as via simulations thereby creating the basis for further research in this area.



Candidate Name: Adrienne Utz
Title: INCLUSIVE LEADER BEHAVIOR IN A VIRTUAL CONTEXT: A CAUSAL INVESTIGATION
 April 04, 2023  12:00 PM
Location: Friday Building 222



The Graduate School and the Graduate Admissions office in the Reese Building, Fifth Floor, is temporarily closed to allow contractors to complete some needed work in the space safely.

Learn More