Dissertation Defense Announcements

Candidate Name: Matthew Gropp
Title: The Characteristics and Environments of Future Supercell Thunderstorms in the Great Plains
 April 04, 2025  8:30 AM
Location: McEniry 441
Abstract:

Supercell thunderstorms occur most frequently in the Great Plains region of the central United States, and are often responsible for extreme severe weather, including the majority of violent tornadoes and large hail. Given the societal implications, this study bridges the long-term climate scale and shorter-term storm-scale through exploration of how a future warmer, moister climate influences supercell behavior, characteristics, and potential severe weather production. The future near-supercell environment shifted towards more favorable severe weather conditions with a net increase in magnitude and vertical nature of convective available potential energy and convective inhibition, along with surprising changes in near-storm kinematics and wind fields. Using fine-scale idealized simulations, future supercells were found to be slightly shorter lived and stronger in intensity but also “less efficient” at converting their environment into notable strengthening. These fine scale simulations showed that while increases in favorable supercell environments are expected, the storm scale impact does not necessarily translate to proportional changes in supercell behavior or characteristics.



Candidate Name: Kiauhna Haynes
Title: Mentorship & Persistence: Black Women Counselor Education Doctoral Students at Historically White Institutions
 April 03, 2025  9:30 AM
Location: COED-246
Abstract:

Black women doctoral students in counselor education and supervision (CES) programs represent about 18% of enrolled students in CES programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Previous data on Black women doctoral students at historically White institutions, including those enrolled in CACREP-accredited CES programs, demonstrate that Black women endure intersectional experiences such as felt exclusion, isolation, and differential treatment, all of which can threaten degree persistence. Black women doctoral students report that formal and informal mentorship positively influenced degree persistence; however, they often lean more heavily on informal mentorship due to deficits in programmatic formal mentorship. Black feminist thought (BFT) and relational-cultural theory (RCT) were utilized as the theoretical frameworks to best illuminate the intersectionality of Black women doctoral students in CES programs at historically White institutions (HWIs) and their experiences with mentorship and doctoral degree persistence. The voices and wisdom of sixteen total participants were analyzed across seven focus groups via interpretative phenomenological analysis. Six group experiential themes (GETs) emerged from the data: Black Women’s Intersectional Experience in CES, Formal Mentorship, Informal Mentorship, Black Faculty and Counselor Educators, External and Internal Persistence, and Critique of Programmatic Intentionality. Eighteen subthemes also emerged. The findings corroborate previous literature on Black women doctoral students at HWIs and further the need to better incorporate mentorship within CES programs for Black women doctoral students at HWIs. This research provides implications for counselor education and supervision doctoral program administrators and counselors who work clinically with Black women doctoral students enrolled in CES doctoral programs at HWIs.



Candidate Name: Rachael P. Grant
Title: Efficacy of using Intracardiac Echocardiography Guidance for Watchman Placement: A Quality Improvement Project
 April 02, 2025  1:00 PM
Location: CHHS 131
Abstract:

The purpose of this project was to examine the efficacy of using intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) guidance for Watchman device placement. Transesophageal echocardiology (TEE) with general anesthesia has been the standard for Watchman device placement, but ICE guided placement has become more prevalent.

The methods included a retrospective data analysis of 102 consecutive patients that underwent Watchman placement from May 2024 to October 2024 at a single hospital system. The results were compared for clinical, administrative, and financial endpoints. There were three groups of patients ICE with general anesthesia, ICE with conscious sedation and TEE with general anesthesia.

The significant clinical differences included the transseptal puncture location, ICE access approach, the involvement of interventionalists and imagers, and fluoroscopy time in minutes. From a financial perspective, total hospital charges were also significant. ICE with general anesthesia had the highest patient charges, followed by ICE with conscious sedation then TEE with general anesthesia with less charges.

In conclusion, this project’s findings indicate that Watchman placement with ICE is safe and effective for patients. The financial and administrative differences need further exploration. Difference in experience levels of interventionalists should be considered when examining results in future projects.



Candidate Name: Jasmine Rezapour Bishop
Title: Faculty Attitudes Toward Gamification And Game-Based Learning Within Their Online Teaching
 April 02, 2025  1:00 PM
Location: Zoom - Requests can be made to Jasmine Bishop, jerezapo@charlotte.edu
Abstract:

Gamification and games-based learning (GBL) have gained increasing attention in higher education as strategies to enhance student engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes. Despite their documented benefits, faculty adoption of gamification in online teaching remains limited. This study examines the factors influencing faculty attitudes toward gamification and GBL in online courses at four-year public universities. Using a quantitative survey-based research design, the study explores the relationships between political climate (PC), anxiety (ANX), institutional gamification readiness (IGR), perceived usefulness of gamification (PUG), perceived ease of use (PEUG), attitudes toward gamification (ATG), subjective norms (SN), and intention to use gamification (IUG).

The study indicates that faculty autonomy and confidence are crucial in gamification adoption. PC and ANX significantly predict PUG, while IGR does not. However, IGR is a key determinant of PEUG, suggesting that structured faculty support reduces implementation barriers. The study also confirms that PEUG fully mediates the relationship between PUG and ATG, demonstrating that faculty are unlikely to develop positive ATG unless they also find it easy to implement. Furthermore, ATG is the strongest predictor of faculty intention to adopt gamification, while SN is not significant.

These results highlight that faculty adoption of gamification is driven more by individual attitudes and perceptions of usefulness than by institutional mandates or peer influence. The implications of these findings suggest that universities seeking to increase gamification adoption should focus on faculty-centered support strategies rather than relying solely on administrative encouragement. Structured professional development programs, instructional design consultations, and financial incentives may enhance faculty confidence and ease the adoption process.

Future research should explore disciplinary differences in gamification adoption, assess its long-term impact on faculty and student outcomes, and investigate how institutional incentives influence faculty engagement with gamified teaching strategies. This study contributes to the growing body of research on technology adoption in higher education, reinforcing the importance of faculty autonomy, structured support, and ease of implementation in the successful integration of gamification and GBL into online learning environments.



Candidate Name: Pariss Coleman
Title: Understanding Online Faculty Perceptions and Design Considerations Regarding the Principles of Universal Design for Learning in Online Courses
 April 02, 2025  11:00 AM
Location: Virtual https://charlotte-edu.zoom.us/j/98541971320
Abstract:

This qualitative case study aimed to explore faculty perceptions and design considerations on applying UDL principles to support diverse learning needs for student success. Five faculty participants from a public urban research university were interviewed through semi-structured interviews. Additionally, participants submitted online course artifacts from before and after training for review to illustrate the implementation of UDL principles. Three research questions guided this study: How do faculty learn about UDL guidelines to design online courses? How does faculty knowledge of UDL guidelines influence their online course design? How do faculty perceive challenges in incorporating UDL guidelines into the design of online courses? Participants expressed their thoughts on whether or not their institution should require training and how that training would best be delivered. Participants also discussed applying UDL strategies to their online course designs, including structure and usability. Lastly, participants discussed the challenges of applying UDL principles in online course design including increasing engagement and lack of institutional support. These findings align with the UDL guidelines and the research questions and have implications for online faculty, course designers, and developers.



Candidate Name: Yunfei Liao
Title: Harnessing Computational Tools and Complex Biological Data for Environmental and Health Applications
 April 02, 2025  10:00 AM
Location: BINF 408
Abstract:

West Nile Virus (WNV) remains a persistent public health threat in North America, necessitating accurate forecasting models to guide disease surveillance and vector control. This dissertation integrates genomic, epidemiological, meteorological, ecological, and demographic data in an effort to better understand the drivers of WNV outbreaks with the ultimate goal of improving WNV predictions. First, a population genetics analysis of Culex tarsalis, a key WNV vector, identified four distinct locally adapted populations shaped by multiple climatic factors—particularly temperature, precipitation, wind patterns, and daylight length. Second, a national-scale machine learning model incorporating these and other climate variables along with land cover, avian diversity, and human demographics was developed to try and predict WNV case numbers across the continental U.S., but this model ultimately exhibited poor performance due to surveillance data imbalance, inconsistency, and poor temporal granularity. To address the temporal granularity issue, a high-resolution regional model for California was developed, leveraging finer-grained surveillance and environmental data. This model, integrating time-series autoregression and iterative updates, significantly outperformed the national model and showed that the same climate factors driving mosquito adaptation were the most consistent predictors on WNV outbreaks. These findings not only highlight the connection between vector species biology and the diseases they transmit, but also emphasize the need for standardized, higher-quality surveillance data. As climate and ecological shifts continue to influence vector species dynamics and disease spread, data-driven models will be essential for guiding proactive public health interventions.



Candidate Name: Franklin Dukes
Title: Investigating the Relationship Between State Political Orientation and Firm Corporate Social Responsibility
 April 02, 2025  9:00 AM
Location: https://charlotte-edu.zoom.us/j/99550793952
Abstract:

My dissertation research has two primary objectives. The first is to review the theories of slack resources, organizational legitimacy, agency, upper echelons and stakeholder salience in the context of their impacts on firm ESG participation. The second is to introduce a new model that provides insight into the influences of state political orientation on firm ESG engagement, while considering the potential moderating dynamics of firm size, profitability, socially conscious investors and CEO political ideology. The value of this approach is threefold, it will contribute to ESG literature, provide industry practitioners with empirical evidence to consider when establishing or relocating their firms headquarters and expand the broader knowledge of the influence of politics on firm strategic choices.



Candidate Name: Ke Zeng
Title: The gut microbiome and resistome in clinical transplant studies
 April 01, 2025  1:30 PM
Location: CIPHER Room 402
Abstract:

This dissertation investigates the interactions between the gut microbiome and hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT), with the goal of helping us understand microbial diversity and their functional implications in HCT outcomes. The dissertation is composed with three main projects: 1) analysis of gut microbiota diversity in patients with Graft-versus-Host disease (GVHD), 2) examination of the effect of care given and infusion site on gut microbiome composition and antimicrobial resistance gene diversity, and 3) a focused evaluation of differential abundance analysis (DAA) methods for microbiome data, including DESeq2, edgeR, t-test, and Wilcoxon test.
To achieve these objectives, we have employed high-throughput sequencing techniques, different bioinformatics tools and statistical analysis. The main findings of these projects include observable differences in certain microbial species and calprotectin levels between GVHD statues; site specific variations in microbiome composition for HCT patients; and insights into the performance and suitability of different statistical methods for microbiome data DA analysis.
Our results highlight the importance of considering microbial diversity in HCT and provide insights in improving patient outcomes through microbiome analysis. Additionally, our findings emphasize the importance of carefully selecting the statistical methods in microbiome studies to ensure accurate interpretation of differential abundance analysis results. This dissertation aims to contribute to add knowledge on microbiome research and show potential directions for future studies.



Candidate Name: Krystal Lott
Title: Empowering Bedside Nursing Leadership: Development and Evaluation of a Charge Nurse Mentorship Program
 April 01, 2025  1:00 PM
Location: CHHS 131
Abstract:

Charge nurses play a critical role in healthcare leadership but often assume the position without structured training, impacting their confidence and effectiveness. This Doctor of Nursing Practice project developed and evaluated an eight-week Charge Nurse Mentorship Program designed to enhance leadership competencies through didactic training, mentorship, and shadowing experiences. Pre- and post-program assessments using the Leadership Efficacy Questionnaire (LEQ) demonstrated significant improvements across all domains: Leader Action Efficacy increased by 63.5% (p =.008), indicating enhanced decision-making confidence; Leader Means Efficacy improved by 33.3% (p =.008), reflecting better resource utilization; and Leader Self-Regulation Efficacy rose by 43.3% (p =.008), signifying greater emotional resilience.
Mentor feedback supported these findings, highlighting the need for continued leadership coaching. This project underscores mentorship as a scalable, cost-effective strategy to strengthen charge nurse readiness, retention, and succession planning. Future research should explore long-term leadership development impacts.



Candidate Name: Kathleen Bradley-Volz
Title: Faculty Use of Educational Technology in Higher Education: A Gendered Analysis of Barriers and Support
 April 01, 2025  11:00 AM
Location: Please contact Dr. Ryan Miller at rmill113@charlotte.edu for location
Abstract:

This study examines the barriers and supports that faculty in higher education encounter when integrating educational technology, with a specific focus on gendered differences in these experiences. Using a quantitative survey design, the study explores how faculty members perceive and engage with educational technology, the challenges they face, and the institutional and societal factors that shape their experiences. A total of 75 faculty members from Magnolia University, a large public university, participated in the study.
Drawing upon feminist and critical theory frameworks, this study employs a gendered analysis to assess whether women faculty members experience different challenges or receive different forms of institutional support compared to men faculty. Key areas of investigation include faculty perceptions of time constraints, training opportunities, institutional encouragement, and broader sociopolitical influences on technology use. This study also examines how faculty rank (tenured vs nontenure) interacts with gender in shaping technology adoption patterns.