Listing of current doctoral dissertation defenses below and archives. Information includes candidate name, degree, department, title, committee, date of defense, and abstract

Candidate: Tanya N. Douleh
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Psychology
Title: Motivational Interviewing Assessment and Behavior Therapy as a Stepped-Care Approach to the Treatment of Adolescent Depression
Date: Tuesday, May 7, 2013 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
3713 Wood Hall

Candidate: Jennifer Blackwood
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Interdisciplinary Health Sciences
Title: An Examination of Executive Function, Mild Cognitive Impairment and Fall Risk in Community Dwelling Older Adults
Date: Tuesday, May 7, 2013 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Health and Human Services Building, Room 2024

Candidate: Kristin H. Hampel
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Chemistry
Title: Characterizing Algal Biomass Grown on Nutrient Removal Systems and Evaluating Potential Uses for the Resulting Biomass
Date: Wednesday, May 8, 2013 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
1220 Chemistry Building

Candidate: Khalil Jumah Tawfiq Hamam
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Physics
Title: Organic Solar Cells Based on High Dielectric Constant Materials: An Approach to Increase Effeciency
Date: Thursday, May 9, 2013 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
2202 Everett Tower

Candidate: Steven James Sanocki
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Educational Leadership, Research and Technology
Title: The Process of Becoming a Teacher Leader and How Teacher Leadership Becomes Distributed within a School: A Grounded Theory Research Study
Date: Friday, May 10, 2013 10 a.m. to noon
2401 Sangren Hall

Candidate: Renee Lee Gardner
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: English
Title: Reconceiving Self-Abnegation: Female Vulnerability as Embodied (Un)Sovereignty
Date: Friday, May 10, 2013 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
4028 Brown Hall

Candidate: Amin Duff Lotfizadeh
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Psychology
Title: Motivating Operations in Drug Discrimination
Date: Friday, May 10, 2013 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
3715 Wood Hall

Candidate: Sudesh A. Woodiga
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering
Title: Global Skin Friction Diagnostics: The GLOF Technique and Measurements of Complex Separated Flows
Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2013 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Parkview Campus, Room D-210

Candidate: Mohammed Alyami
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Evaluation
Title: Modification and Adaptation of The Program Evaluation Standards in Saudi Arabia
Date: Thursday, May 16, 2013 10 a.m. to noon
4410 Ellsworth Hall

Candidate: Heidi Beidinger-Burnett
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Educational Leadership, Research and Technology
Title: Effective Leadership Behaviors: How One Principal Made Sense of and Integrated Researched-Based Behaviors into his Daily Practice
Date: Thursday, May 16, 2013 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
2401 Sangren Hall

Candidate: David Jeng
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Biological Sciences
Title: Discovery and Characterization of a Tanapox Virus Encoded Human Neuregulin Mimetic
Date: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
1710 Wood Hall

Candidate: Elizabeth Wheat
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Political Science
Title: Judicial Behavior and Litigant Success in Environmental Cases at the United States Court of Appeals
Date: Wednesday, May 22, 2013 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
3309 Friedmann Hall

Candidate: Caitlin Norah Callahan
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Mallinson Institute for Science Education
Title: An Embodied Perspective on Expertise in Solving the Problem of Making a Geologic Map
Date: Wednesday, June 5, 2013 10:00 a.m. to noon
2734 Wood Hall

Candidate: Michael Buchalski
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Biological Sciences
Title: Population Demographics and Genetics of Spix’s Disk-Winged Bat: Insights Regarding Survival, Mate Choice, Gene Flow, and Effective Population Size
Date: Monday, June 10, 2013 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
1718 Wood Hall

Candidate: Stephanie Theresia Stilling
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Psychology
Title: Title Sharing: Social Behavior in Situations of Risk
Date: Tuesday, June 18, 2013 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
3713 Wood Hall

Candidate: Robin K. Buchler
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Educational Leadership, Research and Technology
Title: Anxiety-Reducing Strategies in the Classroom
Date: Friday, June 21, 2013 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
2401 Sangren Hall

Candidate: Stephen O. Abrokwah
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Economics
Title: Three Essays on Social Health Insurance Programs in Developing Countries
Date: Friday, June 21, 2013 1 to 3 p.m.
4413 Friedmann Hall

Candidate: Angela Marotta Garrison
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology
Title: Testing a Model of Maladaptive Perfectionism and Depression Symptoms: The Roles of Emotional Disclosure, Emotion Regulation Strategies, Adult Attachment, and Shame
Date: Tuesday, June 25, 2013 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
3120 Sangren Hall

Candidate: Lisa Marie Kruse
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Sociology
Title: Coveting the Backstage: A College Student Audience Study Regarding Authenticity Construction in the Reality Television Process
Date: Tuesday, June 25, 2013 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
3205 Sangren Hall

Candidate: Christina Crans
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology
Title: Exploring Adolescent Experiences of Race, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status in Counseling Relationships: A Qualitative Approach
Date: Tuesday, June 25, 2013 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Grand Rapids Regional Center - Downtown, Room 3101

Candidate: Semere Bairu
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Chemistry
Title: Ultrafast Dynamics and Two-Photon Absorption Properties of Chromophores at Interfaces
Date: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Chemistry Building, Room 1220

Candidate: Robert Powell
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology
Title: An Analysis of Group Supervision in Internships: A National Study of Programs Accredited by CACREP
Date: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Grand Rapids Regional Cente, - Downtown, Room 3101

Candidate: Eric W. Macleod
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology
Title: Clinician’s Experience of Suicide Assessment from a Qualitative Perspective
Date: Thursday, June 27, 2013 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
3120 Sangren Hall

Candidate: Julienne D. Houck
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Mathematics
Title: A Pattern in the Lusternik-Schnirelmann Category of Rational Spaces
Date: Thursday, June 27, 2013 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
6625 Everett Tower

Candidate: Amy M. Yorke
Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Interdisciplinary Health Sciences
Title: Grip Strength, Multimorbidity, and Disability
Date: Tuesday, July 9, 2013 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Health and Human Services Building, Room 2024

TOP