The following is a list of thesis defences taking place between Monday, Sept. 21 and Friday, Sept. 25.

Master of Arts in Applied Health Sciences (Sport Management) thesis defence

Tyler Rohleder, a Master of ​Arts in Applied Health Sciences candidate, will defend the thesis “Physical Disability Inclusion, Rights, and Representation in the North American Professional Sports Industry” on Monday, Sept. 21 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in STH 452.

The examination committee includes Chris Chard, Chair; Curtis Fogel, Supervisor; Josh Pate, External Examiner (Lees-McRae College); and Taylor McKee and Maureen Connolly, Committee Members.

Master of Science in Statistics thesis defence

Chrishtina Tharushi Fernandopulle, a Master of Science in Statistics candidate, will defend the thesis “Structure Learning in Bayesian Networks: From Personality Modeling to Scalable Algorithms” on Monday, Sept. 21 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. in PLZ 601C.

The examination committee includes Melanie Pilkington, Chair; Jingjing Wu, External Examiner (University of Calgary); Xiaojian Xu, Supervisor;  and Pouria Ramazi, Supervisory Committee Member.

Master of Arts in Critical Sociology thesis defence 

Olivia Schmidt, a Master of Arts in Critical Sociology candidate, will defend the thesis “Borders as Mirrors: Student Experiences at Niagara’s U.S./Canada Land Borders” on Monday, Sept. 21 from 1 to 3 p.m. in PLZ 600F.

The examination committee includes Dawn Zinga, Chair; Julie Ham, Supervisor; Sarah Turnbull, External Examiner (University of Waterloo); Andrea Doucet, Graduate Program Director; and Hijin Park, Committee Member.

Master of ​ Science in Applied Health Sciences (Health Sciences) thesis defence

Ottavio Alessandro Oliverio, a Master of Science in Applied Health Sciences candidate, will defend the thesis “Adolescent thriving in the face of risk: a cross-sectional analysis of the 2022/23 Canadian Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study” on Monday, Sept. 21 from 1 to 4 p.m. in STH 361.

The examination committee includes Michelle Vine, Chair; Will Pickett and Mo Shokoohi, Supervisors; Diane Mack, External Examiner (Brock University); and Terry Wade, Committee Member.

Master of Arts in Child and Youth Studies thesis defence  

Mikey Lewis, a Master of Arts in Child and Youth Studies candidate, will defend the thesis “Encountering 2SLGBTQ+ Teens’ Creativity, Sociality, and Temporality in an Anti-Queer Alberta” on Tuesday, Sept. 22 from 9 to 11 a.m. in PLZ 600F.

The examination committee includes Dawn Zinga, Chair; Hannah Dyer, Supervisor; Pauli Gardner, External Examiner (Brock University); Naomi Andrews, Graduate Program Director; and Shauna Pomerantz and Chelsea Jones, Committee Members.

Master of Science in Computer Science thesis defence

Mohammad Istiaq Uddin, a Master of Science in Computer Science candidate, will defend the thesis “Hamiltonian Cycle Reconfiguration in Even Staircase Grid Graphs” on Tuesday, Sept. 22 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in MCD 400.

The examination committee includes Naser Ezzati-Jivan, Chair; Sheridan Houghten, External Examiner (Brock University); Rahnuma Islam Nishat, Supervisor; and Ke Qiu, Supervisory Committee Member.

Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry thesis defence

Julio Treviño Silva, a Doctoral candidate in the Department of Chemistry, will defend the thesis “Fluorosilicones: A Route Towards Superhydrophobicit” on Tuesday, Sept. 22 from 1 to 4 p.m. in PLZ 600F.

The examination committee includes Val Fajardo, Chair; Andrew Vreugdenhil, External Examiner (Trent University); Amir Mofidi, Internal Examiner; Paul Zelisko, Supervisor; and Melanie Pilkington and Travis Dudding, Supervisory Committee Members.

Master of ​ Science in Applied Health Sciences (Kinesiology) thesis defence

Mikayla McEwan, a Master of Science in Applied Health Sciences candidate, will defend the thesis “Like, follows, and feelings: Exploring the role of social media use in shaping university student-athletes’ psychosocial experiences and well-being” on Tuesday, Sept. 22 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. in STH 361.

The examination committee includes Nathan Hall, Chair; Corliss Bean, Supervisor; Nicole Forrester, External Examiner (Toronto Metropolitan University); and Phil Sullivan and Diane Mack, Committee Members.

Master of ​ Science in Applied Health Sciences (Kinesiology) thesis defence

Emma Shea, a Master of Science in Applied Health Sciences candidate, will defend the thesis “Shattered Strings: Unveiling Emotionally Abusive Coaching Experiences Among Elite Female Tennis Players” on Wednesday, Sept. 23 from noon to 3 p.m. in WC 204.

The examination committee includes Danny Rosenberg, Chair; Phil Sullivan, Supervisor; Ashley Stirling, External Examiner (University of Toronto); and Erin Sharpe and Corliss Bean, Committee Members.

Master of Arts in Child and Youth Studies thesis defence   

Karyssa Enick, a Master of Arts in Child and Youth Studies candidate, will defend the thesis “Growing Up with Smartphones: University Students’ Understandings of Smartphones as Everyday Tools, Identity Formation, and Social Connections” on Wednesday, Sept. 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. in PLZ 600F.

The examination committee includes a Chair (TBA); Shauna Pomerantz, Supervisor; Madison Moore, External Examiner (Trent University); Naomi Andrews, Graduate Program Director; and Dawn Zinga and Fiona Blaikie, Committee Members.

Master of Science in Chemistry thesis defence

Jimit Patel, a Master of Science in Chemistry candidate, will defend the thesis “Computational Analysis of Donor- and Acceptor-Side Redox Tuning in Far-red-light Acclimated Photosystem I” on Wednesday, Sept. 23 from 2 to 5 p.m. in PLZ 601C.

The examination committee includes Melanie Pilkington, Chair; Ryan J. MacDonell, External Examiner (Dalhousie University); Divya Matta, Supervisor; and Jeffrey Atkinson and Jasneet Kaur, Supervisory Committee Members.

Master of ​ Science in Applied Health Sciences (Health Sciences) thesis defences

Dana Alagha, a Master of Science in Applied Health Sciences candidate, will defend the thesis “Exploring Affordability, Accessibility, and Health Outcomes among Non-Diabetic Patients Using Anti-Obesity Injections: A Qualitative Study in Hamilton and the Niagara Region” on Thursday, Sept. 24 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in STH 361.

The examination committee includes Brent Faught, Chair; Asif Khowaja, Supervisor; Jarold Cosby, External Examiner (Brock University); and Miya Narushima and Val Fajardo, Committee Members.

Master of Science in Computer Science thesis defence

Kazi Nishat Anwar, a Master of Science in Computer Science candidate, will defend the thesis “Adaptive Force-Directed Graph Drawing: Structure-Aware Methods and Reinforcement Learning-Based Parameter Control” on Friday, Sept. 25 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. in PLZ 410.

The examination committee includes Melanie Pilkington, Chair; Yifeng Li, External Examiner (Brock University); Rahnuma Islam Nishat, Supervisor; and Sheridan Houghten, Supervisory Committee Member.

Master of Arts in Social Justice and Equity Studies thesis defence   

Hurakhsh Hazheer, a Master of Arts in Social Justice and Equity Studies candidate, will defend the thesis “Muslim immigrant women’s experiences navigating spaces to access healthcare information and services in Niagara” on Friday, Sept. 25 from 2 to 4 p.m. in PLZ 600F.

The examination committee includes Charlis Raineki, Chair; Joanne Crawford, Supervisor; Kristin Sziarto, External Examiner (University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee); Trent Newmeyer, Graduate Program Director; and Ebru Ustundag and Julie Ham, Committee Members.