Thesis Advisor: Dr. Lance Fiond ella - Electrical and Computer Engineering
\nCommittee Members:
Dr. Gokhan Kul - Computer & Information Science
Dr. Long Jiao - Co
mputer & Information Science
Abstract:
\nPast studies indica
te that nonviolent resistance has achieved higher success rates in global
political transformations than armed conflict. Agent-based modeling has be
en employed to simulate these movements\, but prior models rely on rigid n
umerical thresholds and oversimplify agent interactions. This limits the c
apacity of simulations to analyze the strategic reasoning underlying human
leadership. To address these limitations\, this thesis presents a hybrid
generative agent-based model that integrates large language models to guid
e the decision-making of activist agents while keeping other agent classes
rule-based for computational feasibility.
The proposed model intr
oduces three methodological enhancements. First\, LLM-guided decision-maki
ng replaces rule-based activist movement. To prevent behavioral drift\, a
four-component structured system prompt anchors agent identity through rol
e\, persona\, domain-specific world knowledge\, and scenario context. Seco
nd\, eight interdependent institutional support pillars replace a single a
bstract pillar type. Third\, a linguistic transformation layer translates
continuous numeric states of agents into semantic social descriptors\, all
owing activists to perform reasoning tasks\, such as identifying and mobil
izing highly aggrieved civilians. We drive activist agents with three open
-weight Large Language Models (Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct\, Ministral-8B-Instru
ct\, Qwen3-8B) under Zero-Shot and Chain-of-Thought (CoT) prompting\, yiel
ding six experimental configurations.
Macro-level validation again st the Nonviolent and Violent Campaigns and Outcomes (NAVCO) 1.2 dataset s uggests all configurations approximate historical campaign success rates a t low participation levels. Simulations indicate that high activist coordi nation and low fatality rates predict campaign success. However\, micro-le vel analysis shows that CoT reasoning is required for behavioral realism. While Zero-Shot agents default to generic protests\, CoT-enabled agents se mantically evaluate institutional vulnerabilities and execute tactics alig ned with pillar susceptibility: protest and persuasion\, noncooperation\, and intervention. These agents prioritize institutional and civilian outre ach\, actively avoiding confrontation with security forces. Micro-level va lidation against the Global Nonviolent Action Database (GNAD) suggests the se CoT configurations approximate the historical prevalence of diverse tac tical behaviors. While different foundational LLMs capture distinct aspect s of real-world resistance\, this study constitutes a simulated instance o f Gandhian strategic principles. Ultimately\, this thesis identifies CoT-e nabled agents as a promising method for analyzing how specific leadership paradigms operate within diverse societies.
\nFor further informatio n\, please contact Dr. Lance Fiondella at lfiondella@umassd.edu.
E
vent page: https://www.umassd
.edu/events/cms/8-25-26-a-hybrid-generative-agent-based-model-of-nonviolen
t-resistance.php
Event link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet
/252984977868302?p=H2LcD3UFCOp6BL31w6
Explore the creative combinatio n of block printmaking inspired by Persian motifs and embroidery at the UM ass Dartmouth College of Visual and Performing Arts\, Art & Design Studios . In this hands-on workshop\, participants will use wooden blocks and fabr ic paint to create prints on a tote bag or 8x5-inch canvas zipper pouch\, then add texture and decorative details with simple embroidery stitches. B ring your creativity and\, if you’d like\, a T-shirt from home to person alize.Open to adults 16+ of all skill levels\, from beginners to experienc ed artists. All materials are provided\, including printing and embroidery supplies. By the end of the workshop\, you’ll take home a unique hand-p rinted and hand-stitched piece\, along with the skills and confidence to c ontinue exploring these techniques at home.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/8-26-26-block-print
ing--embroidery-creative-persian-motifs.php
Event link: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/
CUuY1GQqHH
This study describes how enviro nmental\, health\, housing\, and climate burdens are distributed across Ne w England and identifies underlying patterns using spatial mapping\, cumul ative analysis\, Spearman correlations\, and principal component analysis. Data from EPA EJScreen\, CDC PLACES\, FEMA's National Risk Index\, and th e American Community Survey were combined into a 40-variable dataset using national percentiles for all six states. The overarching goal of the stud y is to assess whether each state's current EJ framework captures the comm unities most in need of interventions and assistance.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/8-27-26-cen-masters- defense-philomina-twumasi.php
DTSTAMP:20260825T051813 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260827T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260827T123000 LOCATION:SENG 104 Conference Room SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:CEN Masters Defense Philomina Twumasi UID:a5c71a5115526c2c9d695100afe39e7d@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Engineering,Thesis/Dissertations DESCRIPTION:Advisor: Dr. Asif Kamal TurzoCommittee Members: Dr. Haiping Xu and Dr. Adnan El-Nasan Abstract: Prior deep-learning vulnerability detecto rs report F1 scores as high as 99% on benchmark datasets, yet collapse to the trivial all-safe classifier when evaluated on realistically-distribute d code. On Real-Vul (Chakraborty et al., 2024), a corpus that simulates de ployment-scale class imbalance of roughly 0.3% positive, every published m odel studied scores ROC-AUC near 0.50 and vulnerable-class F1 near zero. T his thesis demonstrates that the collapse is not fundamental. We rebuild R eal-Vul through a controlled Code Property Graph (CPG) pipeline, measure a nd remove a 37% content leak intrinsic to whole-codebase sampling, and tra in a relational graph neural network with a disciplined class-imbalance re cipe: focal loss, class-aware undersampling, and fine-tuning of a GraphCod eBERT node encoder. On the deduplicated test set (n = 30,873; 518 vulnerab le; 1.68% positive), the model reaches ROC-AUC 0.975 (95% CI [0.967, 0.983 ]) and vulnerable-class F1 0.773 (95% CI [0.746, 0.799]), where the strong est prior result on the same corpus reached F1 0.46 / AUC 0.82. Three cont rolled experiments locate the cause and the boundary of the result. An arc hitectural ablation attributes the gain to the training recipe operating o n a protocol-matched corpus; swapping the readout architecture leaves the metrics unchanged. A four-corpus transfer matrix shows that the result hol ds only within a single labeling protocol. A Java imbalance-reproduction e xperiment shows the recipe consistently beating no-handling on the same co rpus while reaching a strong detector only where the corpus carries learna ble structural signal at scale. The result is a working detector on realis tic data, with an account of the conditions under which it works. All CIS graduate students are encouraged to attend. For further information please contact Dr. Asif Kamal Turzo at aturzo@umassd.edu\nEvent page: https://ww w.umassd.edu/events/cms/8-27-26-cis-masters-thesis-defense-by-brian-kade-b etterton.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Advisor: Dr. Asif Kamal TurzoCommittee Members: Dr. Haiping Xu and Dr. Adnan El-Nasan
\nAbstr act: Prior deep-learning vulnerability detectors report F1 scores as high as 99% on benchmark datasets\, yet collapse to the trivial all-safe classi fier when evaluated on realistically-distributed code. On Real-Vul (Chakra borty et al.\, 2024)\, a corpus that simulates deployment-scale class imba lance of roughly 0.3% positive\, every published model studied scores ROC- AUC near 0.50 and vulnerable-class F1 near zero. This thesis demonstrates that the collapse is not fundamental. We rebuild Real-Vul through a contro lled Code Property Graph (CPG) pipeline\, measure and remove a 37% content leak intrinsic to whole-codebase sampling\, and train a relational graph neural network with a disciplined class-imbalance recipe: focal loss\, cla ss-aware undersampling\, and fine-tuning of a GraphCodeBERT node encoder. On the deduplicated test set (n = 30\,873\; 518 vulnerable\; 1.68% positiv e)\, the model reaches ROC-AUC 0.975 (95% CI [0.967\, 0.983]) and vulnerab le-class F1 0.773 (95% CI [0.746\, 0.799])\, where the strongest prior res ult on the same corpus reached F1 0.46 / AUC 0.82. Three controlled experi ments locate the cause and the boundary of the result. An architectural ab lation attributes the gain to the training recipe operating on a protocol- matched corpus\; swapping the readout architecture leaves the metrics unch anged. A four-corpus transfer matrix shows that the result holds only with in a single labeling protocol. A Java imbalance-reproduction experiment sh ows the recipe consistently beating no-handling on the same corpus while r eaching a strong detector only where the corpus carries learnable structur al signal at scale. The result is a working detector on realistic data\, w ith an account of the conditions under which it works.
\nAll CIS gra duate students are encouraged to attend. For further information please co ntact Dr. Asif Kamal Turzo at aturzo@umassd.edu
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/8-27-26-cis-mas ters-thesis-defense-by-brian-kade-betterton.php
DTSTAMP:20260825T051813 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260827T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260827T150000 LOCATION:Dion 303 SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Recovering Vulnerability Detection on Realistically- Distributed Code: Code Property Graphs, Graph Neural Networks, and a Disci plined Imbalance Recipe UID:bf8cfdc2c1b691fcf0f8d2f3f1ee3e4d@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Engineering,Thesis/Dissertations DESCRIPTION:Topic: Cascading Failure Modeling and Analysis in Functionally Dependent Internet of Things Systems Abstract: The Internet of Things (I oT) is a complex network of components that can automatically collect, exc hange, and process data, providing indispensable support for increasingly complicated and critical missions. However, functional dependencies among heterogeneous components introduce risks of fault propagation and potentia lly high-impact cascading failures (CFs). This research examines CF mechan isms and investigates reliability analysis methods to address the effects of CFs in two types of functionally dependent IoT systems subject to rando m propagation time (RPT) and cross-phase propagation (CPP), respectively. We develop separable, analytical modeling methods for assessing the missio n reliability of considered IoT systems. The proposed methods employ a div ide-and-conquer strategy to decompose the original reliability problem int o a set of independent reduced problems that can be solved in parallel. Th e proposed methods are flexible in accommodating diverse types of time-to- failure distributions. Case studies on heterogeneous unmanned aerial vehic le (UAV) systems are performed to demonstrate the proposed methods and the effects of RPT and CPP on mission reliability. The application of the pro posed model in supporting mission planning is demonstrated through solving reliability and redundancy allocation problems. Correctness of the propos ed methods is validated using Monte Carlo simulations. This proposal also discusses future research directions in extending the proposed methods to capture more practical characteristics of IoT mission systems, developing effective mitigation strategies for enhancing system’s resilience agains t CFs, and artificial intelligence-powered methods for predicting CFs in U AV-based IoT systems. Advisor: Dr. Liudong Xing, Commonwealth Professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, UMASS Dartmouth Commit tee Members: Dr. Lance Fiondella, Professor, Department of Electrical & Co mputer Engineering, UMASS Dartmouth; Dr. Yuchou Chang, Associate Professor , Department of Computer & Information Science; Dr. David W. Coit, Profess or, Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering, Rutgers University NOT E: All ECE Graduate Students are ENCOURAGED to attend. All interested part ies are invited to attend. Open to the public. *For further information, please contact Dr. Liudong Xing via email at lxing@umassd.edu\nEvent page : https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/8-28-26-doctoral-candidacy-by-junxing- ren---ece-departm.php\nEvent link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/99573148168 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Topic: Cascading Failure Modeli ng and Analysis in Functionally Dependent Internet of Things Systems
\nAbstract: The Internet of Things (IoT) is a complex network of compon ents that can automatically collect\, exchange\, and process data\, provid ing indispensable support for increasingly complicated and critical missio ns. However\, functional dependencies among heterogeneous components intro duce risks of fault propagation and potentially high-impact cascading fail ures (CFs). This research examines CF mechanisms and investigates reliabil ity analysis methods to address the effects of CFs in two types of functio nally dependent IoT systems subject to random propagation time (RPT) and c ross-phase propagation (CPP)\, respectively. We develop separable\, analyt ical modeling methods for assessing the mission reliability of considered IoT systems. The proposed methods employ a divide-and-conquer strategy to decompose the original reliability problem into a set of independent reduc ed problems that can be solved in parallel. The proposed methods are flexi ble in accommodating diverse types of time-to-failure distributions. Case studies on heterogeneous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems are perform ed to demonstrate the proposed methods and the effects of RPT and CPP on m ission reliability. The application of the proposed model in supporting mi ssion planning is demonstrated through solving reliability and redundancy allocation problems. Correctness of the proposed methods is validated usin g Monte Carlo simulations. This proposal also discusses future research di rections in extending the proposed methods to capture more practical chara cteristics of IoT mission systems\, developing effective mitigation strate gies for enhancing system’s resilience against CFs\, and artificial inte lligence-powered methods for predicting CFs in UAV-based IoT systems.
\nAdvisor: Dr. Liudong Xing\, Commonwealth Professor\, Department of E lectrical & Computer Engineering\, UMASS Dartmouth
\nCommittee Mem bers: Dr. Lance Fiondella\, Professor\, Department of Electrical & Compute r Engineering\, UMASS Dartmouth\; Dr. Yuchou Chang\, Associate Professor\, Department of Computer & Information Science\; Dr. David W. Coit\, Profes sor\, Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering\, Rutgers University< /p>\n
NOTE: All ECE Graduate Students are ENCOURAGED to attend. All inte rested parties are invited to attend. Open to the public.
\n*For f urther information\, please contact Dr. Liudong Xing via email at lxing@um assd.edu
Event page: https://www.umass
d.edu/events/cms/8-28-26-doctoral-candidacy-by-junxing-ren---ece-departm.p
hp
Event link: https
://umassd.zoom.us/j/99573148168
Financial Aid Services wants to remind all students to file their FAFSA! Join Financial Aid Services for Zoom FAFSA Help Labs on Fridays from 2-3pm for help filing your FAFSA and learning more about financial aid.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/8-28-26-summer-financial-aid-zoom-fa
fsa-help-labs-.php
Event link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/9
3075462260?pwd=JhUkTxOEnyX3q6xrQZN5LPHDFjqHOD.1
Advisor: Dr. Jiawei Yuan\, Depa rtment of Computer and Information Science
\nCommittee Members:
\ nAbstract
\nGiven the recent advances in large
language models (LLMs) and their remarkable capabilities of natural langua
ge understanding and text generation\, LLMs have increasingly been integra
ted into robotic systems\, enabling robots to understand high-level human
instructions\, reason about task objectives\, and generate code for robot
execution. However\, enabling LLMs to reliably understand high-level human
instructions and produce executable robot operations remains challenging.
For example\, LLMs can misinterpret human intentions\, forget task object
ives\, hallucinate unavailable robot functions\, generate syntactically in
valid code\, produce logically inconsistent action sequences\, or make uns
upported assumptions about environment observation.
This proposed res
earch first enhances the reliability of LLMs by enabling them to generate
valid and feasible task plans and robot operational code\, identify errors
\, and recover from failures. First\, this research developed GSCE\, a str
uctured prompt framework to enhance LLM reasoning and generate reliable ro
bot operation code. Building on GSCE\, this research further enhances reli
ability by developing a closed-loop framework that evaluates the robot beh
avior and provides feedback for correcting generated code in simulation be
fore its deployment on a physical robot. To reduce the configuration effor
t and execution time associated with specialized robotic simulators\, this
research further developed an LLM-driven static text-based simulation fra
mework without dynamically executing the code in a physical environment or
simulator during corrective code refinement. Moreover\, to achieve reliab
le task planning and execution on mobile robots that host on-board LLMs\,
this research designed Ro-SLM\, a framework that leverages prior knowledge
to teach on-board language models and enable them to perform reliable tas
k planning and execution with performance approaching substantially larger
models.
Despite this progress\, challenges remain as the diversit y and complexity of robotic tasks continue to increase. In particular\, pe rformance may degrade on previously unseen tasks\, long-horizon operations \, and tasks that require complex reasoning and decision-making. Therefore \, to further enhance the reliability of LLM-driven mobile robots\, this r esearch proposes to address: 1) problem solving\, in which on-board langua ge models will select\, reuse\, and orchestrate skills to complete tasks\, enabling the robot to solve problems by recombining its learned knowledge rather than
\nmemorizing complete task solutions. This direction ai
ms to enhance the reliability of LLM-driven mobile robots under complex\,
diverse\, and previously unseen tasks\; 2) decision making\, the on-board
language model will review past experiences\, anticipate possible future c
onsequences and failures for the skill that the robot will conduct\, and c
orrect the errors before executing the robot operations\, which enables th
e robot to make reliable decisions for the given task before executing the
robot operations. This direction aims to further improve the reliability
of LLM-driven mobile robots for tasks that require long-horizon operations
and complex decision-making.
For further information\, please contac
t Dr. Jiawei Yuan at jyuan@umassd.edu
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/8-28-26-llm-driven-mobil e-robot-task-planning-and-execution.php
DTSTAMP:20260825T051813 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260828T153000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260828T163000 LOCATION:Dion 311 SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Towards Reliable LLM-driven Mobile Robot Task Planni ng and Execution UID:f9526f8f3b644452ffa92e82d0f93e7c@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:Office of Student Engagement & Leadership (OSEL),Week of Welcome DESCRIPTION:Corsair Olympics is one of UMass Dartmouth’s most beloved tra ditions, a high energy, community building event held during Move In Weeke nd as part of Welcome Weekend. Designed for first year residents living in Balsam and Spruce, the program brings students together right after move in for an afternoon of friendly competition, team spirit, and building pri de. The event features a mix of physical challenges, creative activities, and team based games that help new students meet their hallmates, connect with their RAs, and start forming their residential community from day one . It’s a lively, welcoming kickoff to campus life and a signature moment in the first year experience.\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/ cms/8-29-26-corsair-olympics.php\nEvent link: https://www.umassd.edu/stude nt-engagement/welcome-events/ X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Corsair Olympics is one of UMas s Dartmouth’s most beloved traditions\, a high energy\, community buildi ng event held during Move In Weekend as part of Welcome Weekend. Designed for first year residents living in Balsam and Spruce\, the program brings students together right after move in for an afternoon of friendly competi tion\, team spirit\, and building pride.
\n
The event features
a mix of physical challenges\, creative activities\, and team based games
that help new students meet their hallmates\, connect with their RAs\, and
start forming their residential community from day one. It’s a lively\,
welcoming kickoff to campus life and a signature moment in the first year
experience.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/8-29-26-co
rsair-olympics.php
Event link: https://www.umassd.edu/student-engagement/
welcome-events/
Double Featured Movie Night\, M
en in Black @ 8 PM | Obsession @ 10 PM
First-Year Quad Aug 30
th
Event page: https://www.umassd.e du/events/cms/8-30-26-outdoor-movie-night-.php
DTSTAMP:20260825T051813 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260830T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260830T220000 LOCATION:First-Year Quad SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Outdoor movie night UID:3d171da993cd464d1a20953e26818866@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:Student Affairs,Week of Welcome DESCRIPTION:Sexual assault and substance abuse can be tough topics; the iss ues are complex. Speak Up: Dramatic Dialogues uses interactive theater t o address these issues head on with frank and open discussions. Expect to be challenged to think and develop educated opinions. You’ll walk away w ith greater insight and the confidence to make smart choices.\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/8-31-26-speak-up-dramatic-dialogues-for -balsam-hall--commuters-a-l.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Sexual assault and substance ab use can be tough topics\; the issues are complex. Speak Up: Dram atic Dialogues uses interactive theater to address these issues h ead on with frank and open discussions. Expect to be challenged to think a nd develop educated opinions. You’ll walk away with greater insight and the confidence to make smart choices.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/8-31-26-speak-up- dramatic-dialogues-for-balsam-hall--commuters-a-l.php
DTSTAMP:20260825T051813 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260831T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260831T120000 LOCATION:Main Auditorium SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Speak Up: Dramatic Dialogues for Balsam Hall & C ommuters A-L UID:c94ec332a08f63d7de7da569a90fd940@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:Student Affairs,Week of Welcome DESCRIPTION:Sexual assault and substance abuse can be tough topics; the iss ues are complex. Speak Up: Dramatic Dialogues uses interactive theater to address these issues head on with frank and open discussions. Expect to be challenged to think and develop educated opinions. You’ll walk away with greater insight and the confidence to make smart choices.\nEvent page : https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/8-31-26-speak-up-dramatic-dialogues-fo r-spruce-hall--commuters-m-z.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Sexual assault and substance
abuse can be tough topics\; the issues are complex. Speak Up: Dramatic Dialogues uses interactive theater to address these issues head on with frank and
open discussions. Expect to be challenged to think and develop educated op
inions. You’ll walk away with greater insight and the confidence to make
smart choices.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/8-31-26-speak-up-dramatic-dialog ues-for-spruce-hall--commuters-m-z.php
DTSTAMP:20260825T051813 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260831T121500 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260831T131500 LOCATION:Main Auditorium SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Speak Up: Dramatic Dialogues for Spruce Hall & C ommuters M-Z UID:47ea683fc2ba4be63fdcf829c6a9dbcb@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:University Marketing,Student Affairs,Week of Welcome DESCRIPTION:It’s the official start of your UMassD adventure! Join your c lassmates, faculty, and staff in the Amphitheatre for a high-energy welcom e that celebrates who we are and where we’re going. Expect music, inspir ation, Corsair pride, and moments that will kick off your college journey in unforgettable style. This is where your story as a Corsair officially b egins—let’s make it epic! New students should arrive at the amphith eater at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, September 1, for the 2026 Convocation. The ceremony will begin at 10:45 a.m.\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/eve nts/cms/9-1-26-convocation.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:It’s the official start of yo ur UMassD adventure! Join your classmates\, faculty\, and staff in the Amp hitheatre for a high-energy welcome that celebrates who we are and where w e’re going. Expect music\, inspiration\, Corsair pride\, and moments tha t will kick off your college journey in unforgettable style. This is where your story as a Corsair officially begins—let’s make it epic!
\ nNew students should arrive at the amphitheater at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesda y\, September 1\, for the 2026 Convocation. The ceremony will begin at 10: 45 a.m.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/9-1-26-convocation.ph p
DTSTAMP:20260825T051813 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260901T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260901T113000 LOCATION:Amphitheatre SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Convocation UID:d898ed08fa3a6dc3fdce80d9b5887b30@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:Academic Affairs,University Marketing,Dining,Human Resources,Off ice of Student Engagement & Leadership (OSEL),Provost's Office,Week of Wel come DESCRIPTION:Join the All-Campus Picnic on the quad between 11:30am to 3pm, marking the official beginning of another academic year! All staff, facult y, and students are welcome to attend. Enjoy delicious barbecue, mingle wi th your campus friends, take home giveaway items, and catch some live ente rtainment.\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/9-1-26-all-campu s-picnic.php\nEvent link: https://www.umassd.edu/convocation/ X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Join the All-Campus Picnic on t he quad between 11:30am to 3pm\, marking the official beginning of another academic year! All staff\, faculty\, and students are welcome to attend. Enjoy delicious barbecue\, mingle with your campus friends\, take home giv eaway items\, and catch some live entertainment.
Event page: https://
www.umassd.edu/events/cms/9-1-26-all-campus-picnic.php
Event link:
https://www.umassd.edu/convo
cation/
UMass Dartmouth will host Elms College at 6pm on Tuesday\, Sept. 1 at Cressy Field. It's the season opene r for the Corsairs
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/f
ield-hockey-v-elms-college.php
Event link: https://corsairathletics.com/s
ports/field-hockey/schedule
UMass Dartmouth will host Lesle y University in the home opener at 12pm on Tuesday\, September 1 at the UM ass Dartmouth Tennis Courts
Event page: https://www.u
massd.edu/events/cms/9-1-26-womens-tennis-v-lesley-university.php
E
vent link: https://corsairathletics.com/sports/womens-tennis/schedule/2026
Title: Single-particle spectroe lectrochemistry on electrodeposited palladium nano particles
\nAdvis or: Dr. Wei-Shun Chang\, Associate Professor\, Chemistry & Biochemistry De pt.
\nCommittee Members: Dr. Patrick Cappillino\, Associate Professo r\, Graduate Program Director\, Chemistry & Biochemistry Dept.\; Dr. Milan a Vasudev\, Associate Professor\, Bioengineering Dept.
\nAbstract: Palladium nanoparticles drive chemical innovation due to their high surf ace-to-volume ratio and tunable quantum properties. Their ability to readi ly activate hydrogen and form stable lattices makes them a cornerstone of modern chemistry. Therefore\, to optimize chemical performance\, controlli ng size and density during synthetic processes is critical because these t wo factors dictate the catalyst's reactivity\, stability\, and cost-effici ency. While wet synthesis is an excellent approach to facilitate particle size and shape\, surface ligands/surfactants removal together with particl e immobilization on substrates remain problematic. Electrodeposition off ers precise\, template-free\, and ligand-free control by tuning electroche mical parameters. In this dissertation\, electrodeposition of Pd nanoparti cles with controlled size and density on indium-doped tin oxide substrate was firstly carried out using a combination of fast potential pulse and ch ronoamperometry techniques. As confirmed by electrochemical data and analy sis of scanning electron microscopy images\, a lower concentration of acti ve species in the electrolyte solution results in a lower density of Pd nu clei during the nucleation step\, and a larger particle size during the gr owth step. Meanwhile\, at the same nuclei density\, a higher concentration of active species gives larger particle size during the growth phase. Thi s approach provides convenient means of fabricating nanostructures on subs trates with desired sizes and densities and sheds light on the mechanism o f growth. Secondly\, in another approach\, the growth of single Pd nanopar ticles can be monitored with the power of dark-field microscope during ele ctrochemical experiments. Through analyzing light scattering intensity of Pd nuclei exposing to a constant flow rate of electrolyte solution and chr onoamperometric potential in a flow cell\, a corresponding mechanism for t he electrodeposition was uniquely obtained. This technique reveals a possi bility to utilize optical data as a source of information in order to furt her understand the electrochemical processes at single particle level as o pposed to average data retrieved from ensemble current.
\nLastly\, w e demonstrate a single-particle optical cyclic voltammetry technique that tracks hydrogen sorption dynamics in individual electrodeposited Pd nanopa rticles by converting electrochemical processes into optical signals. This high-throughput method captures absorption and desorption across thousand s of particles at once\, bridging single-particle mechanisms with bulk sta tistical analysis. The technique exposes severe interparticle and intrapar ticle heterogeneity\, along with cycling-induced deactivation caused by su rface reorganization and deep trapping sites. Interestingly\, the individu al potential profiles show symmetric kinetic behavior via consistent shift s and broadening. These findings confirm that electrochemical activity is inherently heterogeneous and evolves dynamically under operando conditions . Ultimately\, single-particle optical cyclic voltammetry offers a univers al framework for mapping structure-activity relationships in energy materi als\, highlighting nanoscale behaviors that traditional ensemble measureme nts completely miss.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/9-1-26-defense-by-trang-n-nguyen-si ngle-particle-spectroelectroch.php
DTSTAMP:20260825T051813 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260901T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260901T150000 LOCATION:VIOL 210 SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Single-particle spectroelectrochemistry on electrode posited palladium nano particles UID:8f0adf879ef06aff62d14cfd6a663c2b@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:Student Affairs,Week of Welcome DESCRIPTION:Calling all first-generation Corsairs! Join us for a celebratio n just for you—complete with food, music, and connections that matter. M eet other first-gen students, chat with faculty and staff who were first-g en too, and discover resources that will help you thrive at UMassD. It’s your time to shine, build your community, and kick off your college journ ey with pride! \nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/9-1-26-fir st-generation-student-welcome-reception.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Calling all first-generation Co rsairs! Join us for a celebration just for you—complete with food\, musi c\, and connections that matter. Meet other first-gen students\, chat with faculty and staff who were first-gen too\, and discover resources that wi ll help you thrive at UMassD. It’s your time to shine\, build your commu nity\, and kick off your college journey with pride!
Event page: < a href="https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/9-1-26-first-generation-student- welcome-reception.php">https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/9-1-26-first-gene ration-student-welcome-reception.php
DTSTAMP:20260825T051813 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260901T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260901T150000 LOCATION:CCB 149 SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:First Generation Student Welcome Reception UID:efd0ab0e26d1e190d3809d04b78d4e75@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:Office of Student Engagement & Leadership (OSEL),Week of Welcome DESCRIPTION:We will do giveaways at 7 & 8pm. Winners must be present to col lect their prize!\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/9-1-26-ka raoke--crafts.php\nEvent link: https://cglink.me/23G/r376739 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:We will do giveaways at 7 & 8pm . Winners must be present to collect their prize!
Event page: https://w
ww.umassd.edu/events/cms/9-1-26-karaoke--crafts.php
Event link: https://cglink.me/23G/r376739
Learn how to view Budget Balanc es\, Revenue and Expense Transaction Detail and Open Encumbrances using Su mmit Financials Department Management Dashboard.
\nSummit is Oracl e Analytics Cloud with Prebuilt intuitive Dashboards that enable users to view and report on financial data.
\nTraining is for Faculty and Staff and required for access.
\nEmail jschlesinger@umassd.edu to sign up for training.
Event page: https://www.umassd.
edu/events/cms/9-2-26-summit-financial-reporting-101.php
Event link
: https://www
.umassd.edu/peoplesoftfinance/training/
Interested in studying abroad? Do you have a quick question about the opportunities that are available or the overall process? Stop by the International Programs Office (IPO)! Stu dents will be seen on a first come\, first served basis.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/9-2-26-study-abroad-walk-in- advising.php
DTSTAMP:20260825T051813 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260902T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260902T170000 LOCATION:Library 233 SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Study Abroad Walk-in Advising UID:d0a99675427da2ebc80f7cf3b1470b5a@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:Week of Welcome DESCRIPTION:Light up the night with neon bingo! Free giveaways and over $50 0 in prizes! September 2nd, 7pmLocation - Woodland Commons.\nEvent page: h ttps://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/9-2-26-glow-bingo.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Light up the night with neon bi ngo! Free giveaways and over $500 in prizes!
\nSeptember 2nd\, 7pmLocation - Woodland Commons.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/c ms/9-2-26-glow-bingo.php
DTSTAMP:20260825T051813 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260902T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260902T220000 LOCATION:Woodland Commons SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Glow Bingo UID:6e5b11266bbe44ce98c4ecb666b60ec1@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:Training DESCRIPTION:Learn how to run reports and inquire on Budget Balances in Peop leSoft Financials for Fiscal year Budgets, Sponsored and non Sponsored pro ject budgets. Reports include Revenue and Expense Summary activity, Open Encumbrances and Revenue and Expense Transaction Detail. Training is required for access. To sign up for training, email jschlesinger@umass d.edu \nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/9-3-26-peoplesoft-f inancial-reporting-and-budget-inquiry-training--.php\nEvent link: https:// www.umassd.edu/peoplesoftfinance/training/ X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Learn how to run reports and in quire on Budget Balances in PeopleSoft Financials for Fiscal year Budgets\ , Sponsored and non Sponsored project budgets. Reports include Revenue a nd Expense Summary activity\, Open Encumbrances and Revenue and Expense Tr ansaction Detail.
\nTraining is required for access.
\nTo sign up for training\, email jschlesinger@umassd.edu
Event pag
e: https://www.umassd.edu/events
/cms/9-3-26-peoplesoft-financial-reporting-and-budget-inquiry-training--.p
hp
Event link: https://www.umassd.edu/peoplesoftfinance/training/
Battle against your Friends and
Classmates in the Ultimate Laser Tag Showdown.
Woodland Common
s\, Sept 3rd | 6-10pm
For More Information about our events\, j
oin our Myorgs page.
Event page: https://www.umass d.edu/events/cms/9-3-26-laser-tag-showdown.php
DTSTAMP:20260825T051813 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260903T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260903T220000 LOCATION:Woodland Commons SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Laser Tag Showdown UID:c8e212eb31f72ff499f6f6fd71e2701d@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Engineering,Thesis/Dissertations DESCRIPTION:Biomedical Engineering & Biotechnology BMEBT MS Thesis Proposal Presentation by Jacob BurrerDate: September 4, 2026Time: 12 PMLocation: T EX 011 Title: Location Based Impacts of Glycation on The Mechanical Proper ties of Human Cortical Bone Abstract: Understanding bone composition and s tructure, as well as the processes involved in bone formation, is essentia l for predicting fracture risk and morphology in a wide variety of patient groups. Some of the factors that contribute to an increased risk of bone fracture include the propensity to fall, changes in bone mineral density, and reduced bone quality. One of the ways in which bone matrix quality can be significantly altered is through a process called non-enzymatic glycat ion. This process leads to the formation of advanced glycation end product s (AGEs), which can negatively impact bone matrix quality in a variety of ways. Although the effect that AGE accumulation has on bone matrix quality is well documented, there is less information on how AGE content affects specific regions of bone based on anatomical position. To assess how glyca tion affects specific regions of bone tissue, bone samples will be collect ed and incubated to simulate in vivo hyperglycemic conditions. These sampl es will then be mechanically tested to determine how the mechanical proper ties of specific bone regions change after accumulating AGEs. The total am ount of AGE accumulation will also be quantified using a spectrophotometri c assay to determine which regions of bone have the highest concentration of AGEs after glycation. Results from this project could lead to the devel opment of diagnostic tools that can predict future fractures based on AGE content and medical interventions that can prevent or reduce the risk of f ractures for certain patient groups. Advisor: Dr. Lamya Karim, Dept. of Bi oengineering (lkarim@umassd.edu) Committee Members: Dr. Tracie Ferreira, Dept. of Bioengineering Dr. Laura Hanzly, Dept. of Bioengineering All BME BT graduate students are encouraged to attend, and all interested parties are invited.\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/9-4-26-bmebt-m s-thesis-proposal-presentation-by-jacob-burrer.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Biomedical Engineering & Biotec hnology
\nBMEBT MS Thesis Proposal Presentation by Jacob Burrer
Date: September 4\, 2026
Time: 12 PM
Location: TEX 011
Title: Location Based Impacts of Glycation on The Mechanical Properties of Human Cortical Bone
\nAbstract: Understanding bone composition and structure\, as well as the processes involved in bone formation\, is essen tial for predicting fracture risk and morphology in a wide variety of pati ent groups. Some of the factors that contribute to an increased risk of bo ne fracture include the propensity to fall\, changes in bone mineral densi ty\, and reduced bone quality. One of the ways in which bone matrix qualit y can be significantly altered is through a process called non-enzymatic g lycation. This process leads to the formation of advanced glycation end pr oducts (AGEs)\, which can negatively impact bone matrix quality in a varie ty of ways. Although the effect that AGE accumulation has on bone matrix q uality is well documented\, there is less information on how AGE content a ffects specific regions of bone based on anatomical position. To assess ho w glycation affects specific regions of bone tissue\, bone samples will be collected and incubated to simulate in vivo hyperglycemic conditions. The se samples will then be mechanically tested to determine how the mechanica l properties of specific bone regions change after accumulating AGEs. The total amount of AGE accumulation will also be quantified using a spectroph otometric assay to determine which regions of bone have the highest concen tration of AGEs after glycation. Results from this project could lead to t he development of diagnostic tools that can predict future fractures based on AGE content and medical interventions that can prevent or reduce the r isk of fractures for certain patient groups.
\nAdvisor: Dr. Lamya Ka rim\, Dept. of Bioengineering (lkarim@umassd.edu)
\nCommittee Member s:
\nAll BMEBT gradu ate students are encouraged to attend\, and all interested parties are inv ited.
Event page: https://www.uma ssd.edu/events/cms/9-4-26-bmebt-ms-thesis-proposal-presentation-by-jacob-b urrer.php
DTSTAMP:20260825T051813 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260904T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260904T130000 LOCATION:TEX 011 SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:BMEBT MS Thesis Proposal Presentation by Jacob Burre r UID:1eec2b37eb71aa462a3d0c4b3988b45b@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:Week of Welcome DESCRIPTION:Decorate your own Kite and battle against your friends in a bub ble soccer arena!Sept 4th | 1 - 5pmLocation - First-Year Quad\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/9-4-26-diy-kites-and-bubble-soccer.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Decorate your own Kite and batt
le against your friends in a bubble soccer arena!
Sept 4th | 1
- 5pm
Location - First-Year Quad
Event page: https://w ww.umassd.edu/events/cms/9-4-26-diy-kites-and-bubble-soccer.php
DTSTAMP:20260825T051813 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260904T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260904T170000 LOCATION:Woodland Commons SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:DIY kits and bubble soccer UID:dca09ec3869d320ea00f17c1bb3adfc8@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:Alumni Event,Week of Welcome DESCRIPTION:UMass Dartmouth will open the 2026 season at 7pm on Friday, Sep t. 4, when the Corsairs host Salve Regina University.\nEvent page: https:/ /www.umassd.edu/events/cms/9-4-26-football-v-salve-regina.php\nEvent link: https://corsairathletics.com/sports/2024/1/3/athletic-event-ticketing.asp x X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:UMass Dartmouth will open the 2 026 season at 7pm on Friday\, Sept. 4\, when the Corsairs host Salve Regin a University.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/9-4
-26-football-v-salve-regina.php
Event link: https://cors
airathletics.com/sports/2024/1/3/athletic-event-ticketing.aspx
Looking for items for your room ? Join us on the Grove Quad Saturday\, September 5th from 10 AM - 2 PM for the biggest Yard Sale of the year!
\nWe have collected items that h ave a lot of useful life in them and are ready to outfit your rooms. This includes microwaves\, mini-fridges\, fans\, books\, decor and kitchen item s.
\nAll items are 80% off list prices!
\nOn campus delivery i s also available for a fee.
\nBring your cash and haul away the savi ngs.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/9-5-26-new2u-yard-sa le.php
DTSTAMP:20260825T051813 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260905T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260905T140000 LOCATION:Grove Quad SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:New2U Yard Sale UID:d83db5eb1e14c1fd40adb21c763bcb18@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:Career Center,Student Affairs,Week of Welcome DESCRIPTION:Kick off your fall semester by getting your resume in order! Br ing your resume and join the Career Center in this hands-on event to creat e or update your professional resume.\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/ events/cms/9-8-26-resume-palooza-session-1.php\nEvent link: https://app.jo inhandshake.com/events/1957618/share_preview X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Kick off your fall semester by getting your resume in order! Bring your resume and join the Career Center in this hands-on event to create or update your professional resume.
< p>Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/9-8-26-resume-palooz a-session-1.phpRichard Feynman famously said t hat the essence of quantum mechanics is to be found in the double-slit exp eriment. I will show that the double-slit experiment can be interpreted in terms of the theory of stochastic processes. I will explain the stochasti c-quantum dictionary and briefly review the experiment\, along with the pa th integral approach applied to the double-slit setup. I will then reinter pret the experiment in terms of indivisible stochastic processes. The stoc hastic transition function describing the double-slit statistics is derive d. I will conclude with a discussion of future work\, including the comput ational modeling of the experiment as a stochastic process.
Event pa
ge: https://www.umassd.edu/eve
nts/cms/9-8-26-physics-master-of-science-research-project-by-ryan-c-banger
ter.php
Event link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/95264832274?
pwd=dHFwVFZCVTNWWUlEck5HdVFNUDVJdz09
Interested in studying abroad? Do you have a quick question about the opportunities that are available or the overall process? Stop by the International Programs Office’s virtua l advising session! Students will be seen on a first come\, first served b asis. Email intl_programs@umassd .edu for the Zoom link.
Event page: https://www.umass d.edu/events/cms/9-8-26-study-abroad-virtual-advising.php
DTSTAMP:20260825T051813 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260908T153000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260908T163000 LOCATION:Online SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Study Abroad Virtual Advising UID:e0386e306c10cd2bfc017fa4c088b1a8@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR