The UMass Dartmouth MFA Thesis Exhibition is a much-anticipated and celebrated annual event showcasing th e artwork of graduating Master of Fine Arts students from the College of V isual and Performing Arts. This year’s exhibition celebrates the work of graduates Alison Bergman\, Arghavan Booyeh\, Immer Cook\, Ali Masoumzadeh \, Allison Morones\, Maya August Palmer\, MITRAAVRS\, Sarah Valinezhad\, a nd Yaren Yıldız. The creative work of these graduating students includes painting\, drawing\, ceramics\, digital media\, and site-specific install ation.
\nThis year\, the exhibition takes place in three locations: Hatch Street Studios\, Art and Design Studios\, The New Bedford Art Museum . Each student exhibits different pieces of their work in each location. P lease join us for the AHA! Night Receptions with ArtTALKS on Thursday\, Ap ril 9 and Thursday\, May 14 at 6 PM.
\nExhibition Dates: April 9 – May 14\, 2026
\nOpening Reception: April 9\, 5-8pm
\nAHA! N ight Reception with ArtTALKS: Thursday\, April 9 at 6 PM
\nAHA! Nigh t Reception with ArtTALKS: Thursday\, May 14 at 6 PM
\nNon-AHA! Nigh t Gallery Hours: Thursday – Sunday: 9 AM to 5 PM\; free entrance with UM assD ID
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/eve nts/cms/new-bedford-art-museum-mfa-thesis-exhibtion-1.php
DTSTAMP:20260426T141039 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260409T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260514T200000 LOCATION:New Bedford Art Museum MFA Thesis Exhibtion SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:New Bedford Art Museum MFA Thesis Exhibtion UID:ec83bfd2d63a77b5d5f5d9b226a5184b@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Visual and Performing Arts DESCRIPTION:The UMass Dartmouth MFA Thesis Exhibition is a much-anticipated and celebrated annual event showcasing the artwork of graduating Master o f Fine Arts students from the College of Visual and Performing Arts. This year’s exhibition celebrates the work of graduates Alison Bergman, Argha van Booyeh, Immer Cook, Ali Masoumzadeh, Allison Morones, Maya August Palm er, MITRAAVRS, Sarah Valinezhad, and Yaren Yıldız. The creative work of these graduating students includes painting, drawing, ceramics, digital me dia, and site-specific installation. Art and Design Studios: Dartmouth Tow ne Center Plaza, 458 State Rd. North Dartmouth, MA 02747 Exhibition Dates: April 16 – May 9, 2026 Closing Reception: Thursday, May 7, 4-6 PM Galle ry Hours: Daily 9 AM to 6 PM Free and open to the public. This year, the M FA Thesis Exhibition takes place in three locations: Hatch Street Studios, Art and Design Studios, and The New Bedford Art Museum. Each student exhi bits different pieces of their work in each location.\nEvent page: https:/ /www.umassd.edu/events/cms/art-and-design-studios-mfa-thesis-exhibition-1. php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The UMass Dartmouth MFA Thesis Exhibition is a much-anticipated and celebrated annual event showcasing th e artwork of graduating Master of Fine Arts students from the College of V isual and Performing Arts. This year’s exhibition celebrates the work of graduates Alison Bergman\, Arghavan Booyeh\, Immer Cook\, Ali Masoumzadeh \, Allison Morones\, Maya August Palmer\, MITRAAVRS\, Sarah Valinezhad\, a nd Yaren Yıldız. The creative work of these graduating students includes painting\, drawing\, ceramics\, digital media\, and site-specific install ation.
\nArt and Design Studios:
\nDartmouth Towne Center Plaz a\, 458 State Rd. North Dartmouth\, MA 02747
\nExhibition Dates: Apr il 16 – May 9\, 2026
\nClosing Reception: Thursday\, May 7\, 4-6 P M
\nGallery Hours: Daily 9 AM to 6 PM
\nFree and open to the p ublic.
\nThis year\, the MFA Thesis Exhibition takes place in three locations: Hatch Street Studios\, Art and Design Studios\, and The New Bed ford Art Museum. Each student exhibits different pieces of their work in e ach location.
Event page: https://www.umassd.ed u/events/cms/art-and-design-studios-mfa-thesis-exhibition-1.php
DTSTAMP:20260426T141039 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260416T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260509T235900 LOCATION:Art and Design Studios SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Art and Design Studios MFA Thesis Exhibition UID:0b1ab393f37d126b045b7c470cd3ac2c@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Visual and Performing Arts DESCRIPTION:The UMass Dartmouth MFA Thesis Exhibition is a much-anticipated and celebrated annual event showcasing the artwork of graduating Master o f Fine Arts students from the College of Visual and Performing Arts. This year’s exhibition celebrates the work of graduates Alison Bergman, Argha van Booyeh, Immer Cook, Ali Masoumzadeh, Allison Morones, Maya August Palm er, MITRAAVRS, Sarah Valinezhad, and Yaren Yıldız. The creative work of these graduating students includes painting, drawing, ceramics, digital me dia, and site-specific installation. This year, the MFA Thesis Exhibition takes place in three locations: Hatch Street Studios, Art and Design Studi os, The New Bedford Art Museum. Each student exhibits different pieces of their work in each location. Hatch Street Studios (Studio 215) 88 Hatch Street, New Bedford, MA 02745 Exhibition Dates: April 17 – May 14, 2026 Gallery Hours: Tue. and Thur. 12-4 PM; Fri. and Sat. 2-6 PM Reception: Sat urday, April 18, 5-7 PM, welcome remarks 5:30 PM Hatch Street Open Studios : Saturday, May 9, 10 AM to 6 PM Free and open to the public.\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/hatch-street-studios-mfa-thesis-exhibit ion-1.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The UMass Dartmouth MFA Thesis Exhibition is a much-anticipated and celebrated annual event showcasing th e artwork of graduating Master of Fine Arts students from the College of V isual and Performing Arts. This year’s exhibition celebrates the work of graduates Alison Bergman\, Arghavan Booyeh\, Immer Cook\, Ali Masoumzadeh \, Allison Morones\, Maya August Palmer\, MITRAAVRS\, Sarah Valinezhad\, a nd Yaren Yıldız. The creative work of these graduating students includes painting\, drawing\, ceramics\, digital media\, and site-specific install ation.
\nThis year\, the MFA Thesis Exhibition takes place in three locations: Hatch Street Studios\, Art and Design Studios\, The New Bedford Art Museum. Each student exhibits different pieces of their work in each location.
\nHatch Street Studios (Studio 215)
\n88 Hatch Str eet\, New Bedford\, MA 02745
\nExhibition Dates: April 17 – May 14 \, 2026
\nGallery Hours: Tue. and Thur. 12-4 PM\; Fri. and Sat. 2-6 PM
\nReception: Saturday\, April 18\, 5-7 PM\, welcome remarks 5:30 PM
\nHatch Street Open Studios: Saturday\, May 9\, 10 AM to 6 PM
\nFree and open to the public.
Event page: htt ps://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/hatch-street-studios-mfa-thesis-exhibition- 1.php
DTSTAMP:20260426T141039 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260417T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260514T235900 LOCATION:Hatch Street Studios (Studio 215) SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Hatch Street Studios MFA Thesis Exhibition UID:951a4fe2bfcba35beac6459a0493f44a@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:International Students and Scholars Center,Office of Student Eng agement & Leadership (OSEL),Student Affairs DESCRIPTION:As we continue to celebrate the diversity and global perspectiv es that enrich our campus community, we are pleased to invite you to Globa l Fusion 2.0, UMass Dartmouth’s signature multicultural showcase. Global Fusion 2.0 brings together the rich cultural traditions, artistic express ions, and global stories that make our UMass Dartmouth community so vibran t. The program this year features an exciting lineup of professional and s tudent performances, including: Gendo Taiko - A dynamic Japanese drumming ensemble from Brown University Lion Dance - A professional performance hi ghlighting Chinese tradition, cultural artistry, and celebration Zaffe Pac kage - A vibrant professional showcase featuring traditional Arab dance pr ocession, dabke show, and LED wing performance Raffle, Fun Games, and Kaho ot - Engaging activities for all attendees Student Performances - Dance, m usic, song, instrumental pieces, and cultural showcases by our very own Co rsairs Country Walk - A runway-style presentation of traditional attire re presenting global heritage Food & Refreshments - A fusion of flavors to en joy throughout the evening We would be honored to have you as we celebrat e diversity, creativity, and community at UMass Dartmouth. Your support an d engagement mean a great deal to our students and community members who a re eager to share their heritage, creativity, and pride. Global Fusion 2.0 reflects our shared commitment to fostering an inclusive and globally eng aged campus environment. Thank you for your continued dedication to suppor ting an inclusive and globally connected university community. We look for ward to welcoming you to an unforgettable evening of culture, connection, and celebration.\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/global-fus ion-20.php\nEvent link: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?i d=DWyNMi8PdkuTEJdiuhw-LQAmtDxhefJElsuth7K4El9UM0ZBTk1TMTZKQUEzN1E1RDVWRUEx MkdYNi4u&route=shorturl X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:As we continue to celebrate the diversity and global perspectives that enrich our campus community\, we a re pleased to invite you to Global Fusion 2.0\, UMass Dartmouth’s signat ure multicultural showcase. Global Fusion 2.0 brings together the rich cul tural traditions\, artistic expressions\, and global stories that make our UMass Dartmouth community so vibrant.
\nThe program this year featu res an exciting lineup of professional and student performances\, includin g:
\nWe wo uld be honored to have you as we celebrate diversity\, creativity\, and co mmunity at UMass Dartmouth. Your support and engagement mean a great deal to our students and community members who are eager to share their heritag e\, creativity\, and pride. Global Fusion 2.0 reflects our shared commitme nt to fostering an inclusive and globally engaged campus environment.
\ nThank you for your continued dedication to supporting an inclusive and globally connected university community. We look forward to welcoming you to an unforgettable evening of culture\, connection\, and celebration.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/global-fusion-20.php
Event
link: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=DWyNM
i8PdkuTEJdiuhw-LQAmtDxhefJElsuth7K4El9UM0ZBTk1TMTZKQUEzN1E1RDVWRUExMkdYNi4
u&\;route=shorturl
Department of Fisheries Oceanog raphy
\nPhD Dissertation Defense
"Handling uncertainty in fishe
ries management: Developing tools in support of Management Strategy Evalua
tion"
By: Amanda R. Hart
Advisor
Dr. Gavin Fay (UMass Da
rtmouth)
Committee Members
\nDr. Steven X. Cadrin (UMass Dar tmouth)\, Dr. Lauran Brewster (UMass Dartmouth)\, Dr. Geret DePiper (Texas A&M University Corpus Christi)\, and Dr. Allan Hicks (International Pacif ic Halibut Commission)
\nMonday April 27\, 2026
1:30 PM
SM
AST East 101-103
836 S. Rodney French Blvd\, New Bedford
and via
Zoom
Abstract:
\nSustainable fisheries management requires an understanding of interactions between fish\, marine environments\, fish ing activities\, and fisheries governance. Managing with imperfect informa tion about these interactions can result in undesirable differences betwee n the expected and realized management outcomes. Management Strategy Evalu ation (MSE) is a model simulation method that rigorously tests management alternatives before they are implemented to help align expected and realiz ed management outcomes. Tests can be conducted in the context of natural v ariability\, uncertain stock status\, and imperfect management implementat ion to assess potential trade-offs between management alternatives and ide ntify alternatives that are robust to these uncertainties. The goal of thi s dissertation is to develop tools that support the integration of MSE int o existing management processes\, using three case studies from the Northe ast U.S. as examples.
\nChapter 1 demonstrates the viability of stat istical tree analysis to synthesize MSE results for an Ecosystem-Based Fis heries Management (EBFM) case study. Chapter 2 expands the realism of this MSE framework to include technical interactions for multi-species groundf ish fisheries and assess their impact on EBFM performance. Chapter 3 devel ops a novel visualization tool to communicate MSE outcomes for Atlantic he rring. These studies highlight opportunities to advance MSE applications t o support both scientific and regulatory decision making by improving work flow reproducibility\, streamlining results communication and leveraging s ynchronicity between MSE and EBFM to advance modeling.
\nJoin Meetin
g
https://umassd.zoom.
us/j/94634734564
Note: Meeting ID and passcode required\, email c
ontact to obtain
For additional information\, please contact Callie R
umbut at c.rumbut@umassd.edu
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/-handling-uncertainty-in-fisheri
es-management-developing-tools-in-support-of-management-strategy-evaluatio
n-presented-by-amanda-r-hart.php
Event link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/94634734564
Advisor: Dr. Haiping Xu
Co
mmittee Members: Dr. Adnan El-Nasan and Dr. Joshua Carberry
A
bstract: Storms remain among the most serious hazards in maritime environm
ents\, where rapidly changing weather conditions can threaten human life a
nd disrupt vessel operations. Existing storm detection and forecasting met
hods often rely on satellite observations and large-scale numerical weathe
r models\, both of which require substantial computational resources and s
table communication links that may be unavailable at sea. In addition\, ma
ny machine learning approaches depend on large labeled datasets and predef
ined storm categories\, limiting their ability to detect rare\, rapidly de
veloping\, or previously unseen events. This thesis presents an unsupervis
ed\, sensor-based framework for early storm formation detection using mult
ivariate meteorological time-series data collected from onboard instrument
s. The proposed approach uses directly measurable variables\, including su
rface pressure\, wind speed\, sea surface temperature\, near-surface air t
emperature\, and dew point temperature\, without relying on external data
sources. A temporal autoencoder is trained exclusively on fair-weather obs
ervations to learn the normal temporal behavior of atmospheric conditions.
During real-time operation\, deviations from this learned baseline are qu
antified through reconstruction error\, enabling the system to identify an
omalous patterns associated with early storm development. To improve relia
bility in practical deployment\, the framework incorporates persistence-ba
sed alerting and statistically derived anomaly thresholds based on fair-we
ather variability. The system is evaluated using both synthetic storm scen
arios and real storm events derived from historical storm archives. Result
s demonstrate that the proposed method consistently detects storm formatio
n with reasonable lead times and provides meaningful early warnings in pra
ctice\, making it a practical and robust solution for enhancing maritime s
afety in remote or resource-limited environments.
All CIS gra
duate students are encouraged to attend. For further information please co
ntact Dr. Haiping Xu at hxu@umassd.edu
UMassD Cyber Security Education Club (CSEC) jointly with COE National Cybersecurity Center & ECE Seminar< /p>\n
Annual Guest Lecture for ECE548/488 Cyber Threats and Security Man agement
\nTopic:
\nLeadership & Character Lessons Learned fr om the Boston Marathon Bombing
\nSpeaker:
\nJohn Petrozzelli\, Director\, MassCyberCenter\, Boston\, MA
\nAbstract: John will disc uss lessons he learned while investigating the Boston Marathon Bombing. He will further discuss skills he developed over his career that helped him to contribute to a diverse and talented team of investigators who successf ully argued for the prosecution of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
\nBiography: John Petrozzelli is the Director of MassCyberCenter\, a public agency wit hin the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative dedicated to enhancing cybe rsecurity resiliency and workforce development across the Commonwealth. Jo hn began his career as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force in 19 98 and served in the Republic of Korea in 1999. In September 2001\, while supporting C-17 missions\, he deployed to Sicily and Germany to support fo rward operating bases during the initial phases of the US war in Afghanist an. John entered on duty with the FBI as an Intelligence Analyst in 200 4. In 2013 John was a day shift intelligence supervisor during the Boston Marathon Bombing manhunt and led the computer forensic review of all subje cts’ digital media. In 2016 he earned a Master of Science in Information Security from Boston University and became FBI Boston’s Chief Security Officer.
\nBefore joining the MassCyberCenter\, John was the Direc tor of Cybersecurity for Magna5's Boston Metro Area. He managed day-to-day operations of the company’s Boston Security Operations Center.
\nThe Seminars is open to the public free of charge.
\nFor further inf ormation\, please contact Dr. Hong Liu via email at hliu@umassd.edu.
\n
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/national-cybersecurity-center--ece-s eminar.php
DTSTAMP:20260426T141039 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260427T153000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260427T163000 LOCATION:Science & Engineering Building (SENG), Room 222 SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:National Cybersecurity Center & ECE Seminar UID:0b4469077f22db7afb4e55c4da2ed05d@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:Leduc Center for Civic Engagement,Student Affairs DESCRIPTION:Join the Leduc Center for Civic Engagement at the 2026 Celebrat ion of service on Monday, April 27th from 6:00PM – 7:30PM at the Claire T. Carney Library, Grand Reading Room. Featuring presentations from the cu rrent Claire T. Carney Leader Cohort, introductions to the next Cohort, an d a service recognition ceremony celebrating: AmeriCorps Members, America Reads Leaders, and students qualifying for a cord/stole for graduation. RS VP on CorsairEngage: https://givepul.se/m2umuk \nEvent page: https://www. umassd.edu/events/cms/leduc-center-for-civic-engagement-celebration-of-ser vice.php\nEvent link: https://givepul.se/m2umuk X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Join the Leduc Center for Civic Engagement at the 2026 Celebration of service on Monday\, April 27th from 6:00PM – 7:30PM at the Claire T. Carney Library\, Grand Reading Room. F eaturing presentations from the current Claire T. Carney Leader Cohort\, i ntroductions to the next Cohort\, and a service recognition ceremony celeb rating: AmeriCorps Members\, America Reads Leaders\, and students qualifyi ng for a cord/stole for graduation.
\nRSVP on CorsairEngage: https:/ /givepul.se/m2umuk
Event page: http
s://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/leduc-center-for-civic-engagement-celebratio
n-of-service.php
Event link: ht
tps://givepul.se/m2umuk
Abstract:
\nType Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are common luminous astrophysical transients. SNe I a are thought to originate from the thermonuclear runaway of a mass accret ing white dwarf (WD) in binary systems. While SNe Ia have demonstrated the ir importance in measuring the expansion rate of the universe and the chem ical evolution of galaxies\, key questions about their progenitors and exp losion mechanisms are still open. In recent years\, the helium-ignited bin ary WD merger has emerged as a robust channel leading to normal SNe Ia. In this channel\, two unequal mass WDs with thin surface helium layers begin mass transfer (accretion) from the lower mass (secondary) WD onto the hig her mass (primary) WD. During this accretion\, the surface helium layer de tonation on the primary can trigger another detonation near its core\, whi ch leads to complete disruption of the primary WD. The secondary WD is imp acted by the ejected material and potentially also triggers helium and cor e detonations.
\nThis Ph.D. thesis aims to investigate the end-to-en d evolution of the helium-ignited binary WD merger channel–from the gene ration of physically consistent initial conditions of the binary systems t o the supernova remnant phase of the ejecta. We will employ the FLASH-X hy drodynamical simulation framework to capture the full 3D evolution of the binary WD system. For accurate modeling of these systems\, our ongoing eff orts focus on improving the existing gravity solvers by implementing flux- conservative numerical approaches for angular momentum and total energy co nservation in the framework of FLASH-X. With these new developments\, the resulting models will be post-processed with radiation transport codes (Su perNu\, Sedona) to generate synthetic spectra. The systematic comparison b etween models and observations of SNe Ia will help constrain progenitor sc enarios and improve our understanding of the explosion physics of these ev ents.
\nADVISOR(s): Dr. Robert Fisher\, Department of Physics (Rober t.fisher@umassd.edu)
\nCOMMITTEE MEMBERS: Dr. Sigal Gottlieb\, Depar tment of Mathematics Dr. Vijay Varma\, Department of Mathematics
Eve nt page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms /eas-doctoral-proposal-defense--by-vrutant-vikasbhai-mehta.php
DTSTAMP:20260426T141039 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260428T133000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260428T153000 LOCATION:TXT 105 SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:EAS Doctoral Proposal Defense by Vrutant Vikasbhai Mehta UID:d59c6f76303f589c9c3f885b9d39ddd6@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:Study Abroad DESCRIPTION:Interested in studying abroad? Do you have a quick question a bout the opportunities that are available or the overall process? Stop by the International Programs Office’s virtual advising session! Studen ts will be seen on a first come, first served basis. Email intl_programs @umassd.edu for the zoom link. \nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/even ts/cms/study-abroad-virtual-advising.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html: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 vir tual advising session! Students will be seen on a first come\, first se rved basis. Email intl_programs@umassd.edu for the zoom link.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/study-abroad-virtua l-advising.php
DTSTAMP:20260426T141039 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260224T153000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260224T153000 LOCATION:Zoom; Contact intl_programs@umassd.edu for link SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Study Abroad Virtual Advising UID:462cfa0b704343b5899b0987b8cd0426@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Nursing and Health Sciences,Lectures and Seminars,The sis/Dissertations DESCRIPTION:Title: Enhancing Staff Knowledge and Confidence in the Manageme nt of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD): A Quality Improvement (QI) Initiative Student: Jonadab Erhahon, MSN, RN, PMHNP Facul ty Mentor: Mark Adelung, PhD, RN, CPH Committee Member: Kristopher Jackson , PhD, MPH, AGACNP-BC, CNE, FAANP Clinical Site Mentor: Katina Herron, MSN , NP-C Date: 4/29/2026 Time: 9:00AM Zoom: Please contact dhoffman@umassd.e du for link. Abstract Background: Behavioral and psychological symptoms o f dementia (BPSD), including agitation, aggression, anxiety, and wandering , are prevalent among nursing home residents and pose significant care cha llenges. Although nonpharmacological interventions are recommended as firs t-line management, antipsychotic medications remain widely used despite as sociated risks. At Victory Nursing Home, reliance on these medications hig hlighted the need to strengthen staff competency in nonpharmacological app roaches. Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project wa s to evaluate whether a structured educational intervention could improve nursing home staff knowledge and confidence in the nonpharmacological mana gement of BPSD. Methods: A single-group pretest–posttest design was use d with 34 nursing home staff (RNs, LPNs, CNAs, and activities personnel). Participants completed the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Tool (DKAT) and t he Confidence in Dementia (CODE) scale before and after an educational pro gram focused on communication strategies, environmental modifications, and person-centered care. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired-samples t-tests, with qualitative feedback analyzed using content analysis. Results: Statistically significant improvements were observed i n both knowledge and confidence following the intervention. Mean DKAT scor es increased from 15.29 to 18.56 (p < .001), and CODE scores increased fro m 34.21 to 41.50 (p < .001). Qualitative findings indicated increased conf idence in applying strategies such as validation, redirection, and environ mental modification, while also identifying barriers including staffing co nstraints and limited time. Conclusion: A structured educational interven tion effectively improved staff knowledge and confidence in nonpharmacolog ical management of BPSD. Strengthening staff competency in person-centered dementia care may help reduce reliance on antipsychotic medications and i mprove resident outcomes. Continued organizational support is needed to su stain practice change.\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/coll ege-of-nursing-and-health-sciences-dnp--defense---jonadab-erhahon-msn-rn-p mhnp.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Title: Enhancing Staff Knowledg e and Confidence in the Management of Behavioral and Psychological Symptom s of Dementia (BPSD): A Quality Improvement (QI) Initiative
\nStuden t: Jonadab Erhahon\, MSN\, RN\, PMHNP
\nFaculty Mentor: Mark Adelung \, PhD\, RN\, CPH
\nCommittee Member: Kristopher Jackson\, PhD\, MPH \, AGACNP-BC\, CNE\, FAANP
\nClinical Site Mentor: Katina Herron\, M SN\, NP-C
\nDate: 4/29/2026
\nTime: 9:00AM
\nZoom: Pleas e contact dhoffman@umassd.edu< /a> for link.
\nAbstract
\nBackground: Behavioral and psychol ogical symptoms of dementia (BPSD)\, including agitation\, aggression\, an xiety\, and wandering\, are prevalent among nursing home residents and pos e significant care challenges. Although nonpharmacological interventions a re recommended as first-line management\, antipsychotic medications remain widely used despite associated risks. At Victory Nursing Home\, reliance on these medications highlighted the need to strengthen staff competency i n nonpharmacological approaches.
\nPurpose: The purpose of this qua lity improvement (QI) project was to evaluate whether a structured educati onal intervention could improve nursing home staff knowledge and confidenc e in the nonpharmacological management of BPSD.
\nMethods: A single -group pretest–posttest design was used with 34 nursing home staff (RNs\ , LPNs\, CNAs\, and activities personnel). Participants completed the Deme ntia Knowledge Assessment Tool (DKAT) and the Confidence in Dementia (CODE ) scale before and after an educational program focused on communication s trategies\, environmental modifications\, and person-centered care. Data w ere analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired-samples t-tests\, wit h qualitative feedback analyzed using content analysis.
\nResults: Statistically significant improvements were observed in both knowledge and confidence following the intervention. Mean DKAT scores increased from 15 .29 to 18.56 (p < .001)\, and CODE scores increased from 34.21 to 41.50 (p < .001). Qualitative findings indicated increased confidence in applying strategies such as validation\, redirection\, and environmental modificati on\, while also identifying barriers including staffing constraints and li mited time.
\nConclusion: A structured educational intervention eff ectively improved staff knowledge and confidence in nonpharmacological man agement of BPSD. Strengthening staff competency in person-centered dementi a care may help reduce reliance on antipsychotic medications and improve r esident outcomes. Continued organizational support is needed to sustain pr actice change.
DTSTAMP:20260426T141039 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T100000 LOCATION:Zoom SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:College of Nursing and Health Sciences DNP Defense - Jonadab Erhahon, MSN, RN, PMHNP UID:5862928912656491f24a6f2e3ba4ed87@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Nursing and Health Sciences,Lectures and Seminars,The sis/Dissertations DESCRIPTION:Title: An Evidence-Based Training Program to Improve Communicat ion and De-escalation Skills in Medical-Surgical Nurses Student: David Hee ps, BS, ADN, RN Faculty Mentor: Mark Adelung, PhD, RN, CPH Committee Membe r: Michelle Glowny, PhD, RN, CNE Clinical Site Mentor: Carolyn Harding, DN P, RN Date: April 29, 2026 Time: 10:00AM Zoom: Please contact dhoffman@ umassd.edu for link. Abstract Background: Medical-surgical nurses frequ ently care for patients with mental health conditions yet often feel unpre pared to manage escalating behaviors, which can contribute to decreased co nfidence, increased workplace violence, and poorer patient outcomes. The p urpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to implement a nd evaluate a brief, evidence-based educational intervention focused on co mmunication and verbal de-escalation skills to improve nurses’ mental he alth knowledge and perceived competence in managing escalating behavioral health events. Methods: This project used a quantitative, quasi-experiment al one-group pretest–posttest design with a qualitative component. Medic al-surgical nurses (N = 11) participated in an online, asynchronous, narra ted PowerPoint training module. Outcomes were measured using the validated Behavioral Health Care Competency (BHCC) survey before and after the inte rvention. Data were analyzed using paired samples t-tests and effect sizes . Results: Results demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in overall BHCC scores, with a 16.7% increase from pretest to posttest (p = .005) and a large effect size (d = 1.10). Significant improvements were al so observed across all four subscales, with the greatest improvement in pr actice/intervention competency (d = 1.24). Qualitative feedback supported these findings, with participants reporting increased confidence, improved ability to recognize early signs of agitation, and greater use of de-esca lation strategies. Participants also identified ongoing educational needs, particularly related to psychotropic medications and managing delirium. C onclusions: Despite limitations such as a small sample size, single-site d esign, and short-term evaluation, findings suggest that a brief educationa l intervention can meaningfully improve nurses’ behavioral health knowle dge and confidence. This project supports integrating structured communica tion and de-escalation training into orientation and ongoing education for medical-surgical nurses to support safer patient care and reduce workplac e risk.\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/college-of-nursing- and-health-sciences-dnp--defense---david-heeps-bs-adn-rn.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Title: An Evidence-Based Traini ng Program to Improve Communication and De-escalation Skills in Medical-Su rgical Nurses
\nStudent: David Heeps\, BS\, ADN\, RN
\nFaculty Mentor: Mark Adelung\, PhD\, RN\, CPH
\nCommittee Member: Michelle Glowny\, PhD\, RN\, CNE
\nClinical Site Mentor: Carolyn Harding\, DN P\, RN
\n\n
Date: April 29\, 2026
\nTime: 10:00AM
\ nZoom: Please contact dhoff man@umassd.edu for link.
\n\n
Abstract
\nBackgroun d: Medical-surgical nurses frequently care for patients with mental health conditions yet often feel unprepared to manage escalating behaviors\, whi ch can contribute to decreased confidence\, increased workplace violence\, and poorer patient outcomes. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practi ce (DNP) project was to implement and evaluate a brief\, evidence-based ed ucational intervention focused on communication and verbal de-escalation s kills to improve nurses’ mental health knowledge and perceived competenc e in managing escalating behavioral health events.
\nMethods: This p roject used a quantitative\, quasi-experimental one-group pretest–postte st design with a qualitative component. Medical-surgical nurses (N = 11) p articipated in an online\, asynchronous\, narrated PowerPoint training mod ule. Outcomes were measured using the validated Behavioral Health Care Com petency (BHCC) survey before and after the intervention. Data were analyze d using paired samples t-tests and effect sizes.
\nResults: Results demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in overall BHCC score s\, with a 16.7% increase from pretest to posttest (p = .005) and a large effect size (d = 1.10). Significant improvements were also observed across all four subscales\, with the greatest improvement in practice/interventi on competency (d = 1.24). Qualitative feedback supported these findings\, with participants reporting increased confidence\, improved ability to rec ognize early signs of agitation\, and greater use of de-escalation strateg ies. Participants also identified ongoing educational needs\, particularly related to psychotropic medications and managing delirium.
\nConclu sions: Despite limitations such as a small sample size\, single-site desig n\, and short-term evaluation\, findings suggest that a brief educational intervention can meaningfully improve nurses’ behavioral health knowledg e and confidence. This project supports integrating structured communicati on and de-escalation training into orientation and ongoing education for m edical-surgical nurses to support safer patient care and reduce workplace risk.
DTSTAMP:20260426T141039 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T110000 LOCATION:Zoom SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:College of Nursing and Health Sciences DNP Defense - David Heeps, BS, ADN, RN UID:d56dad1fd8d3ce7e219e3c9eb3bec4cb@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Engineering,Thesis/Dissertations DESCRIPTION:College of EngineeringData Science Master's Thesis Defense "Ev aluating the Impact of Data Drift on Deep Learning Models for Bitcoin Pric e Forecasting" By Adithi Madduluri Advisor: Dr. Donghui Yan, Mathemati cs, UMass Dartmouth Committee Members:Dr. Yuchou Chang, Computer and Info rmation Science Department, UMass DartmouthDr. Long Jiao, Computer and Inf ormation Science Department, UMass Dartmouth Thursday, April 29, 202610:3 0 am to 11:30 am Via Zoom: Please contact Adithi Madduluri (amadduluri@um assd.edu) or Dr. Yan (dyan@umassd.edu) for the zoom link and passcode A bstract: Cryptocurrency markets are non-stationary, making price forecasti ng inherently unreliable over time. This study examines whether the choice of target variable has more impact on forecast stability than the choice of model architecture. Five models are evaluated across two target formula tions: raw Bitcoin price and 1-hour percentage change. The models tested a re Naive Forecast, ARIMA, LSTM, Bidirectional LSTM, and GRU, each trained and assessed over a 27-day test window using live data collected at 5-minu te intervals across a rolling six-week period. Drift detection using the W asserstein distance confirmed that raw price exhibits significantly greate r distributional shift than percentage change over the same timeframe. Mod els trained on raw price produced directional accuracy below 50% across al l learned architectures, with visible degradation over the test window. Th e Naive Forecast outperformed all learned models on both RMSE ($110.34) an d MAE ($66.08). Models trained on percentage change maintained substantial ly higher accuracy: LSTM achieved 74.7% directional accuracy, while BiLSTM and GRU both reached 72.8%, with no comparable decay observed. The result s indicate that model decay in Bitcoin forecasting is driven primarily by data drift in the target variable rather than by limitations in the predic ting architecture. When the target is stationary, all models tested retain their accuracy across the full evaluation window. All Data Science and C omputer Science Graduate Students are encouraged to attend. For more info rmation, please contact Dr. Donghui Yan at dyan@umassd.edu.\nEvent page: h ttps://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/evaluating-the-impact-of-data-drift-on-de ep-learning-models-for-bitcoin-price-forecasting.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:College of Engineering
Dat
a Science Master's Thesis Defense
"Evaluating the Impact of D
ata Drift on Deep Learning Models for Bitcoin Price Forecasting"
By Adithi Madduluri
Advisor:
Dr. Donghui Yan\, Ma
thematics\, UMass Dartmouth
Committee Members:
Dr. Yucho
u Chang\, Computer and Information Science Department\, UMass Dartmouth
Dr. Long Jiao\, Computer and Information Science Department\, UMass Dar
tmouth
Thursday\, April 29\, 2026
10:30 am to 11:30 am
Via Zoom: Please contact Adithi Madduluri (amadduluri@umassd.e
du) or Dr. Yan (dyan@umassd.edu) for the zoom link and passcode
<
br />Abstract: Cryptocurrency markets are non-stationary\, making price fo
recasting inherently unreliable over time. This study examines whether the
choice of target variable has more impact on forecast stability than the
choice of model architecture. Five models are evaluated across two target
formulations: raw Bitcoin price and 1-hour percentage change. The models t
ested are Naive Forecast\, ARIMA\, LSTM\, Bidirectional LSTM\, and GRU\, e
ach trained and assessed over a 27-day test window using live data collect
ed at 5-minute intervals across a rolling six-week period. Drift detection
using the Wasserstein distance confirmed that raw price exhibits signific
antly greater distributional shift than percentage change over the same ti
meframe. Models trained on raw price produced directional accuracy below 5
0% across all learned architectures\, with visible degradation over the te
st window. The Naive Forecast outperformed all learned models on both RMSE
($110.34) and MAE ($66.08). Models trained on percentage change maintaine
d substantially higher accuracy: LSTM achieved 74.7% directional accuracy\
, while BiLSTM and GRU both reached 72.8%\, with no comparable decay obser
ved. The results indicate that model decay in Bitcoin forecasting is drive
n primarily by data drift in the target variable rather than by limitation
s in the predicting architecture. When the target is stationary\, all mode
ls tested retain their accuracy across the full evaluation window.
All Data Science and Computer Science Graduate Students are encourag
ed to attend.
For more information\, please contact Dr. Dongh
ui Yan at dyan@umassd.edu.
Advisor: Dr. Donghui Yan
\ nCommittee Members:
\nDr. Yuchou Chang\, Computer and Information Science Department\, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
\nDr. Lo ng Jiao\, Computer and Information Science Department\, University of Mass achusetts Dartmouth
\nAbstract:
\nCryptocurrency markets are n on-stationary\, making price forecasting inherently unreliable over time. This study examines whether the choice of target variable has more impact on forecast stability than the choice of model architecture. Five models a re evaluated across two target formulations: raw Bitcoin price and 1-hour percentage change. The models tested are Naive Forecast\, ARIMA\, LSTM\, B idirectional LSTM\, and GRU\, each trained and assessed over a 27-day test window using live data collected at 5-minute intervals across a rolling s ix-week period. Drift detection using the Wasserstein distance confirmed t hat raw price exhibits significantly greater distributional shift than per centage change over the same timeframe. Models trained on raw price produc ed directional accuracy below 50% across all learned architectures\, with visible degradation over the test window. The Naive Forecast outperformed all learned models on both RMSE ($110.34) and MAE ($66.08). Models trained on percentage change maintained substantially higher accuracy: LSTM achie ved 74.7% directional accuracy\, while BiLSTM and GRU both reached 72.8%\, with no comparable decay observed. The results indicate that model decay in Bitcoin forecasting is driven primarily by data drift in the target var iable rather than by limitations in the predicting architecture. When the target is stationary\, all models tested retain their accuracy across the full evaluation window.
Event page: https:/ /www.umassd.edu/events/cms/data-science-ms-thesis-defense-by-adithi-maddul uri.php
DTSTAMP:20260426T141039 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T113000 LOCATION:Virtual SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Data Science MS Thesis Defense by Adithi Madduluri UID:8e3b164a71454ddac5cabe20717a3359@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Arts and Sciences,College of Engineering,Graduate Stu dies,Lectures and Seminars,SMAST,SMAST Seminar Series,STEM DESCRIPTION:Seminar Announcement Department of Estuarine and Ocean Sciences "Coastal Cities: Managing Urban Impacts Below the Waterline" Katherine Da ffornDistinguished Professor and Director of the Stone Living Lab, UMass B ostonWednesday, April 29, 202612:30 - 1:30 pmSMAST E 101-103 and via Zoom Abstract: Coastal cities are increasingly shaped by human activity, yet ma ny of the impacts occur below the waterline. My research has focused on un derstanding how urban stressors such as artificial structures, stormwater, and industrial pollution impact on marine ecosystems, and how we can desi gn solutions to mitigate these impacts. Artificial structures like seawall s, pilings and pontoons tend to create featureless surfaces that lack the complexity of natural habitats, reduce biodiversity, and create a niche fo r invasive species. Through the Living Seawalls project in Australia, I’ ve worked with collaborators to develop and test eco-engineered panels tha t add habitat complexity and support native species. These panels have now been installed in more than 10 countries around the world and are providi ng insight into how different geometries perform under different environme ntal conditions. Through this project I have also explored how ecological principles can inform port design to reduce the risk of marine invasions, using biosecurity research to guide infrastructure planning. Other stresso rs associated with coastal cities include the contaminants introduced by s tormwater. My work on the structural and functional impacts of contaminant s has included measuring the responses of macro- and micro-organisms to st ormwater. In collaboration with the City of Sydney, I’ve also investigat ed whether sediment-dwelling organisms (bioturbators) can help remediate s tormwater-contaminated sediments by enhancing microbial processes. Industr ial pollution is another persistent stressor, and I’ve been using enviro nmental DNA (eDNA) to detect changes in benthic communities and assess eco system health. In my talk I’ll also introduce the work of the Stone Livi ng Lab in Boston, where we are applying nature-based approaches to build c oastal resilience with the support of different government, community and industry stakeholders. Together, these projects aim to inform sustainable design and management of urban coastal environments. Join Meeting https:// umassd.zoom.us/j/97440069270 Note: Meeting ID and passcode required. Email contact to obtain. For additional information, please contact Callie Rumb ut at c.rumbut@umassd.edu\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/ smast-deos-seminar-coastal-cities-managing-urban-impacts-below-the-waterli ne-by-katherine-dafforn.php\nEvent link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/97440069 270 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Seminar Announcement
\nDe partment of Estuarine and Ocean Sciences
\n"Coastal Cities: Managing Urban Impacts Below the Waterline"
\nKatherine Dafforn
Disting
uished Professor and Director of the Stone Living Lab\, UMass Boston
Wednesday\, April 29\, 2026
12:30 - 1:30 pm
SMAST E 101-10
3 and via Zoom
Abstract:
\nCoastal cities are increasingly s haped by human activity\, yet many of the impacts occur below the waterlin e. My research has focused on understanding how urban stressors such as ar tificial structures\, stormwater\, and industrial pollution impact on mari ne ecosystems\, and how we can design solutions to mitigate these impacts. Artificial structures like seawalls\, pilings and pontoons tend to create featureless surfaces that lack the complexity of natural habitats\, reduc e biodiversity\, and create a niche for invasive species. Through the Livi ng Seawalls project in Australia\, I’ve worked with collaborators to dev elop and test eco-engineered panels that add habitat complexity and suppor t native species. These panels have now been installed in more than 10 cou ntries around the world and are providing insight into how different geome tries perform under different environmental conditions. Through this proje ct I have also explored how ecological principles can inform port design t o reduce the risk of marine invasions\, using biosecurity research to guid e infrastructure planning. Other stressors associated with coastal cities include the contaminants introduced by stormwater. My work on the structur al and functional impacts of contaminants has included measuring the respo nses of macro- and micro-organisms to stormwater. In collaboration with th e City of Sydney\, I’ve also investigated whether sediment-dwelling orga nisms (bioturbators) can help remediate stormwater-contaminated sediments by enhancing microbial processes. Industrial pollution is another persiste nt stressor\, and I’ve been using environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect cha nges in benthic communities and assess ecosystem health. In my talk I’ll also introduce the work of the Stone Living Lab in Boston\, where we are applying nature-based approaches to build coastal resilience with the supp ort of different government\, community and industry stakeholders. Togethe r\, these projects aim to inform sustainable design and management of urba n coastal environments.
\nJoin Meeting
\nhttps://umassd.zoom.us/j/97440069270\n
Note: Meeting ID and passcode required. Email contact to obtain.
\nFor additional information\, please contact Callie Rumbut at c.rumb ut@umassd.edu
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/smast-deos
-seminar-coastal-cities-managing-urban-impacts-below-the-waterline-by-kath
erine-dafforn.php
Event link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/97440069270
Join millions of people across the world that will wear jeans with a purpose\, support survivors\, and ed ucate themselves and others about all forms of sexual violence. Learn more at denimday.org
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/denim-d ay-photo-booth.php
DTSTAMP:20260426T141039 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T160000 LOCATION:Campus Center SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Denim Day Photo Booth UID:ee59fca0f3a2f8afe79b0367d9d66369@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Engineering,Thesis/Dissertations DESCRIPTION:Topic: Spectral Projection Model for Electromagnetic Scattering from Conducting Objects Abstract: Electromagnetic analysis for many years has depended on both analytical and numerical methods. Analytical methods could provide accurate solutions, but they could only be used for basic s hapes like circular cylinders and spheres. As electromagnetics became more demanding, there have been situations with shapes that are irregular and asymmetrical, where analytical techniques are not easily applicable. For t his reason, numerical techniques such as the Method of Moments (MoM) have become widely used, although they can be computationally expensive, especi ally for large-scale problems. The objective of this study was to test the validity of the alternative techniques developed at UMassD known as the S pectral Projection Model (SPM) by systematically comparing its results wit h those obtained using the Method of Moments (MoM) when applied to scatter ing form circular and elliptical cylinders. The MoM technique is used to s olve integral equations by discretizing them and converting it into a syst em of linear equations. The key idea behind SPM is to exploit the addition theorem of Hankel functions, which allows Green’s function to be decomp osed into a series of angular modes. Each mode represents a global wave pa ttern that wraps around the object. Rather than computing interactions bet ween individual surface elements, the problem is reformulated in terms of determining the amplitude of each angular mode. Both methods were implemen ted and tested under identical conditions, and their results were analyzed in terms of accuracy, convergence, and computational efficiency. The SP M produced good agreement with Method of Moments techniques. This work aim s to determine whether SPM can serve as a reliable and efficient alternati ve to conventional numerical methods in the analysis of electromagnetic sc attering. Advisor(s): Dr. Dayalan P. Kasilingam, Professor, Dept. of Elect rical & Computer Engineering, UMASS Dartmouth Committee Members: Dr. David A. Brown, Professor, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, UMASS Da rtmouth; Dr. Paul J. Gendron, Professor, Dept. of Electrical & Computer En gineering, UMASS Dartmouth NOTE: All ECE Graduate Students are ENCOURAGED to attend. All interested parties are invited to attend. Open to the publi c. *For further information, please contact Dr. Dayalan Kasilingam via ema il at dkasilingam@umassd.edu.\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/c ms/elee-research-component-of-phd-qualifier-exam-by-temegni-ulrich-bertaud .php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Topic: Spectral Projection Mode l for Electromagnetic Scattering from Conducting Objects
\nAbstract: Electromagnetic analysis for many years has depended on both analytical a nd numerical methods. Analytical methods could provide accurate solutions\ , but they could only be used for basic shapes like circular cylinders and spheres. As electromagnetics became more demanding\, there have been situ ations with shapes that are irregular and asymmetrical\, where analytical techniques are not easily applicable. For this reason\, numerical techniqu es such as the Method of Moments (MoM) have become widely used\, although they can be computationally expensive\, especially for large-scale problem s. The objective of this study was to test the validity of the alternative techniques developed at UMassD known as the Spectral Projection Model (SP M) by systematically comparing its results with those obtained using the M ethod of Moments (MoM) when applied to scattering form circular and ellipt ical cylinders. The MoM technique is used to solve integral equations by d iscretizing them and converting it into a system of linear equations. The key idea behind SPM is to exploit the addition theorem of Hankel functions \, which allows Green’s function to be decomposed into a series of angul ar modes. Each mode represents a global wave pattern that wraps around the object. Rather than computing interactions between individual surface ele ments\, the problem is reformulated in terms of determining the amplitude of each angular mode. Both methods were implemented and tested under ident ical conditions\, and their results were analyzed in terms of accuracy\, c onvergence\, and computational efficiency. The SPM produced good agreeme nt with Method of Moments techniques. This work aims to determine whether SPM can serve as a reliable and efficient alternative to conventional nume rical methods in the analysis of electromagnetic scattering.
\nAdvis or(s): Dr. Dayalan P. Kasilingam\, Professor\, Dept. of Electrical & Compu ter Engineering\, UMASS Dartmouth
\nCommittee Members: Dr. David A. Brown\, Professor\, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering\, UMASS Dar tmouth\; Dr. Paul J. Gendron\, Professor\, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering\, UMASS Dartmouth
\nNOTE: All ECE Graduate Students are ENCOURAGED to attend. All interested parties are invited to attend. Open t o the public.
\n*For further information\, please contact Dr. Dayala n Kasilingam via email at dkasilingam@umassd.edu.
DTSTAMP:20260426T141039 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T150000 LOCATION:Lester W. Cory Conference Room, Science & Engineering Building (SENG), Room 213A SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:ELEE Research Component of PhD Qualifier Exam by Tem egni Ulrich Bertaud UID:05bf8f84a001a91199929b7c00783bc6@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:Study Abroad DESCRIPTION:Interested in studying abroad? Do you have a quick question a bout the opportunities that are available or the overall process? Have q uestions about scholarships available to support your study abroad experie nce? Stop by the International Programs Office (IPO) in the Library 233! Students will be seen on a first come, first served basis. \nEvent pa ge: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/study-abroad-walk-in-advising.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Interested in studying abroad? Do you have a quick question about the opportunities that are available or the overall process? Have questions about scholarships available to support your study abroad experience? Stop by the International Programs Office (IPO) in the Library 233! Students will be seen on a first come\, first served basis.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/event s/cms/study-abroad-walk-in-advising.php
DTSTAMP:20260426T141039 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260325T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260325T170000 LOCATION:Library 233 SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Study Abroad Walk-in Advising UID:f70414fb1064fa8cef5adad044cfb653@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:Financial Aid DESCRIPTION:Financial Aid FAFSA Help Labs in SENG 109 Financial Aid Service s wants to remind all students to file their FAFSA! Join Financial Aid Ser vices for FAFSA Help Labs in SENG 109 on Wednesdays and Fridays from 3-4pm for help filing your FAFSA and learning more about financial aid.Particip ants must bring their own laptop.\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/even ts/cms/financial-aid-fafsa-help-labs-in-seng-109-1.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Financial Aid FAFSA Help Labs i n SENG 109
\nFinancial Aid Services wants to remind all students to
file their FAFSA! Join Financial Aid Services for FAFSA Help Labs in SENG
109 on Wednesdays and Fridays from 3-4pm for help filing your FAFSA and le
arning more about financial aid.
Participants must bring thei
r own laptop.
Event page: https://www.uma ssd.edu/events/cms/financial-aid-fafsa-help-labs-in-seng-109-1.php
DTSTAMP:20260426T141039 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260128T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260128T160000 LOCATION:SENG 109 SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Financial Aid FAFSA Help Labs in SENG 109 UID:cad04e92bf1f03cf62760cbce60edddf@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:Honors College DESCRIPTION:The Commonwealth Honors Scholars, Class of 2026 will be present ing their APEX Posters at the 41st Annual Honors College Convocation on We dnesday, April 29th in the Marketplace. There will be over 75 posters repr esenting all five colleges. All are welcome to attend from 3:00-5:00pm. Li ght refreshments will be served. \nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/eve nts/cms/41st-annual-honors-college-convocation.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The Commonwealth Honors Scholar s\, Class of 2026 will be presenting their APEX Posters at the 41st Annual Honors College Convocation on Wednesday\, April 29th in the Marketplace. There will be over 75 posters representing all five colleges. All are welc ome to attend from 3:00-5:00pm. Light refreshments will be served.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/41st-annual-ho nors-college-convocation.php
DTSTAMP:20260426T141039 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T170000 LOCATION:The Marketplace SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:41st Annual Honors College Convocation UID:c295f7fc92479c9308e0ae23343238ab@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Arts and Sciences,College of Engineering,Lectures and Seminars,SMAST,SMAST Seminar Series,STEM DESCRIPTION:Seminar Announcement Department of Fisheries Oceanography "Nove l Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture Projects in the Gulf of Maine, Gulf of Mexico, and the Northern Mariana Islands" Michael ChambersAssociate Res earch Professor, University of New Hampshire Wednesday, April 29, 20263:00 - 4:00 pmSMAST E 101-103 and via Zoom Abstract: Interest in integrated mu ltitrophic (IMTA) farming technologies is growing in the US, Gulf of Ameri ca, and the Pacific. This type of aquaculture incorporates lower trophic s pecies that extract inorganic and organic nutrients from a fed species. Th is technique has been demonstrated by the University of New Hampshire with steelhead trout, blue mussel, and sugar kelp from a floating sea structur e called the AquaFort. This farming approach reduces nitrogen input to the environment and produces additional species to be sold thus increasing th e economic viability of a farm. The platform is used for aquaculture educa tion, training, research and demonstration. This small-scale approach ease s the permitting process, informs the public on responsible farming method s and provides fresh seafood to local markets. A second IMTA project has c ommenced offshore of Dauphin Island, AL. This project is funded by the Gul f States Marine Fisheries Commission and is currently producing red drum, eastern oysters, and Gracilaria. A third project is underway on Saipan in the Northern Marina Islands. This project is in the permitting phase and is currently collecting environmental data for a site offshore of Garapan. The status of these projects will be presented. Join Meeting https://um assd.zoom.us/j/93758230260 Note: Meeting ID and passcode required. Please email contact to obtain. For additional information, please contact Callie Rumbut at c.rumbut@umassd.edu\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/events /cms/smast-seminar---dfo-novel-integrated-multitrophic-aquaculture-project s-in-the-gulf-of-maine-gulf-of-mexico-and-the-northern-mariana-islands-by- michael-chambers.php\nEvent link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/93758230260 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Seminar Announcement
\nDe partment of Fisheries Oceanography
\n"Novel Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture Projects in the Gulf of Maine\, Gulf of Mexico\, and the North ern Mariana Islands"
\nMichael Chambers
Associate Research Prof
essor\, University of New Hampshire
Wednesday\, April 29\, 2026
3:00 - 4:00 pm
SMAST E 101-103 and via Zoom
Abstract:
\ nInterest in integrated multitrophic (IMTA) farming technologies is gro wing in the US\, Gulf of America\, and the Pacific. This type of aquacultu re incorporates lower trophic species that extract inorganic and organic n utrients from a fed species. This technique has been demonstrated by the U niversity of New Hampshire with steelhead trout\, blue mussel\, and sugar kelp from a floating sea structure called the AquaFort. This farming appro ach reduces nitrogen input to the environment and produces additional spec ies to be sold thus increasing the economic viability of a farm. The platf orm is used for aquaculture education\, training\, research and demonstrat ion. This small-scale approach eases the permitting process\, informs the public on responsible farming methods and provides fresh seafood to local markets. A second IMTA project has commenced offshore of Dauphin Island\, AL. This project is funded by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission and is currently producing red drum\, eastern oysters\, and Gracilaria. A third project is underway on Saipan in the Northern Marina Islands. This project is in the permitting phase and is currently collecting environment al data for a site offshore of Garapan. The status of these projects will be presented.
\nJoin Meeting
\nhttps://u massd.zoom.us/j/93758230260
\nNote: Meeting ID and passcode requ ired. Please email contact to obtain.
\nFor additional information\, please contact Callie Rumbut at c.rumbut@umassd.edu
Event pag
e: https://www
.umassd.edu/events/cms/smast-seminar---dfo-novel-integrated-multitrophic-a
quaculture-projects-in-the-gulf-of-maine-gulf-of-mexico-and-the-northern-m
ariana-islands-by-michael-chambers.php
Event link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/93758230260
On Wednesday\, April 29th\, joi
n us at CVPA 153 at 5:00 PM for a the screening of Sofia Coppola’s accla
imed film Lost in Translation.
This is the last movie of our film ser
ies: In/Between Worlds: Expressions of Displacement in Global Cinema\, whe
re we have been featuring movies connected to cultural dislocation and dis
placement. Set in Tokyo\, the movie follows two strangers\, an aging Ameri
can actor and a young woman\, who find themselves adrift in a foreign city
.
The screening will be introduced by Nicholas Santavicca\, Associ ate Professor of English & Communication at the University of Massachusett s Dartmouth. He is also the founding Director of the American Language & C ultures Institute. With over 15 years of experience teaching language educ ation in both K–12 and higher education settings (including in the U.S.\ , China\, and Spain)\, Professor Santavicca specializes in rethinking asse ssment\, curriculum design\, and school policy for multilingual and multic ultural students\, as well as international students.
\nThis is a wo nderful opportunity to begin closing the semester by enjoying a film about human connection in a globalized world and engaging in conversation with your peers.
\nCome early\, grab some pizza\, and settle in for the m ovie!
DTSTAMP:20260426T141039 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T193000 LOCATION:CVPA 153 SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Screening of Lost in Translation – In/Between Worlds: Expressions of Displacement in Global Cinema UID:67239a311cf24ce52d8a71461b33d076@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:Student Affairs DESCRIPTION:Hey Veterans! Please join us for the last Grub and Gather of th e semester, Grub 'N Go, on Thursday, April 30th from 12pm to 3pm. Sandwich es and salads will be served. Best of luck on finals! \nEvent page: https ://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/veterans-grub-n-go.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Hey Veterans! Please join us fo r the last Grub and Gather of the semester\, Grub 'N Go\, on Thursday\, Ap ril 30th from 12pm to 3pm. Sandwiches and salads will be served. Best of l uck on finals!
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/veterans-gru b-n-go.php
DTSTAMP:20260426T141039 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260430T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260430T150000 LOCATION:Campus Center SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Veterans Grub 'N Go UID:1c5a8c5a4faea82db07c68c22246777c@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Arts and Sciences,College of Engineering,Graduate Stu dies,Lectures and Seminars,SMAST,STEM,Thesis/Dissertations DESCRIPTION:Department of Fisheries Oceanography PhD Dissertation Defense " Beyond the observer's gaze: an integrated approach to detection, estimatio n, and mitigation of observer and deployment effects in fisheries monitori ng" By: Debra Duarte AdvisorSteven X. Cadrin (UMass Dartmouth) Committee M embers Pingguo He (UMass Dartmouth), Gavin Fay (UMass Dartmouth), Geret De Piper (Texas A&M), and Anna Malak Mercer (NOAA) Thursday April 30, 2026 1:00 PM SMAST East 102-103 836 S. Rodney French Blvd, New Bedford and via Zoom Abstract: Observers are deployed on commercial fishing trips to colle ct representative samples of discard rates. However, fishers may change th eir fishing behavior when an observer is onboard (i.e., “observer effect ”) or observer programs may over- or under-sample portions of the fleet (i.e., “deployment effect”). If the extent of these effects is substan tial, observer data will not be representative of unobserved trips, potent ially biasing the estimation of discards. This sampling bias can impact ca tch monitoring, stock assessments, and fishery management. The goal of thi s dissertation was to evaluate how well we can detect these types of effec ts, understand their impacts on catch and discard estimates, and explore m itigation strategies. The New England multispecies groundfish fishery was used as a test case throughout. Chapter 1 examined the performance of seve ral published methods for detecting an observer effect using a simulation of observer and deployment effects at varying sampling ratios (i.e., obser ver coverage) for several sample statistics. The simplest methods (t-test and F-test for difference of means and variances) provided an accurate but imprecise estimate of the observer effect size and only when there were n o deployment effects. A generalized linear mixed effects model (GLMM) was also not reliable for detecting small bias but was not confounded by deplo yment effects and was relatively robust to changing coverage rates. The mo st complicated tests involved comparing differences in trip characteristic s between subsequent trips for observed-unobserved and unobserved-unobserv ed pairs. These tests were able to detect smaller observer effects and wer e not confounded by deployment effects but were unreliable at high coverag e rates (>60%), producing both high false positive and false negative rate s. Sensitivity tests also showed differing detection accuracy as the distr ibution of the metric of interest changed. No single method was reliable a cross all conditions, indicating that the choice of method should depend o n the specific characteristics of the fishery. Chapter 2 compared the impa ct of observer and deployment effects on catch and discard estimates from multiple methods: stratified ratios, generalized additive models, generali zed linear models, and random forest models. Several methods were robust t o the impact of deployment effects, but the preferred model differed by sp ecies, and variability between iterations was high for some species. When an observer effect reduced only the proportion of catch discarded, models for estimating total catch were relatively unaffected, but discard estimat es were underestimated in all models. In contrast, when the observer effec t altered fishing behavior (e.g., fishing location or gear configuration), model estimates were biased for both catch and discards. Chapter 3 create d a framework for determining observer coverage needs to meet precision ta rgets for science and management. This framework was used to evaluate trad eoffs between observer coverage and integration of reference fleets with h igh fidelity data and fewer incentives to change behavior on observed trip s, such as electronic monitoring or cooperative research study fleets. The design of the program with respect to observer coverage (equal or unequal for reference fleet participants vs. non-participants) and discard estima tion (stratified or unstratified) was critical for accurate estimates, eve n in the absence of observer effects. A cohesive program must consider tra deoffs of data precision, logistics, quality, cost, and safety. These find ings underscore the importance of representative sampling, appropriate est imation models, and thoughtful design to produce accurate estimates for sc ience and management. Observer and deployment effects may be an inescapabl e outcome of deploying observers on a subset of fishing vessels, but there are viable options for dealing with them. Detection, estimation, and miti gation must be considered together rather than in isolation to avoid biase d estimates, which could lead to inaccurate assessments and errors in stoc k management. Join Meeting https://umassd.zoom.us/j/95408579777 Note: Meet ing ID and passcode required. Email contact to obtain For additional infor mation, please contact Callie Rumbut at c.rumbut@umassd.edu\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/dfo-phd-dissertation-defense-beyond-the- observers-gaze-.php\nEvent link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/95408579777 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Department of Fisheries Oceanog raphy
\nPhD Dissertation Defense
\n"Beyond the observer's gaze : an integrated approach to detection\, estimation\, and mitigation of obs erver and deployment effects in fisheries monitoring"
\nBy: Debra Du arte
\nAdvisor
Steven X. Cadrin (UMass Dartmouth)
Commi ttee Members
\nPingguo He (UMass Dartmouth)\, Gavin Fay (UMass Dartm outh)\, Geret DePiper (Texas A&M)\, and Anna Malak Mercer (NOAA)
\nThursday April 30\, 2026
\n1:00 PM
\nSMAST East 102-103
\n836 S. Rodney French Blvd\, New Bedford
\nand via Zoom
\nAb stract:
\nObservers are deployed on commercial fishing trips to coll ect representative samples of discard rates. However\, fishers may change their fishing behavior when an observer is onboard (i.e.\, “observer eff ect”) or observer programs may over- or under-sample portions of the fle et (i.e.\, “deployment effect”). If the extent of these effects is sub stantial\, observer data will not be representative of unobserved trips\, potentially biasing the estimation of discards. This sampling bias can imp act catch monitoring\, stock assessments\, and fishery management. The goa l of this dissertation was to evaluate how well we can detect these types of effects\, understand their impacts on catch and discard estimates\, and explore mitigation strategies. The New England multispecies groundfish fi shery was used as a test case throughout.
\nChapter 1 examined the p erformance of several published methods for detecting an observer effect u sing a simulation of observer and deployment effects at varying sampling r atios (i.e.\, observer coverage) for several sample statistics. The simple st methods (t-test and F-test for difference of means and variances) provi ded an accurate but imprecise estimate of the observer effect size and onl y when there were no deployment effects. A generalized linear mixed effect s model (GLMM) was also not reliable for detecting small bias but was not confounded by deployment effects and was relatively robust to changing cov erage rates. The most complicated tests involved comparing differences in trip characteristics between subsequent trips for observed-unobserved and unobserved-unobserved pairs. These tests were able to detect smaller obser ver effects and were not confounded by deployment effects but were unrelia ble at high coverage rates (>60%)\, producing both high false positive and false negative rates. Sensitivity tests also showed differing detection a ccuracy as the distribution of the metric of interest changed. No single m ethod was reliable across all conditions\, indicating that the choice of m ethod should depend on the specific characteristics of the fishery.
\n< p>Chapter 2 compared the impact of observer and deployment effects on catc h and discard estimates from multiple methods: stratified ratios\, general ized additive models\, generalized linear models\, and random forest model s. Several methods were robust to the impact of deployment effects\, but t he preferred model differed by species\, and variability between iteration s was high for some species. When an observer effect reduced only the prop ortion of catch discarded\, models for estimating total catch were relativ ely unaffected\, but discard estimates were underestimated in all models. In contrast\, when the observer effect altered fishing behavior (e.g.\, fi shing location or gear configuration)\, model estimates were biased for bo th catch and discards.\nChapter 3 created a framework for determini ng observer coverage needs to meet precision targets for science and manag ement. This framework was used to evaluate tradeoffs between observer cove rage and integration of reference fleets with high fidelity data and fewer incentives to change behavior on observed trips\, such as electronic moni toring or cooperative research study fleets. The design of the program wit h respect to observer coverage (equal or unequal for reference fleet parti cipants vs. non-participants) and discard estimation (stratified or unstra tified) was critical for accurate estimates\, even in the absence of obser ver effects. A cohesive program must consider tradeoffs of data precision\ , logistics\, quality\, cost\, and safety. These findings underscore the i mportance of representative sampling\, appropriate estimation models\, and thoughtful design to produce accurate estimates for science and managemen t. Observer and deployment effects may be an inescapable outcome of deploy ing observers on a subset of fishing vessels\, but there are viable option s for dealing with them. Detection\, estimation\, and mitigation must be c onsidered together rather than in isolation to avoid biased estimates\, wh ich could lead to inaccurate assessments and errors in stock management.\n
Join Meeting
\nhttps://umassd.zoom.us/j/95408579777
\nNote: Meeting ID and passcode required. Email contact to obtain
\ nFor additional information\, please contact Callie Rumbut at c.rumbu t@umassd.edu
Event page: https://w
ww.umassd.edu/events/cms/dfo-phd-dissertation-defense-beyond-the-observers
-gaze-.php
Event link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/95408579777
Following the infamous 9/11 ter rorist strikes on American targets in 2001 the US launched “Operation En during Freedom\,” beginning two decades of military action in Afghanista n against Al Qaida and the Taliban. Recruits from the Afghan National Army were sent to America to train alongside US Special Forces\; they then ser ved for a decade alongside the elite Special Forces teams as commandos and interpreters. Amid the chaos of America’s troop withdrawal during the 2 021 collapse of the Afghan army and government\, these Afghan comrades wer e left behind to face the wrath of a vengeful Taliban.
\nGreen Beret veteran Lt. Col. Scott Mann will share his remarkable account about how a group of retired US Special Forces operatives came together for one last mission to honor a promise made to their former brothers-in-arms. "Operati on Pineapple Express" ultimately succeeded in extracting over five hundred abandoned Afghan soldiers\, interpreters\, and at-risk family members. Hi s book\, Operation Pineapple Express\, is a gripping account of the heroism\, service\, and loyalty demonstrated in this final\, unsanctio ned\, rescue mission.
DTSTAMP:20260426T141039 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260430T153000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260430T164500 LOCATION:CVPA 153 SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Operation Pineapple Express: The daring rescue of st randed Afghan partners at the close of America's War on Terror UID:558c2752bd9529d0a09bae694c8b8c75@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Visual and Performing Arts,Lectures and Seminars,Thes is/Dissertations DESCRIPTION:Advisor: Rebecca Hutchinson Subject: Master of Fine Arts Thesis Defense by: Immer Mowry Cook Topic: Found and Made: Ceramics in Integrate d Compositional Systems Date: May 1st, 2026 Time: 10:00am Location: ADS, 4 58 State Rd. North Dartmouth Towne Center, North Dartmouth, MA. 02747 Abst ract: I create temporary systems of structural dependency that use hybrid forms and improvised supports to convey a spectrum of stability and precar iousness. I explore the relationship of natural growth and constructed fra gments in temporary ecosystems that question how bodies and structure adap t, lean and persist in unstable environments. Through iteration and experi mentation, I position myself as a student of the materials and objects I w ork with. I prioritize their intrinsic properties and the ways they can fi t together to form larger structures, rather than their intended uses. My sculptures combine lushly glazed, highly crafted ceramic forms with other materials to explore the relationship between organic form, structural sup port, and material tension. I combine biomorphic shapes with industrial an d found materials to create systems that appear to lean, balance, and rely on one another. Soft, bodily forms interact with rigid frameworks, sugges ting both growth and constraint while emphasizing the physical forces of w eight, gravity, and balance. This work draws inspiration from the material experimentation and expressive surfaces of Arlene Shechet, the careful at tention to structure and craft found in the sculpture of Martin Puryear, a nd the transformative assemblage of industrial materials associated with J ohn Chamberlain. While these influences inform my practice, my sculptures emphasize provisional construction and visible support systems, presenting sculpture as an evolving structure where organic forms and built framewor ks coexist in unstable but generative balance.\nEvent page: https://www.um assd.edu/events/cms/master-of-fine-arts-thesis-defense-by-immer-mowry-cook .php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Advisor: Rebecca Hutchinson
\nSubject: Master of Fine Arts Thesis Defense by: Immer Mowry Cook
\ nTopic: Found and Made: Ceramics in Integrated Compositional Systems
\nDate: May 1st\, 2026
\nTime: 10:00am
\nLocation: ADS\, 4 58 State Rd. North Dartmouth Towne Center\, North Dartmouth\, MA. 02747
\nAbstract:
\nI create temporary systems of structural dependenc y that use hybrid forms and improvised supports to convey a spectrum of st ability and precariousness. I explore the relationship of natural growth a nd constructed fragments in temporary ecosystems that question how bodies and structure adapt\, lean and persist in unstable environments. Through i teration and experimentation\, I position myself as a student of the mater ials and objects I work with. I prioritize their intrinsic properties and the ways they can fit together to form larger structures\, rather than the ir intended uses.
\nMy sculptures combine lushly glazed\, highly cra fted ceramic forms with other materials to explore the relationship betwee n organic form\, structural support\, and material tension. I combine biom orphic shapes with industrial and found materials to create systems that a ppear to lean\, balance\, and rely on one another. Soft\, bodily forms int eract with rigid frameworks\, suggesting both growth and constraint while emphasizing the physical forces of weight\, gravity\, and balance.
\nThis work draws inspiration from the material experimentation and express ive surfaces of Arlene Shechet\, the careful attention to structure and cr aft found in the sculpture of Martin Puryear\, and the transformative asse mblage of industrial materials associated with John Chamberlain. While the se influences inform my practice\, my sculptures emphasize provisional con struction and visible support systems\, presenting sculpture as an evolvin g structure where organic forms and built frameworks coexist in unstable b ut generative balance.
Event page: http s://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/master-of-fine-arts-thesis-defense-by-immer- mowry-cook.php
DTSTAMP:20260426T141039 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260501T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260501T110000 LOCATION:UMass Dartmouth Art & Design Studio SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Master of Fine Arts Thesis Defense by Immer Mowry Co ok UID:c68023ae0519bdd12d29b3dc3c464965@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Visual and Performing Arts,Lectures and Seminars,Thes is/Dissertations DESCRIPTION:Advisor: Rebecca Hutchinson Subject: Master of Thesis Defense b y: Yaren Yildiz Topic: From Drawing to Clay: Layering, Pressure, and Densi ty as Material Strategies for Articulating the Body as Visceral and in Flu x Date: May 1st, 2026 Time: 11: 00 AM Location: UMass Dartmouth CVPA Art & Design Studio Abstract: This thesis explores the body as sensation rather than representation through ceramic sculpture and drawing. Grounded in a drawing-based practice, the work approaches clay as a responsive and trans formative material that records touch, pressure, and time. Rather than dep icting the human figure, the sculptures evoke bodily states through fragme nted, organic forms that suggest tension, movement, and instability. The c onceptual framework of the thesis is informed by Francis Bacon’s emphasi s on sensation over representation, as discussed in his conversations with David Sylvester and in Gilles Deleuze’s The Logic of Sensation. Additio nal influences include the films of David Cronenberg, particularly their d epiction of bodies that appear strangely alive, as well as the drawings of Hans Bellmer, whose intense line quality and physical immediacy resonate with clay’s material behavior. Drawing functions alongside ceramics as a parallel site of inquiry, informing the buildup, density, and surface log ic of the sculptural work. Through variations in scale and physical presen ce, the work emphasizes embodiment as a relational and experiential condit ion. By prioritizing material intensity and transformation, this thesis po sitions ceramics and drawing as interconnected practices that engage the b ody through sensation rather than visual representation.\nEvent page: http s://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/master-of-fine-arts-thesis-defense-by-yaren- yildiz.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Advisor: Rebecca Hutchinson
\nSubject: Master of Thesis Defense by: Yaren Yildiz
\nTopic: Fro m Drawing to Clay: Layering\, Pressure\, and Density as Material Strategie s for Articulating the Body as Visceral and in Flux
\nDate: May 1st\ , 2026
\nTime: 11: 00 AM
\nLocation: UMass Dartmouth CVPA Art & Design Studio
\nAbstract:
\nThis thesis explores the body as sensation rather than representation through ceramic sculpture and drawin g. Grounded in a drawing-based practice\, the work approaches clay as a re sponsive and transformative material that records touch\, pressure\, and t ime. Rather than depicting the human figure\, the sculptures evoke bodily states through fragmented\, organic forms that suggest tension\, movement\ , and instability.
\nThe conceptual framework of the thesis is infor med by Francis Bacon’s emphasis on sensation over representation\, as di scussed in his conversations with David Sylvester and in Gilles Deleuze’ s The Logic of Sensation. Additional influences include the films of David Cronenberg\, particularly their depiction of bodies that appear strangely alive\, as well as the drawings of Hans Bellmer\, whose intense line qual ity and physical immediacy resonate with clay’s material behavior. Drawi ng functions alongside ceramics as a parallel site of inquiry\, informing the buildup\, density\, and surface logic of the sculptural work.
\nThrough variations in scale and physical presence\, the work emphasizes em bodiment as a relational and experiential condition. By prioritizing mater ial intensity and transformation\, this thesis positions ceramics and draw ing as interconnected practices that engage the body through sensation rat her than visual representation.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/master-of-fine-arts-thesis-defense-by-y aren-yildiz.php
DTSTAMP:20260426T141039 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260501T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260501T120000 LOCATION:UMass Dartmouth CVPA Art & Design Studio SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Master of Fine Arts Thesis Defense by Yaren Yildiz UID:d6213f6dd06fcd84b256d2d68f9664bb@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Visual and Performing Arts,Lectures and Seminars,Thes is/Dissertations DESCRIPTION:Advisor: Paula Becker Subject: Master of Fine Arts Thesis Def ense by: Allison Morones Topic: Wild Cactus: an original puppet show ab out the American southwest Date: May 1st, 2026 Time: 11:15am Location: UMass Dartmouth Art and Design Studios, North Dartmouth, MA Ab stract: Theatrical storytelling is an inherent part of human culture and the driving force behind my art practice; my new play is a hero’s epic journey through physical trials and emotional isolation; akin to Dante tru dging through an indifferent Inferno. Mixing my understanding of fiber art s and theatrical storytelling, as a theatre costume designer and fabricato r, I’ve worked to recreate natural textures with unnatural materials usi ng old techniques that predate the technological advances of the 1900’s: a 23-yard-long moving panorama to change background locations, an origina l score, and a mix of handmade marionette and rod puppets. With these too ls, the audience recaptures the full body experience of childhood wonder as they watch a puppet show about the trials of youth. \nEvent page: ht tps://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/master-of-fine-arts-thesis-defense-by-alli son-morones.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Advisor: Paula Becker
\nSubject: Master of Fine Arts Thesis Defense by: Allison Morones
\nTopic: Wild Cactus: an original puppet show about the American southwest
\nDate: May 1st\, 2026
\nTime: 11:15am
\nL ocation: UMass Dartmouth Art and Design Studios\, North Dartmouth\, MA \n
Abstract:
\nTheatrical storytelling is an inherent part of human culture and the driving force behind my art practice\; my new play i s a hero’s epic journey through physical trials and emotional isolation\ ; akin to Dante trudging through an indifferent Inferno. Mixing my underst anding of fiber arts and theatrical storytelling\, as a theatre costume de signer and fabricator\, I’ve worked to recreate natural textures with un natural materials using old techniques that predate the technological adva nces of the 1900’s: a 23-yard-long moving panorama to change background locations\, an original score\, and a mix of handmade marionette and rod p uppets. With these tools\, the audience recaptures the full body experie nce of childhood wonder as they watch a puppet show about the trials of yo uth.
Event page: https://www.umassd. edu/events/cms/master-of-fine-arts-thesis-defense-by-allison-morones.php
DTSTAMP:20260426T141039 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260501T111500 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260501T121500 LOCATION:UMass Dartmouth Art and Design Studios, North Dartmouth, MA SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Master of Fine Arts Thesis Defense by: Allison Moron es UID:ec32b2ef9e3e2ad589884d97e493cad6@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:SMAST,Thesis/Dissertations DESCRIPTION:Department of Estuarine and Ocean Sciences MS Thesis Defense "O ptical Characterization of Particle Size Distributions and Their Relations hip to Phytoplankton Pigment Composition in the Northern Gulf of Mexico" B y: Kara Falvey Advisor Steven Lohrenz (UMass Dartmouth) Committee Member s Geoffrey Cowles (UMass Dartmouth), and Jefferson Turner (UMass Dartmouth ), Friday May 1, 2026 12:00 PM SMAST East 102-103 836 S. Rodney French Blv d, New Bedford and via Zoom Abstract: Optical characterization of particle size distributions, particle volumes, and particle number concentrations was conducted and compared to phytoplankton size classes as inferred from phytoplankton pigment composition in the region of the northern Gulf of Me xico (nGOM) influenced by the Mississippi and Atchafalaya River systems. U sing a Laser In-Situ Scattering and Transmissometer (LISST 100X), we acqui red vertical profiles of particle concentration and size from nearshore es tuarine regions to open ocean waters. Profiles of spectral beam attenuatio n using an underwater absorption and attenuation spectrometer (AC-9) were acquired alongside the LISST measurements. These optical observations were compared to phytoplankton size classes as inferred from phytoplankton pig ment composition. Strong spatial gradients in particle volume and number c oncentration were observed in conjunction with variations in the magnitude of beam attenuation, with higher values in the estuary and inner shelf wa ters. The observed relationship between the spectral slope of the beam att enuation, γ, corrected for colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) absorp tion, and the slope of the LISST-derived particle size distribution, ξ, f ollowed general theoretical expectations, although there were notable devi ations, particularly at estuary and inner shelf stations. The near-surface particle number and volume concentrations were examined in relation to wa ter mass type as well as in relation to phytoplankton composition and size class as inferred from high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) pigment analyses. Near-surface particle volume and number concentration were high est in estuary waters as compared to outer shelf waters. The median fracti on of total chlorophyll associated with the microphytoplankton size fracti on (20 – 200 μm) was lower for mid-shelf stations compared to estuary a nd inner shelf stations. The median total volume fraction of larger partic les in the size range (20 – 200 μm) for inner and mid-shelf stations wa s significantly lower than for estuary stations. Outer shelf stations demo nstrated relatively large variability in chlorophyll fractions associated with the different size classes. Subsurface peaks were evident in vertical profiles of particle volume and number concentration and coincided with d istinct in phytoplankton pigment composition, providing insight about vert ical variations in community composition in relation to physical gradients . These findings provide novel information about particle characteristics and their relationship to phytoplankton composition in the nGOM. Join Meet ing https://umassd.zoom.us/j/92975455209 Note: Meeting ID and passcode req uired, email contact to obtain. For additional information, please contact Callie Rumbut at c.rumbut@umassd.edu\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/ events/cms/optical-characterization-of-particle-size-distributions-and-the ir-relationship-to-phytoplankton-pigment-composition-in-the-northern-gulf- of-mexico-by-kara-falvey.php\nEvent link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/9297545 5209 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Department of Estuarine and Oce an Sciences
\nMS Thesis Defense
\n"Optical Characterization of Particle Size Distributions and Their Relationship to Phytoplankton Pigme nt Composition in the Northern Gulf of Mexico"
\nBy: Kara Falvey\n
Advisor
\nSteven Lohrenz (UMass Dartmouth)
\nCommittee Members
\nGeoffrey Cowles (UMass Dartmouth)\, and Jefferson Turner ( UMass Dartmouth)\,
\nFriday May 1\, 2026
\n12:00 PM
\nSM AST East 102-103
\n836 S. Rodney French Blvd\, New Bedford
\na nd via Zoom
\nAbstract:
\nOptical characterization of particle size distributions\, particle volumes\, and particle number concentration s was conducted and compared to phytoplankton size classes as inferred fro m phytoplankton pigment composition in the region of the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM) influenced by the Mississippi and Atchafalaya River systems. Using a Laser In-Situ Scattering and Transmissometer (LISST 100X)\, we ac quired vertical profiles of particle concentration and size from nearshore estuarine regions to open ocean waters. Profiles of spectral beam attenua tion using an underwater absorption and attenuation spectrometer (AC-9) we re acquired alongside the LISST measurements. These optical observations w ere compared to phytoplankton size classes as inferred from phytoplankton pigment composition. Strong spatial gradients in particle volume and numbe r concentration were observed in conjunction with variations in the magnit ude of beam attenuation\, with higher values in the estuary and inner shel f waters. The observed relationship between the spectral slope of the beam attenuation\, γ\, corrected for colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) absorption\, and the slope of the LISST-derived particle size distribution \, ξ\, followed general theoretical expectations\, although there were no table deviations\, particularly at estuary and inner shelf stations. The n ear-surface particle number and volume concentrations were examined in rel ation to water mass type as well as in relation to phytoplankton compositi on and size class as inferred from high-pressure liquid chromatography (HP LC) pigment analyses. Near-surface particle volume and number concentratio n were highest in estuary waters as compared to outer shelf waters. The me dian fraction of total chlorophyll associated with the microphytoplankton size fraction (20 – 200 μm) was lower for mid-shelf stations compared t o estuary and inner shelf stations. The median total volume fraction of la rger particles in the size range (20 – 200 μm) for inner and mid-shelf stations was significantly lower than for estuary stations. Outer shelf st ations demonstrated relatively large variability in chlorophyll fractions associated with the different size classes. Subsurface peaks were evident in vertical profiles of particle volume and number concentration and coinc ided with distinct in phytoplankton pigment composition\, providing insigh t about vertical variations in community composition in relation to physic al gradients. These findings provide novel information about particle char acteristics and their relationship to phytoplankton composition in the nGO M.
\nJoin Meeting
\nhttps://umassd.zoom.us/j/92975455209
\nNote: Meeting ID and passcode required\, email contact to obtain.
\nFor additional information\, please contact Callie Rumbut at c.rumbut@u massd.edu
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/optical-characterization
-of-particle-size-distributions-and-their-relationship-to-phytoplankton-pi
gment-composition-in-the-northern-gulf-of-mexico-by-kara-falvey.php
Event link: https://umassd
.zoom.us/j/92975455209
Advisor: Rebecca Hutchinson \n
Subject: Master of Thesis Defense by: Alison Bergman
\nTop ic: Layered Explorations: Weaving a World of Wonder
\nDate: Ma y 1st\, 2026
\nTime: 12: 00 AM
\nLocation: UMass Dartmouth CVPA Art & Design Studio
\nAbstract:
\nThrough a hybrid p ractice that merges sculpture\, painting\, printmaking\, fiber\, and insta llation\, I use space as a medium to create a wondrous environment\, where endless points of view emerge out of my exploratory artistic process with vibrant colors\, lines\, and shapes. Printed clay forms\, woven forms and painted and collaged walls interact\, emphasizing lightness and playfu l possibility. My ceramics practice seeks to transform moments of imperf ection into opportunities for renewal\, creating sculptures where repair a nd readjustment become generative and where the possibility for joy can fu nction with deliberate intention. Individual ceramic elements are assemb led\, rearranged\, and placed in dialogue with painted walls\, allowing co lor and pattern to move between surface and object\, offering observers sa turated views. This fluid relationship between wall\, sculpture\, and spac e reflects an ongoing process of improvisation and reconstruction. The s pace is cared for but not fussy\, as I actively reject the prevalence of p erfectionism in favor of acceptance and joy.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/master-of-fine-arts-t hesis-defense-by-alison-bergman-.php
DTSTAMP:20260426T141039 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260501T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260501T130000 LOCATION:UMass Dartmouth CVPA Art & Design Studio SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Master of Fine Arts Thesis Defense by Alison Bergman UID:099cd942bb733261fba1d1d5b374dcb5@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR