ALANA is a celebration of succe ss for ALANA – African / African American / Black\; Latino / Latina / Hispanic\; Asian / Pacific Islander\; Native American / Indigenous / Fir st nation – students. This event culminates with the presentation of tra ditional Ghanaian Kente cloth graduation stoles. The Kente stole signifies students’ “rite of passage” and the commencing of their leadership in the world. Graduates will wear the Kente stoles at their respective uni versity graduations. This is a proud moment for our students and their lov ed ones. We look forward to seeing the next class of students collect thei r stoles and proudly represent their excellence.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/alana-celebration-and-kent
e-stole-presentation.php
Event link: https://www.umassd.edu/events/alana/
2026 Post Baccalaureate Student
Exhibition
Dates: May 12–18\, 2026
Opening Reception: Tuesday
\, May 12\, 2026\, 4 PM - 6 PM
Location: The Art and Design Studios\,
Dartmouth Towne Center Plaza\, 458 State Rd. North Dartmouth\, MA 02747Gallery Hours: Daily 9 AM to 6 PM
Graduating PBC Artists:
\nThe UMass Dart mouth College of Visual and Performing Arts presents the 2026 Post-Baccala ureate Certificate (PBC) Graduate Exhibition. The opening reception will b e held on Tuesday\, May 12th\, from 4 to 6 PM\, and the exhibition continu es through May 18th.
\nThe one-year Post-Baccalaureate Certificate ( PBC) program at CVPA offers artists with a Bachelor of Fine Arts or Bachel or of Arts degree an intensive and supportive academic studio experience f ocused on critical development.
Event page: https:/ /www.umassd.edu/events/cms/2026-post-baccalaureate-student-exhibition.php< /a>
DTSTAMP:20260516T151735 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260512T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260512T180000 LOCATION:The Art and Design Studios SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:2026 Post Baccalaureate Student Exhibition UID:b84ecd77c7c481b190cae565f66905f0@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Visual and Performing Arts DESCRIPTION:2026 Post Baccalaureate Student ExhibitionDates: May 12–18, 2 026Opening Reception: Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 4 PM - 6 PMLocation: The Art and Design Studios, Dartmouth Towne Center Plaza, 458 State Rd. North Dart mouth, MA 02747Gallery Hours: Daily 9 AM to 6 PM Graduating PBC Artists: Nyala Honda Faith Ku Abel Ishmael Ray Cheryl Mincone Moonju Kim Lisa E vans Alicia van de Bor Christine Goh The UMass Dartmouth College of Visua l and Performing Arts presents the 2026 Post-Baccalaureate Certificate (PB C) Graduate Exhibition. The opening reception will be held on Tuesday, May 12th, from 4 to 6 PM, and the exhibition continues through May 18th. The one-year Post-Baccalaureate Certificate (PBC) program at CVPA offers artis ts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts or Bachelor of Arts degree an intensive an d supportive academic studio experience focused on critical development.\n Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/2026-post-baccalaureate-stud ent-exhibition.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:2026 Post Baccalaureate Student
Exhibition
Dates: May 12–18\, 2026
Opening Reception: Tuesday
\, May 12\, 2026\, 4 PM - 6 PM
Location: The Art and Design Studios\,
Dartmouth Towne Center Plaza\, 458 State Rd. North Dartmouth\, MA 02747Gallery Hours: Daily 9 AM to 6 PM
Graduating PBC Artists:
\nThe UMass Dart mouth College of Visual and Performing Arts presents the 2026 Post-Baccala ureate Certificate (PBC) Graduate Exhibition. The opening reception will b e held on Tuesday\, May 12th\, from 4 to 6 PM\, and the exhibition continu es through May 18th.
\nThe one-year Post-Baccalaureate Certificate ( PBC) program at CVPA offers artists with a Bachelor of Fine Arts or Bachel or of Arts degree an intensive and supportive academic studio experience f ocused on critical development.
Event page: https:/ /www.umassd.edu/events/cms/2026-post-baccalaureate-student-exhibition.php< /a>
DTSTAMP:20260516T151735 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260512T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260512T180000 LOCATION:The Art and Design Studios SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:2026 Post Baccalaureate Student Exhibition UID:a7880eade302b7e28d1c15970850215e@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Nursing and Health Sciences,Thesis/Dissertations DESCRIPTION:TITLE: Addressing Stigma Towards Individuals with Substance Use Disorders: A Quality Improvement ProjectDATE: May 18, 2026TIME: 9:00 AMZO OM: Please contact dhoffman@umassd.edu for ZOOM link. COMMITTEE:Matha Whit field, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, ChairKathleen Elliott, DNP, RN, ANP-BCDr. Xuan Nguyen ABSTRACT: Background: Substance use disorders (SUDs) remain a sig nificant public health issue in the United States. Stigma directed at indi viduals with SUDs can negatively impact treatment engagement, recovery out comes, and overall quality of care. Stigmatizing attitudes among healthcar e professionals can lead to biased decisions, reduced empathy, and comprom ised therapeutic relationships. Aims: This quality improvement project w as aimed at identifying, addressing, and reducing stigma among clinical st aff within an inpatient addiction recovery setting. The goal of this proje ct was to foster a more compassionate and nonjudgement care environment th at promote recovery-oriented practices. Methods: The project was guided by the Johns Hopkins Evidence Based Practice model and Hildegard Peplau’ s Nurse-patient Relationship or Interpersonal Relationship framework. An e ducational intervention consisting of a short PowerPoint presentation lect ure and a podcast from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AA NP) was delivered to nurses working on an inpatient psychiatric facility i n Massachusetts. The effect of the intervention on staff attitudes was mea sured using the Patient-Center Drug and Drug Problems and Perception (PC-D DPPQ). Intellecttus Statistics was used for analysis. Results: Forty-two p articipants were recruited to the project study; thirty-two completed the educational intervention. Pre and post intervention PC-DDPPQ results were analyzed using paired t-tests and the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. The sampl e did not meet power (n=32), and pre and post intervention results did not demonstrate statistical significance. However, the open-ended question results indicated that participants found the intervention was meaningful. Discussion and conclusion: In this quality improvement study, an educatio nal intervention focused on stigma reduction did not demonstrate statistic al significance as measured by the PC-DDPPQ pre and post intervention amon gst clinical staff. However, participants noted benefits in their open-end ed survey questions, indicating motivation to modify their perceptions in providing treatment to individuals with substance use disorders. Using the rapeutic communication has been demonstrated to reduce stigmatization, wit h implications for reducing the risk of drug overdose. Sustaining these im provements requires ongoing staffing training, leadership support, and int egration of anti-stigma principles into organizational policies.\nEvent pa ge: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/college-of-nursing-and-health-scienc es-dnp-defense---armand-belony.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:TITLE: Addressing Stigma Toward
s Individuals with Substance Use Disorders: A Quality Improvement Project<
br />DATE: May 18\, 2026
TIME: 9:00 AM
ZOOM: Please contact dhof
fman@umassd.edu for ZOOM link.
COMMITTEE:
Matha Whitfield\,
PhD\, APRN\, FNP-BC\, Chair
Kathleen Elliott\, DNP\, RN\, ANP-BC
Dr. Xuan Nguyen
ABSTRACT:
Background: Substance us e disorders (SUDs) remain a significant public health issue in the United States. Stigma directed at individuals with SUDs can negatively impact tre atment engagement\, recovery outcomes\, and overall quality of care. Stigm atizing attitudes among healthcare professionals can lead to biased decisi ons\, reduced empathy\, and compromised therapeutic relationships.
\nAims: This quality improvement project was aimed at identifying\, addre ssing\, and reducing stigma among clinical staff within an inpatient addic tion recovery setting. The goal of this project was to foster a more compa ssionate and nonjudgement care environment that promote recovery-oriented practices.
\nMethods: The project was guided by the Johns Hopkins Evidence Based Practice model and Hildegard Peplau’s Nurse-patient Relat ionship or Interpersonal Relationship framework. An educational interventi on consisting of a short PowerPoint presentation lecture and a podcast fro m the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) was delivered to nurses working on an inpatient psychiatric facility in Massachusetts. The effect of the intervention on staff attitudes was measured using the Patie nt-Center Drug and Drug Problems and Perception (PC-DDPPQ). Intellecttus S tatistics was used for analysis.
\nResults: Forty-two participants w ere recruited to the project study\; thirty-two completed the educational intervention. Pre and post intervention PC-DDPPQ results were analyzed usi ng paired t-tests and the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. The sample did not me et power (n=32)\, and pre and post intervention results did not demonstrat e statistical significance. However\, the open-ended question results in dicated that participants found the intervention was meaningful.
\nD iscussion and conclusion: In this quality improvement study\, an education al intervention focused on stigma reduction did not demonstrate statistica l significance as measured by the PC-DDPPQ pre and post intervention among st clinical staff. However\, participants noted benefits in their open-end ed survey questions\, indicating motivation to modify their perceptions in providing treatment to individuals with substance use disorders. Using th erapeutic communication has been demonstrated to reduce stigmatization\, w ith implications for reducing the risk of drug overdose. Sustaining these improvements requires ongoing staffing training\, leadership support\, and integration of anti-stigma principles into organizational policies.
Event page: https://www.umassd.e du/events/cms/college-of-nursing-and-health-sciences-dnp-defense---armand- belony.php
DTSTAMP:20260516T151735 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260518T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260518T100000 LOCATION:ZOOM SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:College of Nursing and Health Sciences DNP Defense - Armand Belony UID:44a85c980ad81fd00946e6ae90539c74@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 Estuarine and Ocean Sciences PhD Dissertation Def ense "Waves and Vortices in the Ocean - From Theory to Practice"By: Bailey Remy Advisor:Dr. Miles Sundermeyer (UMass Dartmouth) Committee Members:Dr . Geoffrey Cowles (UMass Dartmouth), Dr. Banafsheh Seyed-Aghazadeh (UMass Dartmouth), and Dr. Marie-Pascale Lelong (NorthWest Research Associates) M onday May 18, 202611:00 AMSMAST East 101-103836 S. Rodney French Blvd, New Bedfordand via Zoom Abstract: Internal waves (IWs) are ubiquitous in the ocean and contribute significantly to the global ocean energy balance by c ascading tidal and wind-driven energy to dissipative scales. Vortical moti ons (VMs), which exist at scales similar to IWs, carry potential vorticity (PV) and influence ocean circulation, mixing, and climate variability. Di stinguishing these motions remains a fundamental challenge, as nonlinear i nteractions in fully developed flows obscure their individual signatures. This dissertation addresses two aspects of IWs and VMs in the ocean. Chapt ers 1 and 2 investigated mechanisms of energy exchange between IWs and VMs , and the physical signatures and associated dynamics of reduced stratific ation regions in the ocean. Chapter 3 examined the use of IW and VM signat ures to detect underwater wakes in realistic ocean environments. Chapte r 1 examined energy exchange between IWs and VMs in the ocean, focusing on the contrasting roles of linear and nonlinear flow components in shaping available potential vorticity (APV) fields. In numerical simulations initi alized with a Garrett-Munk IW spectrum, energy was rapidly projected onto the linear VM basis by nonlinear triad interactions. Idealized simulations of a single linear IW, a balanced vortex, and an adjusting density anomal y exposed limitations of the linear flow decomposition: Lagrangian particl e tracking revealed that linear APV differed from total APV due to nonline ar vortex stretching terms, causing the linear decomposition to overestima te the PV-carrying component of flow. These results suggest that apparent rapid VM generation can sometimes reflect nonlinear artifacts rather than true PV modification. Chapter 2 examined the prevalence and nature of redu ced stratification regions in the ocean relative to IW and VM dynamics. Oc cupying between ~5% and 25% of the model domain, such regions exhibited di stinct morphological and dynamical signatures consistent with linear theor y. Regions of reduced stratification that projected onto linear VMs exhibi ted aspect ratios exceeding the canonical N0/f scaling, and horizontal sc ales exceeding the local Rossby deformation radius. Regions that projected onto linear IWs more closely follow theoretical wave scaling and propagat ion characteristics. Lagrangian particle tracking and spectral shear-to-st rain ratios further distinguished propagating wave motions from materially conserved vortical motions. Additionally, the generation of VM stratifica tion anomalies was found to be energetically more consistent with prolonge d mixing events (time scales longer than a buoyancy period) than intense s hort-term mixing events. These findings confirm that reduced stratificatio n regions in the ocean can result from both internal wave straining and pe rsistent vortical motions, and that certain interactions between them are consistent with current dynamical understanding of both phenomena. Buildin g on increased understanding of the relationship between IWs and VMs in th e ocean, Chapter 3 explored the generation and evolution of IWs and VMs in the wake of a towed body, and their exploitation for the purposes of wake detection. Numerical simulations initialized using an idealized late wake approximation showed that the vortex street generated by the wake was rea dily detected via potential enstrophy even amid a strong background IW fie ld. IWs radiated during buoyant collapse of the wake were also readily det ected among varying background conditions due to their highly coherent rad iation pattern. Wake evolution depended on both nondimensional and dimensi onful parameters associated with the wake; vortex evolution time scales va ried with Froude number, while wave detectability was primarily influenced by wake diameter modulating signal intensity. Overall, these results sugg est that, when carefully considered, both IW and VM signatures of submerge d wakes can be readily detected under a wide range of conditions even amid the “noisy” background internal wave field of the ocean. Join Meeting https://umassd.zoom.us/j/95380787170Note: Meeting ID and passcode required - email contact to obtain. For additional information, please contact Call ie Rumbut at c.rumbut@umassd.edu\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/event s/cms/deos-phd-dissertation-defense-waves-and-vortices-in-the-ocean---from -theory-to-practice-by-bailey-remy.php\nEvent link: https://umassd.zoom.us /j/95380787170 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Department of Estuarine and Oce an Sciences
\nPhD Dissertation Defense
\n"Waves and Vortices i
n the Ocean - From Theory to Practice"
By: Bailey Remy
Adviso
r:
Dr. Miles Sundermeyer (UMass Dartmouth)
Committee Members:
Dr. Geoffrey Cowles (UMass Dartmouth)\, Dr. Banafsheh Seyed-Aghazade
h (UMass Dartmouth)\, and Dr. Marie-Pascale Lelong (NorthWest Research Ass
ociates)
Monday May 18\, 2026
11:00 AM
SMAST East 101-10
3
836 S. Rodney French Blvd\, New Bedford
and via Zoom
A bstract:
\nInternal waves (IWs) are ubiquitous in the ocean and cont ribute significantly to the global ocean energy balance by cascading tidal and wind-driven energy to dissipative scales. Vortical motions (VMs)\, wh ich exist at scales similar to IWs\, carry potential vorticity (PV) and in fluence ocean circulation\, mixing\, and climate variability. Distinguishi ng these motions remains a fundamental challenge\, as nonlinear interactio ns in fully developed flows obscure their individual signatures. This diss ertation addresses two aspects of IWs and VMs in the ocean. Chapters 1 and 2 investigated mechanisms of energy exchange between IWs and VMs\, and th e physical signatures and associated dynamics of reduced stratification re gions in the ocean. Chapter 3 examined the use of IW and VM signatures to detect underwater wakes in realistic ocean environments.
\n\n< p>Chapter 1 examined energy exchange between IWs and VMs in the ocean\, fo cusing on the contrasting roles of linear and nonlinear flow components in shaping available potential vorticity (APV) fields. In numerical simulati ons initialized with a Garrett-Munk IW spectrum\, energy was rapidly proje cted onto the linear VM basis by nonlinear triad interactions. Idealized s imulations of a single linear IW\, a balanced vortex\, and an adjusting de nsity anomaly exposed limitations of the linear flow decomposition: Lagran gian particle tracking revealed that linear APV differed from total APV du e to nonlinear vortex stretching terms\, causing the linear decomposition to overestimate the PV-carrying component of flow. These results suggest t hat apparent rapid VM generation can sometimes reflect nonlinear artifacts rather than true PV modification.\n
Chapter 2 examined the prevalen ce and nature of reduced stratification regions in the ocean relative to I W and VM dynamics. Occupying between ~5% and 25% of the model domain\, suc h regions exhibited distinct morphological and dynamical signatures consis tent with linear theory. Regions of reduced stratification that projected onto linear VMs exhibited aspect ratios exceeding the canonical N0/f scal ing\, and horizontal scales exceeding the local Rossby deformation radius. Regions that projected onto linear IWs more closely follow theoretical wa ve scaling and propagation characteristics. Lagrangian particle tracking a nd spectral shear-to-strain ratios further distinguished propagating wave motions from materially conserved vortical motions. Additionally\, the gen eration of VM stratification anomalies was found to be energetically more consistent with prolonged mixing events (time scales longer than a buoyanc y period) than intense short-term mixing events. These findings confirm th at reduced stratification regions in the ocean can result from both intern al wave straining and persistent vortical motions\, and that certain inter actions between them are consistent with current dynamical understanding o f both phenomena.
\nBuilding on increased understanding of the relat ionship between IWs and VMs in the ocean\, Chapter 3 explored the generati on and evolution of IWs and VMs in the wake of a towed body\, and their ex ploitation for the purposes of wake detection. Numerical simulations initi alized using an idealized late wake approximation showed that the vortex s treet generated by the wake was readily detected via potential enstrophy e ven amid a strong background IW field. IWs radiated during buoyant collaps e of the wake were also readily detected among varying background conditio ns due to their highly coherent radiation pattern. Wake evolution depended on both nondimensional and dimensionful parameters associated with the wa ke\; vortex evolution time scales varied with Froude number\, while wave d etectability was primarily influenced by wake diameter modulating signal i ntensity. Overall\, these results suggest that\, when carefully considered \, both IW and VM signatures of submerged wakes can be readily detected un der a wide range of conditions even amid the “noisy” background intern al wave field of the ocean.
\nJoin Meeting
https://umassd.zoom.us/j/95380787170
N
ote: Meeting ID and passcode required- email contact to obtain.
Fo r additional information\, please contact Callie Rumbut at c.rumbut@umassd.edu
Event page: https:/
/www.umassd.edu/events/cms/deos-phd-dissertation-defense-waves-and-vortice
s-in-the-ocean---from-theory-to-practice-by-bailey-remy.php
Event l
ink: https://umassd.zoom.us
/j/95380787170
Thesis Advisor: Dr. Firas D Kha tib\, Computer & Information Science
\nCommittee Members:
\nDr . Yuchou Chang\, Computer & Information Science
\nDr. Amir Akhavan M asoumi\, Computer & Information Science
\nAbstract:
\nThe inte
grity of evidence chain of custody is fundamental to the administration of
justice. From the moment evidence is seized to its presentation in court\
, each transfer\, analysis\, and storage event must be accurately document
ed to preserve admissibility and public trust. Drawing from professional e
xperience in law enforcement\, the importance of maintaining a clear\, con
sistent\, and defensible chain of custody is not only procedural but criti
cal to the outcome of investigations and prosecutions. In practice\, even
minor discrepancies can raise significant legal challenges\, reinforcing t
he need for systems that ensure reliability and accountability. As the vol
ume and complexity of both physical and digital evidence continue to grow\
, the need for a more robust and verifiable chain of custody has become mo
re critical than ever. However\, traditional evidence management systems o
ften rely on fragmented databases\, paper logs\, or centralized digital re
cords that may be vulnerable to human error\, inconsistent auditing practi
ces\, or unauthorized modification. These limitations can complicate court
room proceedings and weaken confidence in evidentiary integrity. This thes
is proposes a blockchain-based framework for verifiable evidence chain of
custody in law enforcement. Leveraging the immutability\, transparency\, a
nd distributed consensus mechanisms of permissioned blockchain systems\, t
he proposed model records evidence handling events as tamper-resistant tra
nsactions. The framework is designed to support role-based access controls
\, timestamped custody transfers\, and cryptographic hashing of evidence m
etadata to ensure integrity without exposing sensitive case information. T
o evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach\, a
prototype system was developed to simulate the evidence lifecycle\, includ
ing seizure\, storage\, laboratory transfer\, and courtroom submission. Pe
rformance\, integrity\, and auditability were analyzed and compared with t
raditional record-keeping systems. The results demonstrate that blockchain
-based custody logging enhances tamper resistance and audit transparency w
hile introducing manageable performance trade-offs. Beyond technical evalu
ation\, this research examines the legal and policy implications of implem
enting blockchain in evidence management\, including considerations of pri
vacy\, admissibility standards\, and institutional oversight. By integrati
ng technical design with operational and legal analysis\, this research pr
esents a practical framework for strengthening evidence integrity for mode
rn law enforcement systems.
For further information please co
ntact Dr. Firas Khatib at fkhatib@umassd.edu
Advisor: Dr. Nefeli Bompoti
\nCommittee members: Dr. Jonathan Mellor\, Dr. Sukalyan Sengupta\, Dr. Taylor Lange
\nAbstract: Brownfields revitalization transforms vacan t\, contaminated properties into valuable community assets\, and it is cru cial in restoring the environment\, protecting human health\, boosting loc al economies\, and promoting environmental justice. This thesis aims to in vestigate brownfields cleanup and redevelopment through the lens of sustai nability. Using Massachusetts brownfields that have undergone cleanup as a study group\, a sustainability index for brownfields cleanup and redevelo pment was developed. This framework is built on the three pillars of susta inable remediation: environmental\, social\, and economic. For each pillar \, the framework incorporates indicators based on publicly available data to calculate an overall sustainability score. Applying this framework to t he study group revealed opportunities to enhance sustainability in brownfi elds cleanup and redevelopment in Massachusetts. The results indicate that the two most influential factors for sustainability are remedial practice s and land reuse. To increase sustainability\, it is vital to implement gr een remediation methods and ensure future land uses (e.g.\, affordable hou sing and greenspace) directly benefit surrounding communities. Overall\, t he developed framework for measuring sustainability in brownfields revital ization can be implemented at the local\, state\, or federal level in reme dial alternative analysis\, redevelopment planning under various land reus es\, and reporting on sustainability impacts after cleanup and redevelopme nt.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/c
ms/master-of-science-thesis-defense-by-marisa-gay.php
Event link: <
a href="https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/262147156806325?p=QYOjlwIqXm0OuBq
Gd9">https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/262147156806325?p=QYOjlwIqXm0OuBqGd9
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Amir Ak havan Masoumi\, Computer & Information Science/Data Science
\nCommit tee Members:
\nDr. AshokKumar Patel\, Computer & Information Science /Data Science
\nDr. Debarun Das\, Computer & Information Science/Dat
a Science
Location/Link: Online via Zoom
http
s://us04web.zoom.us/j/71177187003?pwd=bfh7typ8TW4oqb7tPqGZ7GMqY6Zpa7.1
Meeting ID: 71177187003
Passcode: tt8zda
Abstra
ct:
The rapid growth of online retail has created enormous volumes of
unstructured product data that most businesses struggle to turn into acti
onable intelligence. This study presents an intelligent analytics platform
that combines Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) with Claude Opus 4.6 t
o generate structured business insights from a corpus of 200\,000 Amazon E
lectronics product records. A multi-layered pipeline transforms raw produc
t metadata into semantically rich text chunks\, encodes them using BGE-M3
sentence embeddings\, and stores the resulting 200\,000 vectors in a Chrom
aDB persistent vector store. At query time\, the platform retrieves the mo
st contextually relevant product records\, reranks them by semantic simila
rity\, and feeds them to Claude Opus 4.6\, which synthesizes the retrieved
evidence into coherent\, data-grounded analytical narratives complete wit
h business recommendations. The platform is built with production deployme
nt in mind\, with MLflow tracking every experiment for full reproducibilit
y\, Docker containerizing the entire application stack\, and GitHub Action
s automating the continuous integration and delivery pipeline. An interact
ive Streamlit dashboard brings all capabilities together in a user-friendl
y interface requiring no technical expertise. Evaluation across eight quan
titative metrics confirms the quality of the system's outputs\, achieving
a ROUGE-1 score of 0.4121\, a ROUGE-L score of 0.4121\, and a BERTScore F1
of 0.9131\, indicating strong lexical precision and exceptional semantic
alignment with human-authored reference insights. A faithfulness score of
0.5567 demonstrates that generated content is reliably grounded in retriev
ed evidence. All sixteen automated unit tests pass\, confirming the robust
ness of every system component.
For further information\, ple
ase contact Dr. Amir Akhavan Masoumi at aakhavanmasoumi@umassd.edu.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/rag-powered-cus
tomer-insight-generation-for-e-commerce-using-llms-vector-search-and-an-en
d-to-end-mlops-pipeline.php
Event link: https://us04web.
zoom.us/j/71177187003?pwd=bfh7typ8TW4oqb7tPqGZ7GMqY6Zpa7.1
2026 Post Baccalaureate Student
Exhibition
Dates: May 12–18\, 2026
Opening Reception: Tuesday
\, May 12\, 2026\, 4 PM - 6 PM
Location: The Art and Design Studios\,
Dartmouth Towne Center Plaza\, 458 State Rd. North Dartmouth\, MA 02747Gallery Hours: Daily 9 AM to 6 PM
Graduating PBC Artists:
\nThe UMass Dart mouth College of Visual and Performing Arts presents the 2026 Post-Baccala ureate Certificate (PBC) Graduate Exhibition. The opening reception will b e held on Tuesday\, May 12th\, from 4 to 6 PM\, and the exhibition continu es through May 18th.
\nThe one-year Post-Baccalaureate Certificate ( PBC) program at CVPA offers artists with a Bachelor of Fine Arts or Bachel or of Arts degree an intensive and supportive academic studio experience f ocused on critical development.
Event page: https:/ /www.umassd.edu/events/cms/2026-post-baccalaureate-student-exhibition.php< /a>
DTSTAMP:20260516T151735 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260512T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260512T180000 LOCATION:The Art and Design Studios SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:2026 Post Baccalaureate Student Exhibition UID:e3f9a92392ac36bcb164cbb9454eff06@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Engineering,Thesis/Dissertations DESCRIPTION:The bioaccumulation, chemical persistence, and historic presenc e in soil / water systems of PFAS leads to unique challenges when it comes time to remediate and redevelop a site. Remediation of PFAS is made espec ially difficult by the low reactivity and strong carbon-fluorine bonds tha t make up the chemical structure of PFAS chemicals. Current non-destructiv e PFAS remediation technologies such as activated carbon, ion exchange and reverse osmosis have been implemented with success in many areas where PF AS contamination is an issue but could destructive techniques be more effe ctive? Research suggests that non-destructive methods currently dominate f ield applications due to their operational maturity and regulatory accepta nce. Destructive technologies have become of interest in research given th eir potential for permanent PFAS removal. These methods are still largely experimental but using a hybrid approach where non-destructive is coupled with destructive treatment has emerged as a promising pathway to balance t he feasibility of these methods while also decreasing cost and increasing effectiveness This review underscores the need for innovation in scalable destructive technologies that minimize harmful byproducts and provide econ omical solutions. By reviewing non-destructive techniques and further rese arching how destructive techniques can be implemented, this review provide s a perspective on the current state of PFAS remediation and identifies re search priorities that will lead to long term solutions in the field.\nEve nt page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/civil-and-environmental-enginee ring-masters-project-presentation.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The bioaccumulation\, chemical persistence\, and historic presence in soil / water systems of PFAS leads to unique challenges when it comes time to remediate and redevelop a site. Remediation of PFAS is made especially difficult by the low reactivity an d strong carbon-fluorine bonds that make up the chemical structure of PFAS chemicals. Current non-destructive PFAS remediation technologies such as activated carbon\, ion exchange and reverse osmosis have been implemented with success in many areas where PFAS contamination is an issue but could destructive techniques be more effective? Research suggests that non-destr uctive methods currently dominate field applications due to their operatio nal maturity and regulatory acceptance. Destructive technologies have beco me of interest in research given their potential for permanent PFAS remova l. These methods are still largely experimental but using a hybrid approac h where non-destructive is coupled with destructive treatment has emerged as a promising pathway to balance the feasibility of these methods while a lso decreasing cost and increasing effectiveness This review underscores t he need for innovation in scalable destructive technologies that minimize harmful byproducts and provide economical solutions. By reviewing non-dest ructive techniques and further researching how destructive techniques can be implemented\, this review provides a perspective on the current state o f PFAS remediation and identifies research priorities that will lead to lo ng term solutions in the field.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/civil-and-environmental-e ngineering-masters-project-presentation.php
DTSTAMP:20260516T151735 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260518T210000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260518T230000 LOCATION:SENG 104 SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Presentation UID:8cb0ebd7d20bcc30855768ff75bf5d47@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Engineering,Thesis/Dissertations DESCRIPTION:Topic: Design and Implementation of a Super-Resolution Dual-Mod e Microscope for Intensity and Quantitative Phase Imaging Tunable Across M ultiple Objective Lenses Abstract: Despite significant advances in optic al microscopy, no single instrument currently enables super-resolution ima ging of the same sample in both intensity and phase modalities simultaneou sly. This limitation restricts the comprehensiveness of sample analysis, a s fluorescence-based super-resolution and quantitative phase imaging (QPI) provide complementary yet distinct information about specimens under stud y. Fluorescence super-resolution techniques allow visualization of specifi cally labeled structures beyond the diffraction limit, offering high molec ular specificity. Quantitative phase imaging, in contrast, provides label- free, nanometer-scale sensitivity to optical path length variations, revea ling morphological and dynamical properties of transparent samples without exogenous contrast agents. Integrating both modalities into a unified pla tform would enable a more complete characterization of biological and phys ical samples. Advisor: Dr. Ana Doblas, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, UMASS Dartmouth Committee Members: Dr . John Buck, Chancellor Professor, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineer ing, UMASS Dartmouth; Dr. Paul Gendron, Associate Professor, Dept. of Elec trical & Computer Engineering, UMASS Dartmouth; Dr. Francisco Robles, Asso ciate Professor, Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University NOTE: All ECE Grad uate Students are ENCOURAGED to attend. All interested parties are invited to attend. Open to the public. *For further information, please contact Dr. Ana Doblas via email at adoblas@umassd.edu\nEvent page: https://www.u massd.edu/events/cms/elee-oral-comprehensive-exam-for-doctoral-candidacy-b y-sofia-obando-vasquez-.php\nEvent link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/99662035 631 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Topic: Design and Implementatio n of a Super-Resolution Dual-Mode Microscope for Intensity and Quantitativ e Phase Imaging Tunable Across Multiple Objective Lenses
\nAbstrac t: Despite significant advances in optical microscopy\, no single instrume nt currently enables super-resolution imaging of the same sample in both i ntensity and phase modalities simultaneously. This limitation restricts th e comprehensiveness of sample analysis\, as fluorescence-based super-resol ution and quantitative phase imaging (QPI) provide complementary yet disti nct information about specimens under study. Fluorescence super-resolution techniques allow visualization of specifically labeled structures beyond the diffraction limit\, offering high molecular specificity. Quantitative phase imaging\, in contrast\, provides label-free\, nanometer-scale sensit ivity to optical path length variations\, revealing morphological and dyna mical properties of transparent samples without exogenous contrast agents. Integrating both modalities into a unified platform would enable a more c omplete characterization of biological and physical samples.
\nAdvis or: Dr. Ana Doblas\, Assistant Professor\, Department of Electrical & Comp uter Engineering\, UMASS Dartmouth
\nCommittee Members: Dr. John B uck\, Chancellor Professor\, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering\, UMASS Dartmouth\; Dr. Paul Gendron\, Associate Professor\, Dept. of Electr ical & Computer Engineering\, UMASS Dartmouth\; Dr. Francisco Robles\, Ass ociate Professor\, Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering at t he Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University
\nNOTE: Al l ECE Graduate Students are ENCOURAGED to attend. All interested parties a re invited to attend. Open to the public.
\n*For further informati on\, please contact Dr. Ana Doblas via email at adoblas@umassd.edu
E
vent page: https://www.
umassd.edu/events/cms/elee-oral-comprehensive-exam-for-doctoral-candidacy-
by-sofia-obando-vasquez-.php
Event link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/99662035631
Please join the Faculty Senate for its May meeting where we discuss issues concerned with academic matter s and matters relating to the intellectual life of the University of Massa chusetts Dartmouth.
\nThe Faculty Senate meeting is open to the publ ic\; however\, only elected Senators may vote on issues presented to the S enate. For your information\,
\nIf you missed any of our meetings o r want to refresh your memory\, the Faculty Senate has been recording its meetings\,
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/may-facul ty-senate-meeting.php
DTSTAMP:20260516T151735 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260519T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260519T140000 LOCATION:Zoom SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:May Faculty Senate Meeting UID:164a18e85fccf915335c729e19e710be@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Engineering,Thesis/Dissertations DESCRIPTION:Partial ABSTRACT: The tungsten inert gas welding of aluminum al loys has major applications of fusalage and fins in the aerospace industry . In the drive for energy efficiency, the demand for lightweight automob ile parts is growing. For the full ABSTRACT and Zoom link, please contac t: scunha@umassd.edu. Thank you!\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/eve nts/cms/mneise-ms-project-presentation-by-mr-sanath-raju-sanath-k-p.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Partial ABSTRACT:
\nThe t ungsten inert gas welding of aluminum alloys has major applications of fus alage and fins in the aerospace industry. In the drive for energy effici ency\, the demand for lightweight automobile parts is growing. For the f ull ABSTRACT and Zoom link\, please contact: scunha@umassd.edu. Thank yo u!
Event page: https://www.umassd. edu/events/cms/mneise-ms-project-presentation-by-mr-sanath-raju-sanath-k-p .php
DTSTAMP:20260516T151735 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260519T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260519T150000 LOCATION:ZOOM (for link, please contact: scunha@umassd.edu) SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:MNE/ISE MS Project Presentation by Mr. Sanath Raju ( Sanath K P) UID:f2540fdfd54aee761005d46b20a3697e@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Engineering,Thesis/Dissertations DESCRIPTION:Thesis Advisor: Dr. David Kagan, Physics Department Committee Members: Dr. Ashok Patel, Computer & Information Science/Data ScienceDr. D onghui Yan, Mathematics Department/Data Science Abstract: This talk provi des an overview of quantum computing, with a focus on superconducting qubi ts and quantum error correction. We begin with the motivation for quantum computing and its core principles — superposition and entanglement — b efore discussing the superconducting hardware used at organisations such a s Google and IBM. Central to this hardware is the Josephson junction, whic h enables the creation of an anharmonic quantum system that can be control led as a qubit. We cover the transmon qubit design and explain the quantum harmonic oscillator model and its role in superconducting qubit design. T he talk then addresses quantum error correction and the surface code — a leading approach to achieving fault-tolerant quantum computing that requi res only nearest-neighbour interactions and has a noise threshold within r each of current hardware. We present simulations of a distance-3 surface c ode coded and run by the author using IBM’s Qiskit AerSimulator. For fu rther information please contact Dr. David Kagan at david.kagan@umassd.edu . Data Science Graduate students are encouraged to attend. \nEvent pa ge: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/quantum-computing-with-superconducti ng-qubits.php\nEvent link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/95264832274?pwd=dHFwVF ZCVTNWWUlEck5HdVFNUDVJdz09 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Thesis Advisor: Dr. David Kagan
\, Physics Department
Committee Members:
Dr. Ashok Pa
tel\, Computer & Information Science/Data Science
Dr. Donghui Yan\, M
athematics Department/Data Science
Abstract: This talk provid
es an overview of quantum computing\, with a focus on superconducting qubi
ts and quantum error correction. We begin with the motivation for quantum
computing and its core principles — superposition and entanglement — b
efore discussing the superconducting hardware used at organisations such a
s Google and IBM. Central to this hardware is the Josephson junction\, whi
ch enables the creation of an anharmonic quantum system that can be contro
lled as a qubit. We cover the transmon qubit design and explain the quantu
m harmonic oscillator model and its role in superconducting qubit design.
The talk then addresses quantum error correction and the surface code —
a leading approach to achieving fault-tolerant quantum computing that requ
ires only nearest-neighbour interactions and has a noise threshold within
reach of current hardware. We present simulations of a distance-3 surface
code coded and run by the author using IBM’s Qiskit AerSimulator.
For further information please contact Dr. David Kagan at david.ka
gan@umassd.edu.
Data Science Graduate students are encourag
ed to attend.
Event page: https://www.umassd.
edu/events/cms/quantum-computing-with-superconducting-qubits.php
Ev
ent link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/95264832274?pwd=dHFwVFZCVTNWW
UlEck5HdVFNUDVJdz09
Department of Fisheries Oceanog raphy
\nPhD Dissertation Proposal Defense
\n"Fishery Interacti ons\, Capture Stress\, and Post-Release Survival of Three Prohibited Shark Species in the Northeast U.S."
\nBy: Lindsay L. Graff
\nAdvis or
\nDr. Lauran Brewster (UMass Dartmouth)
\nCommittee Members
\nDr. Steven X. Cadrin (UMass Dartmouth)\, Dr. Geoffrey Cowles (UMa ss Dartmouth)\, Dr. Tobey Curtis (NOAA)\, and Dr. Gregory Skomal (MA DMF)< /p>\n
Wednesday May 20\, 2026
\n10:00 AM
\nSMAST East 101-10 3
\n836 S. Rodney French Blvd\, New Bedford
\nand via Zoom
\n\n
Abstract:
Incidental capture in non-target c ommercial and recreational fisheries can contribute to mortality of prohib ited dusky (Carcharhinus obscurus)\, sand tiger (Carcharias taurus)\, and white (Carcharodon carcharias) sharks. Slow growth\, late maturity\, low r eproductive output\, and prolonged recovery make these species especially sensitive to even modest levels of fishing-related mortality\, particularl y when mortality occurs during immature life stages or through delayed pos t-release effects. Fishery interactions\, capture stress\, and post-releas e outcomes will be examined across the Northeast U.S. by integrating comme rcial fishery observer data\, blood-based indicators of capture stress\, a nd satellite telemetry. Fleetwide bycatch and at-vessel mortality in North east and Mid-Atlantic commercial gillnet and trawl fisheries are quantifie d using long-term observer records (Chapter 1). The physiological effects of recreational rod-and-reel capture in the New York Bight will be evaluat ed using blood-based indicators of capture stress and associated capture m etadata (Chapter 2)\, and post-release behavior\, recovery\, and apparent survival after recreational capture will be evaluated using satellite tele metry\, with emphasis on short-term recovery trajectories\, delayed mortal ity\, and variability in vertical behavior after release (Chapter 3). Toge ther\, these chapters are intended to provide a more complete understandin g of how incidental capture affects prohibited sharks by integrating fishe ry interactions\, capture stress\, and post-release outcomes across commer cial and recreational fisheries\, while generating information directly re levant to mortality estimation\, handling guidance\, and conservation mana gement in the Northeast U.S.
\nJoin Meeting
\nhttps://umassd.z oom.us/j/91339993877
\nNote: Meeting ID and passcode required. Pleas e email contact to obtain.
\nFor additional information\, please con tact Callie Rumbut at c.rumbut@umassd.edu
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/fishery-interactions-capture-stress-an
d-post-release-survival-of-three-prohibited-shark-species-in-the-northeast
-us.php
Event link:
https://umassd.zoom.us/j/91339993877
Advisor: Dr. Wei-Shun Chang\n
Committee Members: Dr. Brian Blanchette\, Dr. Jamie Lawton
\n< p>Abstract: Anisotropic gold nanoparticles are of significant interest due to their tunable aspect ratios\, which directly influence their optical p roperties and plasmonic behavior. Control over these parameters enables en hancement of plasmon resonance for applications in catalysis\, photochemis try\, and nanotechnology. However\, a major challenge in nanoparticle asse mbly is achieving a high yield of dimers while suppressing the formation o f larger\, uncontrolled aggregates. This research focuses on optimizing re action conditions to promote selective dimer formation of anisotropic gold nanoparticles through wet chemical methods with particular emphasis on pH control and reaction kinetics. By fine-tuning these parameters\, the work aims to regulate interparticle coupling and minimize aggregation beyond t he dimer state. Dimerized nanoparticles enable strong plasmonic coupling a nd localized electromagnetic field enhancement\, which are critical for hi gh sensitivity of plasmonic sensing applications. Structural and optical c haracterization was conducted using scanning electron microscopy\, UV-Vis spectroscopy while dynamic light scattering and circular dichroism is disc ussed as a complementary technique for evaluating size distribution\, surf ace charge in solution\, and chirality signal. Overall\, this work provide s insight into the controlled formation of gold nanorod dimers and establi shes strategies to enhance yield.\nZoom Meeting: Meeting ID: 852 4961 5385 Passcode: cw0NBu
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/
events/cms/ms-thesis-defense-by-kayla-darosa.php
Event link: https://us05web.zoom.us/j/85249615385?pwd=WOarhV9YbHM2bKbbLVjv7hfPQYb
RnF.1
Advisor: Dr. Long Jiao\, Comput
er & Information Science
Committee Members:
Abstract:
\nAI agents have seen rapid adoption in recent years\, and many of them
now include a memory database that allows them to store information about
their users and reference it across separate conversations. However\, thi
s feature also creates a new attack surface\, where adversaries can inject
poisoned memories into the database of an agent in order to degrade its p
erformance. Previous research in this area has focused on attacks that eit
her insert poisoned memories directly into the memory store or assume that
the attacker knows in advance which questions the agent will be asked. Th
is thesis attempts to poison a memory database without either of those cap
abilities\, relying only on conversation history that has already been sto
red in memory and on knowledge of the type and retrieval policy of the mem
ory system. From this corpus\, it selects up to k conversations using clos
eness to the hubs of the memory database — regions of the embedding spac
e where many unrelated user queries tend to retrieve from — as the guidi
ng selection criterion. Conversations chosen in this way are disproportion
ately retrieved across a wide range of future queries\, displacing legitim
ate context and broadly degrading the agent's responses. Results show that
this is an effective way to reduce overall AI agent performance with mini
mal information about the agent itself. This research demonstrates that
the embedding geometry of retrieval-based memory systems is itself a vulne
rability: an adversary can exploit the structure of the embedding space wi
thout ever needing to know what the agent will be asked.
Fo
r further information please contact Dr. Long Jiao at ljiao@umassd.edu
Undergraduate & Graduat e Student Ceremony I
\nCressy Field at 10 a.m. on Thursday\ , May 21\, 2026 - Add t o Calendar.
\nFor students from the:
\nTentative Schedule:
\ n
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/
events/cms/undergraduate--graduate-student-commencement-ceremony-i.php
Event link: https://www
.umassd.edu/commencement/
Doctoral Ceremony
\nMain Auditorium at 4 p.m. on Thursday\, May 21\, 2026 - Add to Calendar.
\nTentative Sc hedule:
\nEvent page: https://www.umass
d.edu/events/cms/doctoral-commencement-ceremony.php
Event link: https://www.umassd.edu/commenc
ement/
Undergraduate & Graduat e Student Ceremony II
\nCressy Field at 10 a.m. on Friday\, May 22\, 2026 - Add to Calendar.
\nFor students from th e:
\nTentative Schedule:
\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/undergraduate--graduate-student-comm
encement-ceremony-ii.php
Event link: https://www.umassd.edu/commencement/
Financial Aid Services wants to remind all students to file their FAFSA! Join Financial Aid Services for Zoom FAFSA Help Labs on Fridays from 2-3pm for help filing your FAFSA and learning more about financial aid.
Event page: ht
tps://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/summer-financial-aid-zoom-fafsa-help-labs-
-1.php
Event link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/93075462260?p
wd=JhUkTxOEnyX3q6xrQZN5LPHDFjqHOD.1
School of Law Ceremony< /strong>
\nMain Auditorium at 3:30 p.m. on Friday\, May 22\, 2026 - Add to Calendar.
\nTentative Schedule:
\nEvent pa
ge: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/school-of-law-commencement
-ceremony.php
Event link: https://www.umassd.edu/law/commencement/
Faculty Supervisor: Long Jiao\,
Computer & Information Science
Committee Members:
Dr
. Joshua Carberry\, Computer & Information Science
Dr. Lance Fiondell
a\, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Abstract: Large vision-
language models rely on pretrained vision encoders to translate images int
o feature representations used by downstream language models. This creates
a security risk when the encoder is compromised by a stealthy backdoor at
tack\, such as BadVision\, where a subtle trigger causes an image to be ma
pped toward an attacker-chosen target representation while clean inputs re
main largely unaffected. Because the model behaves normally under standard
evaluation\, these attacks are difficult to detect. This thesis investiga
tes controlled noise injection as a lightweight input-side defense against
BadVision-style backdoors. The proposed approach adds small perturbations
to input images before they enter the vision encoder\, with the goal of d
isrupting the trigger while preserving the semantic content of clean image
s. Several perturbation types are evaluated\, including Gaussian noise\, r
andom noise\, salt-and-pepper noise\, low-frequency noise\, geometric tran
sformations\, occlusion\, scaling\, rotation\, and channel-based distribut
ions. Experimental results show that geometric and channel-based transform
ations have limited effect on the backdoor\, while pixel-level statistical
perturbations significantly reduce target similarity\, increase feature-s
pace distance from the attacker’s target representation\, and lower atta
ck success. These findings suggest that stealthy encoder-level triggers de
pend on fragile statistical patterns and can be weakened through controlle
d noise injection without requiring retraining of the full multimodal mode
l.
For further information please contact Dr. Long Jiao at
ljiao@umassd.edu
Topic: Nanoscale MIM Plasmonic Sensors for Real-Time Marine Environmental Monitoring
\nAbstract: Plasmonic sensing has emerged as a promising approach for high sensitivity \, label free detection in environmental and marine monitoring application s. However\, existing plasmonic sensor designs are often limited by single parameter operation\, insufficient spectral selectivity\, channel interfe rence\, and lack of robustness in saline environments. These limitations r estrict their ability to perform simultaneously\, accurately\, and real ti me detection of multiple seawater parameters and emerging contaminants. As a result\, current sensing platforms are not well suited for integrated\, in situ monitoring systems that require compactness\, high resolution\, a nd multi analyte capability.
\nTo address these limitations\, this thesis develops advanced metal insulator metal waveguide based plasmonic sensors that enable simultaneous multi parameter and multi analyte detecti on. The proposed designs leverage tailored resonator geometries\, optimize d material compositions\, and enhanced light matter interaction to improve sensing performance while maintaining compact device footprints. A multi- channel sensing configuration is established to allow independent and simu ltaneous sample analysis without cross contamination. The incorporation of corrosion resistant materials enhances the operational stability of the s ensors in saline environments\, enabling reliable long-term use. In additi on\, nanostructure assisted resonant configurations are introduced to ampl ify localized surface plasmon effects\, significantly improving the detect ion of subtle refractive index variations associated with salinity\, tempe rature\, nanoplastic concentration\, microplastics\, and aquatic microorga nisms. These structures exhibit high sensitivity\, figure of merit\, and l ow detection limits\, enabling precise identification of low concentration analytes. The proposed models are validated through comprehensive numeric al simulations\, and key performance metrics are evaluated to assess their effectiveness. The results demonstrate that the developed sensor architec tures achieve significant improvements over conventional plasmonic designs in terms of sensitivity\, multi parameter capability\, and robustness und er realistic environmental conditions. Overall\, this thesis establishes a unified and scalable framework for next generation plasmonic sensing plat forms\, providing a pathway toward compact\, high performance\, and real t ime marine monitoring systems.
\nAdvisor(s): Dr. Mohammad Karim\, Professor\, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering\, UMASS Dartmouth
\nCommittee Members: Dr. Yifei Li\, Professor\, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering\, UMASS Dartmouth\; Dr. Md Habibor Rahman\, Assist ant Professor\, Mechanical Engineering\; Dr. Tariq Manzur\, Adjunct Profes sor\, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering\, UMASS Dartmouth an d Scientist & Engineer\, Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC)
\nNOTE : All ECE Graduate Students are ENCOURAGED to attend. All interested parti es are invited to attend. Open to the public.
\n*For further informa tion\, please contact Dr. Mohammad Karim email at mkarim@umassd.edu
Event page: https:/
/www.umassd.edu/events/cms/ele-master-of-science-thesis-defense-by-tahmina
-tabassum-treena---ece-department.php
Event link: https:/
/umassd.zoom.us/j/93281343753?pwd=UWd5TGsweFpyMC9ydWhzaWErZnlndz09
College of Nursing and Health S
ciences - PhD Dissertation Defense
Aaron Gendreau-Visco\, MBA\, BSN\,
RN\, PhD Candidate
Date: May 27\, 2026
Time: 10 am – 12 no
on
Place: LIB 314
ZOOM: contact dhoffman@umassd.edu for link< /p>\n
Title: The Experience of Professional Nurse Sexual Identity Manage ment: A Descriptive Qualitative Study
\nDissertation Committee: Susa n Hunter Revell PhD\, RN (chair)\, Jennifer Viveiros PhD\, RN\, CNE\, CHSE \, Kristen Clark PhD\, RN\, Mary McCurry PhD\, RNBC\, ANP\, ACNP
\nA bstract: Sexual identity management is a complex process that includes rep eated decisions to disclose over time. This qualitative\, descriptive stud y aimed to better understand the experience of sexual identity management for lesbian\, gay\, and bisexual (LGB) professional nurses and the factors that influence sexual identity disclosure in the workplace. Rubin and Rub in’s responsive interviewing methodology was used to solicit narrative a ccounts from 10 practicing acute care nurses with at least one year of exp erience. Semi-structured interviews revealed a process the nurses used to manage their sexual identity in the workplace. Eight major themes emerged: initial assessment\, being myself\, relating to coworkers\, comfort/trust \, informed disclosure\, in the wake of disclosure\, intentional non-discl osure\, and in the wake of silence. The combination of themes revealed was dependent on whether the disclosure was to a coworker or patient. The dec ision to disclose was influenced by the individual nurse’s history\, and nursing unit and organizational factors.
\nThe impact of past and c urrent discrimination and minority stress on the decision to disclose sexu al identity included two major themes: carrying the weight and cognitive v igilance. This is the first study to examine the experiences of LGB nurses managing their sexual identity in the workplace. Findings also provide in sight into the factors that both enable and hinder their decision to discl ose\, providing a resource to guide practicing nurses and nurse researcher s. Study findings may also inform nurse managers and nurse educators who a re responsible for the culture they create and provide future support of p rofessional LGB nurses in the classroom and on the clinical unit.
Ev ent page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/the-experience-of-professional-nur se-sexual-identity-management-a-descriptive-qualitative-study.php< /p> DTSTAMP:20260516T151735 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260527T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260527T120000 LOCATION:Library 314 SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:The Experience of Professional Nurse Sexual Identity Management: A Descriptive Qualitative Study UID:6555a063ced1ca7064896a2d006eefdf@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Arts and Sciences,College of Engineering,Thesis/Disse rtations DESCRIPTION:Topic: High-order Conservative Discontinuous Galerkin Methods via Implicit Penalization for the Generalized Korteweg--de Vries Equation and the Hirota--Satsuma KdV SystemAbstract: We develop a new cons ervative discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods for nonlinear wave problems, focusing on the generalized Korteweg–de Vries (gKdV) equation and the co upled Hirota–Satsuma KdV (HS-KdV) system. The proposed methods preserve mass through the single-valued structure of numerical traces, while energy and Hamiltonian conservation are enforced by implicitly determining penal ty parameters in the numerical traces through auxiliary conservation const raints. In our previous work, we developed a conservative DG method for th e gKdV equation; however, that formulation involves the time derivative of the jump of the approximate solution, which complicates extensions beyond second-order temporal accuracy. Our new formulation overcomes this limita tion by introducing a redesigned trace configuration that eliminates the d erivative-of-jump term. This novel enhancement seamlessly paves the way fo r higher-order time discretizations and requires solving fewer nonlinear s ystems per time step than the previous approach. For the coupled HS-KdV sy stem, we present the first conservative DG method capable of preserving al l three invariants of the exact solution. Numerical results demonstrate th e accuracy and expected convergence behavior of the proposed methods, as w ell as long-time stability and strong conservation properties for both the gKdV equation and HS- KdV system. ADVISOR(s): Dr. Bo Dong, Department of Mathematics (bdong@umassd.edu) Dr. Yanlai Chen, Chief Research Officer (yanlai.chen@umassd.edu) COMMITTE E MEMBERS: Dr. Zheng Chen, Department of Mathematics Dr. Mazdak Tootkabon i, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering NOTE: All EAS Stud ents are ENCOURAGED to attend.\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/ cms/eas-doctoral-proposal-defense--by-muhammad-shan-tariq.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:
Topic:
\nHigh-order Con servative Discontinuous Galerkin Methods via Implicit Penalization for the Generalized Korteweg--de Vries Equation and the Hirota--Satsuma KdV Syste mAbstract:
\nWe develop a new conservative discontinuous Gal erkin (DG) methods for nonlinear wave problems\, focusing on the generaliz ed Korteweg–de Vries (gKdV) equation and the coupled Hirota–Satsuma Kd V (HS-KdV) system. The proposed methods preserve mass through the single-v alued structure of numerical traces\, while energy and Hamiltonian conserv ation are enforced by implicitly determining penalty parameters in the num erical traces through auxiliary conservation constraints. In our previous work\, we developed a conservative DG method for the gKdV equation\; howev er\, that formulation involves the time derivative of the jump of the appr oximate solution\, which complicates extensions beyond second-order tempor al accuracy. Our new formulation overcomes this limitation by introducing a redesigned trace configuration that eliminates the derivative-of-jump te rm. This novel enhancement seamlessly paves the way for higher-order time discretizations and requires solving fewer nonlinear systems per time step than the previous approach. For the coupled HS-KdV system\, we present th e first conservative DG method capable of preserving all three invariants of the exact solution. Numerical results demonstrate the accuracy and expe cted convergence behavior of the proposed methods\, as well as long-time s tability and strong conservation properties for both the gKdV equation and HS- KdV system.
\nADVISOR(s):
\nCOMMITTEE MEMBERS:
\nNOTE: All EAS Student s are ENCOURAGED to attend.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/eas-doctoral-proposal-defense--by-muhamm ad-shan-tariq.php
DTSTAMP:20260516T151735 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260528T093000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260528T110000 LOCATION:TXT 105 - CSCDR SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:EAS Doctoral Proposal Defense by Muhammad Shan Tari q UID:4dbc716507d5b5f332bbf56691abadbc@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:Lectures and Seminars,SMAST DESCRIPTION:Hosted by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology Scientist Stories is a live, participato ry event that brings together early career scientists at UMass Dartmout h and community members to share and hear stories about science, the envi ronment, and our human connection to it. Featuring live storytellers telli ng short 5–8-minute stories in New Bedford, MA, this is a unique oppo rtunity for storytellers to share their stories of hope with the community in a relatable, entertaining and engaging way to a large and diverse au dience. Storytellers will be selected from a range of backgrounds and ex periences and will receive support and 1 on 1 coaching to craft compelli ng, heartfelt stories —whether through moments of resilience in the fac e of environmental challenges, surprising connections between people and p lace, or personal journeys sparked by science. Whether funny, poignant, or powerful, each story will shine a light on the personal connections of s cientists to their science. Storytellers may be students, staff, and e arly career faculty at UMass Dartmouth with a science-related story to tel l. We define “science” very broadly, and include social, natural, ph ysical, and related sciences. The event will take place at The First Un itarian Church in New Bedford, located at 71 8th Street, New Bedford, MA. There will be street parking available and the rear entrance is fully acc essible.\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/umass-dartmouth-sc ientist-stories-a-live-storytelling-event.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Hosted by the University of Ma ssachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology
\nS cientist Stories is a live\, participatory event that brings together ea rly career scientists at UMass Dartmouth and community members to share and hear stories about science\, the environment\, and our human connecti on to it. Featuring live storytellers telling short 5–8-minute stories in New Bedford\, MA\, this is a unique opportunity for storytellers to s hare their stories of hope with the community in a relatable\, entertaini ng and engaging way to a large and diverse audience.
\nStorytelle rs will be selected from a range of backgrounds and experiences and will r eceive support and 1 on 1 coaching to craft compelling\, heartfelt stori es —whether through moments of resilience in the face of environmental challenges\, surprising connections between people and place\, or personal journeys sparked by science. Whether funny\, poignant\, or powerful\, eac h story will shine a light on the personal connections of scientists to their science.
\nStorytellers may be students\, staff\, a nd early career faculty at UMass Dartmouth with a science-related story to tell. We define “science” very broadly\, and include social\, natur al\, physical\, and related sciences.
\nThe event will t
ake place at The First Unitarian Church in New Bedford\, located at 71 8th Street\, New Bedford\, MA. There will be street parking avail
able and the rear entrance is fully accessible.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/umass-dartmout h-scientist-stories-a-live-storytelling-event.php
DTSTAMP:20260516T151735 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260528T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260528T210000 LOCATION:First Unitarian Church of New Bedford SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:UMass Dartmouth Scientist Stories: A Live Storytelli ng Event UID:d887724b9a9251afeba8f9d505683398@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:Financial Aid DESCRIPTION:Financial Aid Services wants to remind all students to file the ir FAFSA! Join Financial Aid Services for Zoom FAFSA Help Labs on Fridays from 2-3pm for help filing your FAFSA and learning more about financial ai d.\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/summer-financial-aid-zoo m-fafsa-help-labs--1.php\nEvent link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/93075462260 ?pwd=JhUkTxOEnyX3q6xrQZN5LPHDFjqHOD.1 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Financial Aid Services wants to remind all students to file their FAFSA! Join Financial Aid Services for Zoom FAFSA Help Labs on Fridays from 2-3pm for help filing your FAFSA and learning more about financial aid.
Event page: ht
tps://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/summer-financial-aid-zoom-fafsa-help-labs-
-1.php
Event link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/93075462260?p
wd=JhUkTxOEnyX3q6xrQZN5LPHDFjqHOD.1
Learn how to look up budget balances and run monthly Revenue and Expe nse\, Open Encumbrance and Transaction Detail reports in PeopleSoft Financ e.
\nOpen to Faculty and Staff. Please register via email to receive zoom link and room details. email: jschlesinger@umassd.edu
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/peoplesoft-financi
al-reporting-and-budget-inquiry-training--.php
Event link: https://www.umassd.ed
u/peoplesoftfinance/training/
Open to Faculty and Staff.
Learn how to look up Budget Balances\, Revenue and Expense Det
ails\, Open Encumbrances and Transaction Detail using the Department Manag
ement dashboard for financials.
Please register. Email jschlesinger@umassd.edu to sign u p and receive location/zoom details.
Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/summit-financial-reporting-101.php
DTSTAMP:20260516T151735 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260403T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260403T111500 LOCATION:Zoom SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Summit Financial Reporting 101 UID:ba188c03de3b8169cafd18246a883691@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR