Outstanding Thesis and Dissertation Award
2020-2021
College of Business Administration
Outstanding Thesis
Andrew Ryle
Master of Science, Economics
Graduated August 15, 2021
Title: Houston is on the Right Side of the Tracks
Thesis Chair: Dr. John Gibson
Outstanding Dissertation
Dr. Gabriel Moreno
Doctor of Philosophy, Business Administration
Graduated May 15, 2021
Title: Intraorganizational Adaptiveness: Conceptual and Empirical Examination of Salespeople's Adaptation Within their Firms
Dissertation Chair: Dr. Edward Ramirez
College of Education
Outstanding Thesis
Chelsea Elizabeth Lucas
Master of Arts, Education
Graduated December 12, 2020
Title: Mediations of Cogenerative Dialogues between High School Students and Scientists
Thesis Chair: Dr. Pei-Ling Hsu
Outstanding Dissertation
Dr. Azuri Lizeth Gonzalez
Doctor of Education, Educational Leadership and Administration
Graduated December 12, 2020
Title: Faculty Attitudes and Perspectives about Community Engaged Scholarship at an Engaged Institution
Dissertation Chair: Dr. Rodolfo Rincones
College of Engineering
Outstanding Thesis
Hector Cruz
Master of Science, Civil Engineering
Graduated May 15, 2021
Title: Digital Twin Technology Applications for Transportation Infrastructure – A Survey-Based Study
Thesis Chair: Dr. Soheil Nazarian
Outstanding Dissertation
Dr. Maryamsadat Shokrekhodaei
Doctor of Philosophy, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Graduated August 15, 2021
Title: Non‐Invasive in‐vitro Glucose Monitoring using Optical Sensor and Machine Learning Techniques for Diabetes Applications
Dissertation Chair: Dr. Stella Quinones
Dissertation Co-Chair: Dr. Robert C. Roberts
College of Health Sciences
Outstanding Thesis
Alexa Karina Mendoza
Master of Public Health
Graduated August 15, 2021
Title: Surveillance of Ticks and Associated Pathogens in Central Texas
Thesis Chair: Dr. Delfina Dominguez
Outstanding Dissertation
Dr. Michelle Del Rio
Doctor of Philosophy, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences
Graduated May 15, 2021
Title: Stability of Blood Lead Levels in Children with Chronic Low-Level Lead Absorption
Dissertation Chair: Dr. Christina Sobin
College of Liberal Arts
Outstanding Thesis
Jessie Socorro Arellano
Master of Arts, Communication
Graduated December 12, 2020
Title: Who is Willing to Speak up and Why? Examining Individual and Organizational Predictors of Employee Voice Behavior in Higher Education Institutions
Thesis Chair: Dr. Yannick Atouba
Outstanding Dissertation
Dr. Nora Karina Rivera
Doctor of Philosophy, Rhetoric and Composition
Graduated May 15, 2021
Title: The Rhetorical Mediator: Understanding Agency in Indigenous Translation and Interpretation through Indigenous Approaches to UX
Dissertation Chair: Dr. Laura Gonzales
Dissertation Co-Chair: Dr. Lucia Dura
College of Science
Outstanding Thesis
Zachary John Buschmann
Master of Science, Physics
Graduated May 15, 2021
Title: The Developments for Efficient and Accurate DFT Calculations
Thesis Chair: Dr. Rajendra Zope
Outstanding Dissertation
Dr. Amanda Leane Labrado
Doctor of Philosophy, Geological Sciences
Graduated: May 15, 2021
Title: Geological Problems with Microbiological Solutions: Deciphering the Authigenesis of Calcite, Dolomite, and Native Sulfur in Salty Environments
Dissertation Chair: Dr. Benjamin Brunner
Archived Awards
College of Business Administration
Outstanding Thesis
Felipe Francisco Mejia
Master of Science, Economics
Graduated December 14, 2019
Title: Residential Electricity Consumption in Las Cruces
Thesis Chair: Dr. Thomas Fullerton
Outstanding Dissertation
Dr. Farid Jahantab
Doctor of Philosophy, Business Administration
Graduated May 16, 2020
Title: A Social Network Perspective of Employee Overqualification to Outcomes Relationships in Workgroups
Dissertation Chair: Dr. Prajya R. Vidyarthi
College of Education
Outstanding Dissertation
Dr. Hilda Y. Sotelo
Doctor of Philosophy, Teaching Learning and Culture Graduated December 12, 2019
Title: Escritura Crítica Orgánica Para Deconstruir La Opresión Femenina: Propuesta Nepantlera A Redefifinir La Pedagogía De La Creación Literaria
Dissertation Chair: Dr. Josefina Tinajero
College of Engineering
Outstanding Thesis
Luisa A. Morales
Master of Science, Civil Engineering
Graduated August 15, 2020
Title: Relating Surface Resistivity to Corrosion of Rebar Embedded in Portland Cement Concrete
Thesis Chair: Dr. Soheil Nazarian
Outstanding Dissertation
Dr. Mayra C. Chavez
Doctor of Philosophy, Civil Engineering
Graduated December 14, 2019
Title: Assessing Spatiotemporal Exposures to Transportation Pollutants in Near-Road Communities Using AERMOD
Dissertation Chair: Dr. Wen-Whai Li
College of Health Sciences
Outstanding Thesis
Jordan A. Orozco
Master of Science, Speech Language Pathology
Graduated May 16, 2020
Title: Working Memory Performance in Spanish-English Bilinguals’ First and Second Languages
Thesis Chair: Dr. Pat Lara
Outstanding Dissertation
Dr. Juan Antonio Aguilera Mendoza
Doctor of Philosophy, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences
Graduated August 15, 2020
Title: Associations of Traffic Related Air Pollution with Physical Activity and Cardiorespiratory Health Outcomes in At-Risk Populations from El Paso, Texas
Dissertation Chair: Dr. Wen-Whai Li
Dissertation Co-Chair: Dr. Leah D. Whigham
College of Liberal Arts
Outstanding Thesis
Denise Natalia Delgado
Master of Arts, Sociology
Graduated December 14, 2019
Title: Let’s Talk About What We Otherwise Risk Ignoring: Sexual Health Among Women Who Have Sex with Women
Thesis Chair: Dr. Ophra Leyser-Whalen
Outstanding Dissertation
Dr. Maria Guadalupe Vallejo
Doctor of Philosophy, Borderlands History
Graduated May 16, 2020
Title: On the Rio Grande: A Struggle for Land and Citizenship in San Vicente del Llano Grande, 1749-1930
Dissertation Chair: Dr. Jeffrey P. Shepherd
College of Science
Outstanding Thesis
Vanessa I. Navarro
Master of Science, Biology
Graduated August 15, 2020
Title: An Analysis and Representation in an Atlas Reference Space of Putative Appositions from Neurons Expressing Alpha-Melanocyte-Stimulating-Hormone with Neurons Expressing Hypocretin/Orexin or Melanin-Concentrating Hormone
Thesis Chair: Dr. Arshad M. Khan
Outstanding Dissertation
Dr. Yuejiao Xian
Doctor of Philosophy, Chemistry
Graduated: December 12, 2020
Title: Structural Characterization of Two Large Icosahedral DNA Viruses and Their Capsid Assembly Mechanisms
Dissertation Chair: Dr. Chuan Xiao
