Fall 2026 - Summer 2027
PhD Thesis Defense: Allison Bywater
Thursday, August 13, 2026; 9:00 AM; Zoom
Title: How Abortion Restrictions Shape the Experiences of Trans Iowans: A Thematic Analysis
Committee Chair: Saba Ali
PhD Thesis Defense: Ahmed Bediwy
Thursday, August 13, 2026; 12:00 PM; Zoom
Title: ADVANCING TEST ASSEMBLY: MIXTURE MODELING FOR MST ITEM SELECTION AND EXPLANATORY IRT FOR AI-GENERATED ITEMS
Committee Chair: Jonathan Templin
PhD Thesis Defense: Taylor Sommers
Wednesday, September 23, 2026; 10:30 AM; N111 LC
Title: The impact of community support on academic aspirations of high-achieving youth: A mixed-methods study
Committee Chair: Saba Ali; Co-Chair: Duhita Mahatmya
Ph.D. Thesis Defense: Tara Tedrow
Wednesday, November 4, 2026; 11:00 AM; N310 LC
Title: Special Education Teacher Candidates' Readiness to Support Trauma-affected Students
Committee Co-Chairs: Allison Bruhn; Duhita Mahatmya
Ph.D. Thesis Defense: Amira Nash
Tuesday, November 10, 2026; 2:00 PM; N262 LC
Title: A Transraciolinguistic Approach: Experiences of African-born Immigrant College Students through Storytelling
Committee Chair: Saba Vlach
Ph.D. Thesis Defense: Michala Cox
Wednesday, November 11, 2026; 10:00 AM; 350 LC
Title: How Exhibit Design Facilitates Patterns of Parent-Child Causal Reasoning
Committee Chair: Matthew Lira
Ph.D. Thesis Defense: Stephanie Erps
Monday, November 16, 2026; 12:00 PM; N461 LC
Title: Points or Proficiency: How Teachers Navigate NGSS Assessment within a Standards-Based Grading Framework
Committee Chair: Jeffrey Nordine
Ph.D. Thesis Defense: Kara Rash
Tuesday, November 17, 2026; 8:30 AM; N111 LC
Title: A Critical Approach to the Practiced Language Policies of a Spanish for Heritage Speakers Course in the Midwest United States
Committee Chair: David Johnson; Co-Chair: Christine Shea
Ph.D. Thesis Defense: Sergio Haab
Friday, November 20, 2026; 4:30 PM; Zoom
Title: Improving Psychometric Inference Under Extreme Small-N Conditions
Committee Chair: Jonathan Templin
Ph.D. Thesis Defense: Erica Dorman
Tuesday, December 1, 2026; 9:30 AM; Zoom
Title: Exploring Within-Level Interactions and their Extensions in Multilevel Models
Committee Chair: Lesa Hoffman