Announcements

Thanchira "MJ" Suriyamongkol - Ph.D. Dissertation for Ph.D. Dissertation in Agricultural Science
Title: Wildlife Use of Giant Cane Habitat in Southern Illinois
Major Professor: Becky Lee
Committee Members: Jon Schoonover, Jim Zaczek, Brent Pease
Date: March 16, 2026
Location: Agriculture Building, Room 209
Virtual Link: Click here to join
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Abstract: Arundinaria gigantea (Walter) Muhl. (Giant cane) is a bamboo species native to the United States and was a prominent feature of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley landscape. Over 70 wildlife species are associated with stands of giant cane (canebrakes). However, canebrake cover has drastically declined to < 2% of its pre-settlement extent. The loss of canebrakes could negatively impact many wildlife species that utilize canebrakes as refuge, nesting sites, and foraging habitat. In addition, although anecdotal historical records suggested canebrake importance for wildlife, systematic study and quantitative analyses of the influence of canebrake on wildlife habitat use is lacking. I conducted wildlife surveys for herpetofauna, mammals, and birds during 2022–2024 at 32 canebrakes and 32 forested sites across Jackson, Union, Alexander, and Pulaski Counties in southern Illinois, USA, and examined the influence of fine-scale vegetation structure, particularly giant cane, on habitat use of wildlife using occupancy modeling techniques. At canebrake sites, 17, 12, and 78 species of herpetofauna, mammals, and birds, respectively, were detected. At non-canebrake sites, 22, 14, and 74 species of herpetofauna, mammals, and birds, respectively, were detected. For herpetofauna, reptile occupancy was higher in denser, larger, and shorter canebrakes, while amphibian occupancy was higher in denser, smaller, and taller canebrakes, although the relationships were not statistically significant. In addition, reptiles occupied open canopy areas that facilitated thermoregulation activities, while amphibians occupied areas with high tree density that better retained moisture. For mammals, the relationships between occupancy and vegetation characteristics were species-specific. Although I did not find any significant associations between mammal habitat use and canebrake presence, high species diversity of mammals was observed at canebrake sites. For birds, responses to vegetation structure (tree density and size) and canebrakes varied among species and nesting guilds (overstory, understory, and ground). Occurrence probability of 48% of the bird species increased with the presence of canebrake. Overall, remnant canebrake structure (sparse) and distribution (fragmented) might explain the lack of significant influence of canebrake presence on wildlife communities. However, a high number of species observed in canebrakes emphasizes their importance in enhancing floodplain landscape complexity and the value in further restoring this cover type beyond its presently diminished status. Re-establishment of dense, contiguous stands of canebrakes may improve wildlife habitat quality. In addition, maintaining habitat heterogeneity and managing vegetation diversity, including variations in canopy cover and structure, may benefit a wide range of wildlife species in southern Illinois landscapes.

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Ritesh Varma Dommaraju - Master's Thesis for M.S. in Computer Science
Title: Enhancing Large Language Models Reasoning
Major Professor: Henry Hexmoor
Committee Members: Khaled Ahmed, Koushik Sinha
Date: December 2, 2025
Location: Engineering A Room A309C
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Abstract: Large Language Models, are very successful at getting the final answer in math problems (succeeding about 94–96% of the time), but their step-by-step thinking is often flawed, with correct steps occurring less than 50% of the time. This study investigates how to fix this by shifting the LLM’s from just guessing patterns to actively checking every step it takes, similar to how people think. We analyze five existing evaluation frameworks (REVEAL, FineLogic, REASONEVAL, ProcessBench, and PRMBench) to confirm that this step-level accuracy can be measured and improved. Our proposed method integrates five human thinking concepts—dual-process theory, working memory, symbolic reasoning, metacognition, and theory of mind—with modern AI checking systems. Theoretical evidence suggests this new verification system can boost the accuracy of the LLM's intermediate steps by a significant 20 to 30 percentage points. Essentially, this research proves that the LLM's current weaknesses in thinking are not permanent, but require a fundamental change in design from simple prediction to logic-based verification.

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Olivia Slater - Ph.D. Dissertation for Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Neuroscience/Medicinal Chemistry Concentration
Title: Targeting Toll-like Receptor 4 with Computational Chemistry Methods and Rationally Designed Glycoconjugates
Major Professor: Maria Kontoyianni
Committee Members: Kenneth Witt, Shelley Tischkau, Randolph Elble, Alexei V. Demchenko, Michael R. Nichols
Date: January 22, 2026
Location: Health Sciences Building, Room 1340; SIU-Edwardsville
Virtual Link: Click here to join
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Abstract: Toll-like Receptor 4 (TLR4) and protein partners lymphocyte antigen 96 (MD-2), Cluster of Differentiation factor 14 (CD14), and High Mobility Group Box 1 protein (HMGB1) are immune receptors involved in inflammation. TLR4 Agonists include bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), ganglioside GM3, and chemotherapy drug paclitaxel. Our earlier work employed a structure-based design strategy to develop potent amino acid monosaccharides (AM) that bind with TLR4/MD-2 at the protein-protein (PP) interface to antagonize LPS. Compounds 12, 101, and 104 had IC50s equal to 470 nM, 13 nM, and 311 nM, respectively, and 101 was biphasic. Taking into consideration these prior findings, research was undertaken to address questions pertaining to the cause of the biphasic response, chemical features that are important for activity at TLR4/MD-2, feasibility of small molecule design for these receptors, GM3 targeting with glycoconjugates, and whether the power of computational modeling could identify putative binding partners of paclitaxel. These overarching questions established the basis toward the project’s objectives. Rational design, ab initio calculations, docking, and machine learning were employed in order to assess the selectivity of AM conjugates and explore structure-activity relationships. Results show that 101 binds with TLR4/MD-2 and MD-2 alone, charge and polarity on activity and selectivity are significant, and acetyl protection of the amino acid is the best chemical reduction. Computational predictions were confirmed in two experimental labs using different assays. Molecular dynamics, PP docking, and virtual screening were undertaken in order to assess the viability of the PP interfaces of TLR4 and partners, and investigate the feasibility of small molecule binders of CD14. Results show that interfaces between TLRs and one pocket on CD14 are amenable to molecular design. Finally, de novo design, enhanced sampling, and free energy calculations were carried out in order to design glycoconjugates and elucidate paclitaxel’s likely binding partners in metastatic disease. A robust protocol was developed, and results show that a designed glycoconjugate behaves differently in metastatic versus healthy bilayers, and that HMGB1 with TLR4/MD-2 are putative binding partners of paclitaxel.

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Scott Jarmon - Ph.D. Dissertation for Ph.D. in Communication Studies — Rhetoric and Society
Title: The Crone’s Return - Conjuring Myth in the Golden Girls and Miyazaki
Major Professor: Jonathan Gray
Committee Members: Rebecca Anderson, Nilanjana Bardhan, Craig Gingrich-Philbrook, Heather M. O’Brien
Date: January 14, 2026
Location: Communications Building 2005
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Abstract: This dissertation argues for the resurrection of the crone as a vital mythic figure
necessary for understanding contemporary feminist resistance. It contends that rigid
methodological frameworks inevitably ignore her messy, disruptive potential. In response, this
project develops and practices a “crone-as-method,” an anti-methodological approach that
embraces a “vibes-based” orientation (Rowe & Frischherz, 2025). This method is a practice of
walking with the crone, framing her qualities as not just objects of study, but as constitutive of
inquiry, positioning her as a coproducer of knowledge. The project reviews the crone’s history,
tracing her fall from a revered goddess to a persecuted pariah, and into contemporary politics as
a new figure of feminist agitation. Sara Ahmed’s figures of the feminist killjoy and willful
subject also frame this project’s approach to the crone (2010; 2014). The feminist killjoy—who
exposes the unhappy truths behind patriarchal promises—and the willful subject—who
stubbornly persists against social pressure—both provide insight to understanding the crone’s
disruption. Within the context of the present-day erosion of political rights for women, the
dissertation claims that the crone is an instructive guide both methodologically and in present-
day political contexts. The crone-as-method is used to engage with The Golden Girls and
selected Hayao Miyazaki films, arguing that both sets of texts show the crone as a figure of
wisdom, experience, and craft. With The Golden Girls, I use the crone-as-method to analyze how
they enact the crone and use their coven as a site of power, attending to their killjoy, willful, and
mythological ways. With Miyazaki’s films, I use the crone-as-method to analyze her laborious
power through her roles as a Seer, Leader, and Mentor. Together, these texts show the versatility
of the crone as a figure in contemporary discourse and her ability to resignify past myths about
herself, offering a sustaining energy for feminist world-building.