AFIT graduates Class of March 2010 Published March 29, 2010 By Bill Hancock 88ABW/PA WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, OHIO -- Two hundred five scientists, engineers, and management specialists are now the recipients of graduate and doctoral degrees from the Air Force Institute of Technology. AFIT's Graduate School of Engineering and Management held its March 2010 graduation ceremony Thursday at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. Lt. Gen. Janet C. Wolfenbarger, Vice Commander, Air Force Materiel Command, delivered the commencement address. With the completion of Gen. Wolfenbarger's speech and her congratulations, AFIT Commandant Brig. Gen. Walter D. Givhan distributed diplomas to the master's students. The ceremony also highlighted the dissertations of the doctoral students during the hooding process: Dissertation - Developing a Qualia-based Multi-agent Architecture for use in Malware Detection. By Capt. Bobby Don Birrer. Advisor: Dr. Richard A. Raines Dissertation - Midwave Infrared Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometry of Combustion Plumes. By Capt. Kenneth C. Bradley. Advisor: Dr. Glen P. Perram, Hooded By: Dr. Kevin Gross Dissertation - Time Dependent Channel Packet Calculation of Two Nucleon Scattering Matrix Elements. By Maj. Brian S. Davis, Advisor: Dr. David E. Weeks Dissertation - Investigation into Contact Resistance and Damage of Metal Contacts Used in RF-MEMS Switches. By Lt. Col. Kevin W. Gilbert.,Advisor: Dr. Shankar Mall Dissertation - Consideration of Wear Rates at High Velocity. By Lt. Col. Chad S. Hale. Advisor, Dr. Anthony N. Palazotto Dissertation - An Empirical Methodology for Engineering Human Systems Integration. By Major Nicholas S. Hardman, Advisor: Dr. John Colombi Dissertation - Performance Analysis of Live-Virtual-Constructive and Distributed Virtual Simulations: Defining Requirements in Terms of Temporal Consistency. By Douglas D. Hodson. Advisor: Dr. Rusty O. Baldwin Dissertation - Dynamic Coalition Formation under Uncertainty. By Daylond J. Hoope,. Advisor: Dr. Gilbert Peterson Dissertation - Large Scale Distributed Coalition Formation. By Capt. Daniel R. Karrels, Advisor: Dr. Gilbert L. Peterson Dissertation - Thermo-Mechanical Characterization of Silicon Carbide-Silicon Carbide Composites at Elevated Temperatures using a Unique Combustion Facility. By Capt. Ted T. Kim, Advisor: Dr. Shankar Mall Dissertation - Application of Dual-Tree Complex Wavelet Transforms to Burst Detection and RF Fingerprint Classification. By Maj. Randall W. Klein, Advisor: Dr. Michael A. Temple Dissertation - Spectrally-Temporally Adapted SMSE Waveform Design for Coexistent Cognitive-Based Software Defined Radio Applications. By Capt. Eric C. Like, Advisor: Dr. Michael A. Temple Dissertation - Discrete Film Cooling in a Rocket with Curved Walls By Capt. Jonathan F. McCall, P.E. Advisor: Lt Col Richard D. Branam Dissertation - Electromagnetic Field Control and Optimization Using Metamaterials By Maj. Jeffrey S. McGuirk, Advisor: Dr. Peter J. Collins Dissertation - A Physical Model of Human Skin and Its Application for Search and Rescue By Maj. Abel S. Nunez, Advisor: Maj Michael J. Mendenhall Dissertation - Development of Measures to Assess Product Modularity and Reconfigurability By Lt. Col. Amie C. Stryker, Advisor: Dr. David R. Jacques Dissertation - Three Dimensional Positron Annihilation Momentum Measurement Technique Applied to Measure Oxygen-atom Defects in 6H Silicon Carbide By Lt. Col. Christopher Williams, Advisor: Dr. Larry W. Burggraf Air Force officers composed the majority of the 197 Master's degrees and eight Doctor of Philosophy degrees awarded; however, the Institute also graduated: three Air Force non-commissioned officers, seven Army officers, four Marine Corps officers, four Navy Officers, and 10 Civilians. Of the foreign students receiving degrees, one graduate hailed from Argentina, one from Australia, two from Brazil, one from Chile, four from the Republic of Korea, and five from Turkey. Additionally 12 students (who had previously graduated) returned to participate in the evening's graduation ceremony. Ten are Doctoral students who returned to be formally hooded and two master's degree recipients. Four students were recognized for their exemplary performance during their graduate studies. The Commandant's Award was presented to Capt. Casey Pellizzari, who demonstrated the most exceptional individual master's thesis research. In recognition of his exceptional scholarship and high qualities of character, initiative, and leadership, Capt. Samuel Butler was the recipient of the Mervin E. Gross Award, named in honor of Brig. Gen. Mervin E. Gross, first commandant of the Institute. The Edwin E. Aldrin, Sr. Award, named in honor of Lt. Edwin E. Aldrin, Sr., member of the Institute's first graduating class and father of astronaut Buzz Aldrin, was presented to Maj. David Meier for demonstrating strong personal leadership and accomplishing AFIT's education objectives in an outstanding manner. Finally, Master Sgt. Wesley Schuler received the Secretary James G. Roche Award for demonstrating exceptional academic achievement through a combination of grade point average and outstanding thesis, as well as high qualities of character, initiative, leadership and service while in a master's graduate program.