The graduating class of 2013 includes one group noted for its size. They are small in number, but they are mighty. This year, the commencement ceremony will include eight PhD in Information Science students whose work reflects the wide-range of topics that is the hallmark of the iSchool.

From creating commercial-worthy applications like LemonAid to researching information systems in Indigenous and border communities, the graduates earned their degrees over the course of five to seven years of study that included coursework, practica, and research focused on understanding human involvement with information and its social and technological ramifications.

The newly-minted PhDs and their dissertation topics include:

Miranda Hayes Belarde-Lewis
Dissertation: “From Six Directions: Documenting and Protecting Zuni Knowledge in Multiple Environments.”

Parmit K. Chilana, new faculty member at the University of Waterloo
Dissertation: “Supporting Users After Software Deployment through Selection-Based Crowdsourced Contextual Help.”

Marisa Elena Duarte
Dissertation: “Network Sovereignty: Investigating the Implications of Tribally Owned Broadband Infrastructures.”

Jeff Huang, new faculty member at Brown University
Dissertation: “Modeling User Behavior and Attention in Search”

Peyina Lin
Dissertation: “Channeling Friendships across Social Types via Mediated Communication and High School Clubs.”

Charles Naumer
Dissertation: “Understanding the Relationship between Problem Framing and Information Needs Development.”

Marilyn Ostergren
Dissertation: “How Scientists Develop Competence in Visual Communication.”

Ammy Jiranida Phuwanartnurak
Dissertation: “Exploring the Use of Wikis for Information Sharing in Interdisciplinary Design.”