Shepherd Receives Graduate School Dean’s Distinguished Dissertation Award

Mary Jo Shepherd, public policy, and Jinglin Li, computing and informatics, are the 2016 recipients of the Graduate School Dean’s Distinguished Dissertation Award.

Shepherd received the award in social sciences for “BCRA: Before Campaigning Retain an Attorney: An Institutional Study of Campaign Finance Contribution Limits and the Effects on Candidate Decisions in the 50 U.S. States.” Her work makes a significant contribution to the understanding of campaign finance law, which was particularly important in her finding that candidates, in some states, made decisions about withdrawing from a race based on these laws. Martha Kropf, professor of political science and public administration, was her advisor.

Shepherd is a lecturer in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at UNC Charlotte and teaches courses in International and Comparative Politics. In addition to earning her doctoral degree in public policy from UNC Charlotte, she received her bachelor’s degree in political science here. She earned her master’s degree in international relations from Baylor University.

Li was recognized in mathematics, physical sciences and engineering for “Continuum Robot Manipulation.” This work makes a significant contribution to the advancement of robotic motion with the incorporation of sensory data to inform motion. His research was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation and by the Electric Power Research Institute in Charlotte. Jing Xiao, professor of computer science, was his advisor.

The Dean’s Distinguished Dissertation Award is presented annually in the categories corresponding to the national competition jointly sponsored by Council of Graduate Schools and ProQuest Dissertations Publishing. Winners of the campus award are forwarded to the national competition, and each recipient receives a cash prize of $1,000 and an engraved plaque.

Words: Julie Green | Image: Courtesy of Shepherd