Faculty Research Projects and Publications

We proudly showcase the cutting-edge research endeavors of our esteemed faculty members, who are at the forefront of innovation in the fields of analytics and data science at Kennesaw State. Our faculty members are passionately engaged in exploring diverse facets of data-driven solutions, ranging from artificial intelligence and machine learning to big data analytics and computational modeling. Through their extensive research efforts, they contribute significantly to both academia and industry, shaping the future of data science.

  • PhD: Mathematics, Florida State University

    Research Interests: My primary research focus is machine learning and data science, specifically focusing on network science. I am particularly interested in utilizing topological data analysis (TDA) tools to address challenges in network science, such as opinion dynamics and influence maximization problems and their applications in social, biological, and business networks. 

    Selected Publications: 

    "", ME Aktas, E Akbas, A El Fatmaoui, Applied Network Science 4 (61)

    "", ME Aktas, T Nguyen, S Jawaid, R Riza, E Akbas, Scientific Reports 11 (21288)

    "", M Nguyen, M Aktas, E Akbas, Mathematical and Computational Applications 25 (3), 58

    "", MI Islam, F Tanvir, G Johnson, E Akbas, ME Aktas, Frontiers in big Data 3, 608043

    "", E Akbas, ME Aktas, 2019 IEEE International Conference on Big Data (Big Data), 4763-4772

  • PhD: Computer Science and Engineering, State University of New York at Buffalo

    Research Interests: By positioning data at the core of my research studies, data science, data mining, data modeling, data communications, data compression, data presentation, data retrieval, data indexing, data querying, and data fusion have been different aspects of my data science research. I have performed research on protein crystallization analysis, bioinformatics/biochemistry, data mining, machine learning, computer vision, image & video processing, information retrieval, spatio-temporal indexing & querying, multimedia synchronization, and multimedia databases. I have published or presented over 100 refereed international journal/conference/workshop papers and book chapters in various aspects of data science.

    Selected Publications:

    T. X. Tran and R. S. Aygun, 鈥淲isdomNet: trustable machine learning toward error-free classification,鈥 Neural Comput. Appl., Jul. 2020, .

    T. X. Tran, M. L. Pusey, and R. S. Aygun, 鈥,鈥 J. Fluoresc., vol. 30, pp. 637鈥656, 2020.

    M. Shrestha, T. X. Tran, B. Bhattarai, M. L. Pusey, and R. S. Aygun, 鈥,鈥 IEEE/ACM Trans. Comput. Biol. Bioinform., 2019.

    K. M. Paramkusem and R. S. Aygun, 鈥,鈥 Ann. Data Sci., vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 359鈥386, 2018.

    R. Aygun and W. Benesova, 鈥淢ultimedia Retrieval that Works,鈥 in 2018 IEEE Conference on Multimedia Information Processing and Retrieval (MIPR), Apr. 2018, pp. 63鈥68, .

    N. Henderson and R. Aygun, 鈥淗uman Action Classification Using Temporal Slicing for Deep Convolutional Neural Networks,鈥 in 2017 IEEE International Symposium on Multimedia (ISM), Dec. 2017, pp. 83鈥90, .

    S. Dinc, F. Fahimi, and R. Aygun, 鈥,鈥 Robotica, pp. 1鈥19, 2017.

    M. L. Pusey and R. S. Ayg眉n, . Springer International Publishing, 2017.

    T. Tuna et al., 鈥淯ser characterization for online social networks,鈥 Soc. Netw. Anal. Min., vol. 6, no. 1, p. 104, Dec. 2016, .

    M. S. Sigdel, M. Sigdel, S. Din莽, I. Dinc, M. L. Pusey, and R. S. Ayg眉n, 鈥淔ocusALL: Focal Stacking of Microscopic Images Using Modified Harris Corner Response Measure,鈥 IEEE/ACM Trans. Comput. Biol. Bioinform., vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 326鈥340, Mar. 2016, .

  • PhD: Epidemiology, Emory University

    Research Interests: While I am a part-time assistant professor, I am also a full-time epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). At CDC, I lead a time of analysts primarily conducting research in antibiotic resistance, antibiotic stewardship, and healthcare associated infections. My studies typically use large electronic health care and administrative data to look at important questions using methods in epidemiology and incorporating newer methods related to data science.

    Selected Publications:

    John A Jernigan, Kelly M Hatfield, Hannah Wolford, Richard E Nelson, Babatunde Olubajo, Sujan C Reddy, Natalie McCarthy, Prabasaj Paul, L Clifford McDonald, Alex Kallen, Anthony Fiore, Michael Craig, James Baggs. Multidrug-resistant bacterial infections in US hospitalized patients, 2012鈥2017. N Engl J Med, 382(14), 1309-1319. 

    James Baggs, Scott K Fridkin, Lori A Pollack, Arjun Srinivasan, John A Jernigan. Estimating national trends in inpatient antibiotic use among US hospitals from 2006 to 2012, JAMA Internal Medicine, 176(11), 1639-1648.

    James Baggs, Julianne Gee, Edwin Lewis, Gabrielle Fowler, Patti Benson, Tracy Lieu, Allison Naleway, Nicola P Klein, Roger Baxter, Edward Belongia, Jason Glanz, Simon J Hambidge, Steven J Jacobsen, Lisa Jackson, Jim Nordin, Eric Weintraub. The Vaccine Safety Datalink: a model for monitoring immunization safety, Pediatrics, 127(S1), S45-S53.

    James Baggs, John A Jernigan, Alison Laufer Halpin, Lauren Epstein, Kelly M Hatfield, L Clifford McDonald. Risk of subsequent sepsis within 90 days after a hospital stay by type of antibiotic exposure, Clinical Infectious Diseases, 66(7), 1004-1012.

    Eric S Weintraub, James Baggs, Jonathan Duffy, Claudia Vellozzi, Edward A Belongia, Stephanie Irving, Nicola P Klein, Jason M Glanz, Steven J Jacobsen, Allison Naleway, Lisa A Jackson, Frank DeStefano. Risk of intussusception after monovalent rotavirus vaccination, N Engl J Med, 370(6),513-519.

    Athena P Kourtis, Kelly Hatfield, James Baggs, Yi Mu, Isaac See, Erin Epson, Joelle Nadle, Marion A Kainer, Ghinwa Dumyati, Susan Petit, Susan M Ray, Emerging Infections Program MRSA, David Ham, Catherine Capers, Heather Ewing, Nicole Coffin, L Clifford McDonald, John Jernigan, Denise Cardo. Vital Signs: Epidemiology and Recent Trends in Methicillin-Resistant and in Methicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Bloodstream Infections 鈥 United States, MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep, 68(9), 214-219.

  • PhD: Applied Statistics & Research Methods, University of Northern Colorado

    Research Interests: Dr. Austin Brown's research interests are primarily focused on process improvement, including both solving applied problems as well as developing novel control charting techniques (with specific interest in nonparametric methods) and statistics in sports. He has published and presented work at national and international conferences in both areas. Process improvement includes a variety of statistical methods which can be used to evaluate, inform, and control a process. While process improvement is traditionally thought of in manufacturing settings, it can be applied in nearly any area that has measurable inputs and outputs, including education, medicine, and economics. One tool which can be used in process improvement applications is the control chart, which is a graphical and statistical tool used to identify whether a characteristic of a process has substantially changed from the desired value. As the variety of areas of application for process improvement grows, so to does the need for control charts designed for the specific aspects of the processes being monitored. Statistics in sports is also a broad field with lots of areas of application including sport management, performance prediction, injury management, betting strategies, fantasy sports strategies, among many, many other areas.

    Selected Publications:

    Situational Awareness in Acute Patient Deterioration: Identifying Student Time to Task.

    The alternative distribution of the non parametric extended median test CUSUM chart for multiple stream processes

    A nonparametric CUSUM control chart for multiple stream processes based on a modified extended median test

    Outlook in life of older adults and their health and community condition

    The effect of a repeat septic shock simulation on the knowledge and skill performance of undergraduate nursing students 

    Motivation and Postsecondary Enrollment Among High School Students Whose Parents Did Not Go to College


  • PhD: Mathematics, Emory University

    Research Interests: My expertise lies in the fields of Graph Theory and Combinatorics. These areas are rich with opportunity for both theoretical and applied research. On the theoretical side, one theme in my research is the use of graphs to realize combinatorial identities. Sometimes these were new identities and at other times, the method of proof was extremely novel. On the application side, lives the theme of routing (and other optimization) problems in graphs and networks. These range from the recreational such as the closed knight鈥檚 tour on a chessboard to the serious when decreasing travel times to incidents for the Cobb County Fire Department. While I have published some of my 25+ journal and proceedings papers as the sole author, I strive to include students in my research (and hence on the publications as well). Hence, most of my scholarly output has included students.

    Selected Publications:

    Zhang, l., Priestley, J., DeMaio, J., Ni, S., Tian, X., , Big Data, 2020

    DeMaio, J., Alum, M., , SAS Global Forum Conference Proceedings, 2020

    Rudd, J.M., Henshaw, A.M., Staples, L., Akkineni, S., Li, L., DeMaio, J., 

    DeMaio, J., Yockey, B., , 2019 SAS Global Forum Conference Proceedings

    DeMaio, J., Henshaw, A., Staples, L., , Proceedings from Southeast SAS Users Group 2018

    Venn, A., DeMaio, J., , Southeast SAS Users Group

    DeMaio, J., , Southeast SAS庐 Users Group (SESUG) Conference

    DeMaio, J., Jacobson, J.,  (EJGTA) 2 (2), 129-138

    Hillen, A., DeMaio, J., 鈥, MatheMatics teaching in the Middle school 19 (6), 392-392

    DeMaio, J., Bindia, M., Which Chessboards have a Closed Knight's Tour within the Rectangular Prism?, Electronic Journal of Combinatorics 18, P8