Thesis Information

Title: Degree-Driven Design of Geometric Algorithms for
          Point Location, Proximity, and Volume Calculation
Author: David L. Millman
Date: 2012
dissertation | defense slides

Committee Members

  • Jack Snoeyink, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (chair)
  • David P. Griesheimer, Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory
  • Ming C. Lin, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Dinesh Manocha, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Chee K. Yap, New York University
  • Proposal and Oral Exam

    Date: April 25, 2011 11am-3pm
    Location: FB220 UNC--Chapel Hill
    Proposal: document | slides
    Oral exam: Topics and Paper List

    Defense

    Date: October 10, 2012 4-6:30pm
    Location: SN011 UNC--Chapel Hill
    Thesis: document | slides

    Acknowledgements

    I thank my fiancèe Dr. Brittany Terese Fasy for her never ending love and support. Whether down the street or on the other side of the world, her encouragement could be heard all over. Thank you Brit!

    I thank my adviser Dr. Jack Snoeyink for all that he has taught me while at UNC. Thank you for always pushing me to think more abstractly, write more clearly, and present more engagingly. I also thank my other committee members: Dr. David P. Griesheimer, Dr. Ming Lin, Dr. Dinesh Manocha, and Dr. Chee K. Yap for their suggestions, discussions, and time committed to serving on my committee.

    The work in the dissertation work would not have been possible without the support of Department of Energy, Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory, National Science Foundation, Google, Lime Connect, and UNC-Chapel Hill. Two years of this research were performed under appointment of the Rickover Fellowship program in Nuclear Engineering sponsored by the Naval reactor division of the US Department of Energy. I thank all involved with the fellowship program and the technical and administrative support staff of UNC.

    I thank my co-authors: Dr. Vicente H. F. Batista, Dr. Timothy Chan, Steven Love Dr. Brian Nease, Matt O'Meara, Dr. Sylvain Pion, Dr. Johannes Singler, and Clarence R. Willis. In particular, I thank co-author Vishal Verma for participating in our productive (and sometimes not so productive) research discussions.

    I thank my friends for their limitless support. I thank my future family Joseph, Terese, Joey, Dana, and Devon Fasy for welcoming me into their family. I thank Darrell Bethea, Robbie Cochran, Srinivas Krishnan, Alana Libonati, and Catie Welsh for making me remember that the world isn't just grid points and bisectors. There is no better way to end the week than with a trip to Bandido's or a walk to get coffee. I thank Doug McNamara for cheering so loudly for me.

    Finally, I thank my parents: Dr. Ronald and Merri Millman, and sister, Lisa Millman, for their love and encouragement. They have always believed in me. I could never have done this without them.