<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=Windows-1252">
<style type="text/css" style="display:none;"> P {margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;} </style>
</head>
<body dir="ltr">
<div style="font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
</div>
<div align="center" class="elementToProof">
<table id="table_1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="width: 6.25in; box-sizing: border-box; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in;">
<div class="elementToProof" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
<img alt="Dissertation Defense Announcement at the Cullen College of Engineering" id="image_0" width="599" height="171" size="20137" contenttype="image/png" style="width: 599px; height: 171px;" data-outlook-trace="F:1|T:1" src="cid:75e577a9-13a9-45fa-90ec-1f9638a92f54"></div>
<div align="center" class="elementToProof">
<table id="table_0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 30pt 15pt 7.5pt;">
<div class="elementToProof" style="text-align: center; line-height: 1.284; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(200, 38, 19);">
<b>Staged Effective Medium Modeling and Experimental Validation of Rock Thermal Conductivity</b></div>
<div class="elementToProof" style="text-align: center; line-height: 15pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
<b>Yanming Chen</b></div>
<div class="elementToProof" style="text-align: center; line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
2nd , 2025, 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (CST)<br>
Location: ConocoPhillips Petroleum Engineering Room 104</div>
<div class="elementToProof" style="text-align: center; line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 3.75pt; font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
<b>Committee Chair:</b><br>
Michael T. Myers, Ph.D.</div>
<div class="elementToProof" style="text-align: center; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
<b>Committee Members:</b><br>
Mohamed Y. Soliman, Ph.D. | George K. Wong, Ph.D. |</div>
<div class="elementToProof" style="text-align: center; line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 15pt; font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
Lori Hathon, Ph.D. | Kyung Jae Lee, Ph.D.</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 15pt 15pt;">
<div class="elementToProof" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 11.25pt 0in; font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(200, 38, 19);">
<b>Abstract</b></div>
<div class="elementToProof" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 11.25pt 0in; font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
Accurate prediction of rock thermal conductivity is essential for subsurface energy development and geotechnical applications, yet traditional models often fail to capture complex rock textures. This research addresses that gap by introducing a staged effective
medium modeling approach for rock thermal conductivity. In this method, the effective medium theory is applied in sequential stages to incrementally incorporate different mineral phases and pore structures. This innovation allows geoscientists and engineers
to better characterize heat flow in the Earth’s crust, informing geothermal energy projects, hydrocarbon reservoir management, and other subsurface endeavors where thermal conductivity plays a critical role.</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in;">
<div class="elementToProof" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
<img alt="Engineered For What's Next" width="599" height="82" size="4373" contenttype="image/png" style="width: 599px; height: 82px;" data-outlook-trace="F:1|T:1" src="cid:1e029940-db63-4f1c-aaf7-32cbbfe8639c"></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<div class="elementToProof" style="font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
<br>
</div>
<div class="elementToProof" style="font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
<br>
</div>
<div id="Signature" class="elementToProof">
<div style="font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
<br>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 10.5pt; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);">
<b><br>
</b></div>
<p style="text-align: left; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 9pt; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><br>
</span></p>
<div style="font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
<br>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>