About

Dr. Makena Stewart is an assistant professor of practice at North Carolina State University and a faculty scholar at the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research. Her professional focus is on community college excellence and student success, drawing from her extensive experience serving as a community college leader for over 18 years. Her interests include institutional effectiveness, organizational culture, program evaluation, and holistic wraparound services for both credit and non-credit pathways. Prior to her current role, Stewart held various administrative positions in academic affairs, student services, and research planning, most recently serving as the vice president of strategic excellence at South Piedmont Community College. Her previous leadership roles include dean of student development, associate vice president of student success, and interim chief academic officer and vice president of student services. Stewart earned her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, a Master of Science in Data Analytics from Eastern University, and a Master of Science in Education in Counseling from Old Dominion University. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Virginia.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Nuclear engineering
• Systems engineering
• Mechanical engineering
• Medicine
• Structural engineering
• Engineering
• Immunology
• Aerospace engineering

Selected publications

• Digital biomarkers of Cytokine Release Syndrome: A Scoping review of the role and relevance of digital measures (Preprint)

  2025-02-11

  reviewOpen access

  <sec> <title>BACKGROUND</title> Rapid advancements in cancer-targeted immunotherapies have transformed care, yet these therapies present a high likelihood of cytokine release syndrome (CRS), a potentially severe immune-related adverse event. The ability to accurately identify CRS earlier could improve care by mitigating risks, widening patient access by removing treatment barriers and reducing the burden on patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers. While the number of studies focused on CRS detection has been increasing, inconsistencies in the symptoms and measures most strongly associated with CRS highlight the urgent need for a comprehensive review to identify the most reliable and commonly reported indicators. Despite this growing body of research, reliable predictive and diagnostic measures for early warning for CRS following the administration of immunotherapy have yet to be established. </sec> <sec> <title>OBJECTIVE</title> This scoping review aims to address this gap by developing an ontology of early warning signs for CRS – a structured model defining measurement concepts, properties, and interrelationships – for advancing early warning models for CRS. </sec> <sec> <title>METHODS</title> We reviewed articles from PubMed and Embase that detailed measures collected between therapy administration and CRS onset and demonstrated a relationship between the measure and the development of CRS. Studies were limited to publications between January 2014 and March 2024 excluding those that did not assess an immunotherapy-based treatment, were not conducted in humans, did not compare collected measures to CRS diagnosed using standard of care, or were not available in English. Identified measures were further assessed through surveys and interviews with subject matter experts and key opinion leaders, respectively. </sec> <sec> <title>RESULTS</title> A comprehensive ontology of early warning signs for CRS that includes physiological signs, clinical symptoms, and laboratory markers was developed. Within the full ontology, a common set of early warning signs for CRS - temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation - was identified as the minimally necessary data to evaluate for their predictive value for CRS. Three of these four signs align with the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy criteria for CRS grading. </sec> <sec> <title>CONCLUSIONS</title> Standardization and adoption of the concepts and their values in the ontology of early warning signs for CRS will streamline data collection to support the creation of robust, fit-for-purpose datasets. This approach aims to ensure practical and informative data collection, ultimately enhancing the ability to predict and manage CRS effectively. Developing predictive models based on these early warning signs can enhance CRS risk assessment, support decentralized trials, and improve access to cancer-targeted immunotherapies. </sec>

  PublisherDOI

• Targeting an Initiator Allergen Provides Durable and Expansive Protection against House Dust Mite Allergy

  ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science · 2022 · 4 citations

  • Immunology
  • Medicine

  Whereas treatment of allergic diseases such as asthma relies largely on the targeting of dysregulated effector pathways, the conceptually attractive alternative of preventing them by a pharmaceutical, at-source intervention has been stymied until now by uncertainties about suitable targets and the challenges facing drug design. House dust mites (HDMs) are globally significant triggers of allergy. Group 1 HDM allergens, exemplified by Der p 1, are cysteine proteases. Their degradome has a strong disease linkage that underlies their status as risk and initiator allergens acting directly and through bystander effects on other allergens. Our objective was to test whether target-selective inhibitors of group 1 HDM allergens might provide a viable route to novel therapies. Using structure-directed design to optimize a series of pyruvamides, we undertook the first examination of whether pharmaceutically developable inhibitors of group 1 allergens might offer protection against HDM exposure. Developability criteria included durable inhibition of clinically relevant signals after a single aerosolized dose of the drug. The compounds suppressed acute airway responses of rats and mice when challenged with an HDM extract representing the HDM allergome. Inhibitory effects operated through a miscellany of downstream pathways involving, among others, IL-33, thymic stromal lymphopoietin, chemokines, and dendritic cells. IL-13 and eosinophil recruitment, indices of Th2 pathway activation, were strongly attenuated. The surprisingly expansive benefits arising from a unique at-source intervention suggest a novel approach to multiple allergic diseases in which HDMs play prominent roles and encourage exploration of these pharmaceutically developable molecules in a clinical setting.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Modeling Validation and its Design Relevance for NTP Fuel Elements

  AIAA Propulsion and Energy 2020 Forum · 2020 · 1 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Nuclear engineering
  • Mechanical engineering

  The development of Nuclear Thermal Propulsion engines depends heavily on modeling and simulation of several disciplines—neutronic / fluid / thermal / structural are only a start. Further, these rockets involve extreme conditions, particularly high material temperatures in the nuclear fuel. This paper considers validation of the underling physical models and simulations and how predictions influence several design challenges. Several issues are identified, where models or material data could enable design solutions. In particular, thermal and CTE mismatch stresses are a concern, and stress predictions would benefit from improved mechanical property data at high temperatures. Nuclear inter-element heating causes propellant flow maldistribution and performance risks, but a simple model provides insights. High temperature chemical diffusion should be modeled to understand fuel element mass loss.

  PublisherDOI

• Thermal, Fluid, and Neutronic Analysis of the GCD LEU Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Core

  AIAA Propulsion and Energy 2019 Forum · 2019-08-16 · 9 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  This paper describes the use of detailed multidisciplinary fluid/thermal/ structural/neutronic simulations to predict performance of the nuclear fuel elements of a Nuclear Thermal Propulsion rocket reactor. To achieve maximum performance, a rocket reactor's fuel must operate near thermal hydraulic, structural and neutronic limits where multidisciplinary interactions are important. Yet physical testing is expensive, time- consuming and risky. Lower-fidelity correlations (heat transfer) and simulations have always existed for design, and one role of detailed numerical analysis is to confirm correlation validity and accuracy. For complex and subtle issues, detailed numerical simulations may prove their value. The paper gives examples of both of these situations. Limitations of the methods and potential extensions will be explored.

  PublisherDOI

• Self-Pressurization of a Flightweight, Liquid Hydrogen Tank: Simulation and Comparison with Experiments

  52nd AIAA/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference · 2016-07-22 · 20 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  This paper presents ANSYS Fluent simulation results and analysis for self-pressurization of a flightweight, cryogenic, liquid hydrogen tank in 1-g. These results are compared with experimental data, in particular, pressure evolution and temperature measurements at a set of sensors. The simulations can be analyzed to identify and quantify heat flows in the tank. Heat flows change over time and influence the self-pressurization process. The initial rate of self-pressurization is sensitive to the initial temperature profile near the interface. Uncertainty in saturation pressure data and the accuracy of experimental measurements complicate simulation of self-pressurization. Numerical issues encountered, and their resolution, are also explained.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• If you want to play sport professionally, which sport should you choose?

  Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks · 2016-07-19

  book-chapterSenior author

  This study uses statistical techniques to compare the competitiveness of different sports with the number of opportunities there are to become a professional sportsman or sportswoman. It uses these results to rank various team and individual sports in terms of the prospects they offer players or competitors to earn a living from their sport. Comparisons are made between the team sports of Australian football, baseball, cricket, football (soccer), rugby league and rugby union and the individual sports of athletics (track and field), golf and tennis.

  PublisherDOI

• Multidisciplinary Simulation of Graphite-Composite and Cermet Fuel Elements for NTP Point of Departure Designs

  AIAA SPACE 2015 Conference and Exposition · 2015-08-28 · 8 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  This paper compares the expected performance of two Nuclear Thermal Propulsion fuel types. High fidelity, fluid/thermal/structural + neutronic simulations help predict the performance of graphite-composite and cermet fuel types from point of departure engine designs from the Nuclear Thermal Propulsion project. Materials and nuclear reactivity issues are reviewed for each fuel type. Thermal/structural simulations predict thermal stresses in the fuel and thermal expansion mis-match stresses in the coatings. Fluid/thermal/structural/neutronic simulations provide predictions for full fuel elements. Although NTP engines will utilize many existing chemical engine components and technologies, nuclear fuel elements are a less developed engine component and introduce design uncertainty. Consequently, these fuel element simulations provide important insights into NTP engine performance.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Historical Review of Cermet Fuel Development and the Engine Performance Implications

  NASA STI Repository (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) · 2015-02-23 · 19 citations

  reviewOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  This paper reviews test data for cermet fuel samples developed in the 1960's to better quantify Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) cermet engine performance, and to better understand contemporary fuel testing results. Over 200 cermet (W-UO2) samples were tested by thermally cycling to 2500 deg (2770 K) in hydrogen. The data indicates two issues at high temperatures: the vaporization rate of UO2 and the chemical stability of UO2. The data show that cladding and chemical stabilizers each result in large, order of magnitude improvements in high temperature performance, while other approaches yield smaller, incremental improvements. Data is very limited above 2770 K, and this complicates predictions of engine performance at high Isp. The paper considers how this material performance data translates into engine performance. In particular, the location of maximum temperature within the fuel element and the effect of heat deposition rate are examined.

  Publisher

• Comparison of Computational Results with a Low-g, Nitrogen Slosh and Boiling Experiment

  51st AIAA/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference · 2015-07-23 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  The proposed paper will compare a fluid/thermal simulation, in FLUENT, with a low-g, nitrogen slosh experiment. The French Space Agency, CNES, performed cryogenic nitrogen experiments in several zero gravity aircraft campaigns. The computational results have been compared with high-speed photographic data, pressure data, and temperature data from sensors on the axis of the cylindrically shaped tank. The comparison between these experimental and computational results is generally favorable: the initial temperature stratification is in good agreement, and the two-phase fluid motion is qualitatively captured.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Bimodal Nuclear Thermal Rocket Analysis Developments

  NASA Technical Reports Server (NASA) · 2014-07-28 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author

  Nuclear thermal propulsion has long been considered an enabling technology for human missions to Mars and beyond. One concept of operations for these missions utilizes the nuclear reactor to generate electrical power during coast phases, known as bimodal operation. This presentation focuses on the systems modeling and analysis efforts for a NERVA derived concept. The NERVA bimodal operation derives the thermal energy from the core tie tube elements. Recent analysis has shown potential temperature distributions in the tie tube elements that may limit the thermodynamic efficiency of the closed Brayton cycle used to generate electricity with the current design. The results of this analysis are discussed as well as the potential implications to a bimodal NERVA type reactor.

  Publisher

Frequent coauthors

• Benny D. Freeman

  The University of Texas at Austin

  7 shared

• H. B. Hopfenberg

  7 shared

• Helen Palkes

  St. Louis Children's Hospital

  6 shared

• V.A. Lennox

  5 shared

• Anita J. Hill

  CSIRO Manufacturing

  5 shared

• Bernard Hudson

  Royal North Shore Hospital

  5 shared

• Bruce Schnitzler

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  5 shared

• Ambady Suresh

  Lockheed Martin (Canada)

  4 shared