LOCALIZED STATISTICAL MODELS IN COMPUTER VISION Approved by:

To my parents, Steve and Carol. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS During my time as a Ph.D. student at the Georgia Institute of Technology I have had the fortune of knowing and working with amazing people. Your help, friendship, and support has made my time here truly incredible. In particular, I would like to thank: My Advisor. Professor Allen Tannenbaum, your wisdom, humor, and kindness are truly inspiring. Thank you for your guidance and friendship over the years. You have taught me about life, business, science, friendship, and of course, computer vision. It has been an absolute honor and a pleasure to be your student. My Thesis Committee. Professor Anthony Yezzi, who I’ve always looked to as a model of excellence in academics and teaching, professor Arthur Stillman, who helped direct my research toward vessel analysis, professor Marc Niethammer, who would be listed in the lab mentors section if he wasn’t also a committee member, and professors Jeff Shamma, and Ghassan Al Regib whose remarks helped guide and improve my thesis