With appreciation, Associate Vice President for Research, Dr. Jeffrey Underwood, commends the following students for participating in the Annual Student Research Symposium at Cal State LA on March 8, 2024:
Phi Kappa Phi
Top Three Overall Oral Presentation Awardees
2024 Student Symposium Top Three Awardees (L to R): Aaron Cruz, Aundia Dianat, and Frank Sposato
Oral Presentation Awardees
First Overall
Aundia Dianat , M.S. Psychology
The Biasing Nature of Gang Evidence: Inducing Memory Errors for Evidence of Past Criminal Behavior
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Mitchell Eisen
Second Overall
Aaron Cruz, M.S. Biological Sciences
Blue Light as a Potential Antimicrobial Therapeutic Agent
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Hyunsook Park
Third Overall
Frank Sposato, M.S. Social Work
The Impact of Education on Rural Ugandan Girls and Their Communities
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jieru Bai
Cal State LA Delegates
Congratulations to the students who will represent Cal State LA at the 38th CSU Student Research Competition at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo:
Cal State LA Delegates to the CSU Student Research Competition: (Back Row, L to R) Aaron Cruz, Ayse Durak, Matthew Engquist, Francesca Masi, and Frank Sposato. (Front Row, L to R) Krisha Algoso, Jocelyn Alfaro, Aundia Dianat, and Marineh Mousalu.
Behavioral and Social Sciences
- Aundia Dianat , M.A. Psychology
The Biasing Nature of Gang Evidence: Inducing Memory Errors for Evidence of Past Criminal Behavior
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Mitchell Eisen - Ayse Durak, M.S. Social Work
How Gender and Sexuality Influence Body Satisfaction
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Anh-Luu Huynh-Hohnbaum and Dr. Seth Kurzban - Francesca Masi, M.S. Social Work
The Mental Health Impact of True Crime Media
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Anh-Luu Huynh-Hohnbaum and Dr. Seth Kurzban
Biological Sciences
- Jocelyn Alfaro, M.S. Biological Sciences
Locomotor exercise on inflammatory and plasticity makers in severely contused spinal cord injured rodents
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michael Joseph - Krisha Algoso, M.S. Biological Sciences
Investigating the Antibacterial Potential of Native Chumash Medicinal Plants
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Kirsten Fisher and Dr. Caryl Ann Becerra - Aaron Cruz, M.S. Biological Sciences
Blue Light as a Potential Antimicrobial Therapeutic Agent
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Hyunsook Park
Engineering and Computer Sciences
- Stellina Ao, B.S. Computer Science, Minors in Biomedical Engineering and Mathematics
A Beta Regression Model Using Fractal Dimensionality to Predict Imagined Grip Force from EEG for Applications in Brain-Computer Interfaces
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Deborah Won and Dr. Jie Zhong - Matthew Engquist, M.S. Materail Science, Minors in Biomedical Engineering and Mathematics
Scan-Strategies in Additive Manufacturing: Can We Control Microstructure?
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Mohsen Eshraghi
Humanities and Letters
- Marineh Mousalu, B.A. Anthropology | Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kittiya Lee
Dental Wear Indicative of Spinning Found in the Midnight Terror Cave Assemblage
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kittiya Lee - Frank Sposato, M.S. Social Work
The Impact of Education on Rural Ugandan Girls and Their Communities
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jieru Bai
Outstanding Presentation Awards
Congratulations to the following students for receiving an Outstanding Presentation Award.
Behavioral and Social Sciences I
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aundia Dianat | M.S., Psychology | The Biasing Nature of Gang Evidence: Inducing Memory Errors for Evidence of Past Criminal Behavior | Dr. Mitchell Eisen |
| Bryan Gil Zamudio and Citlali Montes | B.A., Psychology | The Dynamics of Group Deliberations in a Mock Trial: A Qualitative Analysis | Dr. Alma Olaguez |
Behavioral and Social Sciences II
| Name(s) | Program | Tile | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Francesca Masi | M.S., Social Work | The Mental Health Impact of True Crime Media | Dr. Anh-Luu Huynh-Hohnbaum and Dr. Seth Kurzban |
| Theresa Marie Bernal | B.S., Kinesiology | Knowledge, Opinions, and Perceived Behaviors toward Research among CSULA Undergraduate students | Dr. Leila Rahnama |
Biological Sciences
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Cruz | M.S., Biological Sciences | Blue Light as a Potential Antimicrobial Therapeutic Agent | Dr. Hyunsook Park |
| Tammy Pham | B.S., Biological Sciences, General Option | Investigation of nanoplastics neurotoxicity on SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells | Dr. Yixian Wang |
Humanities and Letters I
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marineh Mousalu | B.A., Anthropology | Dental Wear Indicative of Spinning Found in the Midnight Terror Cave Assemblage | Dr. Michele Bleuze |
| Marjorie Hunt | M.A, History | Flora, Fauna, Terra Firma: Landscapes of Portuguese America in Early Modern European Travelogues | Dr. Kittya Lee |
Humanities and Letters II
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Sposato | M.S., Social Work | The Impact of Education on Rural Ugandan Girls and Their Communities | Dr. Jieru Bai |
| James Carter | B.A., Anthropology; B.A., Music | A Discourse on Settler Colonialism | Dr. Rafael Gomez |
Engineering and Computer Science I
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Engquist | M.S, Materials Science | Scan-Strategies in Additive Manufacturing: Can We Control Microstructure? | Dr. Mohsen Eshraghi |
| Albert Bernal and Marcello Canova | M.S., Mechanical Engineering | Validation of an Externally Heated Diverging Channel for Flame Speed Measurement | Dr. Jeffrey Santner |
Engineering and Computer Science II
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stellina Ao | B.S., Computer Science, Minors in Biomedical Engineering and Mathematics | A Beta Regression Model Using Fractal Dimensionality to Predict Imagined Grip Force from EEG for Applications in Brain-Computer Interfaces | Dr. Deborah Won and Dr. Jie Zhong |
| Dikshant Sagar | M.S., Computer Science | Deep Generative Models for New Ligand Discovery | Dr. Negin Forouzesh |
Physical Sciences
| Name(s) | Progam | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis Barzallo | M.S, Chemistry | GCxGC-FID Quantification of Olefins in Alternative Fuels Produced from Plastic Waste Conversion | Dr. Petr Vozka |
| Jordan O’Kelley | B.S., Physics, General Option | Simulating Oragnic Molecules in the Protostellar Disk to Understand the Origins of Life | Dr. Susan Terebey |
Behavioral and Social Sciences
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Katie Gekler | B.S., Nursing | Power to Ignite the Heart | Dr. Stefanie Varela |
| Mei Ku, Jordy Ocampo, and Lauren Perez | Ph.D. Psychology, M.A. Psychology, B.A. Psychology | Examining the Construct Validity of Two Rumination Measures in a Predominantly Hispanic/Latino Sample | Dr. Yvette Szabo |
Biological Sciences
| Name(s) | Program | Tile | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leilani Corleto | B.S., Biological Sciences, Minor in History | Utilizing molecular methods to identify a cryptic species in the rockfish genus Sebastes | Dr. Andres Aguilar |
| Rachelle Soriano | B.S., Biochemistry | Development of an Unbiased Cell Enumeration Protocol Using ImageJ to Assess Effect of Cytokines on Cell Proliferation | Dr. Edith Porter |
Education
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shira Levin | M.S., Nutritional Science | The Search for Health: A Qualitative Analysis of Where People with Chronic Conditions Turn for Trusted Health Information | Dr. Kathryn Hillstrom |
| Elizabeth Plascencia | B.A., Psychology | Problem-solving and Social Learning Skills through Sing-along YouTube Videos | Dr. Corinne Bower |
Engineering and Computer Science
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alannys Argandona and Sophia Sherzai | B.S., Electrical and Computer Engineering, Minor in Biomedical Engineering | Discrimination of Reach Direction Using Surface EEG Event Related Potentials Faculty | Dr. Deborah Won |
| Julia Chavez | M.A, Civil Engineering | Evaluation of Mg-Silicate Hydrothermal Chimneys Effectiveness for CO2 Sequestration and Organic Adsorption | Dr. Arezoo Khodayari |
Health, Nutrition, and Clinical Sciences
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Diego-Perez | M.S., Chemistry | Optimizing Methods to Monitor the Degradation of individual Polyethylene Terephthalate Microplastics | Dr. Yixian Wang |
| Matthew Christmann | B.S., Nursing | Public Awareness of Lead Toxicity | Dr. Stacey A. Warner |
Physical and Mathematical Sciences
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oliva Spanish | B.S., Applied Mathematics, Minor in Bioinformatics | Exploring the Relationship between the Intrinsic Properties of Proteins and Protein Degradation Rates | Dr. Jamil Momand |
| Sudheendra Gamoji | M.S., Physics | Using blackbody radiation to reduce lens distortion of the U GO Telescope | Dr. Marina Mondin |
| Matthew Tang | M.S., Chemistry | Uncovering Structure-Property Relationships for Photoactive Metal-Organic Frameworks in photocatalytic oxidation of organic sulfides | Dr. Yangyang Liu |