With appreciation, Associate Vice President for Research, Dr. Haley Ye, commends the following students for participating in the Student Research Symposium at Cal State LA on February 28, 2025:
First Overall
Samuel Groysman
B.S. Biochemistry
Sensitive Imaging of Electroactive Species in Plasmonic Electrochemical Microscopy Enabled by Electrostatic Nanoconfinement
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Yixian Wang
Second Overall
Isuru Rajapakshe
M.S. Electrical Engineering
Spectral Changes in sEEG as a Biomarker for rTMS Efficacy in Major Depressive Disorder
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Deborah Won
Third Overall
Hannah Calistri
M.A. Anthropology
Preservation and Contamination: Identifying Pesticides on Ethnographic Woven Materials using Portable X-Ray Fluorescence
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Amira Ainis
Cal State LA Delegates
Congratulations to the students who will represent Cal State LA at the 39th CSU Student Research Competition at Cal Poly Humboldt:
Behavioral and Social Sciences
- Drusilla Szakto
B.A. Psychology
Examining Eyewitness Decision Making Under Real World Conditions Using the Field Simulation Paradigm
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Mitchell Eisen
Humanities and Political Science
- Isaac Collins
Master of Social Work
Black Americans Attitudes and Perceptions of Mental Health Services
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Margarita Villagrana - Marjorie Hunt
M.A. History
The Wild and Unfree: Geographies of Nature and Slavery in Mid-Nineteenth Century Rio de Janeiro
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Kittya Lee - Hannah Calistri
M.A. Anthropology
Preservation and Contamination: Identifying Pesticides on Ethnographic Woven Materials using Portable X-Ray Fluorescence
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Amira Ainis - Arwa Hammad
B.A. Philosophy, Option in Pre-Law; B.S. Political Science, Option in Pre-Law
Stretching Democracy: Third Parties and the Necessity of Democratic Elasticity
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Amira Ainis
Biological and Health Sciences
- Yahan Lin
B.S. Biochemistry
Investigating the roles of TlyA and FtsZ in circadian control of cell division in cyanobacteria
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Susan Cohen
Engineering and Computer Sciences
- Isuru Rajapakshe
M.S. Electrical Engineering
Spectral Changes in sEEG as a Biomarker for rTMS Efficacy in Major Depressive Disorder
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Deborah Won - Alejandro Sanchez
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Improving the performance of lithium-ion batteries at high temperatures for space applications
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Chris Bachman
Physical Sciences
- Samuel Groysman
B.S. Biochemistry
Sensitive Imaging of Electroactive Species in Plasmonic Electrochemical Microscopy Enabled by Electrostatic Nanoconfinement
Faculty Mentor: Yixian Wang - Evelyn Scott
M.S. Physics
Protostar Disk Dynamics of Oph IRS 63
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Susan Terebey
Outstanding Presentation Awards
Congratulations to the following students for receiving an Outstanding Presentation Award.
Behavioral and Social Sciences
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mei Ku | M.A. Psychology | The Contributions of Rumination, Catastrophizing, and Depression in the Associations Between Adverse Childhood Events and Gastrointestinal Symptoms in a Predominantly Hispanic/Latino Sample | Dr. Yvette Szabo |
| Sarena Eworonsky | B.A. Psychology | Exploring the Role of Juror Bias on Decision-Making in a Civil Case | Dr. Alma Olaguez |
Humanities I: Humanities and Communities
| Name(s) | Program | Tile | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marjorie Hunt | M.A. History | The Wild and Unfree: Geographies of Nature and Slavery in Mid-Nineteenth Century Rio de Janeiro | Dr. Kittiya Lee |
| Humberto Hernandez Mendez | B.A. Sociology, Women’s Gender & Sexualities Studies | Tranifesting Community Transition: On the Binary Structures of ICE, Gender-Based Violence, and the Impacts on Undocumented Gender-Variant People of Color | Dr. Molly Talcott |
Humanities II: Anthropology and Archeology
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hannah Calistri | M.A. Anthropology | Preservation and Contamination: Identifying Pesticides on Ethnographic Woven Materials using Portable X-Ray Fluorescence | Dr. Amira Ainis |
Political Science
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arwa Hammad | B.A. Philosophy; B.S. Political Science | Stretching Democracy: Third Parties and the Necessity of Democratic Elasticity | Dr. Michael McLendon |
Biological and Health Sciences
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teegan Boyd | M.S. Kinesiology | Neck Muscle Functional Characteristics in Individuals with Forward Head Posture | Dr. Leila Rahnama |
| Yahan Lin | B.S. Biochemistry | Investigating the roles of TlyA and FtsZ in circadian control of cell division in cyanobacteria | Dr. Susan Cohen |
Computer Science
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isuru Rajapakshe | M.S. Electrical Engineering | Spectral Changes in sEEG as a Biomarker for rTMS Efficacy in Major Depressive Disorder | Dr. Deborah Won |
| Rajkin Chakrobarty | B.S. Biochemistry | Post transcriptional modifications: thermodynamic insights on the enzymatic amination reaction of Uracil to Cytosine | Dr. Olaseni Sode |
Engineering
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Damas | M.S. Mechanical Engineering | Circulation Patterns in Horizontal Rectangular Enclosures due to Humidity in Air | Dr. Arturo Pacheco-Vega |
| Alejandro Sanchez | B.S. Mechanical Engineering | Improving the performance of lithium-ion batteries at high temperatures for space applications | Dr. Chris Bachman |
Physical Sciences
| Name(s) | Progam | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evelyn Scott | M.S. Physics | Protostar Disk Dynamics of Oph IRS 63 | Dr. Susan Terebey |
| Samuel Groysman | B.S. Biochemistry | Sensitive Imaging of Electroactive Species in Plasmonic Electrochemical Microscopy Enabled by Electrostatic Nanoconfinement | Dr. Yixian Wang |
Behavioral and Social Sciences
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angel Chen and Beth Santana | M.S. Nutritional Science; B.S. Nutritional Science | The Role of Food Pantries in Los Angeles in Promoting Fruits and Vegetables Consumption | Dr. Kathryn Amanda Hillstrom |
| Noemi Alanis | B.A. Psychology | Parental Perceptions of Math Language and Learning Skills in Educational YouTube Videos | Dr. Corinne Bower |
| C. Kenobi Donart, Zarife Agin, and Mei Ku | M.S. Psychology; B.A. Psychology; M.A. Psychology | Stressful life events and mental health: Emotion dysregulation accounts for depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms | Dr. Yvette Z. Szabo |
| Lisette G. Bailey and Evelyn Mojarro-Pedroza | M.A. Psychology; B.A. Psychology | Voting Trends Among Hispanic Americans: A Comparative Study of 2016 through 2022 Was “Latinos for Trump” a real change in voting behavior or media sensationalism? | Dr. Heidi Riggio |
Biological Sciences
| Name(s) | Program | Tile | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tshering Y. Bhutia | B.A. Psychology | Optimizing tissue clearing protocols to investigate three-dimensional circuits in rodent spinal cord following injury | Dr. Michael Selvan Joseph |
| Alfredo Gonzalez, Aidan Reyes, and Jaelyn Asamoah | M.S. Chemistry; B.S. Biological Sciences; B.S. Biochemistry | Investigating the Relationship Between Thermal Hysteresis and Ice Recrystallization Inhibition Activity in Hyperactive Insect Antifreeze Protein Mutants | Dr. Xin Wen |
| Parker Saikley | B.S. Microbiology | Investigating the Role for Rbp2 in the regulation of the circadian clock in cyanobacteria | Dr. Susan Cohen |
Education
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qiong Wu | M.A. Child Development | Examining Challenges of Chinese Immigrant Male Early Childhood Educators through Acculturation and Cultural Capitals | Dr. Yafen Lo |
Engineering and Computer Science
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Pasillas, Derreck Soriano, and Isuru Rajapakshe | B.S. Electrical Engineering | Changes in neural network associations with RTMS for depression | Dr. Deborah Won |
| Nathan Brieu | B.S. Mechanical Engineering | Experimental simulation and optimization study of the hydrogen-rich gas production via a methanol steam reforming reactor | Dr. Petr Vozka |
| Jordan Doose | M.S. Computer Science | Computer-Vision Based Landing Guidance for Autonomous Marine Exploration | Dr. Salvador Rojas |
Physical and Mathematical Sciences
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Damian Salas | B.A. Geography | All Burnt Up: Changes in California Wildfires and their Consequences on Air Quality | Dr. Jingjing Li and Dr. Alireza Farahmand |
| Tommy Taing | B.S. Chemistry | Utilization of Titanium and Indium-based Porphyrin Metal-Organic Frameworks for Fabrication of Photovoltaic Solar Cells | Dr. Yangyang Liu |
| Jonathan Davidson | M.S. Mathematics | Monochromatic Rectangles in Grids | Dr. Jason O’Neill |