The Student Scholar Symposium took place on March 26 and 27, 2025 in the Pegasus Ballroom, UCF Student Union. Congratulations to all winners listed below. In total, 119 projects have been awarded a $300 scholarship in recognition of their exceptional work. These awards could not be possible without the support of our event sponsors.
Undergraduates
Aven Kazmier: Madness as Epistemic Advantage: The Relevance of Standpoint Epistemology to the Evolution of Mental Health Care
Mentor: Mason Cash, Ph.D.
Department of Philosophy
Bruno Pinheiro: Animating Animal Tracking Data in a Geospatial Context
Mentor: Christen H. Fleming, PhD
Department of Biology
Patricia Bertola: Translation of FGF19 as a Biomarker for Colorectal Cancer Tumor Progression
Mentor: Deborah Altomare, PhD
Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences
Jennifer Hughes: Salinity Effects of Cu(II) Bioremediation by Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Microalgae
Mentor: Woo Hyoung Lee, PhD
Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering
Zoe Wainscott, Heather Perez: Highly Reproducible Ion-Selective Electrode for Biomarker Monitoring
Karin Chumbimuni Torres, PhD
Department of Chemistry
Gabriel Oliveira: Exploration of Mr NnlA’s Ability to Bind Nitric Oxide
Mentor: Dr. Jonathan Caranto
Department of Chemistry
Mitchell Campbell: Functional Characterization of LncRNA PAINT in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Mentor: Dr. Ratna Chakrabarti PhD College of Medicine
Natalie Moreira: Exploring Nurses’ Perspectives of the Use of Hospital Interpretation Technologies Versus Other Methods for Communicating With Non-English Language Preference Patients
Mentor: Sandra Galura, PhD College of Nursing
Ann Mary Thomas: Social Determinants of Health Affecting Cardiovascular Health Among South Asian Americans: A Systematic Review
Mentor: Xiaochuan Wang, PhD School of Social Work
Cameron Stott, Natalia Montalvo: Advancing Socket Design for Customizable Myoelectric Prostheses: Enhancing Comfort and Fit Through Innovative Techniques
Mentor: Albert Manero
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
MacKenzie Miller: Multiple Concussions and Their Effects on Blind Perceptual Distance Estimation Ability
Valerie Sims, PhD, and Jeffrey Bedwell, PhD
Department of Psychology
Amber Fazio: A Meta-Analytic Review: Psilocybin Experiences and Implications on Depression Symptomology
Mentors: W. Steven Saunders, PsyD, Matthew Chin, PhD, and Shawn Davis, PhD
Department of Psychology
Hannah Stern: Switching Languages, Switching Personalities: The Impact of Bilingualism on Personality and Anxiety
Mentor: Mustapha Mouloua, PhD
Department of Psychology
Sydnee Hinson: Investigating Isotopic Variation in Rib Bones: Implications for the Need of Method Standardization
- Marla Toyne, PhD
Department of Anthropology
Graduates
Stacie Becker: A Visual Exploration of the Impact of Societal Norms on Individuality
Mentor: Jason Burrell, MFA
School of Visual Arts and Design
Rachel Totaram: Comparing Experiences of Stigma in Medication-Assisted Recovery Anonymous versus 12-Step Groups: A Qualitative Study
Mentor: Barbara Andraka-Christou, JD, PhD
School of Global Health Management and Informatics
Daejhanae Smith Studying Dormant Comets Among Asteroids via a Remnant Emission Survey Tool (REST)
Mentor: Yan Fernandez, PhD.
Department of Physics
Joseph Goode Overcoming immunosuppression in pancreatic cancer: Efficacy of polyamine blockade and anti-PD-1 combinational therapy
Mentor: Deborah Altomare, PhD.
College of Medicine
Joseph Ciurca Fluid Dynamics Modeling for the Interpretation of Organ-on-a-Chip Systems
Mentor: James Hickman PhD
Department of Chemistry
Kworweinski Lafontant: Effect of a Physio-Feedback-Based Exercise Program on Physical Function and Body Composition Among Low-Income Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Mentors: David H. Fukuda, PhD, Jeffrey R. Stout, PhD, and Ladda Thiamwong, PhD School of Kinesiology and Physical Therapy
Undergraduates
Vishanth Murugesan: Understanding the Effect of RIP2:XIAP Interactions on the Activity of ALOX5
Mentor: Justine Tigno-Aranjuez, PhD
Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences
Mia Gjonbalaj What Business Opportunities Exist in “space” Beyond Launching Satellites, Supplies, and People for Central Florida Businesses?
Mentor: Dr. David Penn
Department of Integrated Business
Sun Latt Bioactive Ion Release From Biomaterials for Bone Regeneration
Mentor: Mehdi Razavi, PhD
College of Medicine
Cecil Latta: Cognitive Impairment and Depression in Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Low-Income Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study
Mentor: Dahee Kim PhD
College of Nursing
Ariana Deboo: From Vinyl to Viral, Evaluating the Mere Exposure Effect Through Music and Technological Advancements
Mentor: James Szalma, PhD
Computer Science
Samantha Castro Evaluating a Novel Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage Protocol for Studying Recovery in Resistance-Trained Individuals
Mentor: Jessica Moon M.S, CISSN, Adam Wells PhD
Department of Health Sciences
Logan Banks Test-Retest Reliability of Measures of Leg Muscle Mass Among Older Adults: Preliminary Results
Mentor: Matt S. Stock PhD.
School of Kinesiology and Physical Therapy
Chloe Pinkston Measuring Achilles Tendon Stiffness and Kinetics In-Vivo
Mentor: Hwan Choi, PhD
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Kazi Salsabil Fake or Real? Unmasking the Role of Personality, Cognitive Reflection, and Modulating Factors in News Perception
Mentor: Nichole Lighthall, PhD
Department of Psychology
Kat Montgomery Life SIMitates Art: Exploring Self-Reflection Through Avatar Creation
Mentor: Nichole Lighthall
Department of Psychology
Caden Henderson The Japanese Language Acquisition Game Project: “Pingu Jisho”
Mentor: Yukari Nakamura-Deacon, MA
Department of Modern Languages and Literatures
Meera Lakshmanan
Differences in Health-Related Quality of Life Among Breast Cancer Survivors by Hispanic Origin in a Cross-Sectional Study
Mentor: Eunkyung Lee, Ph.D., RDN
Department of Health Sciences
Renato Guzman Determining Wetland Alteration Effects on Pathogenic Infection in Large Aquatic Salamanders.
Mentor: Matthew Scot Atkinson, PhD
Department of Biology
Gabriel Pereira Analyzing Soil particle sizes Between Natural and reconstructed wetland (Lake Erie)
Mentor: Dr. Lisa Chambers
Department of Biology
Graduate Winners
Amanda Tanner Biodiesel Formation Catalyzed by Mechanically Milled Seed Shells
Mentor: Michael Hampton, PhD
Department of Chemistry
Jonatas de Mendonca Rolando Cardiotoxic Mechanisms of Ponatinib: From Inflammation to Cardiac Dysfunction
Mentor: Dinender K. Singla, PhD
College of Medicine
Rebecca Carson Past Injury History Predicts Current Functional Movement Screen™ Scores in Collegiate Club Ice Hockey Players
Mentor: L. Colby Mangum, PhD
School of Kinesiology and Physical Therapy
Haylee Hollis, Mariana Mazzocca, Emily Riggs M-Mode Ultrasound Assessment During Common Core Endurance Exercises in Athletes
Mentor: L. Colby Mangum, PhD
School of Kinesiology and Physical Therapy
Syeda Faiza Sherazi Revealing the Active Site Local Atomic Environment of Oxide-supported Ag Single Atom Catalyst
Talat S Rahman, PhD.
Department of Physics
Jazmyn Donovan: Stress, Performance, and Personality: Exploring the Effects of Social Facilitation in Vigilance Tasks
Mentor: James Szalma, PhD
Department of Psychology
Hanifa Bakar, Mary Chaffin, Angela Le How can emerging technologies reduce workplace stress in high-pressure environments, including theme parks and hotels, with scalable solutions?
Mentor: Carlos Valdez, Ph.D.
Department of Integrated Business
Undergraduate
Jaehyun Ahn:
Efforts Toward the Synthesis of Key Reagents for the Preparation of Analogs of Lyngbyabellin A.
Mentor: Yu Yuan PhD
Department of Chemistry
AJ Johnson:
Threading the Needle: Chinese American Adoptees and the In-Between
Mentor: Betsy Kalin, MFA
Nicholson School Of Communication And Media
Samantha Tyler
Investigating Gender Differences in Social Vulnerability and Scam Susceptibility in Older Adults
Mentor: Nichole R. Lighthall, PhD
Department of Psychology
Terry Achille, James Chen, Patrick Ijieh, Camillo Alvarez-Velez:
Augmenting GUI Interaction Data With Bug Reports to Rank Potentially Buggy Files in Android App Code Using Neural Text Embeddings
Mentor: Kevin Moran, PhD
Computer Science
Mira Schmidt
Elucidation of the Post-Transcriptional Regulation and Role in Iron Homeostasis of the Outer Membrane Vesicle Protein YncE in Salmonella
Mentor: Hubert Salvail, PhD
Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences
Meera Lakshmanan
Differences in Health-Related Quality of Life Among Breast Cancer Survivors by Hispanic Origin in a Cross-Sectional Study
Mentor: Eunkyung Lee, Ph.D., RDN
Department of Health Sciences
Katherine Beltre
What Business Opportunities Are Emerging From Climate Change in Central Florida?
Mentor: David Penn
Department of Integrated Business
Alyssa Boyd
Effects of Graphene and Osmolytes on Actin Assembly Kinetics and Mechanics
Ellen Kang, PhD
Department of Physics
Emilio Pereira, Nathaniel Michnoff
Flowpath Design for a Mach 10 Oblique Detonation Wave Flight Experiment
Mentor: Kareem Ahmed
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Austin Wolin, Elie Nehme
Leveraging Deep Learning and Natural Language Processing to Understand Post-Traumatic Growth in Children at Valerie’s House.
Mentor: Dr. Widaad Zaman
Department of Psychology
Eugenio Diaz
Texture Classification Using Neuromorphically Encoded Tactile Sensing Data
Mentor: Mohsen Rakhshan, PhD
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Gianna Florentino
Assessing the Geographic Expansion of an Invasive Snake Lungworm, Raillietiella orientalis, in Southeastern Snake Populations
Mentor: Anna Savage, PhD
Department of Biology
Nishtha Tikalal
Plasmonic-Induced Fano Resonance in Subwavelength Nano-Cavities for Structural Coloration
Mentor: Debashis Chanda, PhD
Department of Physics
Griffen Smith
Training Learning Assistants Using AI
Mentor: Dr. Julie Donnelly
Department of Chemistry
Graduate Students
Mazharul Islam Mondal
3Observation of multiple flat bands and Van-Hove singularities in the distorted Kagome metal NdTi3Bi4
Mentor: Madhab Neupane, PhD.
Department of Physics
MD ROXY ISLAM
A New Strategy From a Sustainable Source: Membrane Capacitors From Clays
Mentor: Kausik Mukhopadhyay, PhD
Materials Science and Engineering
Leaford Henderson
MnO2 cathode nanocomposite and electrolyte engineering for high-performance zinc ion batteries
Jayan Thomas, PhD
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Nurun Naher
Interpretable Models for Near-real-time Prediction of Team Cognitive Workload in Complex Sociotechnical Environments Using Behavioral and Physiological Data
Stephen M. Fiore, PhD.
School of Modeling, Simulation and Training
Tangila Islam Tanni
GenAI at Work: Sharing Professional Content Against Better Judgment
Mentor: Yan Solihin, PhD.
Computer Science
Ridhwana Appiah
Investigating Natural Proline-rich Antimicrobial Peptides (PrAMPs) Activity Towards Klebsiella pneumoniae
Mentor: Renee Fleeman PhD
College of Medicine
Undergraduates
Alyssa Ryan
A Strategy to Isolate and Identify Anaerobic Bacteria That Could Prevent Colonization of Clostridiodes Difficile
Mentor: William Self, PhD
Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences
Kassandra Faylun
The Truth and Their Versions: Florida Lawmakers and Academic Freedom Across K-12 and Higher Education
Mentor: Robert Cassanello, PhD
Department of History
Ritisha Suresh
Investigating the Interaction of Gram-Positive Lactobacillus Species With Mucin in the Context of Barrett’s Esophagus
Mentor: Claudia D. Andl, PhD
Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences
Shreya Pawar
Stimulating Bone Tissue Regeneration With Silver-Ceria/Polymer Nanocomposites
Mentor: Dr. Sudipta Seal, PhD
Nanotechnology
Abigail Clark
Determining The Effectiveness of Gopher Tortoise Burrows as an Ecosystem Service in an Anthropogenically Altered Location
Matthew Atkinson, PhD
Department of Biology
Gabriel Santiago Rodriguez
Production of Nitrate in TxtE
Mentor: Jonathan D. Caranto, PhD
Department of Chemistry
Megan Bailey
Dissociable Effects of Unimodal and Multimodal Feedback on Sensorimotor Processing During Grasp
Mentor: Mohsen Rakhshan, PhD
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Charlotte Greggs, Gustavo Quilula
Understanding Campus Recreation Participation Among College Students
A’Naja Newsome, PhD
Department of Health Sciences
Kylie McGlone
Dual-Task Brain Activity After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Faculty Mentors: Meredith Chaput PhD, DPT, SCS; Matt S. Stock PhD; Grant E. Norte PhD, ATC
School of Kinesiology and Physical Therapy
Delta Zable
Adaptive Lower-Limb Knee-Ankle Prosthesis to Restore Normal Human Walking Gait
Mentor: Yue Wen, PhD
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Makenzie Kennedy
Cognitive Physiological Moderator’s of Anxiety’s Impact on Adaptive Functioning in Young Adults
Mentor: Jeffrey Cassisi, PhD
Department of Psychology
Eric Haseman
Personality Traits as Predictors of Political Belief Change
Martha Hubertz, PhD
Department of Psychology
Shania Shahab
Decoding Parental Vaccine Decision-Making and Hesitancy Through Social Media Discourse
Mentor: Amy Donley, PhD Department of Sociology
Nadia Rios
Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Suicide Prevention Care Coordination Training for Health Professionals
Mentor: Kimberley Gryglewicz, Ph.D., MSW
School of Social Work
Graduate Winners
Wesley Lim
Loss of LMAN1 in Airway Epithelial Cells Improves Mitochondrial Function and Inhibits Apoptosis in Response to Alternaria alternata
Mentor: Justine T. Tigno-Aranjuez, PhD
Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences
Nathan Becker
U.S. Army enlistments and the danger of a “Warrior Caste”
Mentor: Kelsey Larsen, PhD
School Of Politics, Security, And International Affairs
Jennyfer Vivas Gomez
AN ASYMMETRIC ELECTRODE LAYOUT APODIZATION FOR SUPPRESSING SPURIOUS MODES IN LITHIUM NIOBATE LAMB-WAVE RESONATORS
Mentor: Reza Abdolvand, PhD.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Harvey Cajina, Imran Miyanji, Anais Pain
Expectations and Exercise-Induced Hypoalgesia: A Randomized Controlled Trial on Pain Sensitivity After High- and Low-Exertion Exercise
Mentor: Matt S. Stock, PhD
School of Kinesiology and Physical Therapy
Hannah Bynum, Laura Florez, Madison Lamb
Factors Impacting the Preparedness of Doctor of Physical Therapy Students – a Qualitative Study
Mentor: William Hanney, PhD
School of Kinesiology and Physical Therapy
Sarah Swiersz
Sea-Level Rise and Climate Justice for Native Americans and Indigenous Peoples
Mentor: Patricia Carlton, PhD
Interdisciplinary Studies
Undergraduate Winners
Miguel Bermudez
Lost Homelands, New Beginnings: A Virtual Exhibition of Displacement and Resilience
Mentor: Christy Flanagan-Feddon, PhD
Department of Philosophy
Sterlin Bass
Florida’s Gifted Education Program: Exploring The Nexus Between Giftedness and Choice of College Major
Mentor: Donovan Adams PhD
Department of Anthropology
Otis Woolfolk
Macro- and Micro-: Examining Novel Biodegradable Restoration Materials
Mentor: Linda Walters PhD
Department of Biology
Siva Annamalai
Long-Lived Virus-Specific Humoral Immunity Is Retained Following CD25-Targeted IL-2 Treatment of Influenza a Virus Infected Mice
Mentor: Tara M. Strutt, PhD Burnett
School of Biomedical Sciences
Divya Joshi
The Anti-Tumorigenic Effects of Probiotic L. Acidophilus Postbiotic Metabolites in an Experimental Model of Barrett’s Esophagus
Mentor: Claudia Andl, PhD
Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences
Nicholas Rose
Algorithms for Characterizing Motion-Based Energy Harvesting Reproducibility
Mentor: Kaitlyn Crawford, PhD
Materials Science and Engineering
Alexis Cunha
Neurodivergent Student Success in Postsecondary Education – Attitudes Toward Current Accommodations
Mentor: Nancy McIntyre PhD
School of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Rishi Nair, Nicholas Mistry
A Novel Machine Learning Approach to Predict Oncologic Drug Resistance Based on Synergistic Genetic Alterations
Mentor: Anthony Magliocco, MD
College of Medicine
Keidy Bello
Patterns And Determinants of Post-Diagnosis Cardiovascular Disease in Hispanic Breast Cancer Survivors
Mentor: Eunkyung Lee, PhD
Department of Health Sciences
Javier Cuevas Chabrier
Laser-Induced Patterning on the Surface of 2D Quantum Material Nb3Br8
Mentor: Saiful I Khondaker, Ph.D.
Department of Physics
Daniel Garzon, Gianna Schultz, Daniel Prias, Daniela Martinez, Deanna McIntyre, Andrea Alas
Examining Theatre for Very Young Audiences Using Developmental Psychology
Valerie Sims, PhD, Matthew Chin, PhD
Department of Psychology
Sanjana Bhatt, Mahi Patel, Sheryl Pullukara, Caroline Pellissery
Racial Narratives, Cultural Identity, and Maternal-Infant Health: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Race and Breastfeeding in Black Media
Mentors: Shannon Carter, PhD, and Bhoomi Thakore, PhD
Department of Sociology
Graduate Winners
Doyal Kumar Sarker
Development of an Ai-Enabled Predictive Hydrodynamics Model for Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (Fowt)
Mentor: Tuhin Das, PhD
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Lauren Labuhn
Perceptions of College Adjustment Amongst First-Year Latino/a/x Students
Mentor: Kim Anderson, PhD
School of Social Work
Tina Glatz
Obesogenic Behaviors and Health Outcomes of Children with Dyslexia During Summer Versus School Months
Mentor: Keith Brazendale, PhD
Department of Health Sciences
Christopher McCombs, Danielle Bucknor, Tetsuei Okusaki
Reliability of Athletic Ability Assessment Between Real-Time and Video Raters
Mentor: L. Colby Mangum, PhD
School of Kinesiology and Physical Therapy
Randi Richardson, Kaitlyn Campbell, Kaitlyn Lackey, Austin Plymill
Improvements in Army Combat Fitness Test Performance Among New ROTC Cadets: The Influence of Sleep, Body Composition, and Muscle Quality
Matt S. Stock Ph.D
School of Kinesiology and Physical Therapy
Mahdi Soudi
Structural Color Eco-Smart Coatings: Revolutionizing Energy Efficiency with Radiative Thermal Management
Mentor: Debashis Chanda, PhD.
Department of Physics
Maren Mainx
The Effects of Visual Cues on Stress Legacies and Perception of Police
Mentor: Kelsey Larsen, PhD
School Of Politics, Security, And International Affairs
Undergraduate Winners
Alexandria Miller
Keeping You in Shape: The Integration of Fractals in the Study of Healthy Systems
Mentor: Mason Cash, PhD
Department of Philosophy
Ornella Vintimilla
How COVID-19 Impacted the Physical and Mental Health of Latino/Hispanic College Students Before, During, and After the Pandemic
Mentor: Fernando Rivera, PhD
Department of Sociology
Francesca La Madrid
Disability in Baroque: Representation and Perception in Art
Mentor: Ilena Colon Mendoza, PhD
School of Visual Arts and Design
Destiny Reynoso
Slowing the Progression of Barrett’s Esophagus Induced Esophageal Adenocarcinoma via Activin a Inhibition
Mentor: Claudia Andl, PhD
Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences
Laura Eugene
Repurposing of Human Deubiquitinase Inhibitors for Malaria Therapy
Mentor: Debopam Chakrabarti, PhD
Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences
Daniel Alfonso-Travieso
Using Different Approaches to Causal Inference to Assess the Effect of Ozone Exposure on DNA Methylation
Mentor: Marie-Abele Bind, PhD
College of Medicine
Cori Keim
Microlepidoptera as Cryptic Generalist Pollinators: Uninvolved or Underdog?
Mentor: Christina L. Kwapich, PhD
Department of Biology
Andrew Casanova
Synthesis of Nitramines for Mycobacterial Metabolic Inhibition
Mentor: Jonathan Caranto, PhD
Department of Chemistry
Ezra Shobe
Acute Effects of Blood Flow Restricted Resistance Exercise on Muscle Swelling
Mentor: Ethan C. Hill, PhD
School of Kinesiology and Physical Therapy
Nicholas Belden
Final Size of Epidemics in Epidemic Invasion Network Structures
Mentor: Lucas M. Stolerman, PhD (non-UCF)
Amanda Chee-Awai
A Mixed-Methods Study to Investigate Student Perceptions of a Flipped Forensic Chemistry Course
Mentor: Tamra Legron-Rodriguez PhD
Department of Chemistry
Om Vishanagra, Pavan Senthil, Katherine Valdes
Standardized Mechanical Platform for Evaluating Prosthetic Hand Functionality
Albert Manero PhD
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Graduate Winners
Lillie del Real
Utilizing Subjective Ratings With Machine Learning for Deepfake Face Classification
Mentor: Mark Neider, PhD
Department of Psychology
Kenyari Gil Rosario
Finding through Feeling: Experiencing the Spectrum of Mental Health through Art and Polite Humor
Mentor: Jason Burrell, MFA
School of Visual Arts and Design
Melissa Marks
Into the Matrix: Linear and 3D Analysis of the Talus for Biological Sex Estimation
Lana Williams, PhD, Sarah Freidline, PhD, and Michael Callaghan, PhD
Department of Anthropology
Nabila Shahnaz Khan
GINClus: RNA Structural Motif Clustering Using Graph Isomorphism Network
Shaojie Zhang, PhD
Computer Science
Varun Singh
Towards Natural Disaster Resilience: Predictive Modeling of Liquefaction-Induced Lateral Spreading
Weiwei Zhan, Ph.D.
Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering
Omonzejie Imaralu
Lipid Dysregulation induces PCSK9-TNFα Mediated Inflammatory Mechanism in Anti-Cancer Drug (Doxorubicin) Induced Cardiomyopathy
Mentor: Dinender Singla, PhD.
College of Medicine
Funke Dada
From Tradition to Innovation: Comparing Neural Networks and Traditional Methods for Bias Reduction
Debbie Hahs-Vaughn, PhD, and M.H. Clark, PhD Department of Learning Sciences & Educational Research
FNU Himanshu
Observation of Dirac cone and flat band in an in-plane ferromagnetic Kagome Metal
Madhab Neupane, PhD.
Department of Physics