Undergraduate and graduate students from across CSUDH demonstrated the depth and rigor of Toro scholarship during the 21st Student Research Conference (SRC), held March 3-5 in the Loker Student Union. The three-day event is an annual showcase for students’ scholarly inquiry across all fields of study, delivered through oral presentations, posters, and round table discussion formats.
“It is always inspiring to hear about the wide range of projects being conducted across campus, but this year’s presentations were particularly impressive,” said Associate Professor of Anthropology Ken Seligson, SRC co-chair.
2026 saw a record-breaking 391 students presenting 287 research projects across 45 sessions, representing nearly every academic program at CSUDH.
“I came away so excited about the amazing contributions our students are already making to their fields and society more broadly,” Seligson says.
“Congratulations to all of the students who participated, and thank you to the faculty, staff, and administration members who dedicated their time to making Student Research Conference 2026 a huge success!”
Student Research Conference 2026 Winners
Overall Winners
Best Undergraduate Oral Presentation
Charles Wills, Kennadie Jake-Turner
Investigating Ego Dissolution and Altered Self-Perception in DMT Like States Using Virtual Reality and EEG
Research Mentor: Horace Crogman
Best Graduate Oral Presentation
Scarlett Romo
Quantitative Examination of Health Locus of Control as a Moderator of the Effects of Sexual Minority Stressors on Disordered Eating and Sexual Risk Behaviors in College Students
Research Mentors: Lexie Convertino, Erin Merz, David Weissman
Best Undergraduate Poster Presentation
Shaan Govind
Development of Four-Model Consensus Chemistry Platform for High-Throughput Reaction Kinetics and Product Prediction in EDLC Systems
Research Mentor: Lamar Glover
Best Graduate Poster Presentation
Destini Poplar
Factors Affecting Support, for Health Insurance Coverage of Legal Abortion in the United States
Research Mentor: Elena Kulikov
Session Winners
Session #1: Behavioral and Social Sciences I Graduate Student Oral Presentations
First Place Winner: Madison Bertran
Parental Emotional Support as a Predictor of Emotion Expertise and Psychopathology – A 2 Sample Replication Study
Research Mentor: David Weissman
Second Place Winners: Sofia Solano, Alondra Barrera, Emily Guadarrama, Christo Francis
Occupational Disruptions of Los Angeles Residents due to Heightened Immigration Enforcement
Research Mentor: Sheryl Ryan
Session #2: Students’ Learning in Mathematics & Environmental Science, Psychology Symposium
Winner: Lila Flores
Do CO₂ Prediction Errors Drive Climate Change Learning?
Research Mentor: Jeffrey K. Bye
Session #3: Behavioral and Social Sciences I Undergraduate Student Poster Presentations
First Place Winner: Brittney A. Marques
Beyond Barriers: Effects of Racial Discrimination and Ethnic/Racial Identity on Civic Action Among Latiné Adolescents
Research Mentor: Kara Kogachi
Second Place Winner: Chauncey Williams
Joy as Healing, Community as Care: A Mixed-Methods Study of Stress Reduction and Self-Concept Among Black Women
Research Mentors: Pari Sabado, Matthew Ting
Session #4: Behavioral and Social Sciences, Education, and Public Administration Graduate Student Poster Presentations
First Place Winner: Destini Poplar
Factors Affecting Support, for Health Insurance Coverage of Legal Abortion in the United States
Research Mentor: Elena Kulikov
Second Place Winner: Yara Currier-Herzallah
The Mediating Role of Emotion-Related Impulsivity Traits: ADHD as a Risk Factor for Development of Binge-Purge Eating Disorders
Research Mentor: Lexie Convertino
Session #7: Health, Nutrition, and Clinical Science I Graduate Student Oral Presentations
First Place Winner: Kalavanya Dhruva
“It Takes Everything Just to Get There”: Lived Experiences of POTS Patients in Therapeutic Exercise Programs
Research Mentor: Sheryl Ryan
Second Place Winner: Paul McElvogue
Environmental Impact of Radiology Departments: A Scoping Literature Review of Sustainable Imaging Practice
Research Mentor: Elwin Tilson
Session #8: Behavioral and Social Sciences I Undergraduate Oral Presentations I
First Place Winner: Malaysia Rogan
Holistic Wellness and African-Centered Psychology: Practices for Mental Health
Research Mentor: Akua T.J. Robinson
Second Place Winner: Maha El Ouaer
From Graphs to Actions: How Math Skills Influence Climate Change Perceptions
Research Mentor: Jeffrey K. Bye
Session #9: Biological and Physical Sciences Graduate Student Poster Presentations
Winner: Emmett Medrano
Mapping Vegetation Recovery Trajectories After the Thomas Fire Using Satellite Imagery and Digital Elevation Models
Research Mentor: Parveen Chhetri
Session #11: Biological and Physical Sciences Graduate Student Oral Presentations
Winner: Shukerrah Palmer
Throwing Shade: How Trees Help Cities Beat the Heat
Research Mentor: Parveen Chhetri
Session #12: Physical and Mathematical Sciences Undergraduate Poster Presentations
First Place Winner: Ron Jacob Villanueva
Synthesis and Characterization of Redox Active of 1,3,5 Triazine derivative
Research Mentor: Arumugam Thangavel
Second Place Winner: Jaime Jimenez Arevalo
The Intersection of Liar’s Bingo and Coding Theory
Research Mentor: Kristen Stagg-Rovira
Session #13: Biological Sciences I Undergraduate Student Poster Presentations
First Place Winners: Alexandra Huitzacua, Mark LaBarge, Debbie Hussey
Impact of Physiological Glucose and Insulin Levels on the Growth of Human Mammary Epithelial Cells (HMECs)
Research Mentor: Sonal Singhal, Mark LaBarge, Debbie Hussey
Second Place Winners: Jerry Salinas, Ben Chen
Elevated CARF Levels in CRPC Promote Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer
Research Mentors: Erin McCauley, Kamrul Hasan
Session #14: Education Graduate Student Oral Presentations
Winner: Lauren Sorensen
Humor in Science Education
Research Mentor: Kathryn Theiss
Session #15: Physical and Mathematical Sciences I Undergraduate Student Oral Presentations
Winners: Kai Tanaka, Athena Tran
Lambda-Proton Elastic Scattering using Inclusively Produced Beams
Research Mentor: John Price
Session #16: Humanities and Letters I Undergraduate Student Oral Presentations
First Place Winner: Angie Nunez Delpilar
Opening the Archive; Digital Exhibits as Collaborative and Accessible Spaces
Research Mentors: Tom Philo, Jennifer Hill
Second Place Winner: Ana Victoria Ramirez
Fashion as Communication in Sixteenth Century Renaissance Europe
Research Mentor: Kirstin Ellsworth
Session #17: Postwar Japan, History Symposium
Winner: Kianna Le
Yōkai Repurposed: A Historiography of Present-Day Yōkai
Research Mentor: Kerry Shannon
Session #18: Behavioral and Social Sciences II Graduate Student Poster Presentations
First Place Winner: Peter Martinez
Dimensions of Childhood Adversity and Emotion Expertise in College Students
Research Mentor: David Weissman
Second Place Winner: Anthony Marquez
Explaining Happiness Among College Graduates Before and After COVID-19
Research Mentor: Elena Kulikov
Session #19: Health, Nutrition, and Clinical Science II Graduate Student Oral Presentations
Winner: Yandy Hernandez
Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor
Research Mentor: Payman Nasr
Session #20: Physical and Mathematical Sciences II Undergraduate Student Oral Presentations
Winner: Tristan Partida
Optimizing Growth and Dereplication of Kelp Associated Bacteria using MALDI-TOF MS
Research Mentors: Erin McCauley, Kari Pederson
Session #21: Behavioral and Social Sciences II Undergraduate Student Poster Presentations
First Place Winner: Katie Zelaya
Isolation of Sea Star–Associated Bacteria for Natural Product Discovery
Research Mentor: Erin McCauley
Second Place Winner: Juan Gonzalez
Which Events are Most Likely to Develop into PTSD?
Research Mentor: Lexie Convertino
Session #23: Behavioral and Social Sciences II Undergraduate Student Oral Presentations
First Place Winner: Rodrigo Arenas Loma
Beyond Stereotypes: Examining Characterization of Autism in Children’s Picture Books
Research Mentor: Christina Toolan
Second Place Winner: Diego Somera
Agricultural Prison Labor and Its Connection to the American Food Industry
Research Mentor: Diego Avalos, Alfredo Carlos
Session #24: Health, Nutrition, and Clinical Science Undergraduate Student Oral Presentations
First Place Winners: Henry Weiss, Tyler Marie Griffin, Ian Klinger, Kennedy Luke, Dagmawy Woldemedihin
Building Positive Attitudes Toward PrEP Uptake Among Young Black Gay Men: The PrEP-Talk Program
Research Mentor: Matt G. Mutchler
Session #25: Biological Sciences II Undergraduate Student Poster Presentations
First Place Winners: Thazin Ohmar Yee, Amy Graves, Jiah Son
Sex differences in drug abuse characterized by gene expression in a rodent model of cocaine addiction
Research Mentor: Philip Vieira
Second Place Winner: Oliche Brown
Computational Identification of α-Synuclein Epitopes for Vaccine Immunogen Design
Research Mentor: Adekunle Aina
Session #27: Biological Sciences Undergraduate Oral Presentations
First Place Winner: Christian Pasos
Flock Around and Find Out: Investigating Avian Boldness and Neophobia on CSUDH Campus
Research Mentor: Karina Sanchez
Second Place Winner: Jazlynne Napoles
Developing Complementary Systems to Study Hepatitis C Virus and Viral Neutralization
Research Mentors: Payman Nasr, Joseph Cruz, Yukiye Koide, Mansun Law
Session #28: Engineering Undergraduate Oral Presentations
Winners: Cameron Cohen, Corvalis Cohen, Geovanny Martinez
AI-Supported Career Planning: Building and Testing a Chatbot for CSUDH and ELAC Students
Research Mentor: Fynnwin Prager
Session #29: Health, Nutrition, and Clinical Science Graduate Poster Presentations
First Place Winners: Julia Dickerson, Juana Arratia, Eric Chier, Gabe Hehn, Ryan Sangalang
Mechanical Analysis of Loss of Dorsiflexion Assist Strength Over Time in Flexible Tamarack Joints
Research Mentors: Mark Muller, Mojtaba Kamyab
Second Place Winners: Jonathan Hernandez Diaz, Jael Martinez, Adam Portugali, Ben Russell
Systematic Review on Scoliosis Bracing for Idiopathic Adolescent Scoliosis
Research Mentor: Mojtaba Kamyab
Session #30: Engineering, Undergraduate Poster Presentations
Winner: Joel Castro
A Security Model for Ant-Q Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning Algorithm through TSP
Research Mentor: Bin Tang
Session #32: English Graduate Student Symposium
Winner: Keegan Tobin
Frankenstein and Travel Writing
Research Mentor: Debra Best
Session #33: Behavioral and Social Sciences II Graduate Oral Presentations
First Place Winners: Maria Hernandez, Lauren Fullerton, Regina Catanyag, Eva Hoang
Cultural Experiences of Caregivers Feeding Children with ASD
Research Mentor: Sheryl Ryan
Second Place Winner: Ian Lim
Water Bottle Attitude and Behavior Study
Research Mentor: Cheyenne Cummings
Session #34: Measuring Public Opinion on Contemporary Social Issues – Business, Economics, and Public Administration Graduate Symposium
First Place Winner: Lucila Urzua
Factors Affecting Turnover rates among federal SES women
Research Mentor: Elena Kulikov
Second Place Winner: Erik Galeana
Immigration Attitudes in Contemporary America
Research Mentor: Elena Kulikov
Session #35: Nation Formation in Latin American 19th Century Literature Modern Languages Symposium
Winner: Néstor Valencia
El gaucho dentro de la identidad nacional de Argentina
Research Mentor: Melissa González-Contreras
Session #36: Behavioral and Social Sciences III Undergraduate Poster Presentations
First Place Winner: Gabriela Rodriguez Delgado
Archaeology of Abandonment: The Rise and Fall of Xanab Chak
Research Mentor: Ken Seligson
Second Place Winner: LaNeisha Hodo
Unequal Plates: A Comparative Study of Food Equity in Los Angeles County
Research Mentor: John Keyantash
Session #38: Graduate Education Online Symposium, Room 1
Winners (Tie): Shaina Guessman
The Impact of Differentiated Instruction on the Academic Success of Elementary School Students with Special Needs
Research Mentor: Conrad Oh Young
Alicia Hernandez
Investigating Preschool Co-Teachers’ Training, Attitudes, and Practice
Research Mentor: Conrad Oh Young
Session #39: Graduate Education Online Symposium, Room 2
Winner: Alex Moore
Utilizing Token Economies to Reduce Challenging Behaviors and Enhance Instructional Engagement in Classroom
Research Mentor: Conrad Oh Young
Session #40: Graduate Education Online Symposium, Room 3
First Place Winner: Joanna Salgado
General Education Teacher Perspectives On Co-Teaching
Research Mentor: Conrad Oh Young
Second Place Winner: Ricardo Viramontes
Teacher Perceptions and Practices on Student Cell Phone Use in the Classroom
Research Mentor: Conrad Oh Young
Session #41: Behavioral and Social Sciences III Graduate Oral Presentations
First Place Winners: Ronald Matthew Montehermoso, Danielle Lightner, Drake Madriago, Melanie Martinez
The Experience and Meaning of Intimate Partner Relationships for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities
Research Mentor: Sheryl Ryan
Second Place Winners: Alyanna Kayla Paulino, Tracy Bao Nguyen, Giselle Santos
Experiences of Transitioning Relatives with Dementia to Long-Term Care
Research Mentor: Sheryl Ryan
Session #42: Humanities and Letters II Undergraduate Oral Presentations
First Place Winner: Samanta Vega
Linguistic Bloodshed
Research Mentor: Helen Oesterheld
Second Place Winner: Bryant Sanchez
Bracero Program, Women and Mexican Government
Research Mentor: Daniel Santana
Session #43: Education Undergraduate Poster Presentations
Winners: Bridy Azurdia, Abigail Falcon
Identifying Systemic Barriers to Student Success in General Chemistry Courses
Research Mentor: Ted Wang
Sustainability Engagement Award – Sponsored by Sustainability Office and Cal Water
Shukerrah Palmer
Throwing Shade: How Trees Help Cities Beat the Heat
Research Mentor: Parveen Chhetri
Environmental Sustainability Award – Sponsored by Sustainability Office and Cal Water
Raul Adrian Medina
Understanding Invasive Plant Dynamics in the Santa Monica Mountains
Research Mentor: Parveen Chhetri
Environmental Justice Award – Sponsored by Sustainability Office and Cal Water
June Singson
Designing Green Solutions in Gray Cities: Evaluating the Ed P. Reyes River Greenway in Los Angeles
Research Mentor: Parveen Chhetri
CALL (Campus as a Living Lab) Award – Sponsored by Sustainability Office and Cal Water
Christian Pasos, Veronica Barrera
Birds of a Feather, Counted Together: Linking Habitat Features to Avian Diversity at CSUDH
Research Mentor: Karina Sanchez
Library Research Poster Award – Sponsored by University Library
Brian Williams
The Exploration of Microaggressions
Research Mentor: Monique Turner
Cap and Gown Award – Sponsored by University Bookstore / Follett
LaNeisha Hodo
Unequal Plates: A Comparative Study of Food Equity in Los Angeles County
Research Mentor: John Keyantash
Behavioral and Social Sciences Award Winner – Sponsored by Kelley (MSES Alumna) and Andrew Dawdy
Madison Bertran
Parental Emotional Support as a Predictor of Emotion Expertise and Psychopathology- A 2 Sample Replication Study
Research Mentor: David Weissman
Humanities and Letters Award Winner – Sponsored by Kelley (MSES Alumna) and Andrew Dawdy
Angie Nunez Delpilar
Opening the Archive; Digital Exhibits as Collaborative and Accessible Spaces
Research Mentors: Tom Philo, Jennifer Hill
Physical and Mathematical Sciences Award Winner – Sponsored by Kelley (MSES Alumna) and Andrew Dawdy
Kai Tanaka, Athena Tran
Lambda-Proton Elastic Scattering using Inclusively Produced Beams
Research Mentor: John Price
Arts & Design Research Award Winner – Sponsored by Kelley (MSES Alumna) and Andrew Dawdy
Ana Victoria Ramirez
Fashion as Communication in Sixteenth Century Renaissance Europe
Research Mentor: Kirstin Ellsworth
Biological Sciences Award Winner – Sponsored by Kelley (MSES Alumna) and Andrew Dawdy
Christian Pasos
Flock Around and Find Out: Investigating Avian Boldness and Neophobia on CSUDH Campus
Research Mentor: Karina Sanchez
Health Science Award Winner – Sponsored by Kelley (MSES Alumna) and Andrew Dawdy
Kalavanya Dhruva
“It Takes Everything Just to Get There”: Lived Experiences of POTS Patients in Therapeutic Exercise Programs
Research Mentor: Sheryl Ryan
Clinical Science Award Winner – Sponsored by Kelley (MSES Alumna) and Andrew Dawdy
Yandy Hernandez
Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor
Research Mentor: Payman Nasr
Engineering Award Winner – Sponsored by Kelley (MSES Alumna) and Andrew Dawdy
Cameron Cohen, Corvalis Cohen, Geovanny Martinez
AI-Supported Career Planning: Building and Testing a Chatbot for CSUDH and ELAC Students
Research Mentor: Fynnwin Prager
Education Award Winner – Sponsored by Kelley (MSES Alumna) and Andrew Dawdy
Lauren Sorensen
Humor in Science Education
Research Mentor: Kathryn Theiss
Business and Public Administration Award Winner – Sponsored by Kelley (MSES Alumna) and Andrew Dawdy
Lucila Urzua
Factors Affecting Turnover rates among federal SES women
Research Mentor: Elena Kulikov
