Student Research Conference, 23 years of standing on the shoulders of giants
The Spring, 2026 conference dates are Tuesday and Wednesday, April 28 and 29, 2026
See below for the full, two-day schedule.
Events will take place on the second floor of the Anderson Library with the exception of one poster session which will join the Student Government Association's pancake breakfast on Wednesday morning in the Moraine Student Center.
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
9:00 am—Continental breakfast – Library, second floor, north window area
9:15 – 10:45 am
Library, 2nd Floor, left of elevators, south window area
Faculty Moderator: Dr. Daniel Kelly
Jana Alfrhan: Modeling a Phosphomimetic Variant Linked to Encephalopathy: Single-Point Mutation (Y230D) in Human Mitochondrial MDH; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Ian Taschner
Luis Limones: Functional Analysis of Phosphomimetic Mutations in Human Mitochondrial Malate Dehydrogenase (MDH2); Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Tia Walker
Raheem Mansoor: Investigation of the QxxR Motif of Me31B in Drosophila melanogaster; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Ming Gao
Connor Taylor: Characterization of Phosphomimetic Variants of MDH2 to Probe Regulatory Function; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Tia Walker
Alexander Wolfe: How Does Restoration Efforts Affect the Chemistry of the Environment; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Daniel Kelly
9:15 – 10:45 am Library, 2nd Floor, STEM Center
Faculty Moderator: Dr. Natasha Brown
Jacob Johansson: The Animals of "Come and See": Symbolism, Dehumanization, and the Ethics of Witnessing; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Brian O'Camb
Sasha Long: Digital Echo Chambers and Modern Family Relationships; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Natasha Brown
Noah Moell: Sports Gambling, Emotional Investment, and Fan-Athlete Communication: A Study Examining How Gambling Motivations Shape Online Interactions with Athletes; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Natasha Brown
Lizbeth Ortiz-Espana : The Impact of a First-Generation Student Communication Barriers; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Natasha Brown
Debi Qualls: How Baseball Won Back, and Lost Its Magic: Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and the Steroid Era in Baseball; Faculty Sponsor, Professor Nicholas Casas
Maxwell Votaw: Cetaceans in Translation: A Linguistic Analysis of the Old English Whale; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Brian O'Camb
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
11:00 – 12:15, Library, second floor, Labor Studies conference area, northwest corner of the building
Conference Keynote Speaker
Introduction of Keynote Speaker: Dr. Christopher Young
The Joy of Discovery, Richard B. Gunderman, MD, PhD
Education has many purposes — to enable learners to support themselves and their families, to contribute in some way to the lives of others, to achieve career success, and for some, even fame and wealth. But one of its highest purposes is to prepare students for a life of discovery, to delight in glimpsing the way the world really is, who our neighbors, friends, and loved ones really are, and what our lives can truly amount to.
Dr. Gunderman’s accomplishments and positions:
Chancellor’s Professor, IU Indianapolis
John A. Campbell Professor of Radiology
Professor of Radiology & Imaging Sciences
Professor of Pediatrics
Professor of Medical Education
Professor of Philosophy, School of Liberal Arts
Professor of Medical Humanities & Health Studies, School of Liberal Arts
Richard Gunderman is Chancellor's Professor of Radiology, Pediatrics, Medical Education, Philosophy, Liberal Arts, Philanthropy, and Medical Humanities and Health Studies at Indiana University. He is also John A Campbell Professor of Radiology and in 2019-21 served as Bicentennial Professor.
He received his AB Summa Cum Laude from Wabash College; MD and PhD (Committee on Social Thought) with honors from the University of Chicago; and MPH from Indiana University. He was a Chancellor Scholar of the Federal Republic of Germany and received honorary Doctorates of Humane Letters from Garrett Theological Seminary at Northwestern University and Wabash College.
Gunderman is a ten-time recipient of the Indiana University Trustees Teaching Award, and in 2015 received the Indiana University School of Medicine's inaugural Inspirational Educator Award. He was named the 2008 Outstanding Educator by the Radiological Society of North America, the 2011 American Roentgen Ray Society Berlin Scholar in Professionalism, and the 2012 Distinguished Educator of the American Roentgen Ray Society. In 2012, he received the Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Award for Teaching Excellence, the top teaching award from the Association of American Medical Colleges. In 2013, he was the Spinoza Professor at the University of Amsterdam. In 2019, he received the Glenn Irwin Distinguished Faculty Award and in 2020 the Association of University Radiologists awarded him its Gold Medal and elected him to its inaugural class of fellows.
He serves on numerous boards, including Christian Theological Seminary and Alpha Omega Alpha National Honor Medical Society, and he is the faculty advisor to over a dozen student interest groups, honorary organizations, and service events.
He is the author of more than 950 articles and has published 15 books, including "We Make a Life by What We Give" (2008), "X-ray Vision" (2013), "Essential Radiology 3rd ed" (2014), "We Come to Life with Those We Serve" (2017), "Pediatric Imaging 2nd ed" (2018) and "Tesla" (2019). In 2020, he published "Contagion" and "Marie Curie." He has delivered over 750 keynote addresses, named lectures, and grand rounds presentations.
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
12:15 – 12:45 pm, Library, second floor, north window area
Lunch and poster hanging
12:45 — 2:00 pm, Library, second floor, open area just to the left of the elevators
POSTER SESSION #1
Adrianna Acevedo: The Impact of Continuous Labor Support on Cesarean Delivery; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Jessica Almeida: High Nurse-to-Patient ratios on Patient outcomes; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Jojen Aves: Impact of Structured Diabetes Self-Management Education on Glycemic Control; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Victor Banies: The Power of Photography in Shaping Public Opinion; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Patrick Johnson
Nadine Batista: Nurse-Led Diabetes Education and Patient Outcomes; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Mattisyn Bennett: Public Relations ; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Patrick Johnson
Brandon Berry: How does individualized glucose management improve pregnancy outcomes over traditional insulin therapy in pregnant women with type 2 diabetes; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Jadien Bishop: Communication in the Marine Life; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Patrick Johnson
Grace Bood: Nurse Practitioner; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Patrick Johnson
Madison Bridges: Comparing Electroconvulsive Therapy and Pharmacotherapy Outcomes in Hospitalized Adults with Treatment-Resistant Major Depressive Disorder; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Mackinzie Buuck: High Calorie vs. Low Calorie Refeeding: Impact on Refeeding Syndrome in Adolescents and Young Adults with Anorexia Nervosa; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Alexia Cadichon: Hand Hygiene Compliance in Hospitals Compared to Nursing Homes and Its Impact on Infection Rates; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Isabelle Carney: The role of a Physician Assistant; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Patrick Johnson
Adrianna Carter: Nurse-to-Patient Ratios and Burnout in Acute Care Settings; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Karla Cisneros: Delayed Cord Clamping versus Immediate Cord Clamping; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Raven Crawford: The Impact of Obstetric Care on Maternal Mortality Rates among the African American population; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Samantha Frigo: The Impact of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners versus non-SANEs; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Salvador Garcia-Rogers IV: Narrative Distortion, Sacrifice, and Solutions: Journalism's Present Dilemma; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Patrick Johnson
Dakotah Goldsby: Communication in Programming; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Patrick Johnson
Amaya Graves: Insurance Coverage in the Foster Care System; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Molly Helsel: Declining vaccination rates and disease resurgence in infants and young children; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Christian Jones: Exploring the Role of Authority Figures in Active Learning Scenarios; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Frances Daniel
Destiny Jones: Managing Stress in Nursing School and Clinical; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Taylor Knarian: Delayed Cord Clamping in Newborns; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Collin Krause: Nursing interventions to reduce medication errors in hospital care settings; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Kyndal LaMar: Assessing the Impact of Pitocin use for Labor Augmentation of Postpartum Hemorrhage and Maternal Mortality; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Lauren Marin: The Rise in Infant Deaths in Starke County, Indiana, and the Need for Increased Use and Awareness of Safe Haven Baby Drop-off Boxes and Improved Access to Maternal-Child Healthcare; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Ayla McMahan: Why communications is important in military law; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Patrick Johnson
Andrew McManus: The Effectiveness of Stress Reduction Techniques Related to Nursing Burnout; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Alexis Miller: Nursing-Led Emotional Health Support With Infertility Treatment; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Andrea Mircheska: The High Cost of Insulin in the United States; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Kaelan Murphy: Types of Communication used as a Physician’s Assistant; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Patrick Johnson
Britney Nilli: Improving Healthcare Access for Low-Income Minority Populations Through Nurse-Led Interventions; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Chase Noorlag: Mammography periods; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Kayla Oberholtzer: Marketing Strategy Recommendations: From Classroom to Small Business in Northwest Indiana; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Yllka Azemi
Glory Osuji: Burnout in Undergraduate Nursing Students: Contributing Factors and Evidence-Based Coping Strategies; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Katie Plopper: Communication in The World of Physical Therapy; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Patrick Johnson
Kylee Porter: The Nursing Role in Physician Assisted Suicide; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Alivia Pulsoni: Communication in Counterterrorism; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Patrick Johnson
Soraya Ramos, Davida Jones: The Association between Self-Critical Perfectionism and Sleep Disturbances; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Hannah Lee
Joseph Roe, Yesenia Garcia: Self-Critical Perfectionism and Sleep Disturbance: Anxiety as a Moderator; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Hannah Lee
Camila Romo: Arthritis; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Brooklynn Soria: Anxiety and Sleep Disturbance Among College Students; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Hannah Lee
Karleigh Stanton: How Bedside Shift Report Impacts Patient Safety and Satisfaction; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Makaila Taylor-Russell: Senior Graphic Designers’ Roles In Magazines; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Patrick Johnson
Lynette Valencia: Communications in Forensic Science; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Patrick Johnson
Gabby Vecchi: The Impact of Telehealth and Remote Monitoring on Blood Pressure Management; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Traci Webb, Catheryn Miller: Understanding Sleep Problems in College Students: Prevalence, Impact, and Recommendations; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Hannah Lee
Iraca Wesley: Hospital Setting, Work Hours, and Burnout-Related Turnover Among U.S. Registered Nurses; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
2:15 – 4:00 pm, Library, second floor, south window area
Faculty Moderator: Dr. Harold Olivey
Karrine Alexander: The Chemistry of Textiles; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Daniel Kelly
Andrea Middleton: How Microglial Activation After Head Injury Leads to Long-Term Brain Inflammation; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Harold Olivey
Lislet Munoz: Impact of Environmental Pollutants (Nano-TiO₂, Difenoconazole & Polystyrene) on the Nervous System of Zebrafish Larvae; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Spencer Cortwright
Pedro Rodriguez: Targeted Hedgehog Pathway Inhibition in Cancer: Clinical Effectiveness of Smoothened Inhibitors; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Harold Olivey
Alyna Santiago: Positive Impact of C3 Grass Manipulation on the Growth of Forb Species in the Little Calumet River Prairie and Wetlands Preserve: Elymus virginicus L. and Four Forb Species; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Spencer Cortwright
Isabella Storey: Who is Charles Baudelaire?; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Scooter Pegram
Kyle Waymire: An Anatomy of the Crusades as a Failure; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. David Parnell
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
2:15 – 4:00 pm, Library, 2nd floor STEM Center
Faculty Moderator: Dr. Kevin McElmurry
Alyssa Alvarez: Collective Effervescence On Social Media; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Kevin McElmurry
Fatima Berumen: Joking Relationships and Reconstruction of Identity in Women's Prisons; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Kevin McElmurry
Chris Davidson: Data Collection and Exploitation; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Kevin McElmurry
Cosme Herrera Jr: Sculpting Homo Neanderthalensis to Carve Out the Body of Homo Capsula in the Era of the Uncanny Valley; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Kevin McElmurry
Angela Horton: Collective Effervescence in Megachurch Worship: Producing Belonging and Identity through Ritual, Feeling, and Performance; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Kevin McElmurry
Jacob Johansson: The War on Attention: A Marxian Perspective on the Attention Economy; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Kevin McElmurry
Andrea Puente: Sweetness and Inequality: Sugar as a Symbol of Care, Celebration and Reward; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Kevin McElmurry
MacKenzie Turner-Setzer: Hyperreality and Romance in Reality Television; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Kevin McElmurry
Hector De La Rosa: The Colonization of Brown Sugar; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Scooter Pegram
Wednesday, April 29, 2026
8:30 – 8:45 am, Moraine Student Center – poster set up; presenters should remain with their posters from 8:45 am to 9:45 am
9:00 – noon – The Student Government Association is hosting their annual pancake breakfast at this time; join them and browse our student research posters!
Poster Session #2
Alaa Abdelsalam, Stephanie Yolanda Villas: Campus Preparedness Survey; Faculty Sponsors, Dr. Crystal Shannon, Dr. James Wallace and Dr. Christopher Young
Luke Baczkowski: Caribbean Sugar Production and Its Role in Global Health; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Scooter Pegram
Kayla Eickmann, Henry Soto, Sarita Rivera Centeno: Nanoplastics and Cannabinoids: Effects of PLA and CBD on Stress Behavior in Zebrafish Larvae; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Maureen Rutherford
Mina Mahmood, Sana Khan, Allison Conrad, Kahlan Krucina, Maverick Lawrence: Effects of Combined Nicotine and Menthol Exposure on Anxiety-Like Behavior in Larval Zebrafish; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Maureen Rutherford
Mina Mahmood, Maha Alshamaileh: Effects of Hyperglycemic Exposure on Development, Behavior, and Stress Response in Larval Zebrafish; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Maureen Rutherford
Debi Qualls: The Underground Railroad: Indiana's Involvement in an Historic Movement; Faculty Sponsor, Professor Nicholas Casas
Christopher Smith: Assessing the Environmental Impact of the Borman Expressway in the Calumet Region; Faculty Sponsor, Professor Joseph Blockland
Leah Streetman: Assessing Landscape Evolution of Briar East Woods Along an Ancient Tolleston Shoreline in Hammond, Indiana; Faculty Sponsor, Professor Joseph Blockland
Marwah Tarakey, Jenna Ibrahim: Stories from a Volunteer-Centered Student Organization; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Erin Schaefer
Wednesday, April 29, 2026
9:45 am – Library, second floor, north window area
Refreshments
10:00 – 11:30 am, Library, second floor, south window area
Faculty Moderator: Dr. Tia Walker
Aeris Lopez: Targeting Naegleria Fowleri Mitochondrial Malate Dehydrogenase; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Tia Walker
Elonzo Delgado: Naegleria fowleri (N. fowleri) Malate Dehydrogenase Inhibition by Nordihydroguaiaretic acid; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Tia Walker
Allison Tinnel: Human Cytosolic Form of Malate Dehydrogenase; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Tia Walker
Habiba Ouyuon: Investigating Human Mitochondrial Malate Dehydrogenase (MDH2) Kinetics and Inhibition by Succinate; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Tia Walker
Isiah Wilson: Human Mitochondrial Malate Dehydrogenase Mutation; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Tia Walker
10:00 –11:30 am, Library, second floor, STEM Center
Faculty Moderator: Professor Dan Hill
Joseph Collins: Mexican Immigration and Puerto Rican Migration; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Raoul Contreras
Joseph Collins: A Discussion about Hip-Hop's Pioneers; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Scooter Pegram
Julie Stout: The Richard M. Dorson Papers & The Gary Project: A Digital Curated Selection and Reflection Fifty Years Later; Faculty Sponsor, Professor Dan Hill (This will be an online presentation, to zoom in remotely use this link: )
10:00 – 11:30 am, Library, Labor Studies conference area, northwest corner of the building
Faculty Moderator: Dr. Harold Olivey
Olivia Aichner: Platinum-based Cancer Therapy Drugs; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Daniel Kelly
Mariam Ameeruddin: Risks of Previously Concussed Athletes; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Harold Olivey
Adriana Lopez: Immune-Driven Osteoclast Activation in Periodontal Bone Loss; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Harold Olivey
Omar Mehisen: Articular Cartilage Regeneration and Repair; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Harold Olivey
Aleksandar Najdeski: Dry Eye Syndrome - Treatments and Developments; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Harold Olivey
Halie Plaut: Climate-driven shifts in avian phenology and trophic mismatch; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Spencer Cortwright
10:00 – 11:30 am, Library, Room 230A
Faculty Moderator: Dr. Natasha Brown
Kristy Carreon: How Relational and Task-Oriented Communication Influence Engagement, Retention, and Disengagement in Student Organizations; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Natasha Brown
Sabrina Cartagena: Conflict Outcomes: The Role of Communication Styles + Communication Management Across Experience Levels in the Workplace; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Natasha Brown
Paola Gonzalez: Career Exploration: Behind the Badge: The Path to Become a Police Officer ; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Natasha Brown
Ellen Kerr: Strategic Communication for Student Enrichment and Career Readiness; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Natasha Brown
Cassandra Oderio: Social Media Use, Mental Health, and Interpersonal Communication Apprehension in Emerging and Early Adulthood; Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Natasha Brown
11:45 – 12:45 pm, Library, second floor, south window area
Faculty Moderator: Professor Nicholas Casas
Madison Dubiel: The Turning Point of Columbine and How it Affects Society Today; Faculty Sponsor, Professor Nicholas Casas
CorShaunta Johnson : Aileen Wuornos: Trauma, Violence, and the Making of a 1990s Serial Killer; Faculty Sponsor, Professor Nicholas Casas
Ibrahim Kazmi: The Birth of Super Smash Bros; Faculty Sponsor, Professor Nicholas Casas
Zara Kazmi, Rebecca Rico: The 1990s as a transitional era in videogame history: 2D to 3D, cultural convergence, and aesthetic shifts; Faculty Sponsor, Professor Nicholas Casas
Tanisha Kyles: ‘We Got Next' Bloomed into 'We Got Game': A Basketball Girl's Dream Come True, and It's Happening Right Now; Faculty Sponsor, Professor Nicholas Casas
Isabella Saberniak: The History and Importance of the Hubble Telescope; Faculty Sponsor, Professor Nicholas Casas
2:00 pm, Bergland Auditorium
Annual College of Arts & Sciences Honors’ Tea, followed by buffet reception with students, their families and faculty
