With appreciation, Associate Vice President for Research, Dr. Hengchun Ye, commends the following students for participating in the Student Research Symposium at Cal State LA on March 6, 2026:
First Overall
Hector Gardea and Alonso Torres
B.S. Electrical Engineering
Continuous Parkinsonian tremor detection dual-threshold during daily living activities and its clinical relevance
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Deborah Won
Second Overall
Yahan Lin
B.S. Biochemistry and Biology, Microbiology option
Coordination of Circadian Rhythms and Cell Division by TlyA and FtsZ Interactions in Cyanobacteria
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Susan Cohen
Third Overall
Gabriel Bejar
B.A. Psychology
Coffee with a Cadet or a Cop: Examining Officer Rank Across Two Samples
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Alma Olaguez
Cal State LA Delegates
Congratulations to the students who will represent Cal State LA at the
40th CSU Student Research Competition at San José State University
Behavioral and Social Sciences
- Gabriel Bejar
B.A. Psychology
Coffee with a Cadet or a Cop: Examining Officer Rank Across Two Samples
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Alma Olaguez - Mia Hagooli Bolanos
B.A. Psychology
Loving in Vain: The Prevalence of Unrequited Romantic Love in Cal State LA Students
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Pamela Regan
Biological and Agricultural Sciences
- Yahan Lin
B.S. Biochemistry and Biology, Microbiology option
Coordination of Circadian Rhythms and Cell Division by TlyA and FtsZ Interactions in Cyanobacteri
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Susan Cohen - Emily Zempel
B.S. Biochemistry, minor in Bioinformatics
Computational Analysis of Antifreeze Protein–Mediated Enzyme Cryoprotection and Trypsin Resistance
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Caitlin Scott
Humanities, Liberal Arts, and Health
- Natalie Sanchez
B.A. Liberal Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies in Culture and Society option
Challenging Human and Rat Narratives through Multispecies Education
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jeannette Vaught - Matthew Minor
M.S. Kinesiology
Kinesiology is Political
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Saemi Lee
Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology
- Arthur Espinosa
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
A Two-Stage Workflow for Cooling Plate Geometry Optimization in EV Battery Packs
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Chris Bachman - Hector Gardea and Alonso Torres
B.S. Electrical Engineering
Continuous Parkinsonian tremor detection dual-threshold during daily living activities and its clinical relevance
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Deborah Won
Physical and Mathematical Sciences
- Nathan Venegas
B.S. Biochemistry
Analysis of Microplastics and Their Organic Contaminants in Southern California Beaches Using HT-TD/Py-GCxGC-TOFMS
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Petr Vozka - Kenneth Stebbing Cabrera
M.S. Physics
How Shocks Influence Organic Chemistry in Young Planetary Systems: Insights from the Protostar L1527
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Susan Terebey
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Izalina Bittencourt | M.A. Psychology | Academic Self-Efficacy Buffers Against Math Anxiety’s Negative Association with Math Performance | Dr. Corinne Bower |
| Mary Gars | B.S. Nursing | Interventional Study on Mental Wellness Among Undergraduate Nursing Students | Dr. Stacey A. Warmer |
Behavioral and Social Sciences II
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rebecca Aguilar | M.A. Psychology | Physical Activity as a Moderator in the Relationship Between Age and Well-Being | Dr. Robert Kennison |
| Gabriel Bejar | B.A. Psychology | Coffee with a Cadet or a Cop: Examining Officer Rank Across Two Samples | Dr. Alma Olaguez |
Biological and Agricultural Sciences
| Name(s) | Program | Tile | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgana Morris | M.S. Biological Sciences | Comparative kleptoplastic capabilities of Elysia hedgpethi on two algal species | Dr. Patrick Krug |
| Yahan Lin | B.S. Biochemistry and Biology, Microbiology option | Coordination of Circadian Rhythms and Cell Division by TlyA and FtsZ Interactions in Cyanobacteri | Dr. Susan Cohen |
Humanities, Liberal Arts, and Health
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Minor | M.S. Kinesiology | Kinesiology is Political | Dr. Saemi Lee |
| Natalie Sanchez | B.A. Liberal Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies in Culture and Society option | Challenging Human and Rat Narratives through Multispecies Education | Dr. Jeannette Vaught |
Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology I
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Sanches | M.S. Mechanical Engineering | Humidity-Induced Natural Convection Currents | Dr. Jeffrey Santner |
| Arthur Espinosa | B.S. Mechanical Engineering | A Two-Stage Workflow for Cooling Plate Geometry Optimization in EV Battery Packs | Dr. Chris Bachman |
Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology II
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akash Saraf | M.S. Computer Science | Machine Learning Automates Protein-Ligand Docking in Virtual Reality | Dr. Negin Forouzesh |
| Hector Gardea and Alonso Torres | B.S. Electrical Engineering | Continuous Parkinsonian tremor detection dual-threshold during daily living activities and its clinical relevance | Dr. Deborah Won |
Physical and Mathematical Sciences I
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Gutierrez | M.S. Physics, Research option | Magnetic Properties of Ferrocene in Various Carbon Matrices Synthesized via Co-Pyrolysis with Nanodiamond | Dr. Armen Kocharian and Dr. Oscar Bernal |
| Nathan Venegas | B.S. Biochemistry | Analysis of Microplastics and Their Organic Contaminants in Southern California Beaches Using HT-TD/ Py-GCxGC-TOFMS | Dr. Petr Vozka |
Physical and Mathematical Sciences II
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenneth Stebbing Cabrera | M.S. Physics | How Shocks Influence Organic Chemistry in Young Planetary Systems: Insights from the Protostar L1527 | Dr. Susan Terebey |
| Laura Fredericks | B.S. Physics | The Solar System Before the Planets Formed: Investigating Physical Processes in Young Star System L1527 | Dr. Susan Terebey |
Behavioral and Social Sciences
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noemi Alanis and Jessica Vegas | B.A. Psychology | Understanding Adult Math Anxiety Through Childhood Math Experiences at Home and School | Dr. Corinne Bower |
| Fiona Baker, Diego Orozco, and Ruth Uribe -Kirby | B.A. Psychology | Associations Between Early Stressful Life Events, Dimensions of Emotion Dysregulation, and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms | Dr. Yvette Z. Szabo |
| Talia Leano | M.A. Psychology | The Relationship Between Mental Health Symptoms and Help-Seeking Intentions Amongst Muslim Americans | Dr. Dana Saifan |
Biological and Agricultural Sciences
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Ponce | M.S. Biology | International and Citizen Collaboration Reveals Unexpected Biodiversity of Sea Slug genus Ercolania Trinchese, 1872 | Dr. Patrick Krug |
| Rachelle Lucille Soriano | B.S. Biochemistry | Determination of single cell bacterial viability using surface plasmon resonance microscopy (SPRm) | Dr. Yixian Wang |
| Parker Saikley | B.S. Biology Option Microbiology | Investigating the Role for Rbp2 in the regulation of the circadian clock in cyanobacteria | Dr. Susan Cohen |
| Jafet E. Canales | B.S. Biology Option Microbiology | Functional Analysis of Planar Cell Polarity Proteins in Zebrafish Development | Dr. Andrew J. Aman |
Education, Learning, and Letters
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violet Brianna Tirado | M.A. Communicative Disorders, Speech-Language Pathology Emphasis | The Effect of Visual Feedback on Identifying Dialect-Based Speech Sound Production Differences From Production Errors | Dr. Ian D. Morton |
Engineering and Computer Science
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frida Melgar and Elizabeth Miranda | B.S. Civil Engineering | Toward the Incorporation of Microclimate Influences in Hydrologic Design | Dr. Joseph Lucey-Renteria and Dr. Pouya Vahmani |
| Tommy Taing | M.S. Material Science and Engineering | Utilizing Zr-based MOFs as Separators for Sodium Ion Batteries | Dr. Yangyang Liu |
| Alyssa Madewell | B.S. Mechanical Engineering | Effects of Nanoconfinement Geometry on Water Structure and Dynamics in Carbon Nanotube Systems | Dr. Travis Hu |
| Dervin Lopez and Je Beatriz | B.S. Mechanical Engineering | Origami-inspired/Bioinspired Jellyfish | Dr. Salvador Rojas |
Health, Nutrition, and Clinical Sciences
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adrienne Limqueco and Beth Santana | M.S. Nutritional Science | Fear, Food, and Federal Policy Change: How Los Angeles County Food Pantries Navigate New Landscapes | Dr. Kathryn Hillstrom |
| Vanessa Avelino, Inca Stienhans, and C. Kenobi Donart | M.A. Psychology, B.A. Psychology | Understanding associations between trauma and gynecological symptoms: The contributions of trauma type and mental health | Dr. Yvette Z. Szabo |
Physical and Mathematical Sciences
| Name(s) | Program | Title | Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elise Hastie | B.S. Chemistry | Development of Cyclodextrin-Based Nanosponges (CDNSs) For Molecular Sequestration in Complex Environments | Dr. Brenda Andrade Rounds |
| Joshua Pool | M.S. Environmental Science | Flood Susceptibility Mapping in the Los Angeles River Watershed Using Random Forest | Dr. Alireza Farahmand |
| Madison Ngo | B.S. Biochemistry | Modified Plasmonic Electrochemical Sensors for the Sensitive Detection of Dopamine | Dr. Yixian Wang |
| Amanda Miloserny | M.S. Physics | Examining and Simulating Protostar IRAS-15398-3359 to Provide Clues to the Origin of Life | Dr. Susan Terebey |
| Yabo Ogunduyile | B.S. Physics | Into the Thick of It: Searching for Heavily Obscured Supermassive Black Holes with Chandra | Dr. Margaret Lazzarini |