Alli Presutti

Throughout modern history, school buildings have adapted to various external threats and social priorities, but today's crisis of gun violence introduces a challenge that requires new forms of spatial thinking. Current responses lean heavily on target hardening measures such as secure vestibules, bullet-resistant glass, surveillance systems, and metal detectors. These measures address access control and emergency protection, but potentially at the expense of adaptable classrooms, landscape design, and open interior spaces that promote well-being and pedagogical innovation on an everyday basis. As a result, research often considers security and everyday school experience separately, leaving a gap in understanding how these design goals might interact and reinforce one another. Using Webster Thomas High School as a case study, this project explores intersections between student-centered pedagogy, well-being, and security to guide integrated renovation scenarios for postwar suburban high schools, reframing security as a supportive spatial condition.

Grace Wiseman

The term YIGBY stands for "Yes In God's Backyard" and serves as an offshoot of the YIMBY (Yes, In My Backyard). The movement is used to promote the growth of affordable housing stock by creating housing opportunities on land owned by religious organizations. Legislation like The Faith Based Affordable Housing Act allows for faith-based groups to partner with third-party developers through public funding for construction of public housing.

Lilly Saulpaugh

The "Shifting Water" museum draws inspiration from the transformative impact of the Erie Canal, translating its history of inland movement and exchange into an architectural experience. The building's circulation mirrors the flow of goods and people, guiding visitors through a linear sequence defined by long sightlines, axial organization, and spatial moments of compression and release reminiscent of canal locks. Its form expresses forward momentum, reinforcing this narrative journey. Internally, the museum is organized along a gradient from functional to experiential spaces. Service areas-such as offices, storage, and utilities-are positioned near the entrance, while the rear, facing the water, opens into flexible exhibit zones, a café, and communal gathering areas that promote reflection and engagement. Structurally, a steel grid system ensures clarity and efficiency. A sloped roof directs rainwater toward the canal and introduces soft, indirect daylight, enhancing both environmental performance and spatial quality.

Nicholas Frantzeskos II

Co-Design with Indigeneity, examined how collaborative design processes can support the development of a future center or hub for the Department of Indigenous Studies on the University at Buffalo's North Campus. The proposed center was conceived as a space for learning, gathering, and strengthening relationships to Indigenous knowledge systems, community, and land. The significance of this thesis lies in its dual contribution. First, it responds to the university's land acknowledgment by proposing an Indigenous Center situated on Seneca lands, thereby translating institutional commitments into a spatial and architectural form. Second, it addresses the university's broader need for expanded and flexible campus spaces that support academic, cultural, and community-based activities. In doing so, the project offers a vision for how architecture can contribute to the future of the university while serving the needs of present and future generations of students.

Nusrat Reza

LaSalle Station in Buffalo sits at a strategic intersection connecting Main Street, the Minnesota railway line, Shoshone Park, and the Rail-to-Trail corridor. Currently, it fragments neighborhoods, creating physical and social barriers, particularly for residents facing affordability pressures. Puncture: Architecture of Release transforms the station through layered interventions that ask: can architecture create release of pressure rather than creating it in transit-oriented development, and focus on universal design. At the macro scale, strategic punctures cut through rail lines, roads, and parking, reconnecting neighborhoods, parks, and commercial areas. At the mes-scale, greenhouses, craft workshops, and horticulture studios embedded in residential blocks provide spaces for local production, skills-building, and informal commerce. At the micro scale, corridor pockets and prefabricated balconies create accessible social, creative, and entrepreneurial spaces for residents. These punctures not only restore connectivity but also generate economic agency, allowing residents to produce and sell goods within the community. By embedding opportunities for creation, social interaction, and commerce, the project promotes long-term affordability and empowers the community, reframing LaSalle Station as a hub of resilience, inclusion, and collective ownership.

Ryan Bingham

My work explores architecture's role in fostering resilience across social, structural, and environmental dimensions. It examines how design can adapt to change through reconstruction, community engagement, and infrastructural innovation. Central to this approach is rehabilitation, but also the rehabilitation of people through architecture -the renewal of existing structures and urban fabrics to preserve cultural memory and give back to the community, which the design inserts itself while enabling sustainable transformation. Through participatory frameworks that value local knowledge, the work emphasizes community rebuilding and collective agency. Overall, it proposes resilience as an ongoing architectural practice that unites material intelligence, social responsibility, and environmental adaptability to create spaces that endure and evolve over time.

Hahui Lei and Hongbin Yang

A Garden for Everyone reactivates a downtown Buffalo block as a vibrant hub of food exchange, restoring its historic role as a place of connection and commerce. Framed by the Electric Tower, St. Michael's Church, and the Market Arcade, the project reestablishes a direct link to Main Street through a central market spine extending to Genesee Street, drawing people through the site. Above, south-facing terraced housing maximizes sunlight and integrates spaces for growing food into daily life. Beneath these terraces, an agricultural school and shared park provide education and community space. Food grown on-site is sold in the market below, while the school supports production and learning, forming a continuous cycle of growing, education, and exchange. Together, the project addresses food access, housing, and public space, demonstrating how architecture can regenerate urban blocks through productive, socially driven systems.

Will Sundell and Justin Switzer

The Buffalo downtown has seen considerable population loss, office vacancies, and commercial decline in recent years. However, Buffalo has begun growing again after decades of contraction, both in population and economy. We intend to capture this growth in efforts to repopulate the downtown. The site of the design sits at the boundary between the high-rise core and the low-rise mixed-use fringe of the city center. Our project sets out to bridge the gap between the two building types by utilizing a high-density low-rise scheme, compatible with the existing urban fabric. Elevated pedestrian walkways paired with the low-rise design encourage integration with the neighborhood, preventing dissonance between the residents and community.

Kaylie Lynch and Christopher Mehlek

Eco-Village is a social housing community organized around two courtyards and linked by elevated circulation paths. These enclosed paths, featured on the third and fifth floors, enable viewing opportunities within the site and its surrounding context. Offering variation between circulation, these paths promote social engagement and connectivity within the complex, acting as an elevated street system between residents and their units. Each unit is individualized, offering optimal cross-ventilation with defined front porches and rear green spaces. The terraced aggregation of units forms distinct nodes while maintaining an intimate scale. The six-story massing opens views toward key city landmarks, while respecting adjacent low-rise buildings. Ground floor amenities and a tree-filled landscape activate the public realm. The result is a living, breathing organism that balances social housing with nature, light, and community.

Kazi Himi and Julian Leon

The "Contours of Illumination" project examined the potential for light to be considered one of the main materials architects use to create the experiences of space and time. At Artpark, this was achieved using several different techniques including: carved openings, light channels, and layers of surface to take in the eastern and western sun and bring them into the interior spaces of the pavilion. As people moved through the pavilion, changing patterns of bright and dark created moments of compression, release and reflection; they encouraged the awareness of their own movement and duration. Additionally, the choices of material further enhanced the effects of light on the space by absorbing, diffusing and reflecting light differently during the day. Ultimately, the project demonstrated how architects can think of buildings as instruments to create a dynamic and experiential narrative with light.

Emmett Crawley and Marshall Yannello

The Habitat is a proposal to provide living and working spaces for visiting artists while fostering interactions between people, pollinators, and native plant life. The building layout mirrors the design process artists follow on site. Concrete roof supports contain bird dwellings inspired by the Egyptian columbarium. Two interior glass tubes provide protected nesting environments for bumblebees and honeybees while allowing direct access to surrounding flora. Additionally native bumblebees and masked bees are supported through seasonal plantings that offer nesting material in both bloom and decay. This project's identity revolves around the seasons. Flowers emerge and fade, pollinators migrate or establish new nests, and the landscape continually reshapes itself. The Habitat embraces this impermanence, ensuring each visit offers a distinct experience shaped by the rhythms of the natural world.

Jennifer Chan, Kristina Pejcic and Ariana Vasquez-Flores

We wanted to design a space that could grow, adapt, and inspire new artistic ideas. Through the use of quadrants, there are no fixed boundaries. Alternatively, they are expandable frameworks that can connect new programs and invite future additions without disrupting the current context. We studied human movement by observing how visitors choose their paths, where they would pause and decide which viewpoints would capture their attention. We determined that people tend to follow their curiosity. Due to this discovery, we decided to borrow logic from games as they invite players to explore, strategize, and create their own narratives. That is what we wanted to recreate within our design. Each quadrant hosts different programs such as art studios, workshops, performance spaces. However, they remain interconnected as the pathways between them are not just circulation routes; they are also opportunities for interaction and creative play.

Owen Howard, Nicholas Macaluso, Zezo Richard, Erica Ryck and Jeffery Wenqian

This project proposes a community garden and mini park on vacant parcels along Perry Street in Buffalo's First Ward. The plan responds to neighborhood needs for accessible green space, local food production, and community gathering areas following the redevelopment of nearby Commodore Perry Homes. The design transforms underutilized land into a multifunctional public space featuring raised garden beds, seating areas, and flexible open space for neighborhood events and recreation. Environmental considerations, including potential soil contamination and stormwater management, are addressed through raised planting systems and sustainable landscape strategies. Demographic analysis and community engagement highlight a demand for safe outdoor spaces and improved access to fresh food in an area with limited neighborhood amenities. By creating a small-scale but impactful public space, the project aims to strengthen social connections, promote environmental stewardship, and contribute to the ongoing revitalization of Buffalo's historic First Ward.

Ryan Allgaier, Emily Bombardier, Irfanul Chowdhury, Juliet Luers, Dom Peracciny, Alli Preustti, Jessica Renn and Maddie Stafford

This design-build prototype explores how double curvature with membrane structures can generate structural stability in ultra-thin concrete shells, inspired by Frei Otto's (German Architect, 1925-2015) tensile membrane structures. Tailored burlap fabric is dipped into a watery, aggregate-free concrete mix and tensioned between fixed grommet points to form a circular hyperboloid of one sheet. The resulting saddle-like geometry, comparable to the structural logic of a pringle potato chip, demonstrates how an anticlastic form, or double curvature, increases stiffness by distributing forces across the surface rather than concentrating them along a single axis. Curvature was evaluated physically and digitally, measured through its principal radii of curvature and degree of anticlastic deformation, then further analyzed in Karamba3D, a FEA analysis software, to assess the stress distribution and deformation under load. Iterative testing revealed that increasing the ratio between opposing curvatures, creating a deeper saddle geometry, significantly improved stiffness and permitted encasement of material and thus weight reduction. Future iterations could develop an altered formwork to test the shell's freestanding compressive behavior, refine the edge detail connections, explore entering the shell, and design a foundation detail that more closely aligns with current architectural practice

Tendaji Ya'Ukuu

Informal social infrastructure refers to the everyday ways communities collectively use and care for shared space outside of formal institutions. This project applies that framework to Downtown Buffalo, where underutilized parking lots along Main and Washington Streets present an opportunity for equitable civic activation. Drawing on commons theory and comparative urban precedents, I developed the Downtown Buffalo Commons, a seasonal arts, food, and retail plaza governed through a community-based model anchored by East Side Stewards. With a two-year budget of $600,000, the project is projected to support over 100 vendors and engage more than 20,000 participants annually, demonstrating that temporary activation can generate lasting public value.

Irfanul Chowdhury, Sudha Kattel, Stephen Knab, Carolina Rios and Ada Rodriguez 

Amplifying the ConneXion (ATX) is a mixed-use urban redevelopment proposal for Austin created for the 2026 ULI Hines Competition. The project addresses the long-standing physical and social divide created by I-35 by reuniting East and West Austin through a five-block, three-phase framework centered on connectivity, community investment, and long-term resilience. Phase 1 establishes trust and continuity by relocating and preserving the neighborhood H-E-B, introducing a flexible Neighborhood Incubator Block to support local entrepreneurship and civic life, and constructing a covered promenade linking the future Red Line station to Hancock Recreation Center. Phase 2 strengthens community health and culture through a Wellness Block adjacent to Central Health, an elevated social corridor that intersects the promenade to form a symbolic X-shaped civic heart, and a Cultural Block celebrating Austin's creative identity. Phase 3 introduces an Intergenerational Block that supports aging in place, hybrid work, childcare, and shared community spaces. Across all phases, vertically integrated mixed-income housing, minimized vehicular streets, structured and underground parking, and a pedestrian-first circulation network establish ATX as a transit-oriented, socially connective, and sustainable urban district designed to heal division while fostering long-term economic and community vitality.

Aubrey Monaco

Pollination and seed dispersal are essential ecological services whereby plants reproduce and spread seeds, respectively. These processes can occur abiotically (e.g. wind, water), or biotically (e.g. animals). Human developments are threatening these systems by creating unsuitable habitat conditions for plants and animals. Understanding pollination and seed dispersal relationships offers insight to the conservation strategies needed for them. I reviewed 21 scientific research articles from the Web of Science regarding species involved with pollination and seed dispersal in Thailand. Insects, followed by bats, were the most commonly mentioned pollinators. Birds and primates were notably mentioned as seed dispersers. These papers also highlighted 16 specific plants in Thailand, like durian (Durio zibethinus), that utilize animal pollination, and many plants whose seeds animals disperse, like hog plum (Spondias pinnata). With increasing anthropogenic effects on the environment, understanding pollination and seed dispersal networks is essential to properly protecting these services.

Zachary Griffith

Nuraghi, stone towers of Bronze Age Sardinia, represent monumental architecture that offers insights into ancient social organization and labor dynamics. This study applies space syntax analysis to eight nuraghi. Drawing on collective action theory, I explore how built space reflects negotiations between communities and emerging elites, addressing questions of function, socio-political structure, and labor organization in the Bronze Age. Results indicate moderate levels of global accessibility in most nuraghi, with increasing asymmetry in later forms suggesting compartmentalized spaces potentially favoring elite control. Evidence of modular design, feasting, and storage supports joint production, where labor extended beyond households, incentivized by rewards. Landscape integration reveals villages forming around complex nuraghi, hinting at changing power dynamics over time. Through these findings, I argue that Nuragic society exhibited collective labor organization and transitioned to a more hierarchical structure by the Recent Bronze Age, with nuraghi inscribing exclusivity into the landscape.

Keely Maynard and Aubrey Monaco

Movement in arboreal primates includes vertical movement limited by the canopy, creating 2.5-dimensional (2.5D) space, and 3-dimensional (3D) movement. Variation in canopy structure creates a more complex environment than 2D representations can capture. However, vertical movement is often overlooked despite being a large part of their travel. We examine the impact of considering vertical movement in wild arboreal Bengal slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis) in Thailand. We collected GPS points (n=2823) and recorded loris height in the tree, and tree height from July 2023 - August 2024. We calculated 138 movement paths in 2D and added vertical movement for 3D distance. Median 2D movement was 74.6 m, while the median 3D was 82.49 m, a 19% difference. The longer 3D paths highlight the importance of including vertical movement in movement studies of arboreal primates, as omitting it can underestimate other variables such as energy use and spatial cognition.

Caiden Class, Madison Cunningham, Julia Galante and Jasmi Ruponte

Historically, slow lorises (Nycticebus and Xanthonycticebus) have been housed alone based on the misconception that they were solitary in the wild and rarely engaged in social behaviors. Following an expansion of field and captive studies, we now know that slow lorises thrive when housed socially, but our understanding of the breadth of their social and reproductive behaviors remains limited. In this study, we sought to document the behavioral repertoire of a breeding pair of pygmy lorises at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. We collected data on behavior, posture, and substrate use at 5-minute intervals using an instantaneous scan sampling method. The most observed behavior was travel (70%), and the most observed social behavior was follow (64%). The most frequent substrate type was a branch (45%), and the most frequently used locomotion pattern was climbing down (19%). The results of our study offer a baseline for the types of social behaviors and space use a successful breeding pair may display. This work can also inform enclosure design and welfare standards.

Siobhan Lanich

Urban waterways are prone to poor water quality, including high concentrations of the bacteria Escherichia coli, largely due to wastewater effluent and runoff. Freshwater mussels of the family Unionidae have been shown to remove E. coli from water via filter feeding. We assessed the feasibility of using the unionid Lampsilis siliquoidea (Fatmucket) as a biocontrol agent to reduce E. coli in urban streams. Six hundred mussels were placed in containment at two sites in Blasdell Creek (Hamburg, NY), and E. coli was measured at multiple locations upstream and downstream of the array to determine the effect of the placed mussels on E. coli concentrations. While there was no apparent trend in E. coli concentrations attributable to mussels, high survival of mussels (99.3%) indicates promise for this approach. Future research is needed to determine the density of mussels necessary to cause a meaningful reduction of E. coli concentrations in this stream.

Ankita Priyadarshini

Transmembrane mucins function as environmental sensors for Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) pathways. In yeast, the same mucin regulates different MAPK pathways controlling filamentous growth (fMAPK) and the response to osmotic stress (HOG) through specificity mechanisms that remain unclear. Using AlphaFold predictions, we found Sea urchin sperm protein, Enterokinase, Agrin (SEA) domains in yeast and other fungal mucins that are conserved in human mucins and other signaling glycoproteins. Functional analysis identified SEA domain variants that selectively impair individual MAPK pathways. Variants defective in the fMAPK pathway showed defects in protein stability, resulting in altered mucin levels, retention in the secretory pathway, and enhanced turnover by endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD). Remarkably, most of these variants retained function in the HOG pathway, revealing differential tolerance to SEA domain misfolding as a mechanism for MAPK pathway specificity. Specificity was also conferred by the mucin cytosolic tail, which was required in the fMAPK pathway but was dispensable for the HOG pathway. These findings support a model in which changes in protein stability may act as environmental stress indicators, enabling cells to route signal to the appropriate signaling pathway.

Axel Bermudez

Advances in chemotherapy, including the platinum-based drug cisplatin, have improved cancer survival but are often associated with chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI). Neuroinflammation is thought to play a key role, with the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC) being particularly vulnerable. However, whether cisplatin promotes peripheral immune cell infiltration into these regions remains unclear. We hypothesized that cisplatin induces immune cell accumulation at brain borders associated with neuroinflammation. Using a mouse model, we performed immunohistochemistry for CD45 (pan-leukocyte), CD31 (endothelial), and LYVE-1 (lymphatic/border-associated macrophage marker) following one or three cycles of cisplatin. We observed increased CD45⁺ cell presence in the velum interpositum (VI) beneath the hippocampus after cisplatin treatment. Notably, three cycles reduced CD31 expression, suggesting impaired endothelial integrity. Analysis of the PFC in one cycle is ongoing. These findings suggest that peripheral immune activity at brain borders may contribute to neuroinflammatory mechanisms underlying CICI.

Bowen Liu

Candida glabrata is a human pathogen that is genetically close to baking yeast, S. cerevisiae. What makes it a pathogen is the expression of virulence genes that confer adhesion and anti-fungal resistance. Some virulence genes are normally repressed by SUM1 complex (SUM1C), composed of the histone deacetylase Hst1 and the transcription factor Sum1. Curiously, CgSum1 lacks a DNA-binding domain found in other Sum1 orthologs. To explore how SUM1C associates with its target genes, we conducted ChIP-exo and RNA-Seq. We identified 50 genes associated with SUM1C and differentially expressed with defective SUM1C. All 50 genes share a sequence resembling the binding site for a S. cerevisiae transcription factor Ume6. Deletion of an instance of the motif diminished Sum1 and CgUme6 recruitment. We conclude that in C. glabrata, Sum1 collaborates with Ume6 and lost its DNA binding domain. This shift may have contributed to C. glabrata becoming pathogenic.

Carsyn Bonesteel

ACOT1 plays an important role in lipid metabolism and is associated with traits including liver function, fat mass, diabetes, and breast milk composition. Although previous studies reported signatures of selection in ACOT1 in Melanesians, its evolutionary origin and genomic complexity remain unclear. Here, we investigate the genomic, evolutionary, and functional impact of ACOT1. Using long-read sequencing from 326 individuals and short-read data from the 1000 Genomes Project, we confirm that ACOT1 is a human-specific gene that arose from duplication of the mitochondrial paralog ACOT2. We identify extensive copy number variation and eight structural haplotypes with population-specific distributions, including reduced ACOT1 frequency in Southeast Asia. The duplication is absent in Neanderthal and Denisovan genomes, indicating it arose in modern humans. Analysis of over 500 ancient genomes shows the duplication predates the major out-of-Africa migration (>50,000 years ago) and reveals additional complex duplications and deletions spanning ACOT1 and ACOT2.

Christopher Page

The evolution of flowering plants is shaped not only by nucleotide-level substitutions but by chromosome-scale architectural changes such as whole-genome duplication (WGD) events, chromosomal rearrangements, and biased fractionation leading to gene loss. Thus, phylogenetic inference based solely on nucleotide sequences may miss evolutionary signals encoded in genome structure. The mint order (Lamiales) represents a diverse and economically significant lineage of flowering plants, yet recurrent WGD events and lineage-specific rearrangements complicate traditional phylogenetic approaches. Here, we describe a framework for detecting structural genomic signals and transforming them into metrics that enable more comprehensive phylogenetic inference. We leverage five novel high-quality genome assemblies from subfamily Lamioideae and the existing grapevine reference (Vitis vinifera) to construct a Lamiales structural phylogeny that highlights architectural divergence independent of and undetected by sequence-based phylogenetic signals. Thus, this framework can be valuable for investigating the evolutionary dynamics of other flowering plants that have complex genomic histories.

Dennis Kogos

FOXG1 syndrome (FS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in the FOXG1 gene, leading to impaired motor, cognitive, and social function, along with structural brain abnormalities such as microcephaly and corpus callosum defects. This study examined the effects of the G161Gfs truncation mutation in mice, which models human FS. Heterozygous mutant mice and wild-type controls underwent behavioral tests (Open Field, Rotarod, and sociability assays) and brain analyses. Brain tissue was processed, sectioned, and stained, then analyzed to measure structural differences. Results showed that mutant mice had reduced body and brain weight, along with smaller cortex and corpus callosum structures. They also displayed deficits in motor function, social behavior, and anxiety. These findings indicate that the mutation produces structural and behavioral changes similar to human FS. Future work will expand sample size and investigate cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these abnormalities.

Gavin LaBouf

Auditory nerve afferents are composed of three molecular subtypes, which are thought to correspond to afferents sensitive to different ranges of sound intensity.  The projections of these subtypes into the brain are poorly understood.  One target area, the anteroventral cochlear nucleus (AVCN) is tonotopically organized along the dorsal-ventral axis, while the medial-lateral axis appears to receive inputs from different parts of the spiral ganglion. Here we used immunohistochemistry to test if the three subtypes show systematic differences in innervation across the AVCN of mice.  We quantified the sizes of their terminals on bushy cells and found no significant gradients in subtype innervation across the dorsal-ventral or medial-lateral axes.  Thus, the three subtypes do not appear to contribute to distinct streams of information processing in the AVCN.

Jocey Celeste

Candida glabrata is an opportunistic fungal pathogen found in humans. With increasing virulence and number of lethal cases in recent years, research on virulence has taken center stage. C. glabrata's pathogenicity originates from virulence genes leading to immune system resistance. These genes are repressed by the deacetylase Hst1. Hst1 is a homolog of Sir2, a deacetylase that also represses transcription. Phosphorylation of Sir2 by casein kinase (CK2) reduces deacetylase activity and leads to the de-repression of the genes Sir2 represses. We are investigating whether casein kinase also phosphorylates Hst1 in C. glabrata, and how this impacts virulence gene expression. A deletion cassette was transformed into a clinical isolate strain. We intend to determine if the virulence genes regulated by Hst1 are impacted by the loss of casein kinase. With this, a better understanding of pathogenicity regulation and new avenues for treatments of antifungal resistant yeast infections may be uncovered.

Justin Crandall

I independently investigated the effect of increased dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration in both soil-based and soil-less hydroponically grown lettuce on harvest yield and root length. I designed and built custom recirculating hydroponics systems for five experimental groups, varying by DO concentration (mg/L); A 6.8, B 7.3, C 7.5, D 8.0, and E 8.5. Under high DO both the mass yield of lettuce (p = 0.016) and root length (p = 0.0009) were significantly less than control. Comparing soil to hydroponics, the soil groups had significantly higher yields (p = 0.003). Increased DO is not advantageous in a hydroponics system and produced evidence of significant harm to both mass yield and root length. Understanding the role of DO in hydroponics can improve yields of lettuce, a highly nutritious vegetable crop, while removing the need for expensive aeration equipment.

Keith Hunt

Familial Alzheimer's Disease (FAD) is characterized by autosomal dominant mutations in APP, PSEN1, or PSEN2. This study investigates whether non-inherited, spontaneous mutations at these loci produce pathological outcomes identical to inherited FAD. Using a dataset of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) from a young Sri Lankan cohort with unknown family history of FAD, variants were processed via the Variant Effect Predictor (VEP) using a four-step filter: (1) excluding general population polymorphisms via GnomAD; (2) pathogenicity screening (SIFT/PolyPhen); (3) isoform standardization using MANE Select transcripts; and (4) spatial mapping against known FAD loci. Two high-priority SNPs were isolated: rs20149601 (APP) and rs63750249 (PSEN1). These variants are significant due to high pathogenicity scores and localization within MANE Select FAD transcripts. While further research is required to confirm FAD phenotypes, these results highlight specific variants and additional high-ranking SNPs for future Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS).

Kendra Scheer

The Pepsinogen A (PGA) genes, which encode the primary digestive enzyme in the stomach, reside in a complex region of the human genome that is currently poorly understood. Using 703 long-read genomes and 98 patient samples, we resolve at least 64 distinct haplotypes and find PGA copy number significantly correlates with expression. Analysis of 2,504 modern short-read genomes reveals continental differences, including a lower median copy number in West Eurasian populations and genome-wide significant population differentiation. Extending this analysis to 185 ancient genomes, we detect a decrease in PGA copy numbers coincident with the agricultural transition in West Eurasia (Wilcoxon p = 3.8 × 10⁻⁷). We additionally find a haplotype lacking a functional paralog to partially contribute to this shift. Together, these findings establish structural variation at the PGA locus as a functionally and evolutionarily relevant region in humans, likely shaped by long-term dietary transitions.

Lauren Benson

Industrial production of riboflavin, also called vitamin B2, is induced using the filamentous fungus Ashbya gossypii. Previous studies revealed that riboflavin production is enhanced in strains lacking the transcriptional repressor SUM1C. Components of the SUM1C include Sum1, a DNA-binding protein, and Sir2, a histone deacetylase that reduces transcription of genes. Our hypothesis is that SUM1C targets promoter regions of genes impacting riboflavin production, leading to a decrease in riboflavin production. To test this hypothesis, Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) is being conducted to determine if there is a binding site for SUM1C within promoters of riboflavin production genes. In preparation for ChIP, an epitope tag was added to Sir2 and work is underway to add an epitope tag to Sum1. Preparation also included adapting the yeast ChIP protocol for use in A. gossypii. At this time ChIP results for Sir2 tagged strain are pending. This work could reveal a regulatory pathway that could be modulated to boost riboflavin production.

Liana Sicroff

Candida glabrata is an opportunistic human fungal pathogen. Its success as a pathogen derives in part from virulence genes that confer resistance to reactive oxygen species (ROS), antifungal drugs, and starvation and allow cells to adhere to mucosal surfaces. These virulence genes are repressed by a deacetylase, Hst1. However, if Hst1 is inactivated, the repression on those genes is removed and they can be expressed. Previously, it has been shown that phosphorylation of a conserved serine in an Hst1 homolog in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, ScSir2, reduces protein activity. We are investigating if this mechanism is conserved in C. glabrata, representing a mechanism by which virulence genes are regulated. Alignment of ScSir2 to CgHst1 identified S422 as the conserved serine. Genome editing was used to replace S422 with an aspartate or an alanine, to imitate a phosphorylated or unphosphorylatable serine. The goal is to see if making changes to S422 will allow for expression of virulence genes controlling ROS stress, antifungal resistance, starvation, and adhesion. Plasmids containing the S422D/S422A mutations have been made, and the modified cassette has been transformed into C. glabrata using a CRISPR plasmid. We will next expose the strains to stressors, such as antifungals or oxidative stress, and note whether the change in phosphorylation of S422 is allowing for increased resistance/expression of virulence genes. Ultimately, we may be able to identify a new regulator of pathogenicity which could aid in the creation drugs to treat antifungal resistant yeast infections.

Luane Jandira Bueno Landau

Saliva plays essential roles in digestion, immunity, and host-microbiome interactions, yet its protein composition varies markedly across species and sexes. The evolutionary mechanisms underlying this molecular diversity remain poorly understood. We compared mouse and human salivary gland secretomes at genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic levels to investigate how saliva composition evolves. We found that salivary gland gene expression evolves through rapid gene turnover and strong sexual dimorphism. The mouse submandibular gland exhibits striking sexual dimorphism, with 1,537 tissue-specific sex-biased genes, five times more than in the liver, a classic model of sex-biased expression. These genes cluster in genomic regions shaped by recent gene duplication. One such region is the Kallikrein gene family, a mouse-specific expansion that accounts for ~16.4% of male-biased submandibular expression. Our analyses suggest that gene duplication amplified regulatory mechanisms, including the spread of a testosterone-associated regulatory motif and expansion of a shared chromatin domain enabling coordinated gene regulation.

Mahasweta Acharjee

KlSir2, a sirtuin in K. lactis represses gene transcription through NAD+-dependent histone deacetylation at target promoters. To examine how intracellular NAD+ levels affect Sir2-regulated genes in this auxotrophic yeast, we grew them in varying Nicotinic Acid concentrations. With decreasing intracellular NAD+, acetylation and gene expression of Sir2-target genes increased gradually. RNA-Seq analysis revealed, 88% of the genes induced in low NA were also induced in absence of Sir2, thus establishing Sir2 as the primary sensor responsible for transcriptomic response to low NAD+. Genes induced in low nicotinic acid include some that would restore NAD+ levels, such as the high-affinity nicotinic acid transporter TNA1, and some that allow the cells to survive until conditions improve, such as genes promoting mating and sporulation. Additionally, this response varied across NAD+ levels, suggesting Sir2 behaves as a rheostat in tuning gene expression to NAD+ availability.

Taona Maphosa

Faculty websites often serve as students' initial entry points when exploring research opportunities. This ongoing project investigates how biology faculty websites reflect inclusive values that welcome students from historically marginalized backgrounds. Our primary metric is the presence and content of inclusivity statements, with elements such as mentioning diversity, equity, and inclusion, providing resources, and support for underrepresented students. We hypothesize that minority-serving institutions (MSIs) are more likely to include inclusivity statements and incorporate more inclusive elements compared to non-MSIs. Using qualitative coding, we analyze statement presence and content from a random sample of biology department and faculty websites, categorized by MSI status. Inter-rater reliability was established through consensus coding. We expect MSIs to show higher percentages of inclusivity statements and more welcoming elements compared to non-MSIs. These findings should offer insights into how faculty websites can better support minoritized students and encourage more intentional, inclusive on-line spaces in biology education.

Zena Wright

Chemotherapy has transformed cancer treatment, resulting in 18.1 million U.S. survivors in 2022, projected to reach 26 million by 2040. However, approximately 75% of patients experience acute chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI), and nearly 35% develop persistent deficits that reduce quality of life. While neurotoxicity induced by the chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin is well-characterized in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, its effects on the striatum, a key hub for motivation and reward learning, remain unclear. To address this gap, we used a clinically relevant cisplatin regimen in C57BL/6J female mice. Nesting behavior assays and 3D image reconstruction revealed that cisplatin reduced reward-motivated behavior and dendritic spine density in ventral striatal medium spiny neurons, which were attenuated by A2A receptor antagonists (KW6002, caffeine).  Additionally, immunostaining revealed increased Iba1+ microglial density and dopamine transporter 1 (DAT1)+ synaptic engulfment, suggesting neuroinflammation. Together, these findings highlight striatal dysfunction and microglial activation as potential therapeutic targets. 

Samuel Mejorado Lily Plympton

Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) plays a fundamental role in photosynthesis.  C4 plant species increase photosynthetic productivity by specifically localizing Rubisco to leaf Bundle Sheath (BS) cells. Alternatively, the less efficient C3 plant, tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), does not localize Rubisco.  The Rubisco Large Subunit RNA Binding Protein (RLSB) regulates Rubisco gene expression in chloroplasts. We hypothesize that genetically engineered RLSB and related proteins will enable tobacco to mimic the photosynthetic efficiency of C4 plants as a model to increase productivity of C3 agricultural plants. Two gene promoters were used: one causes BS-specific RLSB expression, the other increases expression in all cells. Two groups of transgenes were associated with each promoter: one with other Rubisco regulatory genes, and the other with RLSB alone. mRNA encoded from the transgenes was analyzed via qrt-PCR and protein analysis with immunoblotting. Current findings show higher Rubisco production in strains expressing all Rubisco-associated genes, aligning with our hypothesis.

Hal Svetanics and Thushara Tennakoon

Intermittent streams comprise a large portion of global lotic systems, and their hydrological variability may strongly influence pesticide transport and ecological effects. During dry periods, isolated pools can concentrate dissolved compounds that are later mobilized as pulses when flow resumes. To examine these dynamics, we investigated the distribution and impacts of the insecticide imidacloprid within an intermittent stream network in Western New York forests following treatment for the invasive Adelges tsugae. Our study included (1) analyzing changes in macroinvertebrate community structure upstream and downstream of treated sites, and (2) quantifying pesticide concentrations in surface water and sediment using LC-MS/MS across sites varying in flow regime and proximity to treated areas. We also monitored hydrology using STIC sensors. Preliminary results indicate slight declines in sensitive taxa downstream of treatment and low pesticide levels in winter, with further seasonal and sediment analyses underway to assess management effectiveness.

Sydney Brongo and Elizabeth Fish

Hearing can be impacted by noise exposure (NE), but the specific cellular changes are not well understood. We study this issue at synapses formed by auditory nerve fibers. These synapses normally show strong synaptic depression, but after NE these synapses depress less. Previous experiments have indicated that elevated activity induces similar synaptic changes through a pathway that involves nitric oxide (NO), which is a retrograde messenger. To understand how NO acts during NE in vivo, we studied mice that were genetically modified to lack neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS KO). We found that their synapses showed no change in depression after NE. Furthermore, we used the same approach in mice genetically modified to disable a second retrograde messenger system, endocannabinoids (eCBs). These mice also showed no change in synaptic depression after NE. This indicates that NO and eCBs are required for noise-induced changes at auditory nerve fiber synapses in vivo.

Ammar Alasady

Psychosis is a neuropsychiatric disorder that affects nearly 1/100 individuals. Coming across literature that details the nuanced influence of the immune system in psychosis development is becoming increasingly unavoidable. The two-hit immune model of psychosis explores how an initial priming of the immune system and a subsequent immunological trigger leads to neuroinflammatory sequelae that can alter cognition. Indolamine 2,3 dioxygenase (IDO-1) is believed to play a critical role in the manifestation of psychiatric disorders via its downstream products that alter NMDA and α7-nAChR function. The recent discovery that meningeal immunity at the brain borders significantly influences sociability and anxiety-related behavior provides a novel strategy to elucidate how meningeal immunity negatively affects these psychosis-related phenotypes. My project uses a prominent model of psychosis where C57BL/6J mice are administered lipopolysaccharide (LPS) endotoxin to generate neuroinflammatory activation of kynurenine metabolism. I then looked at changes within the dura mater and their behavior.

Aruni Dissanayake

Self-assembled coordination cages represent an emerging platform for next-generation biomedical imaging probes. The incorporation of multiple iron(III) centers into a cage bridged by rigid ligands represents a powerful approach for designing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents with higher relaxivities. Here, the significant increase in the size and rigidity of the coordination cage slows the molecular rotation of the contrast agent in solution, improving relaxivity per metal center. In this study, a rigid, highly symmetric, robust iron(III) octahedral coordination cage was designed by incorporation of six Fe3+ cations and four tris-acylhydrazone ligands, representing the second example of an iron coordination cage developed for in vivo use as a T1 MRI probe with enhanced relaxivity in solution and in mice. Owing to its significantly enhanced relaxivity, the coordination cage achieves comparable MRI contrast at doses approximately five times lower than those required for Gadoterate, a clinically used contrast agent.

Emily Ouellette

Fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) is defined as the process of linking multiple molecular fragments together in order to yield a high affinity compound that can strongly bind to and inhibit the target site. Through FBDD, achieving potent compounds has proven to be challenging and the structural parameters regarding the linker connecting the molecules together is not thoroughly understood. By gaining a better understanding of these molecular parameters that affect the potency of several bivalent inhibitors, the hit identification and hit to lead stages of the drug discovery process can be rationally streamlined and optimized in efforts to quickly and efficiently get clinically approved drugs available to the public. Oncogenic, mutant epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is used as a model system due to its close proximity of the ATP binding site and allosteric pocket. A series of ATP-allosteric bivalent inhibitors (AABIs) were synthesized to target EGFR, changing parameters such as linker length, composition, and point of connection in order to define how these parameters contribute to enhanced binding and potency. Biochemical activity assays confirmed that modifications made to the linker significantly impacts the potency of the compounds against mutant EGFR. Docking studies and x-ray crystal structures give insight into the structural activity relationships (SARs) of these AABIs.

Omar Fathallah

Ciprofloxacin is a widely used antibiotic whose effectiveness is reduced when taken with metal ions such as calcium, magnesium, and iron, which limit its absorption in the body. This project explores a prodrug strategy to address this issue by temporarily modifying ciprofloxacin to prevent these interactions. The research focuses on designing and synthesizing ester-linked prodrugs by attaching ciprofloxacin to molecules such as mannitol, xylitol, glycerol, and vitamin E. The synthetic approach involves protection of the amine group, activation of the carboxylic acid, coupling to form ester linkages, and final deprotection to yield the target compounds. The amine protection step has been successfully completed, while efforts are ongoing to optimize the coupling reaction. This work aims to improve the bioavailability of ciprofloxacin and enhance its effectiveness when taken with common dietary components.

Jonathan Stasi-Welsh and Tristan Vick

There is a growing body of evidence showing that tandem liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods do not detect and often significantly underestimates the concentration of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other fluorinated compounds in environmental samples. Alternatively, 19F NMR (FNMR) is an inherently nontargeted spectroscopic method that non-destructively detects all fluorinated nuclei in a mixture; however, current FNMR libraries lack standardized, high-quality reference data across different solvents and the statistical search tools necessary for confident identification of fluorinated substructures or whole compounds. We have developed a FNMR spectral library and database comprising >160 compounds recorded under three solvent conditions annotated with chemical shifts, spectral splitting and longitudinal relaxation times for each fluorine nucleus. We introduce solvent-induced shift vectors (SISV) as an additional identifier of fluorinated substructures that measures solvent-dependent chemical shift changes to enable a more confident identification of substructures than chemical shifts alone. To identify suspect compounds, we map chemical shifts, spectral splitting, and SISV onto substructure HOSE codes, then rank candidates using Bayesian search and combinatorial scoring. This workflow was applied to biosolids and sludge extracts to identify fluorinated analytes not previously detected with targeted LC-MS/MS methods (EPA method 1633). Our newly developed FNMR library method identifies fluorinated substructures and parent compounds without analytical standards or a priori knowledge of the identify of environmental analytes. By employing a novel FNMR based non-targeted framework for the comprehensive capture and identification of fluorinated compounds, this methodology significantly reduces the risk of missing critical analytes that often bypass traditional screening.

Liezel Mari Abaya and  John Michael Aguilar

Ancient sediments recovered beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet at Camp Century (3.2 Million to 400,000 years ago) and modern surface sediments from northwest Greenland were analyzed to reconstruct past climate conditions using molecular fossils. High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) was applied through both targeted and non-targeted approaches. Targeted analysis identified glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs), whose distributions indicate lacustrine sources and are used to reconstruct past summer air temperatures. GDGT-derived temperature anomalies of 6-9°C above modern values were reconstructed, providing evidence of substantial past warmth and constraining the timing of ice sheet retreat. Non-targeted analysis employing feature-based molecular networking which integrate MZmine and GNPS workflows, improving compound annotation, reducing false positives, and enhancing post-processing efficiency. While many compounds were shared between modern and ancient sediments, unique unannotated features in ancient samples suggest previously uncharacterized molecules. This multi-platform HRMS approach expands biomarker discovery and strengthens molecular tools for Greenland paleoclimate reconstruction.

Seamus O'Rourke and Nicholas Reilly

CdS quantum dots are well-studied, effective photocatalysts for reactions of interest in the green fuel production and atmospheric carbon management spaces. Quantum dots are renowned for their highly tunable surface chemistry, and by incorporating energetically favorable capping ligands, one can facilitate interfacial electron and hole mobility. This interfacial charge transfer can help to prolong the high-energy excited state of an electron after absorbing a photon, as well as condense electron density in catalytically favorable pieces of the heterostructure. By incorporating both ferrocene and porphyrin carboxylate ligands on CdS quantum dots, representing hole scavengers and catalytically favorable electron sinks respectively, we propose that a double-functionalized heterostructure will be a more effective CO2 reduction catalyst than bare quantum dots.

Marissa Harrell and Udani Wijethunga 

We synthesized ternary Sb2VO5/CdS-Zn3MCP triads, composed of Sb2VO5 nanorods, CdS quantum dots, and zinc(II) 5-(3-carboxyphenyl)-10,15,20-(triphenyl)porphyrin, and evaluated them as photocatalysts for CO2 reduction. CO2 reduction is challenging due to competing hydrogen evolution and multiple electron-proton pathways. We hypothesized that in the triads, photoexcited CdS QDs transfer electrons to Zn3MCP and holes to Sb2VO5 midgap states, enabling charge separation and selective CO2 reduction. Comparative studies with CdS-Zn3MCP dyads and Sb2VO5/CdS heterostructures showed that dyads promoted CO2 reduction and HER, while Sb2VO5/CdS primarily produced H2. In contrast, the triads achieved 100% selectivity for CO2 reduction, yielding CO and CH4, with CH4 production increasing at higher Zn3MCP loadings, indicating cooperative porphyrin behavior. These results demonstrate that precise heterostructure composition and interfacial design can control excited-state charge transfer, enhancing reactivity and selectivity. Sb2VO5/CdS-Zn3MCP triads thus represent promising photocatalysts for efficient, selective CO2 reduction.

Irina Andreeva

Stories are integral to human communication and can exert influence over our self-perceptions and identities. A rich line of research has examined the concept of narrative identity, or the stories that individuals tell about their lives. Scholars have identified concrete themes (i.e., agency, communion, redemption) within these narratives that predict psychological well-being and life satisfaction. The present study examined whether and how media narratives might impact individuals' conceptions of their own life stories. We surveyed LGBTQ+ individuals on their narrative experiences, as this group may receive particular benefits from identity-related media. Participant responses were analyzed for the relevant themes and preliminary results reveal that the presence of all three themes was associated with positive perceptions of one's LGBTQ+ identity, while communion and redemption correlated with increased psychological well-being. These findings offer initial evidence for the influence of entertainment narratives on individuals' narrative identities in ways which may amplify psychological well-being.

Kyle Heneveld

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting for an estimated 60-80 percent of cases. The disease can lead to severe functional and cognitive impairment, requiring around-the-clock care to manage its symptoms. Caregivers of individuals of Alzheimer's disease report a wide variety of medical, personal, and social sources of uncertainty pertaining to caregiving and the disease. The current study examines how caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease manage chronic uncertainty pertaining to information about the disease, their roles as a caregiver, and interactions with others (e.g., family members, friends). Fifteen adult caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer's disease were interviewed to understand their experiences with chronic uncertainty and management strategies following the guidelines of reflexive thematic analysis. This study contributes theoretically to the broad research on uncertainty management by examining chronic uncertainty in a unique and understudied context and has practical implications for both caregivers and medical practitioners.

Saana Mankotia

Suspense is a popular technique used to engage audiences in narrative entertainment. Given that suspense is characterized by concepts that hinge on audiences' lack of knowledge about the narrative's ending, we might expect that knowledge of the narrative's resolution would minimize feelings of suspense during exposure. Yet despite this expectation, previous work has shown that audiences' self-reported suspense remains stable on repeated viewings even when they know how the narrative ends (Zillmann, 2013). To understand the cognitive mechanisms behind it (e.g., Carroll, 2013, we investigate audiences' (N=29) responses to repeated viewings of a suspenseful Alfred Hitchcock film. We predicted that participants' (1) suspense will remain stable after both viewings and, (2) uncertainty will decrease between the first and the second instance of viewing the stimulus. Results of paired-sample t tests revealed that uncertainty decreased from the first (Mt1=5.28, SDt1=0.94) to the second viewing (Mt2=3.86, SDt2=1.28; 5.10, p < .001), as did overall suspense (Mt1=5.05, SDt1=1.30; Mt2=3.61, SDt2=1.75; 4.39, p < .001). These preliminary results do not show evidence of the suspense paradox. Data collection is ongoing, and we are also planning to add measures of heart rate and skin conductance.

Madison Neurohr and Madeline Taggart

Guided by the ANCODI hypothesis and emotional contagion theory, this study examines whether patterns of anger, contempt, and disgust within Discord posts written by violent and nonviolent actors function as early warning signs of violence. A survey of N = 868 participants revealed that participants were able to distinguish posts written by individuals who later engaged in violence based on perceived emotion alone. Results further revealed that posts indicating a plan for violence and rated high in ANCODI emotions served as a clear and reliable signal of intent to harm. Posts containing slurs toward an outgroup were also perceived as high in ANCODI, regardless of whether the author later went on to be violent. In addition to these perceptual effects, participants' self-reported ANCODI increased slightly over time, indicating that continued exposure to these posts intensified participants' own feelings of anger, contempt, and disgust. The longer participants were exposed to the messages before reporting their emotions, the more intense these self-reported emotions became. These findings suggest that ANCODI patterns may serve as meaningful indicators of emerging radicalization or intent to harm before violence occurs.

Brianna Odrzywolski

This study investigated three perceptual speech constructs (i.e., intelligibility, speech severity, and perceived listening effort) and the effect of three different types of listeners (i.e., inexperienced listeners, SLP master's students, and experienced SLPs) on these ratings when hearing speakers with apraxia of speech (AOS), and aphasia and/or dysarthria. Our research questions were as follows: (1) Is there a relationship between the perceptual constructs across all listeners and within the three different listener groups? (2) Are there differences between the three perceptual constructs across the three listener groups? (3) Are there differences in the reliability of the three perceptual constructs across the three listener groups?

Emma Fitch

This study investigated changes in perceptual speech measures across 18 individuals with Parkinson's disease (9 in-person and 9 via teletherapy) after four weeks of the SPEAK OUT!® therapy program. Speech intelligibility was assessed using orthographic transcriptions from naïve listeners, at both pre- and post-intervention timepoints. Listeners also provided ratings of listener effort, speech severity, and naturalness using visual analog scales (VAS). Perceptual outcomes were compared between pre- and post-intervention, and between participants who received in-person vs. telehealth therapy delivery. Results suggested improvements in speech intelligibility post-treatment which did not differ between participants who received in-person therapy vs. telehealth therapy. A paired comparison task was also conducted to explore perceived changes in speech across 4 different listener groups: the patients themselves, their frequent communication partner, their treating speech-language pathologist, and naive listeners. Listeners were asked to select which of two speech samples (pre-therapy vs. post-therapy) was preferred, and to indicate what speech features differed between the two samples. There was large variation of perceived improvement and features that mark improvement, observed across listener perspectives. Articulation and vocal quality appear to be important factors to these diverse listener groups. Findings highlight the need for considering different listener perspectives in determining therapy efficacy.

Grace Markey

This study examined the combined effects of the SpeechVive device and Expiratory Muscle Strength Training (EMST) on speech production in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). PD is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder often associated with hypokinetic dysarthria, characterized by reduced vocal loudness (sound pressure level; SPL), abnormal pausing, imprecise articulation, and disrupted speech breathing. The purpose was to determine whether an eight-week combined intervention would improve SPL and alter pause frequency and duration during connected speech. Eight individuals with PD completed treatment. SpeechVive provides auditory cueing that prompts speakers to increase vocal intensity, while EMST uses a pressure-threshold device to strengthen expiratory muscles supporting speech. Speech samples were collected before and after treatment. Acoustic analyses in Praat measured SPL, pause frequency, and pause duration. Linear mixed-effects models evaluated treatment effects. Results showed significant increases in SPL after treatment, with no changes in pausing, supporting combined treatment with these devices.

Victoria Critton

Older adults often struggle to understand speech in noisy environments, even when age-related hearing loss and cognitive or neural changes are considered. This study tested whether individual differences in perceptual flexibility, defined as the ability to shift to more reliable speech cues when others are masked by noise, help explain these difficulties. Younger adults (18 - 28) and older adults (55 - 75) with age-appropriate hearing completed the Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing questionnaire and a speech categorization task. In the task, participants identified /bir/ and /pir/ sounds while background noise increased. Perceptual flexibility was measured as the signal-to-noise ratio at which listeners switched from relying on voice onset time, a cue distorted by noise, to fundamental frequency, which is more robust. Hearing sensitivity correlated with perceptual flexibility across participants. Among older adults, self-reported speech understanding predicted perceptual flexibility. Findings suggest that perceptual flexibility training may improve speech-in-noise comprehension in adults.

Yuchen Wang

Aphasia is a language disorder that affects the ability to speak and/or understand language. Often presenting with anomia, or word retrieval difficulty, aphasia can significantly impact daily communication. Best-practice recommendations include personalized treatment plans that target words meaningful to the individual. Yet little is known about how personally relevant words are processed and retrieved. This study investigates the effects of personal relevance on word retrieval in healthy adults as a foundation for future aphasia research. Thirty college-aged adults will complete a picture-naming task, and rate each item on meaningfulness, functionality, and frequency. Participants will also complete a verbal fluency task, generating personally relevant items across semantic categories. To date, we have collected data from 19 participants and do not anticipate difficulty having all data collected and analyzed by the research event. We hypothesize that personally relevant words will be named more accurately and rapidly, and the verbal fluency task will effectively elicit personally relevant items. Findings will provide preliminary evidence for the cognitive processes underlying personally relevant word retrieval, which can be used to motivate the design of anomia interventions that prioritize personal vocabulary.

Julia DiPasquale and Claire Northman

Listening in noisy environments requires substantial effort. This is prominent in individuals using cochlear implants, which are auditory prostheses that provide a degraded signal for those who do not benefit from hearing aids. Auditory training can improve speech-understanding-in-noise abilities, but training can cause increased listening effort in older adults. Younger and older adults with normal hearing will listen to cochlear implant simulations of a noisy environment, identifying a target color and number in a sentence and given feedback. Cognitive testing was administered to examine differences in distractor inhibition, working memory, and auditory verbal learning abilities. Pupillometry was used as an index of listening effort. We hypothesized that listening effort changes with training would depend on age. We expect that individuals with greater cognitive abilities will utilize less listening effort. The results have potential clinical implications regarding aural rehabilitation strategies in adults with hearing loss.

Alexandra Avellaneda

Crevasse fields on the Greenland Ice Sheet may provide pathways for meltwater to reach the glacier bed, affecting ice flow and contributing to sea level rise. Remote sensing is effective for monitoring crevasses due to its frequent, wide-area coverage. However, not all satellite imagery is equally suited for this task. Here, I digitized crevasse fields on western Greenland using the Sentinel-1 satellite constellation to support the development of MimiNet, a neural -network adapted for automated crevasse detection. Using QGIS, I analyzed 40 Sentinel-1 images (Jan 2014-Jan 2026) to identify crevasse fields across a 629 km² area. Crevasse fields average 3.3 km², occupying about 80% of the study area. My dataset provides ground-truth labels needed for training and validating MimiNet, enabling crevasse detection across larger areas. This work improves deep learning feature detection methods and advances investigation of the role of crevasse fields in sea level rise.

Karlee Prince

Relative sea-level (RSL) data provides critical targets for data-model comparisons to refine ice sheet models that predict future sea level rise. Here, we discuss new RSL data that fills a spatial data gap in Northeast Greenland then expand on two additional findings. Sea level falls slowly between deglaciation ~12.5 ka and ~9.5 ka, before more quickly falling the present. This data agrees with model results that predict the Greenland Ice Sheet was smaller than present during the previous warm period (Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM); ~10-5 ka), which helps constrain Greenland Ice Sheet response to future warming. Next, climate indicators in our data constrain the Holocene thermal maximum to 8 and 3 ka in our study site, helping refine the timing of the HTM. Finally, we present evidence for a famous tsunami deposit that occurred 8 ka and has implications for sediment redistribution during a complicated cooling event (8.2 ka event).

Grace Maxson and Karlee Prince

Paleoenvironmental data from lake sediment can help contextualize modern climate and environmental changes. One lake that provides such information is Red Pond, located on the terminal moraine of the Laurentide Ice Sheet in Western New York. We collected sediment cores which contain laminated tan silt at the base, with a transition to dark brown organic sediment persisting to the top. An age-depth model based on 10 radiocarbon ages indicates that this transition occurred approximately 10.6 thousand years ago. Petrographic thin sections from the lower sediment show alternating layers of coarse silt and finer clastic material containing siderite (FeCO3). We counted couplets of coarse and fine sediment to compare with timing predicted by our age-depth model to determine if these layers were deposited annually. Based on the shift in sediment mineralogy, we present a hypothesis of how the Western New York landscape may have changed during a period of rapid warming.

Dominic Tubiolo and Harrison Van Lone

Trout in the Mountain West depend on cold stream temperatures, yet river systems are increasingly influenced by shifts in hydrology and climate. This project examines how projected changes in climate and streamflow may affect river water temperature across major basins in Wyoming and Colorado, including the Platte, Yellowstone, Henry's Fork, Roaring Fork, and Gallatin. To address this, we use the River Basin Model (RBM), a computationally efficient stream temperature model for large river systems. An enhanced version (RBM-2L), which incorporates a two-layer reservoir temperature model, is being implemented to account for human operations. Streamflow and temperature records from United States Geological Survey (USGS) streamgage sites (1980-2025) were compiled to support model development and evaluation. This work aims to improve understanding of temperature dynamics in mountain rivers and their implications for trout habitat and water management in the region.

Leone Jacobson, Samantha Striemer and Rebecca Topness

Lake effect (LE) precipitation is a relatively unstudied hazard, despite significantly affecting people in Western New York. Prior research suggests that LE precipitation has different stable isotope values compared to non-LE precipitation, potentially providing a new method to track LE events. This project aims to determine whether there is a unique LE signature found within δ2H values, which describes the ratio of 2H to 1H, and is preserved in geologic records. We analyzed 10-year-long event-based precipitation isotope datasets collected from two sites in upstate New York. We used wind direction, air temperature, and lake water temperature to identify LE events from Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, and compared their precipitation δ2H values to those of non-LE events. The goal of this research is to determine if δ2H can be a tracer for LE events and to develop a record of LE events for both collection sites.

Mohammad Salmani

The Greenland Ice Sheet has been shrinking since the Little Ice Age (LIA, ~1300-1850 CE), but how much ice was lost before satellites began monitoring in the 1990s remains poorly known. We reconstructed the first continuous map of Greenland's maximum historical ice extent by combining high-resolution satellite imagery, 1980s aerial photographs, published historical terminus positions, and trimline mapping across the entire ice sheet. Comparing this LIA baseline with ice margins from the 1980s, 2000s, and 2022 reveals three distinct phases: widespread retreat from the LIA to the 1980s (~13,800 km² lost), near-equilibrium from the 1980s to 2000 (~1,000 km² gained), and sharply accelerated retreat after 2000 (~11,800 km² lost) - roughly four times the earlier rate. Nearly half of all post-LIA ice loss occurred in just the last two decades. These findings indicate the ice sheet has shifted beyond its historical range of variability, providing a critical baseline for projecting future sea level rise.

Faheem Khawar

Synthetic economies within video games feature currencies, markets, and rules that can mirror real-world economic behavior, making them useful laboratories for studying economic mechanisms. This study examines such an economy in SkyBlock, a multiplayer game on the Hypixel Minecraft server. We analyze how markets reprice an asset when explicit utility is introduced to an item previously lacking functionality. Before July 2024, the item "Stock of Stonks" was actively traded despite having no use, with value driven by speculation and trend appeal. A game update introduced concrete functionality, creating a clear exogenous shock to its fundamental value. Using price and volume data before and after the update, we document a sharp and persistent shift from speculative to utility-based valuation. This setting provides a clean natural experiment for understanding how markets incorporate new use-value, with implications for real-world asset repricing.

Ming Wu

K-12 education spending in China has grown rapidly. Using 2005-2022 province-level data, I examine whether Baumol's cost disease-wage growth exceeding productivity-drives per-student personnel expenditures in public schools. Employing 2SLS with lagged housing price growth as an instrument, I find that structural labor cost pressures significantly increase spending, particularly in primary and middle schools. Robustness checks and dynamic analysis support these findings.

Ciah Courtney 

This paper examines how U.S. media in early 2025 construct the "refugee" and "migrant," and the ethical and political implications of this framing. The first six months of 2025 marked the early days of Donald Trump's second presidency, during which media sentiment toward foreign‑born individuals shifted across all ideologies. Executive orders halting refugee admissions and instating travel bans sparked increased media discourse on migration. Through a critical discourse analysis of nine articles across the political spectrum, this study analyzes how language, rhetoric, and agency construct power, identities, and ideologies around refugees and forced migrants. It concludes that media discourses during this period depict the "refugee" and "migrant" less as autonomous individuals and more as passive subjects of need, economic tools, or security threats. Such constructions encourage hostility, politicize forced migration, and recast humanitarianism as a transactional, nationalist project rather than a moral obligation.

Basil Thomas

I have developed an undergraduate research project concerning the use of narrative in Black and queer identity formation in the work of African American poet, novelist, lawyer, and activist Pauli Murray. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, I analyzed Murray's poetic, autobiographical, and legal work together to understand how Murray's work renders or obscures their identities and what rhetorical tools Murray utilizes to articulate their identity under normative constructions of national belonging and citizenship. Utilizing conceptual frameworks from African American literature and queer theory, I argue that Murray's narratives reveals how Murray takes up normative constructions of citizenship to render their identity legible. This project responds to the limits of current research on Murray which eschew an interdisciplinary analysis and do not apply conceptual frameworks of the queered subject. This research adds to the growing body of work on how narration articulates transgender identities and understandings of generic conventions in American autobiography. 

Julia Galante

Nocturnal animals are influenced by disturbances differently than their diurnal counterparts; the impact of nocturnal disturbances is relatively understudied. Here we investigated the impact of anthropogenic noise pollution on the nocturnal, Endangered Bengal slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis) in Thailand. We hypothesized that nightly anthropogenic noise pollution modulated the frequency of behaviors. We collected behavioral data at the Sakaerat Slow Loris Project in Northeastern Thailand, and concurrently recorded decibel levels and the type of sound heard. We found no statistical significance between decibel level and frequency of behaviors. There was a statically significant negative relationship between behavioral diversity and decibel level (p < 0.001). The type of sound did not significantly affect behavior, however behaviors occurred more frequently in natural soundscapes. Our results suggest that N. bengalensis possess behavioral flexibility in anthropogenically disturbed environments. Considering how anthropogenic disturbances influence the sensory environments in nocturnal animals is vital for future conservation efforts. 

Tabitha Wechter

The history of industrialization and unjust urban planning in Buffalo, NY has created a lasting legacy of lead pollution. Lead, a persistent heavy metal, is deposited through industrial waste and deteriorating lead-based paint, and remains in soils long after its release. As awareness of lead poisoning grows, local and city governments have developed policies and educational programs to prevent further harm. Yet a more critical examination of soil lead contamination, and how this legacy shapes contemporary land-use decisions, is still needed. Through a review of the white and grey literatures, this thesis investigates: Can converting lead-polluted vacant land into urban gardens serve as an effective strategy to address Buffalo's legacy of lead pollution and its current rates of lead poisoning? The reviewed literature traces the sources of lead pollution in Buffalo and examines how deindustrialization, redlining, and housing neglect have contributed to its persistence. The literature suggests that community-driven conversion of vacant land into green space can be an effective strategy to address lead pollution. Research in other cities demonstrates how efforts to mobilize gardening for lead-risk reduction can empower residents, strengthen community cohesion, and contribute to sustainability efforts, all while enriching soil nutrients, increasing biodiversity, and enhancing food sovereignty. While specific reuse strategies vary by city and context, this research indicates that, when aligned with community visions, green reuse can help counteract the systemic neglect that places vulnerable communities at higher risk of lead poisoning. In the face of growing threats posed by climate change and climate-related migration, converting vacant, polluted land into green space could be a critical approach for Buffalo to promote public health, safety, and climate resilience.

Alexis Anderson, Olivia Chiarella,  Gargie Deore, Andrea Harder and Nathan Ruffalo

Exploratory Scenario Planning (XSP) is a systematic and participatory process organized around the development of plausible what-if stories about the future. Over the past two decades, XSP has become an increasingly popular adaptation planning tool because it can be used to anticipate and prepare for a wide range of climate change impacts. Despite its growing popularity, guidance on how to use XSP to advance climate adaptation is currently limited. In collaboration with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC), researchers from the University at Buffalo (UB) are developing new tools and resources, such as trainings, workbooks, and a serious game that can help communities adopt an exploratory approach to climate adaptation planning. The tools and resources produced by this research should lead to the development of more robust, sustainable, and effective climate adaptation-focused XSP processes moving forward. 

Festus Adegbola

Biodiversity monitoring traditionally relies on field surveys, which are time-consuming, expensive, and often spatially limited. Yet conservation decisions require landscape-scale information, especially in biodiversity hotspots like the Greater Cape Floristic Region of South Africa. Through NASA's BioSCape campaign, we now have high-resolution airborne data, including LiDAR and imaging spectroscopy, that allow us to measure plant structural and physiological traits across entire landscapes. These traits capture habitat complexity and resource availability, which are key drivers of bird species richness. In my research, I integrate these remote sensing derived plant traits with occurrence data for over 360 bird species. I test whether functional diversity and habitat structure measured from the air can predict avian species richness and community composition. This allows us to move from simply mapping vegetation to understanding ecological function.The broader significance is that this approach provides scalable, repeatable tools for biodiversity monitoring.

Lauren Phung

The United States increasingly utilizes third-country deportations, which refers to the removal of non-citizens of the U.S. to countries other than their country of origin. This research examines the international cooperation required for deporting individuals, particularly to third countries. The use of third countries is significant, as the current U.S. deportation system involves geopolitical dependencies that underscore a broad power asymmetry between the U.S. and other countries. While previous research has addressed deportation as a legal process, the geopolitics behind the transportation, logistics, and carceral infrastructure of deportation flights remain understudied. This research aims to identify the economic and social factors that influence the likelihood of a country being asked to allow U.S. deportation flights to land there, and the likelihood that they agree to such an arrangement. This study uses logistic regression models to assess the importance of economic and social factors that reflect the relationship between the U.S. and other countries. The results of the economic analysis suggest that the lowest-income countries were more likely to be asked to accept deportation flights. Of the countries asked, those with the greatest income inequality were more likely to accept deportation flights. The analysis of social factors revealed that countries with a lower human development index were more likely to be asked to accept deportation flights. Of the countries asked, those with a higher rate of violence towards civilians were more likely to accept such flights. Details and implications of the results from this statistical analysis will be discussed. 

Jiyeon Kim and Ryan Zhenqi Zhou

Predicting the spread of wildfires is essential for effective fire management and risk assessment. With the fast advancements of artificial intelligence (AI), various deep learning models have been developed and utilized for wildfire spread prediction. However, there is limited understanding of the advantages and limitations of these models, and it is also unclear how deep learning-based fire spread models can be compared with existing non-AI fire models. In this work, we assess the ability of five typical deep learning models integrated with weather and environmental variables for wildfire spread prediction based on over ten years of wildfire data in the state of Hawaii. We further use the 2023 Maui fires as a case study to compare the best deep learning models with a widely-used fire spread model, FARSITE. The results show that two deep learning models, i.e., ConvLSTM and ConvLSTM with attention, perform the best among the five tested AI models. FARSITE shows higher precision, lower recall, and higher F1-score than the best AI models, while the AI models offer higher flexibility for the input data. By integrating AI models with an explainable AI method, we further identify important weather and environmental factors associated with the 2023 Maui wildfires. 

Andrew Pothier

This research project examines how New York's North Country offered unique addiction treatment and rehabilitation programming alternatives that merged therapeutic, carceral, and community-based solutions to the nation's crises of addiction and crime since the 1960s. The historical scholarship on drugs and addiction in rural America has traditionally been thin. Although the literature began to grow after successive crises related to methamphetamine and opioid addiction, toxicity, and overdose deaths, that scholarship has emphasized drug consumption and enforcement over treatment. My research demonstrates that even without nationally legitimized expertise, state and local officials believed that the Adirondacks' distance from the racialized urban crucibles of drug-war policies and the influence of local therapeutic traditions were enough to enable exploratory creativity. However, I argue that, despite being embedded in communities with deep healthcare and wellness roots, the region's carceral legacy was as crucial in shaping local and regional approaches to drugs and addictions. The North Country's innovative community-integrated programming ultimately became collateral damage of the punitive "drug war" politics and ethos of the early 1970s. Attention to rural American histories of drug use and addiction treatment is important, as rural communities, including the Adirondacks, continue to grapple with drug use and addiction crises.

Joshua Allen

In this paper, I trace the racial-imperial constitution of sense and appetite in and through the 1901 Pan-American Exposition, held in Buffalo, New York. Drawing from newspaper articles, advertising materials, Expo guidebooks, and published retrospectives, I analyze the Expo as a gendered, racist, and ableist sensorial field, as its spatial design, color scheme, foods, ethnological exhibits, "freak" shows, displays of potentially exploitable resources Latin American markets, and its visual economy of so-called "primitive objects and practices" sought to impress upon white American visitors that they were not only the most advanced "race" but also the inheritors of the earth, poised to emerge into a period of global U.S. dominance. These discursive and material infrastructures produced what I term a white imperial erotic, which, by arranging and rendering sensuously and violently open captive and colonized bodies, multiply aroused white fairgoers' bodies and educated them in imperial desires.

David John Jones III

This project argues that Dutch print culture played a significant role in propagating foreign curiosity and multicultural immigration to America during the seventeenth century. The booming print market of the Dutch Republic reflected their radical culture of tolerance, capitalism, and heterogeneous attitudes. Using the distinct mediums of cartography and pamphleteering, company and government efforts glorified the New World, using strategic rhetoric to exaggerate New Netherland and captivate susceptible refugee audiences. Publications insisted upon a fantasy, attracting groups of all religious and national denominations across Europe to emigrate to this growing multicultural society, later defining the prosperity of New York and mobility of American culture. Despite the colony's lackluster progress, advertisements painted a prettier picture to attract settlers, hoping to secure their territory against New England's encroachment. We will examine Lowland prints to analyze the impact that migrant propaganda had on early Northeastern colonies and the origins of modern American identity.

Luke Carey

This project examines the written work of people in 19th Century America that were categorized as Mad, Insane, or Lunatics, or otherwise placed into Asylums. Through analysis of patient written work and lived experience, which has been ignored by historians of madness, I attempt to reveal a history which has remained largely covered by emphasis on physicians, doctors and institutions. My focus is on the inmates of asylums themselves and their relationships with violence, often committed against them within the asylum, but outside of it as well, and the working lives of patients, also inside and outside of the asylum. The two tend to be deeply intertwined, with the work done by patients within asylums often being exploitive and violent, and the daily lives of patients were also violent, permeated by invasive and cruel medical treatments. 

Max Chernetsky

This project aims to investigate the foreign policy aims of the British and French Empires in the Americas, and how they were impacted by the advent of the American Civil War (1861-1865). The seeming collapse of the U.S. made it so that it was unable to project significant power outwards, creating a unique opportunity which these powers could easily exploit - yet only the French did (seeking regime change in Mexico). The goal is to demonstrate how the American diplomatic 'ecosystem' changed, causing French regional policy to shift towards interventionism while British policy (ensuring stability and ease of commerce) remained relatively intact; this is accomplished through original archival analysis of both important public media of the period (such as newspapers, treaties, and speeches) alongside more private diplomatic correspondence gathered from both sides of the Atlantic. On a broader scale, the Civil War in American diplomatic history is relatively understudied - traditionally, Civil War scholarship treats the war as an isolated 'island', separate from both broader histories of the 19th Century and from diplomacy in other parts of the globe. This project seeks to put the Civil War back within those contexts, expanding historical knowledge of the conflict by putting it within a broader region (North America) in which multiple powers beyond the U.S. had significant interests.

Paige Bedell

How can the life of Lady Jane Grey showcase what has changed and has stayed the same involving women and religion in political power in the United States? I have been examining primary and secondary sources which helped me to understand the life of Jane Grey and the religious and gender aspects of politics. The way women and religion are treated in positions of political power have changed after the time that Jane was alive but many values and ideals stay the same. Women are overlooked for positions of political power because they were not born a man. Many women who run for elected office positions aren't voted in because people don't see them as being qualified because of their gender. In politics we see that religion is also important because we should be separating church and state to make things less biased towards one group of people over another.

Brennan Spruck

This is a story about rejecting complacency, highlighting the importance of critical thinking, particularly in the face of adversity, as well as the resilient attitude of support and dedication to others. The project discusses the history of the Cold Spring Fire Company, a small town fire department in upstate New York. The story weaves its way through time, beginning in the 1850s, predating the fire company, and ends with a discussion of the current state of the company. The aim is to highlight the problems that the company faced, how they addressed them, and how solutions were proposed and executed. This is not just a history of the fire service in a small town, but rather a story of the people who came together, against unimaginable odds, to aid those around them.  

Liam Riter

This project focuses upon the Fox Sisters of Rochester, New York, who were mediums that used a variety of techniques to trick the people of the mid-19th century into thinking that they were communing with the dead. The goal of my research is looking into how news of the Fox Sisters' exploits traveled America, by distance and speed. I analyze historic newspapers from across America during the 19th century. I then use ArcGIS mapping to show the geographical range of newspaper reports on the Sisters and bring in chronological visualizations to show the pace at which those stories spread. My research also utilizes conflicting accounts at the time, from both believers and skeptics to discern why the news of Fox Sisters spread across America. My research helps to dispel myths of the Sisters being simple charlatans, re-contextualizing them as the catalyst for an entire spiritual movement, demonstrating their historical significance.

Ori Edgar

Idolatry is a concept that is native to the Bible. The prohibition on the worship of idols originates in the Bible and comes from its concerns around the worship of the one God. What is strange, then, is that the word Idolatry does not appear once in the entire Hebrew Bible. Rather, idolatry is coined in 1 Corinthians, a Pauline Epistle. The word in Greek is ειδωλολατρειας which combines the Greek words for that which is seen and worship. Using a close textual and conceptual reading of conical and non-canonical sources this project argues that idolatry is not a neutral or natural term, rather it is one that grows out of the Biblical religion and Paul's response to it. This project aims to contribute a conceptual history of idolatry and the intellectual environment that makes it not only possible, but prohibited.

Jordan Mensah

This project examines whether defendants in felony hearings should receive timely access to police body camera footage. Body-worn cameras have become a major tool for documenting police interactions, yet defendants and their attorneys often do not receive this footage until later stages of a case. This delay can affect early legal decisions such as plea negotiations, bail arguments, and case strategy. Through legal research and analysis of court procedures, this project evaluates how delayed access to body camera footage impacts fairness in the criminal justice process. The research also explores how earlier disclosure could improve transparency, strengthen due process, and allow defense attorneys to better advocate for their clients. Ultimately, the project considers whether timely access to body camera footage could help ensure more informed decision-making and greater accountability within the legal system.

Daniel Guthrie, Cadence Lux and Adrian Mohr

Voiceless obstruents (such as /t/, /s/) are usually considered to be non-undergoers of nasal harmony, exhibiting either transparency or opacity. Our research challenges these assumptions, providing evidence of obstruent nasalization from two closely related Amazonian languages: Mako [ISO 639-3: wpc; Glottocode: maco1239] and Piaroa [pid; piar1243]. Our evidence is in the form of newly collected oral and nasal airflow data from these languages collected by an external collaborator. We describe the annotation and processing of the multimodal data, and conclude by discussing how this demonstrates that obstruents are not totally incompatible with nasality. 

Adalette Babiak, Natalia Calabrese, Daniel Guthrie, Azizbek Karimov, Xiaotian Liu and Adrian Mohr

Diarization and annotation of field recordings of speech is a time-consuming and difficult problem which is crucial for speech resource development. We present (1) a new method of gathering speech data for low-resource languages of Cameroon centered on short-form verbal arts such as proverbs, idioms, and riddles; and (2) the development of these data into an annotated corpus for phonetics and NLP research. Short-form verbal arts provide sentence-length, conventionalized transcripts that can reduce the difficulty of annotation. We describe our semi-automatic annotation of the speech data, including corrections for variation in the form of utterances. We also describe our creation of automatic speech recognition and n-gram language models for the data, the latter coming from text data in published books from the various speaker communities. These models lay a foundation for future work in linguistics and NLP, as well as better engagement with speaker communities' priorities for cultural vitality. 

Elizabeth Kilcoyne

White matter tracts serve as a scaffolding that allows information transfer between brain regions, and mapping their patterns of connectivity also can contribute to a better understanding of brain function and dysfunction. To build brain networks, one generally maps a pre-determined atlas composed of multiple brain regions onto the brain. The brain regions outlined in the atlas are network nodes and the number or density of tracts connecting brain regions are the edges of the network. Many studies that examine brain structure determine the number of connecting tracts between two regions by counting the number of tracts that start in one region of interest (ROI) and end in the other ROI (end-to-end method). However, only end-to-end counting may filter out critical information, as often the tracts pass through multiple brain regions as they travel between two ROI. Another, less commonly used method for creating brain networks, is thus to count a connection between two ROI if a tract passes through each region, independently of where it starts/ends (pass-through method).  Here, we compare and contrast properties of brain networks built from the same tractography data using both methods to build the network.  We find differences in standard network measures, such as the degree distribution and clustering coefficient, depending on if end-to-end or passthrough networks are created. Further, we simulate lesions within the brain and show that pass-through networks are more sensitive to detecting spatial disturbances in tracts that could reflect pathological changes. These differences in overall brain network structure highlight how the choice of method can change research findings and lead to new strategies for detection and intervention of pathological changes in brain structure.

James Hartz

A network is a complex system wherein each edge represents the interaction between two nodes; however, in many cases there is uncertainty in the observed data and therefore the network's edge strengths. This uncertainty will propagate and affect network measures calculated using the data. Previous work, particularly in the field of social network science, has shown the effects of node/edge removal/addition on different network measures, but how individual edge weight measurement error affects them remains under explored. Here we develop novel techniques for assessing uncertainty propagation both analytically and computationally in common network measures using the tools of error propagation stemming from structural engineering.

Rani Patel

Epilepsy is a disorder linked to the imbalance of excitation and inhibition in the brain that results in a disruption to normal synchronization patterns of neurons, usually caused by brain regions of heightened state of excitation. However, how increased regional excitation, combined with network structure within and between brain regions, impacts seizure spread remains unknown. Previous work has used integrate-and-fire neurons to explore the effects of imbalance excitation between two coupled networks of neurons in the context of seizure prediction. Here, we investigate the relationship between neuron excitation, network structure, and synchronization, using networks of spiking Izhikevich neurons. Unlike simple integrate-and-fire neurons, this oscillator model retains the more realistic dynamics of neurons while still being computationally efficient enough to use in large-scale structures. We find that similar to previous results, networks of Izhikevich neurons can drive synchronization in other coupled networks when excitation properties are altered locally.

Riya Prakash

The glymphatic system clears the toxins in the central nervous system using the perivascular system. The cerebrospinal fluid goes through the glymphatic system while bringing nutrients and clearing waste substances, finally the fluid leaves the brain. Using the Analysis along the Perivascular Space (ALPS) script which is a diffusion MRI pipeline, the correspondence of a concussion and glymphatic system is measured. Taking a look at the input for the alps_lambda it can be concluded that the output would be a Nifti file and number which signifies the ALPS index. The index is defined as the ratio for the system's measured diffusion. The theory is that concussed patients will display a lower ALPS index. The alps_lambda has EDDY corrections as well. EDDY corrections use masks which are made by BET, which is a skull stripping algorithm. This project will be using for-loops to separate the data and specific numeric changes.

Owen Penhollow

Thomas Schelling's seminal agent-based model of segregation demonstrates how even weak preferences for similarity can lead to segregated communities. Later modifications added multifaceted identities. However, another important aspect of identity is its capacity to change given one's social environment. By integrating social learning into the Schelling model, I evaluate how social learning and segregation mechanisms impact diversity, identity, and polarization. My ABM was developed with NetLogo software. I ran millions of experiments using high-performance computing at the UB Center for Computational Research. I determined that without preference for similarity and with strong social learning communities remain highly segregated. With preferences for similarity, social learning lowers segregation because communities coalesce around a primary shared identity. When applied individually, both the Schelling segregation mechanism and social learning lead to segregation. However, when combined, they lead to greater integration and stable communities without sacrificing the range of diverse characteristics supplied by pluralistic society.

Rachel Hayek

This project aims to obtain the first experimental crystal structure of chicken egg white lysozyme (CEWL) bound to Safranin-O (SO) to inform terahertz (THz) spectroscopy studies of ligand-induced changes in protein dynamics. Protein function depends on collective, long-range vibrations on picosecond timescales that can be probed using anisotropic THz spectroscopy. Ligand binding modulates these dynamics, but predicting how it alters vibrational modes requires knowledge of where it binds. While computational docking studies propose SO as a lysozyme ligand, no experimental CEWL-SO structure exists. Crystallization conditions were optimized using hanging drop vapor diffusion, varying NaCl concentration (1.2-1.7 M) and buffer pH (4.7-5.4). After soaking attempts caused crystal degradation, co-crystallization successfully incorporated SO during growth. High-quality co-crystals were obtained, and X-ray diffraction data collected. Structural analysis will determine the SO binding site, providing foundation for future THz spectroscopy measurements characterizing how ligand binding modulates protein motions. 

Rebecca Korsh

FUS protein aggregation, or fiber formation, is associated with neurodegenerative diseases, including ALS and FTD. The intrinsically disordered prion-like domain of FUS (FUSPLD) mediates self-interactions that can drive both solid aggregate formation and phase separation into dynamic condensates essential for cellular processes. The sequence features governing these distinct assemblies, and whether they are coupled, remain unclear. Fiber formation has been linked to short segments, called steric zippers, within the disordered region. Using the ZipperDB database, we identified two alternative sequences with higher predicted zipper propensity than the native FUSPLD zippers. Substituting these variants enhanced fiber formation without significantly affecting phase separation, indicating a decoupling of the underlying sequence determinants. The variants also cross-seeded each other and formed co-aggregates but did not seed native FUSPLD. Together, these results highlight how subtle changes in IDR sequence grammar can shift FUS assemblies from functional condensates toward pathological aggregates.

Shafqat Mahmud

In living systems, proteins and nucleic acids can co-phase separate via multivalent interactions to form biomolecular condensates. Previous work by the Banerjee group and others have shown that these condensed biomolecular phases are viscoelastic network fluids having both viscous and elastic contributions to their material properties that can change over time. The primary sequence and secondary structure of the scaffolding protein and RNA chains encode collective interactions that control the fluid dynamics of these condensates. Aberrations in condensate fluid dynamical properties have implications in several human diseases including neurological disorder and cancer. Thus, uncovering the physical rules of protein and RNA interactions that govern the condensate dynamical properties and developing quantitative biophysical approaches to probe them are needed. In this project, we have developed temperature-controlled video particle tracking nanorheology to quantify how the energetics of sequence-encoded protein-RNA interactions contribute to condensate dynamics. Our thermorheological analysis reveal that condensates formed by disordered protein and RNA chains obey the Arrhenius law of flow activation energy, which defines the collective energetic contributions of molecular interactions to the condensate viscoelasticity. We further demonstrate that electrostatic screening serves as a direct knob for tuning the intermolecular interactions between the protein and RNA chains, thereby modulating the properties of the viscoelastic network. Alterations in these interactions correlate strongly with the condensate's material response and flow activation energy: increased electrostatic screening reduces both condensate viscosity and the activation energy required for network flow. Taken together, our analysis provides a quantitative framework for dissecting how intermolecular interactions govern the material properties and energetic landscape of biomolecular condensates.

Tirth Bhatta

Phase separated biomolecular condensates function as membraneless organelles that organize and regulate a wide range of cellular processes. While most studies have focused on passive, thermodynamically governed condensates, active biomolecular condensates are emerging as a transformative framework for understanding how cells encode and control non equilibrium phase behavior. In contrast to passive systems, active condensates leverage enzymatic activity to dynamically tune their assembly, material properties, and lifetime. This work underscores the conceptual and mechanistic importance of enzymatic energy input, which enables condensates to access tunable, far from equilibrium states unattainable through equilibrium phase separation alone. By revealing how enzymatic reaction cycles program condensate morphology, internal dynamics, and material properties, this study provides a novel foundation for deciphering and engineering active, responsive intracellular compartments.

Fawzi Aly and Mahmoud Mansour

Black holes don't just swallow things - they also ring. After a big "cosmic collision" (like two black holes merging), the remnant black hole vibrates and sends out gravitational waves with a set of signature tones. This is the idea behind black hole spectroscopy: like a piano where every key has its own note, black holes have their own distinctive "chords." If you can hear the tones clearly, you can infer the black hole's properties (like mass and spin) and use the music to test Einstein's predictions. In this UB-University of Tokyo collaboration, we build a theoretical mode to ask: what happens if a neutron star shows up carrying an extreme magnetic field - can electromagnetism sneak into the gravitational-wave soundtrack? Using black-hole perturbation theory in the standard Einstein-Maxwell framework, we show that electromagnetic ringing can mix into gravitational ringing, producing extra gravitational-electromagnetic (GEM)"notes," including tones tied to the electromagnetic ones (even as linear and quadratic combinations) - basically, a bigger piano with a few surprise keys. The longer-term motivation is multi-messenger astrophysics: if gravitational waves are the "sound," electromagnetic observations are the "light," and combining both channels helps decode the same event more completely and cross-check our interpretation. Moreover, a clean understanding of potential GEM imprints is especially relevant for neutron-star-black-hole systems, where we ultimately want to extract information about neutron-star structure and the equation of state.

Haolei Hui, Lauren Samson and Arif Ullah

We examine the lattice dynamics of chalcogenide perovskite thin films using time-domain terahertz spectroscopy. BaHfS3 and BaZrS3 epitaxial films grown on sapphire substrates show two distinct phonon modes in the 1-3 THz range. Temperature-dependent measurements reveal a striking trend: with decreasing temperature, the lower-frequency mode softens while the higher-frequency mode hardens in both materials. This divergence in phonon behavior is unusual and points to strong anharmonic interactions within the lattice. The observed softening suggests these perovskites may be approaching a structural instability. Such a low-temperature phase transition could have important implications for their electronic and vibrational properties.

Guillermo Freeburg Rojas

Attitudes refer to individuals' evaluations of objects, which can include people, places, and ideas. Attitudes are often used to predict behavior in various social contexts. However, attitude strength was developed within a Western cultural context that values independence and supports the notion of a stable attitude that is independent of context. I argue that this model of strong attitude being connected with attitude strength is not representative of all cultures. To test these predictions, a survey was administered that measured participants' attitudes across different social contexts. Participants from the three cultural groups (N = 236) - European American, Asian, Latin American - were tested. Results showed no significant differences in attitude variability across the three cultural groups tested. However, at the individual level, higher trait independence was associated with greater attitude consistency across relationships. This project seeks to better understand the important ways that culture plays in shaping people's attitudes.

Grace LeVea

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and is characterized by progressive cognitive decline and neurodegeneration. Beyond memory impairment, AD is increasingly associated with sensory dysfunction, particularly hearing loss, which may serve as both an early biomarker and a modifiable risk factor for disease progression. Chronic noise exposure accelerates age-related hearing loss and induces physiological stress responses in rodents, yet its interaction with social context and environmental enrichment (EE) remains poorly understood. This longitudinal mixed-factor study will examine how noise exposure and EE influence behavioral health in female CBA/CaJ mice. Animals will be isolated and exposed for 14 days to either continuous low-level white noise or silence while completing ten enrichment sessions: none, social-only, cognitive-only, or combined. Behavioral health will be assessed using nest construction, a clinical frailty index, and open field behavior. Noise exposure is expected to worsen outcomes, while enrichment, especially combined stimulation, may buffer these effects. [NIH AG081747]

Samantha Treadway

The Light-Dark Box (LDB) is a widely used behavioral assay for measuring anxiety-like behavior in rodents based on their natural tendency to avoid brightly lit environments. Traditional scoring relies often relies on manual video annotation or commercial tracking software, which can be time-intensive and often performs poorly in large datasets containing animals with different coat colors, body sizes, and recording conditions. In addition, many studies rely on simple behavioral metrics, such as time spent in the light compartment, which may overlook more subtle behaviors related to fear and risk assessment. To address these limitations, this project aimed to explore whether open-source machine learning pose estimation pipelines can improve behavioral analysis for downstream anxiety-like phenotyping. We trained a deep learning model to extract body position data from video recordings of heterogeneous stock rats. Training data was comprised of manually labeled frames from a subset of videos. Subsequent pose trajectories were analyzed using custom Python scripts to extract traditional LDB behavioral metrics. Initial results demonstrate robust tracking under variable lighting and across animal morphologies. Ongoing work aims to use pose-derived kinematic data to quantify more complex behaviors relevant to anxiety-related phenotypes.

Caiden Giardino and Ryan Lane

Language and music are essential modes of communication which have distinct acoustic features which allow a listener to discern the two (Ozaki et al., 2024), including pitch stability (more stable for song than speech) and tempo (slower for song than speech). Recent research in our lab suggests that manipulations of pitch stability, independent of other acoustic cues, may be sufficient to elicit changes in perception of song versus speech as well as changes to vocal imitation accuracy that resemble differences between song and speech. In this study, we address whether manipulations of tempo yield a similar effect. Participants listened to 4-tone sequences that varied with respect to both the stability of pitch (ranging from stable to a glide of 200 cents), as well as their tempo (ranging from approximately 66 bpm to 241 bpm). After listening, participants rated whether each sequence was more song-like or more speech-like, and then vocally imitated the sequence. Data collection is ongoing, and we will present final results at the conference. We hypothesize that faster stimuli and slower stimuli will be perceived as more speech-like and song-like, respectively, given temporal differences typical of both domains, and that vocal imitation effects likewise will resemble effects seen across speech and song.

Katherine Kremer

Aggression is a common issue in early childhood. Previous literature has suggested that lower levels of executive function (EF) and emotion regulation (ER) are independently associated with increases in aggressive behavior during early childhood. The present study examined the joint roles of EF and ER in physical and relational aggression during early childhood. Participants (N = 319) were 3 to 5 years old. Data was collected in the fall (T1) and spring (T2) of preschool. EF was measured using the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders observational measure. ER was parent-reported, and preschool teachers reported on forms of aggression. Greater T1 EF was associated with decreased T2 physical aggression among children with high, but not low, T1 ER (β = -.41, p = .02, SE = 0.17). This suggests that children with both high ER and high EF show less physical aggression than children with just one of these skills.

Anna Zheng

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer mortality in China, yet screening in marginalized communities and high-risk populations remains low due to geographic barriers, limited awareness, and the exclusion of environmental risks from traditional screening criteria. This study conducts a systematic review of 30 peer-reviewed publications, including 10 clinical AI-enhanced Low-Dose Computed Tomography (AI-LDCT) diagnostic studies, 10 cohort or population-based environmental studies, and 10 AI-enabled spatiotemporal modeling papers to evaluate how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can improve early detection and reveal overlooked environmental contributors such as PM2.5 and indoor solid-fuel combustion. Evidence from clinical studies shows that AI-assisted LDCT improves early-stage nodule detection by up to 70%, though widespread adoption is hindered by opaque model design, heterogeneous datasets, and elevated false-positive rates in the complex lung area. Environmental studies show a strong correlation between long-term air pollution exposure and lung cancer cases, with AI-based geospatial models outperforming conventional epidemiology in mapping high-risk zones. Combining these findings, this review argues that linking AI-driven diagnostics with environmental risk modeling can create more equitable screening systems, particularly in underserved rural regions of China where pollution is high and medical access is limited. The study's primary limitation is the geographic imbalance of available data, as most clinical imaging datasets and environmental monitoring networks are concentrated in Chinese provinces, constraining nationwide generalizability.

Na'Dia Carter

How does the timeline and governance procedures of Buffalo's 1999 Charter Revision compare to the 2026 revision process, and what do these differences reveal about how the city manages charter reform across the two periods? This research aims to inform people of efforts to strengthen the clarity and effectiveness of the Buffalo City Charter. A charter directly shapes how the city governs and delivers policy to residents. This study will use a descriptive research approach focused on document analysis, analyzing patterns between two time periods, focusing on themes of transparency, intensity of public engagement and potential implications of these themes on the charter revisions proposed, by reviewing the historical 1999 Buffalo City Charter to assess how the 2026 Charter Revision process compares to what happened in 1999. This research will highlight how the different procedures for the charter review process support or hinder policy continuity. If time allows, this research will also include interviews with a small number of key community stakeholders to shed light on how transparency and public engagement influence charter revision implementation. The need for transparency in the Buffalo community is increasing with current community engagement initiatives facing struggles of a non-responsive governance. The hope of this research is to advance openness, transparency, and consistency in the city government towards the community in Buffalo, New York. It is time for the Buffalo City Council to advocate for the needs of their residents and to bring solutions to immediate community demands.

Chandler Fairbanks and Arivana Russell

Since the 1990s, diagnoses of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) have increased rapidly. To understand this, social scientists often point to Cumulative Inequality Theory, which demonstrates how parents transmit advantages and disadvantages to their children, in turn affecting their health. However, a growing body of research suggests this transmission also flows upwards. As a result, we investigate social determinants of cognitive health using a social foreground perspective. How does the social location of adult offspring predict their parents' cognitive health? Specifically, is adult children's educational attainment associated with parental cognitive health at later life? Using data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), a nationally representative sample of adults 65 and older, we conduct propensity score matching to determine the effect of adult offsprings' educational attainment on their parents' cognitive health. 

Elizabeth O'Boyle and Laura Sills

Over the past decade, sharp rises in depression, anxiety, and loneliness among adolescents and young adults have culminated in a mental health crisis. Coupled with an increasingly difficult transition to adulthood, these trends are likely to have far-reaching effects for young peoples' futures. While prior work has offered much insight into the effects of both poor mental health and difficulty transitioning to stable adult roles for future life chances, far less is known about what these challenges mean in the context of linked lives. Drawing on a life course framework, this study examines how young adults' mental health challenges affect their mothers' health. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79) and accompanying NLSY79 Child and Young Adult Survey, results suggest that higher levels of emotional distress among adult offspring negatively impact mothers' mental wellbeing and subjective health in midlife. In particular, mothers with depressed adult offspring experience steeper declines in their own mental health across midlife. These results suggest that the consequences of the mental health crisis may extend beyond the lives of young people to that of their parents. Thus, policies and programs aimed at addressing the mental health crisis are not only important for the wellbeing of young people, but that of their parents as well. 

Gavin Glaser and Sophia Olsinski

According to the World Health Organization, nearly six in ten children experience abuse in childhood (2024). Examining the impact of experiencing abuse in childhood on health and relationships is prevalent in sociological literature. However, this research often highlights the cycle-of-abuse that can occur, focusing on the potential continuation of abuse and negative health impacts. This paper takes a differing approach, aiming to understand the ability for romantic and offspring relationships to impact association between experiencing childhood abuse and poor adult health. Using the Add Health wave 5 parental data, we examine four measures of health (depression, self-rated health, physical limitations, and stress-related diseases) asking what role do family relationships, including those with romantic partners and those with adult offspring, play in this link? That is, to what extent do they mediate and/or moderate the association between child abuse and parental health? By focusing on the way relationships can positively impact adult health and reduce the negative impacts of childhood abuse, this research provides insights into social factors that support healthy aging in mid-life despite experiencing childhood adversity.

Charity John

Dance can function as a meeting place where ritual, spirituality, and cultural memory converge. This presentation explores how choreography operates as both artistic practice and embodied research through the fusion of African traditional dance, Afro-fusion, afro modern, and contemporary forms. Grounded in a Yoruba worldview that understands the physical (aye) and metaphysical (orun) as interconnected realms, I approach ritual not as reenactment but as a living, participatory process shaped by symbolic movement, ancestral memory, and communal exchange. Drawing on my choreographic works, I examine how site and environment, from proscenium theatres to outdoor and immersive spaces, influence movement vocabulary, compositional structure, and performer-audience relationships. Through video excerpts and critical reflection, I demonstrate how Africanist aesthetics and global dance vocabularies intersect to preserve cultural knowledge while adapting to contemporary contexts. Ultimately, this session argues for movement as a universal language that fosters intercultural dialogue, deepens spiritual awareness, and expands the expressive and communal possibilities of performance.

Teya Juarez

In this article, published in the Journal of American Drama & Theatre, I analyze the use of fat suits in the production history of Samuel D. Hunter's 2012 stage play The Whale, and its 2022 film adaptation starring Brendan Fraser. I argue that The Whale uses fat suits to perform ob*sity drag, a fabricated fatness that specifically perpetuates the medicalization and pathologization of fat bodies as ob*se. Using a theoretical framework of "fat time" to consider the future of fatness, I assert that The Whale participates in the War on Ob*sity mentality, which pursues the end of fatness, and thus the elimination of fat people.

Mackenzie Leone and Selena Pereyra

The purpose of the program is to have University at Buffalo Theatre and Dance students bring student-choreographed dances and student-performed songs to the community. After recognizing that Fox Run at Orchard Park was a major supporter of departmental performances, I was inspired to give back to their residents and others who are not always able to attend live theatre. Drawing from my experience running a similar outreach initiative in high school, I developed a program that connects UB student artists with local nursing homes, assisted living facilities, rehabilitation centers, and hospitals. I coordinate participating dancers and singers through interest forms, create cast lists based on choreographers' visions, and facilitate rehearsals in departmental studios. The choreographed works, often set to music from the 1950s and 1960s, are designed to resonate with older audiences. Performances are staged on portable marley flooring funded by the CAS Experiential Learning Fund, allowing us to create a clear performance space wherever we travel. This project explores dance as a tool for joy, memory, and human connection. It asks how performance can go beyond traditional theatre spaces and serve as meaningful community engagement. Artistically and culturally, the program increases access to live art while reinforcing the role of young artists as active contributors to intergenerational dialogue and care.

Kaitlynn Mau and Gaby Santos

Trypsinization risks cleaving surface receptors and membrane proteins, potentially causing apoptosis or impaired cell function. An alternative involves seeding cells onto thermoresponsive polymeric films exploiting lower critical solution temperature (LCST) phase transitions for gentle, non-destructive cell detachment from culture surfaces. This study developed poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAAm)-coated polystyrene dishes, with and without collagen, to generate intact cell sheets preserving cell integrity for skin and vascular graft applications. Contact angle measurements revealed that increasing temperature from 25°C to 45°C significantly raised collagen matrix hydrophobicity from 28.75° to 47.75° (n=2, p<0.05), indicating improved surface separation. Collagen-infused formulations demonstrated minimal cytotoxicity compared to controls (n=3, p>0.05), confirming strong biocompatibility. Temperature variation enabled more controlled cell sheet release compared to control groups. These findings highlight the strong potential of pNIPAAm-collagen surfaces for cell sheet engineering, supporting wound dressings and vascular conduits in regenerative medicine.

Janvi Sujith

Tannerella forsythia, a periodontal pathogen, promotes inflammation partly by activating the NLRP3 inflammasome in macrophages, leading to secretion of IL-1β and IL-18. This study evaluated inflammasome-mediated macrophage responses to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from T. forsythia strains UB20 and ATCC 43037. Macrophage cultures were stimulated with each LPS preparation, and inflammasome activation was assessed through caspase activity and cytokine secretion measured by ELISA. Canonical and non-canonical pathway involvement was examined using MCC950 and Ac-LEVF-CHO inhibitors, respectively. Both LPS samples activated the inflammasome. However, UB20 LPS induced markedly higher IL-1β and IL-18 release than ATCC 43037. These findings suggest that structural differences in LPS between strains influence the degree of NLRP3 activation. Overall, this work highlights the role of T. forsythia LPS in modulating host inflammatory responses and underscores the need for future studies identifying specific LPS components responsible for inflammasome activation and their potential contribution to periodontal disease progression.

Nicole Krasnov

Streptococcus mutans is a Gram-positive bacterium in the oral microbiome that plays a significant role in the cause of dental caries. These mutans often accumulate in orthodontic aligners, increasing biofilm formation and the risk of lesions. Thermoformed aligners are the current standard, but 3D-printed aligners are becoming increasingly popular; however, there is little data on their comparative risk of biofilm adhesion. This study evaluates the susceptibility of Biofilm adhesion between three materials: Invisalign (thermoformed) and Graphy and Lux (3D-printed). These samples were standardized and exposed to S. mutans. Crystal violet staining and absorbance measurements were then used to quantify Biofilm adhesion. However, the results showed high variability with no clear trend.  This variability is believed to be caused by surface roughness inconsistency, often found in 3D-printed aligners. Future studies will assess surface properties and its effects on Biofilm adhesion. 

Kristina Lee and Michelle Shaposhnik

Complexities in anatomy have hindered expected regeneration of craniofacial bone defects. 1,4-dihydrophenonthrolin-4-one-3-carboxylic acid (1,4-DPCA) is a prolyl hydroxylases (PHD) inhibitor that stabilizes the HIF-1α protein which enhances growth factor gene expression. In the past, our laboratory used nano-calcium sulfate as a delivery system for 1,4-DPCA. We would now like to explore using hydrogels for ease of transfer into a bony location surrounded by soft tissue around an implant. Hydrogels consist of alginate, distilled water or alcohol, and calcium carbonate. To determine effectiveness, an MTT was conducted to analyze cell metabolism. Assays were held under standard state conditions with a 48-hour incubation at 37C. MEM medium and 5% CO2 levels for pH (7.4) were utilized with the cells seeded at a density of 100,000 cells per well in a 24 well dish culture plate. Assays showed increases in MTT activity, suggesting that the hydrogel delivery system may be a reasonable alternative.

Noam Ernan and Isabella Huerta-Andrade

Tannerella forsythia is an anaerobic oral gram-negative bacterium implicated in the inflammation of the gums and the tooth socket. Despite being an asaccharolytic bacterium depending on non-catabolic sources for energy, it produced a plethora of polysaccharide-degrading enzymes and carbohydrate uptake transporters. One such complex polysaccharide-degrading enzyme it produces is β- glucanase. β-glucanases are enzymes that break down β-glucan polysaccharides made of glucose units linked via β-1,3, β-1,4, or β-1,6 glycosidic bonds. b-glucanases fall under different subclasses based on the linkages they cleave, with each subclass of b-glucanase specific to the type of linkage(s) it can cleave. The objective of this project is to fully characterize the substrate specificity and kinetics of the β-glucanase enzyme produced by T. forsythia. A pET plasmid-based expression system was used to produce a recombinant 6xHis-tagged T. forsythia β-glucanase protein in E. coli host. The recombinant TfGlcA protein was then purified from E. coli extracts by Nickel-affinity chromatography, and the purified protein was subjected to enzyme activity characterization against different β-glucan substrates. This involved determining the Km and Kcat values of the enzyme for β-glucan substrates. Our data showed that the enzyme is highly specific for b-1, 3 linkages in β-glucans, which are abundant in plant and fungal (yeast) cell wall β-glucans. We plan to test whether purified TgGlcA could cause fungal killing by lysing the fungal cell-wall.

Matthew Rockhill, Zofia Rozmus and Ridham Varsani

Standard 2D in-vitro models often fail to replicate the complex 3D architecture of the human alveolus. This study aimed to develop an organotypic culture model using porcine and bovine mandibular blocks to evaluate the effects of a nanocalcium sulfate (nCS) and 10% tricalcium silicate (TCS) mixture on osseous cell activity. Cylindrical defects were created in fresh cadaveric mandibles and treated with biomaterial discs. Samples were incubated for 72 hours. Metabolic activity was assessed at 0, 24, 48, and 72 hours using PrestoBlue dye and absorbance spectroscopy. All groups maintained measurable absorbance throughout the study. Statistical analysis showed no significant difference between pure nCS and nCS+10% TCS (p > 0.05). However, nCS+10% TCS showed the highest bio-inductive potential in bovine models, reaching 4.19 RMU within 24 hours. In porcine models, it maintained a stable profile within 10% of baseline. The organotypic model successfully maintains tissue viability for 72 hours, serving as a vital bridge between in-vitro and in-vivo studies. The nCS+10% TCS mixture is well-tolerated and supportive of a metabolic environment comparable to natural controls.

HuiHsuan (Shana) Liu

This study examines how Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) competencies influence mathematics achievement and emotional well-being among 15-year-olds in Chinese societies (Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong) and the United States using PISA 2022 data. A moderated dual-pathway model tests the direct effects of SEL and whether these associations differ across cultural contexts. SEL was measured through a composite variable aligned with the CASEL framework, and outcomes included mathematics plausible values and students' sense of belonging. Regression models incorporated PISA senate weights, replicate weights, and key student- and school-level controls. Findings provide cross-cultural evidence on how SEL competencies support adolescents' academic performance and emotional development and clarify cultural differences in the strength of SEL-outcome relationships.

Rahnuma Jannat

Cyberhate refers to intentional and aggressive on-line behaviors that promote hatred toward individuals or groups based on social identities e.g., race/ethnicity, religion. As adolescents increasingly engage with digital platforms, exposure to cyberhate has risen. Prior research has identified several coping strategies, with close support, assertiveness, and technical coping most frequently used; however, these findings are largely based on European samples (Wachs et al., 2020; Gamez-Guadix et al., 2020). The present study examined cyberhate experiences and coping among 369 U.S. adolescents (ages 13-18; 52% female). Most participants reported no direct experiences of cyberhate, yet witnessing cyberhate was common across identity domains. No significant gender differences were found in experiencing or witnessing cyberhate. However, females reported greater use of close support, technical coping, and helplessness/self-blame, whereas males reported higher use of retaliation. These findings highlight the need for school-based, gender-responsive interventions that promote adaptive coping and reduce maladaptive responses.

Tukhbita Nawmi

This study examined how AI Leadership Climate (AI-LC) associates with computational thinking (CT) achievement among Korean middle school students and whether this relationship is mediated by individual and contextual factors. Using ICILS 2023 data from 152 schools and 3,723 Grade 8 students, stepwise regression models were estimated with survey weights, jackknife variance estimation, plausible values, and multiple imputations. AI-LC variables included school policies, information from education authorities, permission for students to use AI tools, and perceived workload increases for teachers. AI-LC variables showed no association with CT, and no evidence of mediation was observed. Instead, parent education and student self-efficacy appeared as the strongest predictors of CT, indicating AI leadership climate does not reflect achievements.

Weiyi Ding

This study examined how family characteristics, parental involvement, children's behavioral patterns, and their academic outcomes are interconnected using data from the National Household Education Survey in the U.S. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate a second-order parental involvement construct encompassing school- and home-based involvement. Results indicated that marital status and parent education were positively associated with parental involvement. Higher parental involvement was related to stronger academic performance, greater perceptions of performance feedback from teachers, and fewer behavioral problems. Behavioral problems partially mediated the relationship between parental involvement and academic performance, while academic performance partially mediated the association between parental involvement and performance feedback. Findings highlight parental involvement as a multidimensional mechanism linking family context to children's education trajectories, which may inform further development and research on family-school relationships and student development. The author thanks Dr. Seong Won Han for the valuable feedback during the development of this research.

Emily Barone and Ashfique Rizwan

Delay Discounting (DD) is the tendency to prefer smaller immediate rewards over larger delayed rewards, which is associated with poor academic achievement. Episodic Future Thinking (EFT) can modify DD, but it has not been tested in first-generation college students. EFT is a goal-directed intervention that uses vivid, positive imagery to generate future-oriented cues to counteract the desire for immediate gratification. Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT) is an ideal control condition in which participants focus on recent rather than future cues. Thirty first-generation high discounting college students were randomly assigned to EFT (n = 15) or Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT; n = 15). Results showed a greater reduction in DD for EFT compared to ERT (p = 0.002) with an effect size of d = 1.26. This is the first study to demonstrate EFT can reduce DD in this population, which may have an impact on overcoming academic challenges. 

Joyce Jekayinoluwa

International students often have limited awareness of campus sexual violence prevention and response resources, despite institutional claims of accessibility and inclusion on U.S. campuses. This phenomenological study centers the lived experiences of international students related to campus sexual violence prevention and response, and examines how students' intersecting identities shape awareness, access, and meaning making. Qualitative interviews with ten international students were conducted to explore how they encounter and interpret institutional prevention and response efforts. The study reveals a pervasive lack of awareness, where most participants were unfamiliar with available prevention initiatives, reporting pathways, and foundational policies such as Title IX. This finding reveal a clear gap between institutional intentions and the lived realities of international students, and point to the need for proactive, intersectional, and trauma-informed prevention strategies that make sexual violence resources visible and accessible. 

Karly Rakhim

This qualitative multiple case study examines how international doctoral students in U.S. universities use generative AI and how that use shapes their emotional wellbeing and scholarly identity. Drawing on Vygotsky and Cole's (1978) Sociocultural Theory of Mediation and Graduate Socialization Theory (Weidman et al., 2001), the study argues that AI enters doctoral life during the most identity-formative period of scholarly development, creating what this study calls the mediation paradox: AI accelerates academic performance while disrupting the internalization that makes someone a scholar. Three themes emerged from semi-structured interviews and artifact elicitation with 15 participants across STEM and non-STEM disciplines: emotional dissonance, AI as bridge and identity disruptor, and institutional absence. Findings reveal that students experience simultaneous and contradictory emotions while navigating AI use without consistent faculty guidance or institutional policy. This study contributes a human-centered framework for understanding AI's role in doctoral formation. 

Ngo Hna

This retrospective comparative case study examines 29 refugee young adults from Burma, who completed secondary education at Diverse Urban High School between 2010 and 2020. It explores how their high school experiences shaped their preparation for life after graduation and influenced decisions about work, college, and family. Using a social-ecological framework, the study analyzes factors across micro-, meso-, exo-, and macro-levels, with a focus on social capital, cultural capital, and community cultural wealth. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Findings highlight participants' experiences and how access to various forms of capital informed their transitions beyond high school. The study amplifies the perspectives of a largely underrepresented population, offering insight into their educational journeys and post-high school pathways.

Jessica Chatonda, John Slaughter and Shay Valley

The purpose of this panel is to highlight the lived experiences of high school and college students who hold minoritized identities when they attempt to connect to their educational institutions. We will explore this by first discussing Black women faculty/staff experiences in higher education and how they navigate resilience and maintain wellbeing. Next, we will examine the lived experiences of undergraduate African American students who were suspended or expelled during high school and their resilience in "socially and academically surviving" their high school disciplinary experience. Finally, we will analyze how trans and non-binary college students navigate their experiences around their gender identities in student organizations. Together, these presentations will illuminate the resilience of these minoritized groups of educational actors across secondary and postsecondary institutions.

Sarah Hale

This study examines how student activists at a large public university understand their organizing in the wake of October 7, 2023, and how they interpret institutional responses to dissent. Drawing on a transformational resistance framework and critiques of neoliberalism in higher education, this qualitative case study centers student narratives following Encampment Day-a protest demanding transparency and divestment from institutions complicit in the genocide of Palestinians. Through interviews with nine student activists, the study explores how students navigate neoliberal policies and practices, while building solidarities and articulating refusal. Findings show how student resistance and institutional responses exposes contradictions between the university's public commitments to equity and its actions to protect capital, revealing the political consciousness embedded in collective student organizing. 

Shuvo Kundu

This exploratory study bridges the current research gap at the intersection of AI and information behavior by analyzing the top topics students search for and the emotions and sentiments they experience when using AI for everyday information seeking.This study analyzes open-ended text responses to identify patterns in information seeking and feelings toward AI. A frequency-based topic analysis, a rule-based sentiment analysis using Valence Aware Dictionary and sEntiment Reasoner (VADER), and a transformer-based emotion analysis using the DistilRoBERTa model were performed. Users reported additional use of AI beyond ordinary uses, but non-users reported fear, avoidance, and disgust toward AI. Similarly, while users experienced positive sentiment and emotions, non-users experienced the opposite. Both groups showed highly polarized experiences with AI, with users being generally positive and non-users being generally negative. 

Maureen Bender and Anthonia Ojeh

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of ACCESS Reading, a high-dosage literacy tutoring program, as part of a 60-day intervention study on K-2 students' (n = 71) foundational reading skills using differentiated instruction. ACCESS Reading was delivered by 6 graduate student tutors who delivered small group instruction three times a week during the traditional school day at a charter school in the northeast. Constrained Skills Theory (Paris, 2005) guided the study. Instruction targeted foundational skills in the automatic word recognition pathway and each lesson included two 15-minute differentiated reading instruction lessons. The Informal Decoding Inventory (Walpole and McKenna, 2017) and Test of Letter Names and Sounds were used to determine the instructional groupings. Baseline data were collected using The Test of Word Reading Efficiency and Test of Silent Reading Efficiency and Comprehension. Preliminary findings suggest that high-dosage ACCESS Reading tutoring may improve foundational reading skills. 

Ahmad Rahmatpour

Three-dimensional digital subtraction angiography (3D-DSA) is widely used for evaluating intracranial aneurysms, but standard reconstruction requires more than 100 projections and increases radiation and contrast exposure. This study investigates whether a convolutional neural network (CNN) can recover high-quality 3D vascular volumes from sparse-view dynamic DSA data. A Markov chain-inspired, three-stage sequential 2D U-Net framework was developed to progressively refine truncated-view reconstructions from 30 to 50 to 70 projections and ultimately approximate full-angle image quality. Retrospective data from 156 aneurysm cases across three hospitals were used, including 118 rotational DSA scans and 38 reference 3D volumes. Sparse-view datasets were simulated from 108-view CBCT acquisitions reconstructed with the Feldkamp-Davis-Kress algorithm using ASTRA and DICOM-defined geometry. Across a 15-case test cohort, the model improved median Dice from 0.16 in truncated input volumes to 0.84 after refinement, demonstrating strong agreement with reference reconstructions and promising potential for safer intraoperative neurovascular imaging.

Austin Yetter

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an imaging technique limited by speckle noise inherent to the imaging process. We implemented a mounting system to compare a ground glass and an engineered diffuser that reduce speckle noise and improve image quality in human subject retinal imaging. Volumetric scans were acquired as repeated frames with independent speckle patterns, which were motion corrected and averaged. The averaged frames were used to generate volumetric and en face visualizations. Fine structural details and potential biomarkers on the outer retina were revealed that are otherwise obscured by speckle noise. The diffuser and imaging methods could be easily implemented into commercially available OCT systems, increasing diagnostic abilities.

George Dimopoulos

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), demands precise imaging for effective treatment. This study introduces an approach integrating a 3D neurovascular atlas with 2D Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) images to allow targeted, region-specific quantitative analysis, thus enhancing diagnostic accuracy during interventions. DSA images were aligned, or co-registered with the atlas to allow for a descriptive segmentation of the image. These segment were analyzed using machine learning to predict disease outcomes. The co-registration process revealed that deformable registrations were essential to achieve precise overlays of the 3D atlas projections with the 2D DSA. This approach enabled the extraction of targeted quantitative angiography parameters, essential for detailed vascular assessment in SAH treatments. The integration of the 3D atlas registration with the 2D DSA projections provides labelling of affected arterial territories, potentially improving the accuracy of diagnostics and supporting better informed clinical decisions at the time of intervention.  

Jada Beckford

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) uses near infrared light to generate cross-sectional images of the retina. Each image is composed of multiple 1-dimensional plots (A-scan) and represents different optical brightness levels. Using the software ImageJ, we adapted and optimized the analytical method to assess varying reflectivity around the ellipsoid zone (EZ), or the inner segment - outer segment junction in human retina. Our preliminary results show subtle variations of reflectivity profile between eyes with younger age and older age, which can provide insights into age-related structural photoreceptor variations.

Lucas Davis and Karl Swanson

Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) is the most common mitochondrial disease and is characterized by recurrent stroke-like episodes (SLE) in children and young adults. These episodes cause progressive neurological disability and are the strongest predictor of reduced life expectancy. There are currently no disease-modifying therapies. One major barrier to therapeutic development is the lack of reliable human vascular models to study how mitochondrial dysfunction leads to SLE. Endothelial cells, which line all blood vessels, are increasingly implicated in MELAS pathogenesis. Mitochondrial defects in these cells are thought to impair energy production, increase reactive oxygen species, reduce nitric oxide availability, and promote inflammation, all as hallmarks of endothelial dysfunction that may precipitate SLE. However, this hypothesis remains insufficiently tested due to the absence of robust human models. This project seeks to establish a patient-specific vascular model of MELAS using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology. Skin-derived iPSCs from healthy individuals have successfully been differentiated into induced endothelial cells (iECs) using a rapid 4-day protocol and validated by endothelial marker expression and functional flow alignment. MELAS patient-derived iPSCs will be converted into MELAS-iECs and examined for mitochondrial and endothelial abnormalities. MELAS-iECs will be assessed for ATP production, reactive oxygen species generation, nitric oxide bioavailability, and inflammatory activation.

Reshma Katharin Biju and Julian Martinez

This work presents a machine learning approach for analyzing electromyography (EMG) signals to classify motor tasks and predict performance in a rehabilitation setting. Data were collected from a single subject performing flexion, extension, and alternating cursor-control tasks. EMG signals from flexor and extensor muscles were processed into activation envelopes and used to construct a cursor proxy representing motor intent. A nonlinear autoregressive model with exogenous inputs (NLARX) was developed to capture neuromuscular dynamics, with model residuals used as features for classification. The pipeline included signal preprocessing, downsampling, nonlinear system identification, and feature extraction. Task classification achieved 60.2% accuracy using linear discriminant analysis (LDA), while pass/fail prediction was effective only for flexion (68.2%). Future work focuses on multi-subject data pooling to evaluate subject-independent EMG-performance relationships and assess cross-subject generalization of the NLARX framework.

Alex Barletta, Emma Gillebaard, Riley Wymer and Evan Yandricha

Standard fracture management involves immobilization by casting, but there is increasing interest in supplementary therapies to accelerate fracture healing. Localized mechanical vibration in the frequency range of 20 - 90 Hz for <20 min/day has been explored as a potential approach to treating musculoskeletal conditions, understood to provide anabolic stimulation to tissues similar in nature to exercise but with minimal exertion. Our group developed a cast-attachable mechanical stimulation device which delivers localized low-intensity high-frequency vibrations (LIHFV), providing a low-cost, minimally invasive, at-home care solution to accelerate fracture healing. While further research is needed to identify the most effective parameters, our device will be equipped to deliver any LIHFV regimen.

Aidren Arul Alphonse, Mahmud Amin and Ansh Kumar

Cellular interactions regulate many biological and pathophysiological processes. To study these interactions, culture inserts are commonly used for in vitro assays including proliferation, migration, and invasion. However, commercially available inserts are often expensive, limited in design flexibility, and restrict experimental customization. This project aims to develop low-cost, customizable cell culture inserts using 3D printing. Parametric computer-aided design (CAD) models were used to design inserts with adjustable parameters including height, wall diameter, thickness, and inter-compartment spacing. These parameters determine compatibility with multi-well plates and influence media volume and cell-loading capacity. Inserts were fabricated using fused deposition modeling (FDM) with biocompatible thermoplastics.The inserts were evaluated for their ability to support co-culture systems and transwell-style migration and invasion assays. Preliminary functional testing for in vitro validation under process  Additive manufacturing provides a scalable platform for producing customizable cell culture inserts, improving accessibility for academic and resource-limited research laboratories.

Ali Ghasemi

Solvent resistance in semicrystalline polyolefins is critical for product durability but hinders solvent-based recycling. This study employs a combined experimental and modeling approach to resolve the fundamental mechanisms governing the dissolution of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP). We present a validated phenomenological model that captures the processes governing the dissolution of semicrystalline polymers, i.e., solvent diffusion, transformation from crystalline to amorphous domains, specimen swelling, and polymer chain untangling. Through parametric sensitivity analysis, the impact of film thickness or particle radius, initial degree of crystallinity, temperature, and solvent type on dissolution kinetics is evaluated. This work offers insights on the interplay of decrystallization and polymer chain disentanglement during the time-course of HDPE and PP dissolution. Further, this work facilitates the design and optimization of dissolution-precipitation recycling process that can unlock value from the million tons of polyolefins annually that are currently being landfilled or incinerated following their use.

Arun Singh

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has a 13% 5-year survival rate, hampered by late detection and immune evasion. Aberrant glycosylation, driven by Warburg effect-induced hexosamine pathway flux and elevated O-GlcNAcylation, promotes tumor progression and immunosuppression. Surface glycans, such as sialylated ITGA3/ITGB1 engaging Siglec-10 on macrophages, exemplify this axis. We hypothesize additional PDAC glycans mediate evasion. Using CRISPR screens on PANC-1/FG COLO 357 lines, we identify glycogene knockouts restoring phagocytosis and inhibiting metastasis. Validated targets offer novel immunotherapeutic avenues.

Cassie Witt

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is an FDA approved synthetic biodegradable polymer for biomedical application. It is not antigenic, meaning that humans will not produce antibodies against it. Functionalized lactide monomers, such as an allyl or acetylenyl monomer, can be used to produce PLA with reactive groups. These reactive groups allow for PLA to be modified with multiple anti-cancer drugs, water-solubility enhancing zwitterions, and other moieties like dyes. This modified polymer has promising potential as a next-generation ultra biocompatible drug delivery system.

Matthew Bablin and Cassidy Shafer

Global plastic demand is projected to double by 2050, along with proportional increases in greenhouse gas emissions and pollution from mismanaged waste. Currently, over 99% of the plastics produced in the U.S. are made from fossil sources, while most plastic waste is either landfilled (75%) or incinerated (16%). Transitioning toward a circular plastics economy requires novel solutions to minimize waste and maximize resource recovery. Therefore, integrating sustainable feedstocks (e.g., bio-based materials) and advanced recycling technologies can help achieve this goal. This project will develop an optimization framework to evaluate pathways for transitioning to a circular plastics economy. Using mathematical optimization methods, we will assess pathways including conventional fossil-based plastics, bio-based alternatives, and emerging recycling technologies, including hybrid systems (such as mechanical combined with solvent-based recycling). Specifically, we will propose a multi-objective optimization model that considers economic, environmental, and circularity metrics. The framework will be applied to representative product categories, including single-use packaging, recyclable containers, and durable goods. 

Jameson Bonnar and Shikha Solanki

Plastics are widely used because of their diverse and desirable properties; however, these properties are often achieved through additives such as plasticizers and flame retardants. Additives can potentially migrate from plastics and lead to human exposure via, e.g., food/drinks in plastic packaging. Further, additives can propagate into products having recycled content. In this way, plastic use and recycling become vectors for spreading chemicals of concern.  Our research targets dissolution/precipitation which is a low-energy and low-greenhouse gas (GHG) emission methodology for recycling waste plastic that cannot be mechanically recycled. This method not only separates specific polymer types from mixtures or blends, but also purifies plastics from additives or fillers, without negatively affecting the properties of the original polymers. This paper will address the removal of dyes from polyolefins using dissolution/precipitation with switchable hydrophilicity solvents.

Matthew Bablin and Will Reid

Over 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced worldwide each year, and less than 10% of this is recycled. The rest ends up in landfills or the open environment, causing environmental hazards. When selecting technologies for plastics recycling, two critical variables to consider are profitability and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This work proposes a computational framework that uses Monte Carlo simulation to quantify uncertainty and help inform the economic and environmental performance of plastic recycling pathways, including pyrolysis, solvent-based processes, and mechanical recycling. Results indicate that mechanical processes and solvent-based recycling with temperature reduction for precipitation have the highest potential to reduce GHG emissions, with up to 77% savings. This solvent-based variant offers the highest profit margins, with an estimated annual revenue of 47 million USD. The proposed framework can help inform investors, policymakers, and industry stakeholders when selecting technologies and designing facilities to advance a circular plastics economy.

Ajaykumar Patel

Advanced reactor developers are considering seismic isolators and dampers to mitigate the effects of earthquake shaking on safety-related equipment. Seismic isolators and dampers installed near a radiation source, without shielding, may experience changes in their mechanical properties, which could affect the design-basis response of safety-related equipment. The U.S. Department of Energy funded project is characterizing the effects of gamma radiation on seismic isolators and dampers in collaboration with Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Pre-irradiation mechanical testing at the University at Buffalo (UB) established baseline properties of the seismic isolators and their components. The isolators were then irradiated using a Cobalt-60 gamma irradiator at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), followed by post-irradiation mechanical testing at UB to characterize changes in their properties. The outcomes of this project will help advanced nuclear designers develop maintenance protocols and shielding requirements for seismic isolators to achieve the intended performance throughout the design life of the structure.

Ayesha Riaz

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas whose emissions are dominated by natural and agricultural soils and are highly heterogeneous and episodic, yet existing observational techniques lack the spatial coverage and near-surface sensitivity needed to resolve this variability. In this study, we evaluate a remote sensing framework that integrates shortwave infrared (SWIR) and thermal infrared (TIR) spectral bands to enhance detectability of column-integrated mixing ratio (XN2O). To implement this, we expand the capacity of the SPLAT-VLIDORT radiative transfer model to jointly simulate both spectral regions and apply linear sensitivity analysis to quantify XN2O measurement error and vertical sensitivity under realistic environmental conditions and instrumental designs. The joint SWIR-TIR setting achieves single-sounding measurement error of approximately 3.2 ppb for an airborne instrument with a ground footprint size of 20 m and 1.1 ppb for spaceborne instrument with a footprint size of 0.7 km, while retaining sensitivity to the near-surface layers. 

Ghazal Vasseghi

Cigarette butts (CBs), among the most common littered items globally, are composed of cellulose acetate (CA) fibers that degrade slowly and can release microfibers (MFs) in aquatic environments. This study quantifies MF release from CBs under three agitation levels (0, 80, and 200 rpm) over 10-day controlled experiments and extrapolates findings to estimate environmental impacts in New York State (NYS). CBs exhibited an initial rapid release of loose fibers upon immersion, followed by slower, sustained shedding. High agitation (200 rpm) significantly increased MF release (p < 0.001), yielding 1.69 times more fiber than stagnant conditions. Fiber length was not significantly affected by time or agitation (p > 0.1). Extrapolation of first-day results estimates that CB litter in NYS may release 7.15E+07-1.04E+09 MFs per day. Improved disposal practices and waste management could reduce these emissions.

Nicole Gerdes

Excessive carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere continues to drive severe climate challenges of great concern. This calls for further development of energy- and cost-efficient technologies to capture CO₂ out of the atmosphere for long-term sequestration in, for instance, deep saline aquifers. Electrochemical carbon capture, which uses electricity to drive the CO₂ capture reactions, has low energy and cost, but current electrochemical approaches are often unstable in the presence of oxygen gas. One promising but air-unstable electrochemical approach uses the Cu(II)/Cu(I) redox couple to control a CO₂ capture absorbent, the substance binding to CO₂. This research explores how effective different CO₂ absorbents are at increasing the Cu(II)/Cu(I) reduction potential, a measure of how unstable the Cu(I) state is to oxygen. The findings presented in this research provide insight into which absorbents (histidine, histamine, or imidazole-acetic acid) and buffer combination(s) will stabilize the Cu(I) system most effectively. 

Daisha Cardenas-Sanchez and Hayden Radel 

Crashes in motor vehicles are a leading cause of death in young adults, which has been credited to young drivers lack of experience and impulsivity behind the wheel Although, driving anxiety, which impacts cognitive behavior, has been studied little. This work uses virtual reality (VR) and eye-tracking to quantify driver behavior including scanning patterns and scan complexity. 31 young drivers (age 18-25) were grouped into anxiety and non-anxiety drivers based on the Driving Cognitions Questionnaire and completed five scenarios in VR. There were four unique scenarios, and the fifth was a repetition, including: car waiting to turn from a side road (repeated), pedestrian crossing at crosswalk, work zone blocking right lane, garbage truck blocking right lane. During each scenario, driver eye movements were recorded at 200 Hz. These eye behaviors were quantified using Areas of Interest (AOIs) to classify what object the participant was looking at in each instant. Then, by looking at the order of fixations in the AOIs, Standard Gaze Entropy (SGE) and Gaze Transition Entropy (GTE) were calculated. In the pedestrian crossing at crosswalk scenario, non-anxious drivers were found to exhibit lower GTE, reflecting more predictable and stable scanning patterns than the anxious drivers who exhibited less predictable scanning patterns (p=0.0206). SGE was found to not differ significantly (p=0.3227), which indicates that overall spatial distribution was relatively equal. This work demonstrates the impact of driving anxiety on visual attention behaviors. It also supports the use of VR for understanding driving behavior in situations where on-road tests may not be appropriate or practical. These findings may inform future approaches to detecting driver anxiety based on eye behavior and enhancing road safety for all road users through advanced driver-warning systems. 

Max Clarke and DJ Ruszkowski

SolarScope, developed by TriTech Labs, addresses high customer acquisition costs in the solar industry by replacing manual "gut-feeling" sales tactics with a data-driven scoring engine. By engineering a proprietary algorithm that evaluates financial readiness and site suitability, the platform automates lead verification to prioritize high-conversion prospects. Currently in pilot testing with four industry partners, SolarScope streamlines the transition from sales to engineering, demonstrating how algorithmic prioritization reduces "soft costs" and accelerates renewable energy adoption. This research highlights a scalable, automated solution for optimizing the B2B solar sales funnel.

Andrew Mikalsen

The key component to many forms of DNA analysis is the reference database of all known genomes. In an effort to enable DNA analysis on mobile devices, it has become desirable to search this database in resource constrained settings. This introduces new systems challenges, both from the mobile computing and databases perspectives. Our talk will discuss our work on mobile DNA analysis, including our approaches to indexing massive DNA databases, memory management, and I/O scheduling.

Daniel Nyamollo

"Day in the Life" (DITL) videos are a form of documentary-style content that purport to provide a behind-the-scenes, everyday look at a person's daily routine, showcasing a stylized view of particular lifestyles, occupations, and/or locations. These videos, popular on multiple social media platforms including YouTube and Tiktok, are responsible for billions of views, and thus have the potential to (re)shape perspectives on what "real life" looks like. However, little is understood about the messages conveyed in DITL videos for particular social identities, nor what factors are associated with a particular DITL video going viral. To this end, my work presents an initial investigation into the universe of DITL videos, assessing what exactly they tend to focus on, and what factors are associated with video popularity. Specifically, using computational methods, I analyze around 20,000 DITL videos on YouTube to study factors associated with view counts and prevalent themes in video titles and descriptions. The results show the variety of ways these videos are produced and presented, and how they may impact perceptions of critical career paths and locations around the globe.

Marco Bianco

This project focused on restoring functionality to a previously autonomous electric bus through reverse engineering and low-level system redevelopment. The original system was non-operational, requiring a comprehensive understanding of its electrical, control, and drive-by-wire subsystems. The objective was to design and implement a new low-level control architecture capable of enabling safe and reliable vehicle operation. Over the course of one year, our team enabled the high-voltage, low-voltage, DC-DC converter, and driving systems through reverse engineering of the vehicle's electrical architecture, subsystem testing, and low-level software development. As a result, the bus was successfully transitioned from an inoperable state to a functional vehicle capable of controlled operation. This work demonstrates the feasibility of restoring complex autonomous vehicle systems through reverse engineering and highlights the importance of hardware software integration in electric vehicle design.

Nitin Kulkarni

Used-vehicle purchases often depend on limited photos, while undercarriage inspection remains slow, uncomfortable, and rarely documented for on-line buyers. We present a unified, distortion-native pipeline that generates a 3D model of the vehicle, capturing everything from the roof down to the undercarriage. SAM 3 instance masks with motion gating isolate the target vehicle in cluttered dealerships and enforce rigidity by excluding rotating wheels during SfM. RoMA~v2 then produces dense correspondences on raw wide-FOV frames using mask-guided sampling and filtering. These verified matches drive a rig-aware SfM optimization with calibrated intrinsics and measured/CAD rig pose priors to recover consistent poses and sparse geometry. Finally, 3DGUT Gaussian Splatting renders interactive 3D models for walk-around viewing and underbody inspection. On 25 dealership vehicles, exterior reconstructions achieve 28.66 dB PSNR, 0.89 SSIM, and 0.21 LPIPS on held-out views.

Opeyemi Omoboye

Voice-activated technology improves accessibility for individuals with disabilities, yet traditional software-based processing is often power-intensive and restricted by sequential execution. This research explores using Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) as a high-performance hardware platform for real-time audio processing to address these limitations. Using Verilog, the project implements a specialized audio pipeline. Signals are loaded into Block RAM and conditioned via a Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filter to remove noise. A Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) then converts these signals into the frequency domain, enabling Mel-frequency cepstral coefficient (MFCC) feature extraction. These features are classified through FPGA logic to identify commands. By leveraging hardware parallelism, this FPGA-based approach aims to outperform software methods in both latency and energy efficiency. This research advances the design of responsive, accessible voice-activated systems, ultimately enhancing independence and quality of life for individuals with physical or visual impairments.

Le Quoc Viet Pham

Buffalo Byte v2.0 is a small-scale autonomous robot with a mass of 17g, with a volumetric footprint of 54.4 mm x 30.1 mm x 19.4 mm. This work builds upon the original Buffalo Byte platform, and version 2.0 enhances the computation capability, sensing, and wireless communication. This upgrade allows the robot to process a larger amount of data onboard, using a dual-core system on a chip (Soc). The robot integrates a 9-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) and an 8 pixel by 8 pixel ToF depth image sensor to enable closed-loop motion control, obstacle avoidance, navigation, and ultimately SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping). In future work, these robots will work together in swarm applications, exchanging information with external devices or peer robots for distributed tasks.

Sujal Dattarao Bhakare

The University at Buffalo Lunabotics team is developing a fully autonomous lunar excavation rover for the NASA Lunabotics Competition. The rover navigates a simulated lunar environment, excavates regolith, and deposits it in a designated zone without human intervention under strict time constraints. The system integrates a Jetson-based edge AI computer running ROS 2 for perception and autonomy, alongside real-time microcontrollers for motor control and sensor management. Using stereo vision, depth sensing, IMU data, and encoder feedback, the rover performs localization, obstacle avoidance, and path planning in uneven terrain. Designed for reliability and modularity, the platform combines a reinforced mechanical chassis, an optimized excavation mechanism, and a custom power distribution system to ensure stable high-current operation. The project demonstrates scalable autonomous surface operations for future lunar resource utilization.

Nishanth Reddy Bonikela, Long Cao, Dharmi Khadela and Milind Kumar

Customer Atlas is an interactive geographic analytics platform developed to replace static data tracking with real-time, map-driven outreach visualization. Designed for researchers, organizations, and investors, the platform transforms raw engagement data into actionable geospatial insights. This semester, the team established a robust technical foundation, including a scalable Postgres/PostGIS database, a dynamic map interface with advanced filtering, and automated data pipelines. Key achievements include the integration of Supabase for secure authentication, token-based registration workflows, and a responsive HTML email system. The resulting MVP successfully demonstrates regional engagement trends and streamlines data management compared to traditional spreadsheets. With a functional infrastructure for data intake and visualization now in place, future development will focus on global scaling, performance optimization, and the implementation of AI-powered predictive analytics. Customer Atlas provides a professional, scalable solution for identifying outreach gaps and making informed, data-driven strategic decisions.

JaeHyeong Chang and Chengzhe Sun

This project addresses the emerging threat of AI-generated environmental deepfakes used to trigger false emergency responses or mask actual crimes. While AI voice cloning is well-studied, the synthesis of high-impact environmental sounds-such as gunshots, glass breaking, and explosions-presents a critical security vulnerability. We will develop a robust classifier capable of distinguishing between authentic acoustic signatures and those produced by state-of-the-art Text-to-Audio (TTA) and Audio-to-Audio (ATA) generators.

Jordan Ngamaleu-Kemta

This research examines how electric vehicle (EV) charging can contribute to a more sustainable energy future. We hypothesize that smart charging with reactive power support would be most effective in mitigating voltage drops. Five strategies are considered: (i) uncoordinated charging, where EVs charge without regard for grid conditions; (ii) smart charging, which schedules EV charging based on voltage constraints; (iii) vehicle-to-grid (V2G), enabling EVs to discharge energy back into the grid; (iv) smart charging + reactive power support;(v) V2G + reactive power support where EV inverters provide reactive power to mitigate the adverse effects of high EV penetration. The strategies are implemented and tested on a 33-bus distribution network over a 24-hour horizon. Results highlight the trade-offs between grid performance and EV charging flexibility. It is evident that smart charging with reactive power and vehicle-to-grid charging with reactive power are the best strategies that minimize voltage drops.

Jingye Guo

This project will discover required MW-level heat rejection system on fuel cell powered electrical aircraft. We use a computational model to calculate heat flux, drag, specific cooling power and coolant pumping power during taxi, takeoff, climb, acceleration and cruise. The effect of altitude and aircraft speed on ducted heat exchanger (DHEX) will be explained. The calculated results enable engineers to optimize the ratio of duct inlet size to radiator core size according to specific parameters, such as drag, cooling power, and volume of ducted heat exchanger. While DHEX is effective for cooling in most flight phases, it can't provide enough cooling power during takeoff due to limited air intake and high ground temperatures. This insufficient cooling capacity necessitates the use of a hybrid power system combining FC and turboelectric generator (TEG) for takeoff.

Margot Barry

A method for implementing a short 16-point FFT on a low-cost 7-series FPGA is presented with the goal of optimizing device area, number of hardware multipliers used, and number of complex multiplications required. The memory required for the input samples is only 4-deep and does not require complete bit reversal, and the design retains a complexity of O(n*log(n)).

Reilly Popa

Assessing automatic transmission condition in inspections is challenging due to limited testing time, varying operating conditions and sensor placement constraints. This work focuses on the development and evaluation of practical testing procedures designed for operational use, including a stationary shift test and a controlled drive test. These procedures enable synchronized acquisition of on-board diagnostic parameters along with audio and vibration measurements during short, repeatable test sequences. Data was collected across approximately 200 vehicles, including those with known transmission issues, and the procedures were iteratively refined to ensure consistency and feasibility in real inspection environments. Preliminary analysis primarily focused on on-board diagnostic data to explore relationships between collected signals and reported transmission conditions. Building on this foundation, ongoing work investigates vibration signals as a potential additional source of condition information.

Moumiza Hasan, Pranati Reddy Kuntla and Lunfu Qi

MoS2 and SnS2  are promising 2D semiconducting materials for nanoelectronic devices, and their performance strongly depends on flake thickness, transfer quality, and fabrication conditions. This project presents a step-by-step workflow for MoS₂ and SnS₂ device fabrication and characterization, beginning with manual mechanical exfoliation of flakes from bulk crystals. Suitable flakes are identified and transferred onto cleaned chips, then dry-transferred onto a marker-patterned silicon chip for device fabrication. After device formation, electrical characterization is performed using output and transfer measurements (ID/VD and ID/VG), which are used to evaluate current modulation and extract basic device metrics.The material verification is carried out using Raman Spectroscopy where Raman peak positions are identified in order to confirm the material identity, thickness and uniformity. This project overall covers the fabrication choices for measure devices providing a practical workflow for MoS2 and SnS2 device development.

Jonah Hakobian-Leone, Labid Hossain, Krish Puwar, Alvi Rashid and Nicholas Toutoundjian

As the frequencies utilized for wireless signal transmissions continue to increase with next generation cellular networks, these signals will suffer heavy attenuation due to obstacles blocking the line-of-sight (LOS) path from transmitter to receiver. These obstructions may be detrimental to network performance, therefore it will be increasingly important to accurately model this behavior before a prospective network is deployed. Through the use of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data, a geographical digital twin of an area can be constructed that captures relevant obstacles. This digital twin can then be used as input to a propagation modeler, allowing the model to operate with a high degree of environmental awareness, allowing for greater simulation accuracy.

Nischal Sunar

The preliminary sketches represent several ideas from the same problem conducted in K-12 setting via MODs platform is a central activity in the design process (Ghahremani et al., 2024; Nikolic et., 2019). Students engage in the web-based front-end platform for designing projects focused on Earth Science or environmental topics such as water conservation and micro-plastics covering eight lessons. This study was organized at the Mid-Atlantic University to rising 9th grade students for an hour with the consent form signed from the participants by their parents. There were 24 different sketches collected from the experiments and analyzed using the methods of categorizing drawing into five distinct phases: Holistic, Component, Details, and Interconnected. These results were presented into stack bar char and Correlation Heatmap to have more descriptive understanding. Rubric has been developed from this idea for analyzing sketches that helps researchers to distinguish drawing holistically. 

Christopher Romeo

Undergraduate engineering students often struggle with troubleshooting technical issues that naturally arise during essential class activities, like lab experiments and course projects. However, existing research on this topic has not explored why, or in what ways, troubleshooting is such a challenge for them. My dissertation study addresses this gap by trying to understand the difficulties that undergraduate engineering students face while troubleshooting. This qualitative case study will utilize observations, problem-solving interviews, process artifacts, and reflexive thematic analysis methods to identify and characterize the predominant ways in which electrical engineering students struggle with troubleshooting a circuit, and the accompanying reasons why. It will leverage theories of problem complexity and ill-structuredness, troubleshooting process, knowledge type application, and differences in expert-novice troubleshooting strategies and practices. The knowledge gained from this study will be used to develop research-based instructional scaffolds that support the design and facilitation of dedicated troubleshooting exercises for students in engineering classes.

Monica Perez 

Existing engineering education typically depends on short interventions that lack theoretical grounding, often overlooking the intricate processes of student belonging and the development of identity. This research evaluates sustained, multimodal pedagogical intervention within introductory engineering courses. Using a mixed-methods framework, the study employs a longitudinal quasi-experimental design to track belonging and identity shifts across two semesters, complemented by qualitative interviews and journey-mapping to analyze lived student experiences. The findings highlight the critical necessity of replacing isolated activities with long-term, classroom-level support structures. By isolating the "active ingredients" within curriculum design, this study provides actionable empirical evidence to improve student retention and empower students in constructing their professional engineering identity, offering a scalable, theory driven model for educators to foster sustainable inclusion.

Muhammad Ali Sajjad

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming engineering practice, yet existing employability frameworks do not adequately account for AI-related competencies. This study examines the intersection of AI literacy and engineering employability by investigating how students, educators, and employers perceive the importance of AI literacy and the preparedness of engineering graduates. Drawing on literature, AI literacy is conceptualized across five dimensions i.e. technical understanding, application of AI tools, critical evaluation, ethics and societal impact, and meta cognition. A mixed-methods approach is employed. The quantitative phase uses a survey to compare stakeholder perceptions of importance and preparedness across these dimensions, enabling identification of misalignment. The qualitative phase involves interviews to further explore how stakeholders conceptualize AI literacy within employability. The findings aim to inform curriculum design and support the development of an adapted employability framework that integrates AI literacy competencies.

Roland Orselli

This project examines the spaces in which undergraduate transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) engineers feel comfortable expressing themselves or being their most authentic selves. Queer students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) often face a "chilly" environment due to issues like under-representation and a dominant masculine culture. With a rise in TGNC students entering higher education, there is a need for educators and staff to prioritize their needs and create safe spaces. Preliminary work shows that TGNC engineers find comfort in physical and virtual spaces, with a majority of our participants having a deep connection to artistic spaces and forms of expression. The results of this analysis have implications of expanding knowledge on safe spaces and TGNC joy, as well as improving visibility of TGNC individuals' needs in higher education. 

Valerie Sullivan

This project addresses a crucial gap in undergraduate Environmental Engineering education. The lack of intentional integration of ethics, equity, and accessibility in course design. Traditional engineering instruction often centers on technical problem-solving while neglecting the historical, social, and cultural systems that shape environmental challenges, such as colonialism and capitalism. Through a qualitative study of Environmental Engineering courses, this project explores how instructors incorporate (or omit) inclusive and ethical pedagogical practices and how these choices influence students' understanding of their relationship with the environment. The findings will inform actionable strategies to build more equitable and sustainability-oriented curricula that support diverse student populations, including neurodivergent learners.

Akosua Adu, Hayley FitzPatrick, Charlie Goodell, Huda Mahul and Renicia Roper

The Delavan Grider Community Center is in the heart of the East Side of Buffalo, commonly providing a safe space for residents to engage in recreational activities, events, and support with necessary supplies. Ms. Winny, a community advocate, helped lobby for a new community center, which is now the Delavan Grider Community Center. In dedication to her advocacy, a donation closet named Winny's Closet was made. This closet originally started out as a job attire initiative, now serving First Generation Americans and people within the community. The community center is seeking a solution that helps them monitor and manage their inventory within the closet. Through extensive research into safety standards, inventory management principles, and process improvement methodologies, we are working towards developing a solution that adheres to the closet's requirements. We have decided to implement methods such as zoning, lean six sigma, and digitized inventory management. 

Taylor Quinn

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools offer new opportunities to support human perception and provide gaze guidance in surgery. However, there remains a need to better understand surgeons' perceptions of these tools and to identify desired features across levels of expertise. This study explored surgeons' perceptions of AI-based gaze guidance to determine how such tools can best meet surgeons' needs while recognizing their limitations. Seventy-one surgeons (38 attendings, 33 residents) watched laparoscopic cholecystectomy videos and responded to open-ended questions about their perceptions of AI for gaze guidance in surgery. Responses were analyzed using latent content analysis to identify themes and desired AI features. Each response was also categorized as positive, negative, or neutral to assess overall perception. Attendings (92%) and residents (82%) were positive about AI for visual gaze guidance. Neutral responses (9.8%) reflected uncertainty or limited familiarity with AI. Desired features included directing attention, identification, highlighting and visualization, feedback, decision support, educational tools, communication and collaboration, and planning and mapping. 

Laibah Ahmed

Experimental data is often stored in semi-structured formats which limits their interoperability, reusability, and integration into AI-workflows. This project presents an ontology-based annotation pipeline that can annotate data, namely tensile testing data, and transform it into machine-readable knowledge graphs. We used tensile test data collected from student workshops, and mapped data measurements and properties to standardized ontology terms. Python scripts were developed to parse the CSV files of the data and create RDF triples that connect them to instances of ontology terms and relationships. The triples were then serialized into TTL and JSONLD formats, ready to be interpreted by machines. This project demonstrates how ontology-based approaches can make data more open, enhancing FAIR data practices and streamlining future data reuse and analysis.

William Dove

This project provides a theoretical basis for observed dopant uptake time profiles in swollen pBTTT films. Dopant uptake was monitored using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) methodology, with frequency shift converted to mass uptake via the Sauerbrey relation. Experimental uptake profiles were compared with analytical solutions using one-dimensional Fickian diffusion. The uptake profiles deviate from simple analytic solutions, suggesting a variable diffusion coefficient or nonlinear behavior. Further comparisons with solutions for step function, and cubic basis spline diffusion coefficients imply a spatially variant diffusion coefficient in one dimension is not sufficient to explain the empirical results. These results indicate that dopant transport in swollen pBTTT films is governed by nonlinear or coupled processes beyond simple Fickian diffusion, relating to swelling and tortuosity of the film.

Dilasha Thapa

This work presents a proof of concept for acoustic streaming assisted in-situ mixing to address the fundamental challenge of maintaining uniform filler dispersion during composite vat photopolymerization. A ring-shaped PZT transducer was integrated into a customized DLP platform to induce recirculating flow in the resin vat for continuous mixing of filler particles during printing. Quantitative particle tracking experiments showed that particle velocity increased with both applied voltage and particle concentration. In printing trials, acoustic streaming mitigated sedimentation and maintained homogeneous particle distribution throughout the printed height across different layer thicknesses. Mechanical testing further demonstrated a ~65% reduction in anisotropy relative to the non-streaming condition. Together, these results establish acoustic streaming as an effective in-situ mixing method for improving filler homogeneity in composite DLP printing.

Maximus Wunderlich

This study computationally evaluates a plume-driven scaling theory relating mixture fraction variance to fire intensity and ventilation conditions. Large-eddy simulations (LES) are performed using Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) for a canonical ventilated methane enclosure to isolate turbulent mixing between fuel and air within the buoyant plume. A mesh convergence study using high-performance computing resources ensures grid independence. A strong scaling analysis complemented this effort, optimizing parallel processing efficiency and the distribution of the computational workload across the high-performance computing nodes. A parametric test matrix spanning fire intensity and ventilation conditions is then used to assess agreement with the proposed scaling behavior. The results connect fundamental plume dynamics to macroscopic combustion behavior and support improved modeling of efficiency and pollutant formation in compartment fires, with potential applications in cleaner and more efficient combustion system design.

Michael De La Cruz

Urban and industrial emissions are increasingly impacting air quality, making it vital to understand pollution distribution across altitudes. Traditional ground-based systems have limited resolution which leads to difficulties in identifying the pollutants in the atmosphere. To address this, our mission was to use a high-altitude balloon to gain a more detailed understanding of pollution distribution across altitudes. We developed a payload controlled by an Arduino Uno R4 Minima microcontroller. To accurately measure the atmospheric pollution across different altitudes, we needed to measure the UV penetration, temperature, atmospheric pressure, altitude, and ozone concentration throughout the flight. We used UV sensors, a barometer, a temperature sensor, and a parts per million sensor to collect our data. All data was time-stamped and stored on a micro-SD and the system ran autonomously throughout the flight. The high-altitude balloon payload provided results that we used to model the atmospheric pollution. Its flight was determined by lower atmospheric winds and jet stream winds. Though constrained by wind-determined trajectories, balloon missions gather high resolution atmospheric data beyond the reach of ground-based systems.

Nyah Cardona

Machines exhibit erratic vibrations when the operating frequency matches the natural frequency of the machine, a phenomenon defined as resonance. These resonant vibrations cause irreversible damage and impairs the lifespan of these machines. To mitigate these resonant vibrations, Tuned Mass Dampers Systems (TMDs) are implemented, which absorb vibrations from the main body of the machine at critical frequency, by adding a tuned secondary component. Through developing an undamped lumped parameter system with a point mass and a stiffness element TMD model that operates at lower frequencies, the motion of these systems can be analyzed for data acquisition. This research aims to find significant changes in the motion of the model without special equipment and illustrate the vibration absorption mechanism. The model will aid as a tool for data collection and educational purposes. With further modifications, other systems can be modeled and measured, allowing further understanding of the applications of vibrations. 

Uma Bhattacharjee

Digital Light Projection (DLP) has recently become a powerful additive manufacturing method for printing complex 3D structures with great precision. However, there are challenges regarding the current techniques involving the material, design complexity and other manufacturing constraints. To address these issues, a hybrid DLP-based process named Nozzle-Assisted Continuous Printing was developed. This process uses nozzle-based material deposition and continuous solidification to reduce printing times and to maintain high part quality. One focus of this project is the use of computational fluid dynamics to determine the optimum single nozzle orientation and multi-nozzle gradient during the continuous material deposition into the resin tank. Three 2D models were created in ANSYS Fluent to simulate three different input nozzle angles (outward, straight, inward). Additionally, seven 3D models were used to determine the relationship between nozzle gradient and flow rate. Another focus of the project was to print mesoscale structures with the specified nozzle choices.

Ethan Kenney

The UB Lunabotics team has spent the past year developing a fully autonomous lunar excavation rover for the NASA Lunabotics Competition. The rover navigates a simulated lunar environment, excavates regolith, and deposits material autonomously under strict time constraints, integrating ROS 2-based autonomy, edge AI perception, embedded control, and a custom power distribution system.

Sriram Metta and Nicholas Schuck

Electrochemical gas evolution governs the efficiency of green hydrogen production. Although progress in electrode development and cell design has been made, gas bubble formation on electrode surfaces remains limiting, as accumulated bubbles block active sites and increase ohmic resistance. This research investigates bubble nucleation during water electrolysis. Using the Young-Laplace equation, accounting for contact angle, surface tension, and supersaturation ratio, the critical cavity radius for nucleation was calculated. Nickel electrodes were engineered with controlled nanoscale cavity arrays based on this radius, enabling systematic study of nucleation site density beyond natural surface roughness. Polarization curves showed electrodes with higher roughness and indentation had a 1.57% reduction in overpotential across 0-0.5 A/cm², indicating micro/nanostructures add nucleation sites with lower energy barriers. However, excessive indentation caused overcrowding and reduced performance at high current densities, highlighting the need to optimize nucleation site density to improve electrolysis efficiency.

Yamini Ramesh, Rishabh Shukla, Swarat Sarkar and Haosong Xiao

In this work, we report the world's first infrastructure-guided communication-enhanced road crack detection pipeline that is effective and implementable on passenger vehicles. We first design a customized communication protocol to transmit the region of interest from the infrastructure to the vehicle. With proper camera image processing (e.g., dynamic cropping and frame selection), the focused images are provided to the crack detection model. Leveraging state-of-the-art crack detection model backbones and a carefully prepared dataset comprising a forward-facing view with a crack, we train the model to improve crack-detection performance. We demonstrate the full detection pipeline on an experimental vehicle platform and showcase the detection effectiveness, and project future research directions.

Sara Alabyadh, Ariana Chatlani, Kevin Lin and Raymond Zeng

Working with Pointdexter Lab and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences's (SEAS) DREAM lab, this project focused on the design of a waterproof case to house a MicroMoth acoustic logger. This case is to be deployed in rainforests within Thailand and Vietnam to further research being done by Pointdexter Labs to record and analyze ultrasonic vocalizations of an endangered primate species, the Bengal slow loris. This presentation describes the student engineering team's efforts to follow a standard design approach, develop technical requirements based on client needs, ensure the design meets IP-67 waterproof standards and optimizes acoustic performance. This project highlights differences between engineering principles in theory and their practical application.  

Awais Ahmad, Aditya Bhatt, Soham Mehra, Urvish Shah and Yaswanth Thota

Autonomous tracking of flying aerial objects has become fundamental capability for next next-generation aviation whose implications affect both civilians and defense sectors. A learning-based YOLO object detector is employed to estimate the target UAV's image-plane location, which is subsequently used by an Image-Based Visual Servoing (IBVS) controller to generate real-time pursuit commands. While civilian applications leverage this technology in pursuit of drifting subjects during search and rescue operations, and to facilitate infrastructure following behaviors during inspection missions, analogous capabilities are required within the defense sector to enable effective threat mitigation. In such high-stake operations, human-in-the-loop control latencies renders manual intervention impractical, necessitating fully autonomous on-board systems with millisecond-level reaction capabilities. Validating these high-frequency control loops directly in the physical environment is logistically untenable due to hardware fragility and inherent safety risks. Furthermore, modern learning-based methodologies demand extensive training episodes that far surpasses the operational constraints imposed by the hardware such as battery endurance and field deployment. These limitations necessitate the adoption of Digital Twin framework as primary testbed, enabling safe, exhaustive algorithmic optimization prior to deployment in real-world settings. To bridge the gap between theory and development, we implement this high-fidelity Digital Twin using the Gazebo simulation environment, which is particularly well suited for UAV research due to its seamless integration with Robotics Operating System (ROS). Unlike other alternative simulators, Gazebo provides full interface parity with physical flight experiments by exposing identical communication pathways through MAVROS and pymavlink, including the same topics, services, and message definitions as with a real flight controller equivalent. This fidelity facilitates robust Software-in-the-Loop (SITL) validation, enabling the direct deployment of tracking algorithms onto real-world UAVs with minimal reconfiguration. This accurate interface replication is pivotal for minimizing Sim-to-Real transfer errors. By validating against realistic constraints early in the design cycle, the Digital Twin offers strong assurance that theoretical performance will be preserved in actual flight scenarios. Thus, the Gazebo-based Digital Twin provides reliable testbed for developing and validating autonomous UAV algorithms prior to real-world deployment.

Andre Lloyd

This Comment examines the growing problem of informal executive pressure on private media companies and its implications for the First Amendment. Using the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! following criticism of the Trump Administration as a case study, it argues that existing doctrine inadequately addresses situations where high-level government officials achieve censorship without issuing formal commands. Although the First Amendment clearly prohibits direct censorship, modern media institutions operate within regulatory systems that make them especially vulnerable to informal government coercion. For that reason, executive pressure backed by regulatory authority can produce a constitutionally cognizable chilling effect on protected speech even in the absence of a formal command. Drawing on the Supreme Court case Bantam Books v. Sullivan, this Comment proposes a structured jawboning scrutiny framework to address coercive government communications and recommends legislative transparency and anti-retaliation safeguards. Guarding against informal censorship preserves robust political criticism and maintains an independent press.

Kailyn Lane

Approximately 1 in 3 teens in the United States is a victim of teen dating violence. Teen dating violence occurs in people aged 13 - 19, and it is a pattern of behaviors used by one partner to maintain power and control over the other partner in a relationship. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention classifies teen dating violence as an adverse childhood experience that can have lifelong effects. The CDC, however, notes that teen dating violence is preventable through education. The Teen Dating Violence Prevention Project (TDVPP) works to educate high school students in the Western New York area. The TDVPP utilizes interactive lessons on unhealthy relationships, but also on the characteristics of healthy relationships. The goal of the TDVPP is to educate teenagers on the characteristics of unhealthy and healthy relationships to deter behaviors that may lead to teen dating violence. 

Siddharth Mantravadi

Cody Bellinger is an outfielder for the New York Yankees who has experienced significant ups and downs throughout his career. This study investigates volatility in player performance as it relates to contract decisions made by Major League Baseball teams in recent years. It examines how MLB teams have evolved their contract strategies to mitigate risk and ensure long-term value for their franchises. Through this study, player value is measured using statistics such as WAR. WAR measures how much better a player is compared to a replacement-level player by analyzing three main categories: batting, fielding, and baserunning. The study contributes to the field by introducing potential solutions to the growing tensions surrounding salary structures in Major League Baseball and the possibility of an upcoming strike. By examining how teams manage volatility and uncertainty in player valuation, this research highlights how contract strategies reflect broader shifts in risk management within the league.

Yiling Shen

In 2021, California enacted Assembly Bill 701 (AB 701), the first U.S. regulation requiring warehouse employers to disclose productivity quotas to employees. The law aims to improve workplace transparency and employee well-being by mandating disclosure of performance expectations and disciplinary consequences. We study the real effects of this employee-level disclosure mandate on firm investment and employment outcomes. Using county-industry data from 2015-2024, we implement a difference-in-differences design comparing warehouse establishments in California to those in other U.S. counties. We find that warehouse establishments, employment, and total wage growth in California decline by approximately 8-9% relative to unaffected regions following AB 701's implementation. Similar results emerge when using related industries within California as an alternative control group. Our findings suggest that targeted transparency mandates can produce unintended consequences by reducing in-state investment and labor demand.

Abigail Murray

Compassion Champions is a youth-led initiative I co-founded to support underserved families, particularly women and children experiencing housing insecurity. Inspired by my personal experiences and commitment to community service, I lead efforts to organize donation drives and mobilize volunteers to provide essential resources, including backpacks, hygiene kits, clothing, food, and toys. To date, our work has supported over 1,100 individuals across Queens and Long Island, addressing immediate needs while fostering dignity and connection. This project highlights the power of youth leadership and community collaboration in creating meaningful, lasting impact. As Compassion Champions continues to grow, I am expanding this work to Buffalo, New York, with a focus on building sustainable partnerships and long-term support systems for families in need.

Lai Ching Tseung

This project analyzes three years of financial and donor data from Arts Services Inc. (ASI) to develop a data-driven approach to improving fundraising strategy and financial sustainability. Using QuickBooks data from 2023-2025, the analysis examines revenue sources, donor demographics, geographic engagement, and budget versus actual performance through Tableau visualizations. The key findings show that government funding is the most stable revenue source, while foundation funding produced a one-time increase of approximately $60,000 in May 2024. Geographic analysis identified strong donor engagement in Williamsville (ZIP 14221), suggesting opportunities to expand outreach to similar communities. Budget versus actual comparisons also revealed gaps in forecasting and areas for improved cost control. Overall, this project transforms financial data into actionable insights, enabling ASI to improve donor targeting, optimize resources, and adopt a more proactive and sustainable fundraising strategy.

Stephanie Newberger

This project centers around my work as a Brand-Marketing Intern at Fisher-Price headquarters this past summer. I utilized Tableau, Circana, ThoughtSpot and Excel to do a financial analysis of past and present items in the FP Index and the competitive index, and create a product marketing matrix that allowed the team to see white spaces in the market, to further shape their strategy for the 2027 product line. 

Selena Huynh

Social media algorithms are engineered to maximize user engagement by curating content based on personal behavior, preferences, and platform profit goals. For adolescents and college students, this creates powerful echo chambers that reinforce biased, emotionally charged content and fuel harmful cycles of doomscrolling. This paper examines how algorithmic design intensifies negative social comparison, anxiety, depression, and reduced self-esteem among young users, while limiting exposure to diverse perspectives. Drawing on recent research in psychology, digital media, and adolescent development, this study explores the mechanisms behind echo chamber formation and their measurable impact on student mental health. It further proposes three evidence-based solutions: integrating digital literacy education into academic curricula, promoting intentional and balanced social media habits, and advocating for ethical platform design. Ultimately, empowering students with critical awareness of how algorithms operate is essential to protecting their wellbeing in an increasingly digital world.

Chao-Jhih Liu

This paper investigates how broad-based employee stock options (ESOs), especially those granted to rank-and-file (R&F) employees, foster firms' sustainable competitive advantage through brand capital formation. Drawing on the agency theory and resource-based view, we argue that R&F ESOs motivate pro-quality and pro-stakeholder behaviors that strengthen firms' reputational foundations. Exploiting the 2005 enactment of FAS 123R as an exogenous shock that increased the cost of option grants, we implement a difference-in-differences design to identify causal effects. Firms more exposed to FAS 123R experienced significant declines in the renewal and citation ratios of new trademarks and slower subsequent sales and profit growth. These effects are stronger among firms without alternative incentive plans or with higher workforce reliance. Overall, our findings reveal that incentives for R&F employees play a vital role in sustaining brand capital and long-term firm performance.

Luciano Kadian

AIET is an interactive astrophysics platform for simulating planetary systems and evaluating potential habitability. It combines a deterministic N-body orbital simulator with machine learning to explore how planetary dynamics influence environmental conditions. The physics engine models gravitational interactions between bodies such as the Sun, Earth, and Moon using a symplectic integrator to maintain long-term orbital stability. On top of the simulation layer, an AI module analyzes planetary features-such as orbital distance, stellar flux, and system architecture-to estimate habitability likelihood. The interface allows users to visualize systems, adjust parameters, and compare configurations ranging from simplified models to multi-body systems like Alpha Centauri. AIET's goal is to bridge computational astrophysics, data science, and education by enabling experimentation with planetary system design and the conditions that could support life.

Namratha Pulluru

While Large Language Models (LLMs) excel at reasoning via In-Context Learning (ICL), standard non adaptive prompting methods often suffer from exemplar redundancy resulting in less informative prompts and prohibitive computational costs. This research evaluates four novel strategies to optimize exemplar selection: Cluster-Balanced, Diversity-Regularized, Density-Based Cluster-Uncertainty, and a Reinforcement Learning-based Monte Carlo approach. By framing exemplar selection as a sequential decision-making process, these methods utilize clustering and similarity-penalizing scoring functions to enhance conceptual coverage. Our analysis evaluates these strategies across task performance, diversity, and computational stability. We find that while pure clustering improves coverage at the expense of peak accuracy, diversity regularization provides an optimal trade-off. Ultimately, regularized and RL-based mechanisms significantly outperform standard uncertainty-based prompting, offering a more efficient path for long-context ICL.

Zohreh Dehghan Manshadi

This research examines the critical relationship between advertising effectiveness, content quality, and market position within on-line marketplaces. Using a dataset of over one million SKU-week observations from Amazon's jigsaw puzzle category, the study utilizes a log-log interaction model to isolate how high-quality product listings amplify the impact of paid ads. Findings reveal that improving content quality, such as enhanced images and videos, acts as a "strategic multiplier," more than doubling advertising ROI for market leaders. Additionally, the study identifies a significant "business stealing" effect from competitors, suggesting that consistent advertising serves as a necessary defensive shield. Ultimately, the results indicate that sellers should prioritize optimizing the "digital shelf" before scaling ad budgets, as superior content is a mathematical prerequisite for maximizing conversion and long-term ad performance.

Azadeh Arjmanddavarani

According to a recent report by the National Retail Federation (NRF), the total returns for the retail industry are expected to reach $849.9 billion in 2025, while the share of on-line sales return is estimated to be 19.3%. Although extant research has investigated the effects of return policies on product returns, the literature offers relatively limited empirical investigation into other influential factors that drive consumer return behavior in on-line retail settings. We develop an empirical investigation to examine the impact of different influential factors on the product return in on-line retailing including market response metrics (non-organic traffic, promotion), product information (image and video score), and consumer engagement (average rating, on-line reviews). The model will be evaluated using a dataset provided by a gaming company that produces jigsaw puzzles.

Sara Hoseingholizade and Meirgul Kaleshova

Leadership development often focuses on skills, but less is known about how people come to see themselves as leaders. This is especially relevant for Gen Z, who may resist leadership roles even when capable-a phenomenon sometimes called conscious unbossing. We designed a behavioral leadership challenge that encourages individuals to practice specific leadership behaviors each week. By actively "doing" leadership, participants begin to experience themselves as leaders, strengthening both leader identity and motivation to lead. Our findings shows that developing leadership is not just about skills-it also involves shaping self-perceptions. Helping individuals recognize and embrace their potential as leaders can foster more confident, motivated leaders and support the leadership pipeline in today's flatter organizations.

Daren Liu

Enhancers are regulatory elements found within a genome whose primary purpose is to "turn on" specific genes. They can be upstream, downstream, or within their gene targets and lack consistent sequence patterns, making vivo testing, or experimentally searching the genome, extremely resource intensive. The use of in silico (computational) prediction, however, allows us to rapidly and inexpensively identify likely enhancers. SCRMshaw is a machine learning model used to predict enhancers from a given genome. Using different criteria to mask repetitive regions in the genome resulted in similar predictions across maskings, affirming the robustness of SCRMshaw for multiple styles of processing. In addition, we used the experimental ATAC-seq method to identify regions of open chromatin, a common predictor of regulatory sequences, in the scuttle fly, Megaselia abdita. We tested three such regions and found one that functions as an enhancer when tested in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster.

Madison Enser

Neural crest cells are a multipotent cell population essential for embryonic development that contribute to craniofacial tissues, the peripheral nervous system, and cardiac structures. Mutations in key transcription factors regulating neural crest formation cause congenital disorders such as Mowat-Wilson syndrome and Hamamy syndrome, two pathologies marked by craniofacial and dental anomalies and intellectual disability. This study investigates the functional roles of ZEB2 and IRX5, the causative genes in Mowat-Wilson syndrome and Hamamy syndrome, respectively, by using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), directed differentiation, brain organoids, and the chick embryo model. siRNA knockdown indicate that IRX5 is necessary for early human neural crest formation, while patient-derived iPSC models reveal Zeb2 perturbations impair neurodevelopment. Ongoing analyses include gene expression profiling (RNA-seq) and protein-level validation. Together, our findings enhance our understanding of key genes involved in neural crest gene regulation and provide a platform to identify molecular targets for potential therapeutic interventions to treat neurocristopathies.  

Meagan Hutchinson

FOXG1 syndrome is a rare genetic condition characterized by developmental delay, intellectual disability, epilepsy, movement disorders, and autism spectrum disorder features, with no approved treatments currently available. This study aims to elucidate how specific FOXG1 gene variants contribute to variability in clinical presentation and symptom severity. Patient data from the Citizen Health database and the FOXG1 Research Foundation are analyzed in conjunction with experimental studies utilizing patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines and mouse models. Clinical phenotypes and neuroimaging findings from patients are compared to behavioral profiles, immunostaining results, and imaging data from mouse models to evaluate the extent to which FOXG1 syndrome is replicated. Electrophysiological techniques are applied to iPSC-derived neurons and mouse models to examine the impact of FOXG1 variants on neuronal communication. Integrating patient data with findings from patient-specific models is expected to improve our understanding of FOXG1 syndrome and facilitate the development of targeted therapies.

Ava Cunningham

The International Classification of Orofacial Pain (ICOP) provides an extensive terminology for describing subtypes of pain (International Classification of Orofacial Pain, Cephalalgia. 2020;40(2):129). The objective of this work has been to convert the ICOP terminology into an ontological representation of pain, as part of our work on two related ontologies, the Pain Ontology and the Oral Health and Disease Ontology (OHD). We utilized Protégé ontology editor to add 309 new ontology classes related to ICOP to OHD, 203 of which were directly based on ICOP terms and 106 which were contributing factors. Each class was annotated with its respective label, definition, definition source, and ICOP code. In this project, we have logically related the resulting classes to classes in other ontologies allowing for enhanced integration and inferencing with data annotated to ICOP classes and made improvements to both OHD and the Pain Ontology.

Rachel Stephens 

When clinicians encounter patients with rare, complex, or difficult to diagnosis conditions, Artificial Intelligence (AI), specifically Large Language Models (LLMs) can be efficacious at the point of care. LLMs can synthesize information from medical texts which can assist clinicians in arriving at evidence based final diagnoses. The Department of Biomedical Informatics at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences constructed a domain-specific LLM, a 70B parameter Llama 3.1 model enhanced by retrieval augmented generation (RAG) to include formally represented semantic clinical knowledge into the LLM, named Semantic Clinical Artificial Intelligence (SCAI, pronounced, sky). Usability testing was conducted to elucidate how clinicians interacted with the model's interface and identify areas for improvement. Comparative effectiveness analysis was then conducted to assess the diagnostic accuracy between the Native LLM and SCAI, by having the models produce a ranked differential diagnosis list for 50 complex cases. Additional analysis is being conducted on the next diagnostic steps and treatment recommendations output by the LLMs for each case. Notably, bias testing will be conducted to determine how well the LLM can handle information related to the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) and how this information impacts outputs across domains. 

Aashi Acharya

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is under-reported and pervasive in the orthopedic surgical setting. The orthopedic trauma population is especially at risk for barriers to care related to social determinants of health. The aim of this study is to screen orthopedic trauma clinic patients for barriers to care and IPV to more adequately describe the barriers our patients face in orthopedic trauma care, and to describe the number of patients in our clinic who may be at risk/experiencing IPV, and to develop a protocol to better connect patients in need with resources based on their identified needs. The goal is to determine if this screening process is feasible in our clinic space, and if there is a need for this type of support. Ultimately, we hope to utilize this data to support a full-time social work presence in the ortho trauma clinics to better address patient needs.

Collin Stanley

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common cause of chronic pain and disability. In addition to specific treatment factors (e.g., treatment modality), non-specific factors (e.g., treatment credibility and expectancy), may also influence treatment outcomes. This study evaluated factors associated with these non-specific factors among patients with KOA. Patients aged 45-85 years with degenerative knee pain and newly prescribed physical therapy (PT), corticosteroid injection (CSI), or arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM) were recruited from two orthopaedic clinics. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing treatment credibility, expectancy, provider trust, and overall physical and mental health. Among 344 enrolled participants, those receiving CSI or APM reported higher average treatment credibility and expectancy scores compared to those about to receive PT. In multivariate models, treatment type and better physical health were associated with higher treatment expectancy and credibility scores. These findings highlight the importance of considering patient perceptions when counseling on KOA treatment options. 

Badar Goraya anf Sriya Natarajan

Primary hyperoxaluria type 2 (PH2) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the GRHPR gene, leading to excess oxalate production and kidney complications such as stones and dysfunction. This case series evaluated five siblings who underwent genetic testing after recurrent kidney stones were identified in the oldest child. Three siblings were homozygous for the mutation, one was a carrier, and one was unaffected. Among those affected, disease severity varied significantly: one required multiple surgeries, another needed a single intervention, and the youngest remained asymptomatic despite having the highest oxalate levels. Kidney function was preserved in all cases, and urinary conditions improved with increased fluid intake and crystallization inhibitors. Overall, these findings highlight the wide variability of PH2, even among individuals with identical mutations, and emphasize the importance of early genetic screening for effective monitoring and timely intervention.

Maddie O'Hearn and Soha Shah

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune blistering disease of the skin and mucous membranes that can be fatal without aggressive immunosuppressive treatment. PV is primarily caused by autoantibodies targeting the adhesion molecules desmoglein 3 (Dsg3) and Dsg1, disrupting keratinocyte adhesion and causing blister formation. However, the pathogenic role of non-desmoglein autoantibodies remains debated. To investigate this, keratinocyte monolayers were incubated with the pathogenic anti-Dsg3 antibody AK23, alone or combined with antibodies against E-cadherin, desmocollin 1 (Dsc1), Dsc3, plakoglobin (PKG), ATP2C1, heat shock protein 60 (HSP60), and superoxidase dismutase 2 (SOD2). Monolayer fragmentation was then measured through keratinocyte dissociation assays (KDAs). AK23 induced significant, dose-dependent fragmentation at 6 and 24 hours. Several non-Dsg antibodies, including anti-E-cadherin, -Dsc1, -Dsc3, -PKG, and -ATP2C1, also induced fragmentation alone, while anti-E-cadherin, -Dsc1, -Dsc3, -ATP2C1, and -SOD2 enhanced AK23-mediated fragmentation, supporting their pathogenic relevance in PV and highlighting potential biomarkers and targets for more precise therapies. 

Dana Diaz

Cryptococcus neoformans is an environmental fungus that causes deadly meningitis in patients with immune defects. To cause disease in humans, the organism must adapt to the stressful environment of the host. Previous work in our lab revealed that translation regulation is important for this adaptation. Translation initiation is a critical step in protein synthesis regulated by the eIF4F complex, composed of eIF4E, eIF4A, and eIF4G. Our lab identified a second eIF4G homolog in C. neoformans named Afg1, which contains a unique N-terminal extension, suggesting it may form a distinct eIF4F-like complex involved in pathogenesis. We investigated how Afg1 contributes to translation under stress using gene deletion, HA-tagging, RNA immunoprecipitation, and ribosome profiling. Afg1-bound mRNAs were enriched for mitochondrial function. Deletion of canonical eIF4G increased stress sensitivity, while deletion of Afg1 enhanced heat resistance. Afg1 produces two isoforms via alternative start sites and intron retention; only the longer isoform is expressed at 37°C.

Miles Stefko

Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 3 remains a major global health threat, causing severe diseases such as pneumonia, bacteremia, and meningitis especially in older adults. Despite its inclusion in currently licensed pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV), serotype 3 remains a danger due to its polysaccharide capsule's ability to evade host immunity. We studied Liposomal Encapsulation of Polysaccharides (LEPS) as a novel vaccine formulation against serotype 3-derived infections. LEPS non covalently incorporates pneumococcal polysaccharides into lipid-nanoparticles with additional bacterial protein antigens PncO and PspA. In both young and aged mice, LEPS induced strong antibody responses and outperformed PCV by reducing lung bacterial burden and preventing systemic spread. LEPS additionally promoted greater recruitment of neutrophils and dendritic cells at the injection site. Overall, LEPS serves as a promising vaccine strategy for protecting those particularly at risk for serotype 3 infections.

Namrata Deka

Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) represents a major clinical burden. Our  longitudinal cohort study of 19 chronically catheterized individuals showed that symptomatic CAUTI episodes are not due to de novo pathogen acquisition, but emerge from pre-existing, colonizing uropathogens. To investigate the polymicrobial ecosystem, we performed metagenomic sequencing on 198 sequential urine samples from 9 participants. Beyond canonical uropathogens, we identified a stable microbiota comprising fungi and oral microbes, exhibiting compositional resilience through multiple catheter changes. Antibiotic disruption was the sole driver of major community restructuring, followed by re-establishment of same precursor strains. Concurrently, we used WGS and phenotypic assays to examine within-host adaptation of Proteus mirabilis, cultured longitudinally from 8 participants over 30 weeks. In one participant, a single P. mirabilis lineage (MLST 185) persisted for 26 weeks, spontaneously acquiring a mutL mutation at week 2 and propagating a hypermutator strain. In a murine CAUTI model, these adapted isolates exhibited variable changes on virulence: in the hypermutator strain, a late-stage isolate demonstrated reduced fitness in vivo, while isolates from another participant showed enhanced dissemination and bacterial burden, indicating that evolutionary changes are host-specific that modulate pathogenesis. These data demonstrate the catheterized urinary tract functions as a stable, polymicrobial ecosystem where P. mirabilis undergoes genetic and phenotypic diversification that modulate its pathogenic potential. 

Jack Reeves

Chronic active white matter (WM) inflammation is increasingly recognized as a key driver of multiple sclerosis (MS) progression. Iron-sensitive MRI now enables in vivo detection of this process through "paramagnetic rim lesions" (PRLs), which are specific to MS and associated with greater disability. This work examines three unresolved issues: the reliability of PRL detection, the influence of acute inflammation on PRL-outcome relationships, and the factors shaping PRL evolution. We show that PRLs can be reproducibly identified and that they predict more frequent relapses and greater long-term disability, even after accounting for acute disease activity. PRLs are also linked to ongoing chronic WM inflammation and pulvinar iron depletion, but not brain atrophy. Finally, clinical and behavioral factors, particularly disease-modifying therapy use and smoking abstinence, are associated with reduced baseline PRL burden and fewer new PRLs. These findings support PRLs as a robust marker of MS progression with prognostic clinical utility.

Trey Lewis

Cognitive impairment is commonly reported in people with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS). However, multisensory processing has largely been unexplored in the literature on MS cognition. Nevertheless, cognitive performance in daily activities is often multisensory in nature and highly relevant to clinical outcomes. To address this current gap in understanding, the present study obtained neural indices of multisensory processing during target detection in PwMS. PwMS and healthy control participants completed an audio-visual processing task with target and non-target visual (blue/red circles) and auditory (high/low tones) stimuli. Event-related potentials (ERP) were obtained for each trial category. Results revealed that P3 amplitude was attenuated in MS compared to controls for unisensory target trials. During multisensory target trials, PwMS demonstrated an attenuated, delayed P3 component compared to controls. These findings indicate generalized disturbances in the neural response during target detection, and suggest compensatory processing during multisensory conflict, in PwMS compared to controls.

Samuel Roberts and Shawn Szczygiel

Mood disorders like anxiety and PTSD lack highly effective treatments. Neuropeptide S (NPS) and its receptor (NPSR) are genetically linked to these conditions, yet their underlying molecular pathways remain unclear. Because NPSR features a PDZ ligand-a molecular scaffolding motif-this study investigated its intracellular signaling networks by examining NPSR mRNA co-expression with PDZ-containing proteins MAGI-2 and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). Using multichannel fluorescent RNAscope in mouse brain tissue, we found robust co-expression of NPSR with both MAGI-2 and nNOS across all examined brain regions. These findings indicate that MAGI-2 and nNOS act as fundamental scaffolding and signaling partners for NPSR throughout the central nervous system. This widespread anatomical overlap clarifies the molecular mechanisms of NPS function and identifies these protein-protein interactions as promising novel therapeutic targets for severe mood and anxiety disorders.

Ahsanul Jidan

Brain fog is a prevalent but poorly characterized condition marked by cognitive slowing without objective findings. We aimed to determine whether brain fog occurs in isolation or clusters with specific comorbid domains. In this retrospective analysis of 100 outpatient encounters, brain fog was documented as a primary (12%) or contributing diagnosis. Data included comorbidities, diagnostic tests, interventions, and follow-up. Brain fog was rarely an isolated symptom. Cervical-related diagnoses were the predominant comorbidity, present in 72% of patients, followed by mood/anxiety-related disorders (58%), vestibular disorders (53%), and sleep-related disorders (35%). Neuroimaging, spine imaging, vestibular testing, and sleep studies were performed. A subset of patients receiving cervical interventions reported improvement, though observations were uncontrolled and confounded by coexisting conditions. These findings support hypothesis generation; cervical-related diagnoses demonstrate the highest co-occurrence with brain fog. Further research is needed to clarify the relationship between brain fog and cervical, mood/anxiety, vestibular, and sleep-related conditions.

Sandy Enriquez

The development of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) is tightly regulated by several classes of transcription factors. RGCs, along with other retinal cell types, arise from undifferentiated retinal progenitor cells (RPCs), yet the gene regulatory mechanisms that direct these distinct fates remain poorly understood. Here, we use global and single-cell approaches to examine the transcriptome during early RGC development and define the molecular programs guiding RPCs toward the RGC lineage. We show that Sox4 and Sox11, members of the SoxC family, function alongside Atoh7 to promote RGC fate specification. Immunohistochemistry and bulk RNA-seq analyses reveal that loss of Sox4/Sox11 impacts not only RGCs but also horizontal, amacrine, and photoreceptor populations. Comparative analysis of Sox4/Sox11/Atoh7 triple deletion further uncovers both cooperative and independent roles in coordinating RGC lineage specification. Single-cell RNA-seq supports these findings and highlights shifts in retinal lineage trajectories. Ongoing epigenetic studies will examine SoxC-dependent chromatin changes.

Daija Brewer

Excessive screen time is a recognized health risk associated with obesity, poor sleep, and reduced physical activity. Parental behavior may influence children's screen use through modeling and reinforcement. While prior research has examined screen time's health effects, few studies have assessed its relative reinforcing value (RRV), a measure of motivation to engage in screen use. This study examines the relationship between parental and child RRV for screen time. Ten families have completed an observational study, with a target sample of 80. Participants completed a computer task to earn points for screen or non-screen activities, along with questionnaires assessing preferences. Parent and child RRV were not correlated (r = -0.09, p = 0.81). However, lower weekend screen time in children was associated with higher RRV (r = -0.44, p = 0.17), and parent and child weekday screen time were positively correlated (r = 0.53, p = 0.10). Findings suggest parental behavior influences child screen use, while restriction may increase its reinforcing value.

Gabriela Caceres

Patient satisfaction questionnaires are an important measure of patient satisfaction and quality of healthcare. Language and cultural differences can influence how families experience healthcare. This study examines if caregiver satisfaction of services at school-based health centers (SBHCs), using the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire Short Form (PSQ-18), is different based on Spanish- or English-speaking, and Hispanic ethnicity. The PSQ-18, an 18-item validated tool that measures satisfaction across seven subcategories; higher scores showing greater satisfaction. Minor modifications were made to reflect the care in SBHCs. Participants were categorized into three groups, Spanish-Speaking, English-Speaking Hispanic, and English-Speaking non-Hispanic.  Group differences were assessed using Kruskal-Wallis (three groups) or Wilcoxon rank-sum tests (two groups) with Holm adjustment for multiple testing; significant results were followed by DSCF pairwise comparisons. Patient satisfaction scores showed no significant differences between language and ethnicity for all PSQ-18 subgroups except Interpersonal Manor (IM). In IM, the means for Spanish-Speaking (n=6), English-Speaking Hispanic (n=23), and English-Speaking non-Hispanic (n=106) were 2.92, 3.93, and 4.15 respectively. Pairwise comparisons showed a significant difference between Spanish-Speaking and English-speaking non-Hispanic (p=0.0020); between Spanish-Speaking and English-Speaking Hispanic (p=0.0071). There was no significant difference between English-speaking Hispanic and non-Hispanic.  Differences among the Spanish speaking caregivers in Interpersonal Manner may be a result of different provider interactions, such as having to conversate through a translator. Conclusions are limited by the small Spanish speaking sample size. These results show that Spanish speaking families may experience provider communications differently, leading to a communication lapse that can be improved. 

Allyson Lunarejo

One of the biggest challenges to developing effective therapeutics for neurological disorders lies in our limited understanding of how the brain processes information across different regions. Our lab aims to address these gaps by generating comprehensive, brain-wide maps of activated neuronal circuits that can be used to identify neuronal ensembles involved in behavioral and pharmacological responses. This project aims to see responses to pain. We hypothesize that analyzing neuronal activation patterns during pain stimuli and analgesic treatment will reveal novel neuronal circuits involved in nociception and analgesia. To test this hypothesis, we employed the Targeted Recombination in Active Populations (TRAP) mouse model, an approach that enables permanent genetic tagging of neuronal circuits. This is done by expressing cFos, a marker of neuronal activation, with a red fluorescent protein (tdTomato) to capture the effects of a painful stimulus. We are conducting a 2.5% formalin injection test on FosTRAP mice treated with Carprofen (a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, NSAID), and we compared them with mice that received only saline. We will process coronal brain sections for fluorescence microscopy and, using AI-assisted brain atlas registration and cell counting, we will identify neuronal ensembles that encode pain perception and the analgesic effect. Using this data, we expect to create a neuronal map of how pain perception is encoded across the brain, which can serve as a reference for developing novel analgesic methodologies.

Caleigh Hoerner

Methylphenidate (MP) is commonly prescribed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD and depression are often comorbid, leading to simultaneous use of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Fluoxetine (FLX). Previous studies show MP increases microglial activation linked to neuroinflammation, but little is known about these medications in combination. To address this gap, 3-week-old male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to four groups receiving water, MP, FLX, or MP+FLX orally using an established dosing regimen. After four weeks of treatment, brains were collected for in vitro [3H]PK11195 autoradiography. Chronic treatment with MP and MP+FLX significantly increased [3H]PK11195 binding in somatosensory regions including cortex limbs somatosensory (S(Limbs)), facial somatosensory (S(Face)), and dorsal and ventral caudate putamen (D CPU, V CPU). MP increased microglial activation in specific regions; however, effects were not amplified by co-administration with fluoxetine. These findings emphasize investigating interactions between SSRIs and MP as use becomes prevalent.

Lilly Tartaglia

Chronic pain is a prevalent and debilitating condition that remains challenging to treat, contributing to widespread-opioid overuse in the United States. Identifying non-opioid therapeutic targets is critical. Adenylyl cyclase (ACs), key regulators of cAMP signaling and neuronal excitability, have emerged as potential contributors to pain processing. This study investigated the role of adenylyl cyclase 2 (AC2) in neuropathic pain. Male and female C57BL/6 mice received intrathecal injections of a viral construct to knock down AC2 expression, followed by spinal nerve ligation (SNL) surgery. Behavioral assessments revealed decreased mechanical sensitivity in AC2 knockdown mice compared to controls. These findings suggest that AC2 contributes to neuropathic pain and may represent a novel therapeutic target. Future studies will validate AC2 knockdown and further explore its role across the CNS regions involved in pain modulation.

Kymani Getfield and Aakari Redd

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy-Richardson's Syndrome (PSP-RS) is a rare neurodegenerative tauopathy. PSP-RS and Parkinson's Disease (PD) exhibit overlapping symptoms, frequently resulting in misdiagnosis. Unlike PD, PSP-RS is characterized by abnormal tau aggregation, midbrain atrophy, and cholinergic neuronal loss in the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN).To model this pathology, our lab developed a rat model expressing the 1N4R isoform of human tau (hTau) in PPN cholinergic neurons. In our current cohort (n = 46; 21 males, 25 females; hTau rats and controls - eGFP and Null vectors) MRI was acquired longitudinally at 7, 12, and 17 months, with ex vivo imaging at 23 months. MB:P volume ratios were quantified using Analyze 14.0. Sexes combined demonstrated significant ventricular enlargement in eGFP and hTau rats. Furthermore, hTau rats showed reduced MB:P ratios, with a significant difference at 12 months.This research advances identification of MRI biomarkers for early diagnosis and therapeutic evaluation in PSP-RS.

Anna Esposito and Ahsanul Jidan

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) is a rare tauopathy with heterogeneous clinical presentations. No disease-modifying treatments exist, limiting treatment to symptom management. This study characterizes PSP-like pathology in a rat model integrating behavioral, MRI, and histological measures to inform earlier diagnosis and treatment. Prior work produced a rat model expressing eGFP or hTau via AAV in the pedunculopontine tegmentum (PPTg). hTau rats showed reduced acoustic startle reflex, hindlimb clasping reflex, and impaired horizontal ladder performance. Our current cohort of rats underwent post-mortem MRI and histological analysis 20 weeks post-AAV. We correlated acoustic startle response and pre-pulse inhibition data with MRI measurements of lateral ventricle volumes and midbrain-pons ratios. Histological analysis assessed cholinergic and dopaminergic markers and hyperphosphorylated tau (AT8 antibody). We found correlation between neuronal loss in posterior cholinergic PPTg and startle deficits in  hTau rats. Future work will further integrate behavioral and histological datasets to identify prognostic biomarkers.

Kayla Ferrigno, Linus Robideau and Ayanna Varma

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and nicotine are often co-used during pregnancy, yet their effects on inflammatory outcomes in offspring remain poorly understood. We examined the effects of combined THC and nicotine followed by unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) during rat adolescence. Pregnant dams were exposed to inhaled THC and nicotine from gestational day 2 (GD2) until birth, and offspring were maintained on either a normal or high-fat diet (HFD). Beginning at adolescence, some animals endured UCMS. Serum levels of interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1α) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) were measured at the end of adolescence. Prenatal drug exposure followed by UCMS produced significant effects on IL-1α levels in males on a normal diet. Females showed greater sensitivity to UCMS across dietary conditions. In contrast, TGF-β levels were largely unaffected by treatment or stress, with limited effects observed only in females with normal diets.

Wyatt Held, Jelissa Milien-Ortiz, Sarah Schincariol and Amanda Wong

Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) has far reaching consequences for individuals, families, and communities. Neuropeptide S (NPS) is an endogenous peptide that activates the NPS receptor (NPSR). Previous studies have shown NPS can reinstate drug-seeking behavior in rodents and RTI-118 (a NPSR antagonist) can curb cocaine-seeking behavior in rats. In this study, we hypothesize that RTI-118 will curb opioid intake/seeking behavior in acting as a therapeutic for OUD.  Rats underwent Threshold Assay (THR) and Relapse Testing (AD1/15) during a period of abstinence. In THR, RTI-118 treatment at 10mg/kg decreased oxycodone consumption behavior in males, However, female rats in low estrogen phases decreased consumption while female rats in high estrogen phases increased consumption upon RTI-118 treatment. During relapse testing, RTI-118 treated males decreased oxycodone seeking, and female rats showed no effects. Thus, NPSR Antagonist RTI-118 may be a new therapeutic for treating OUD with sex-based differences. 

Kayla Ferrigno, Trisha Jupudy, Afifa Roja, Makzim Semkiv, Ayanna Varma and Noa Yamaguchi

Prenatal nicotine exposure (PNE) is an increasingly prevalent public health concern worldwide. Nicotine activates dopaminergic neurons, which play a role in central reward processing. In utero nicotine exposure can disrupt neurodevelopment and produce aberrant behavioral phenotypes, altering alcohol- and other reward-seeking behaviors. As nicotine is most commonly inhaled by humans, we employed a vapor inhalation paradigm to enhance clinical relevance. Offspring were subsequently assessed during adolescence using a two-bottle choice paradigm to measure alcohol intake. PNE rats exhibit reduced initial bodyweights and showed reduced alcohol consumption compared to controls in both sexes, contrary to previous literature, suggesting substance specific changes in reward following PNE. Although nicotine and alcohol are frequently co-used, PNE may induce a blunted response to alcohol and may contribute to an anhedonic state. The present study warrants further research on the specific neurochemical changes following PNE and its effects on anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Anthony Anzalone, Santosh Jena, Keefe Suen and Himani Vasnani

Attention is a cognitive process where one focuses on specific stimuli. Controlling attention involves a complex network of regions in the brain, including the prefrontal cortex, parietal cortex, and thalamus. However, the role of the thalamus in this network is understudied. Previous studies have highlighted the anterior thalamic nucleus (ATN) as an area of high neuronal activity during attention switching. However, these studies were correlative in nature. To explore the function of the ATN in attention and obtain causal evidence for its contributions, we used a behavioral training paradigm known as the five-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT). Mice were trained over months to complete a series of repeated nose-poke sequences in randomized directions, which provides behavioral readouts of attention. A combination of artificial intelligence-base pose estimation, neuronal recordings, and optogenetics will be used to analyze the function of the ATN and its subdivisions during this behavior.

Mercedes Fisk

In low iron conditions, many microbes rely on siderophores to scavenge iron from the environment which can be exploited for many biomedical applications such as trojan horse antibiotic delivery. Typically, siderophores are created by Non-Ribosomal Peptide Synthetases (NRPSs) or NRPS independent siderophore (NIS) synthetases. Nocardichelin is exceptional as a hybrid NRPS-NIS siderophore from Nocardia carnea. We present the identification of the full nocardichelin BGC, our experimental data that supports one half of the biosynthetic pathway, and 2 published structures that provide insight into the natural product synthesis of nocardichelin. Determining the adaptations these enzymes have made to create this novel molecule informs on homologous enzymes and pathways and guides the path towards novel trojan horse antibiotics.

Shivansh Shalabh

Microcrystal Electron Diffraction (MicroED) is a transformative technique for determining protein structures, yet it is currently limited by the manual, time-consuming process of identifying nanocrystals on sample grids. This project addresses this bottleneck by developing an AI-assisted computer vision pipeline to automate crystal detection within Transmission Electron Microscopes (TEM). Using Python and deep learning frameworks, the goal is to create a model capable of instantly recognizing and bounding usable crystals in low-dose images. Thus far, I have successfully developed automation scripts to generate the necessary darkfield and brightfield images required for the training dataset. By automating the "eyes" of the microscope, this research aims to drastically increase throughput in structural biology, allowing for the rapid analysis of therapeutic targets and accelerating the pace of modern drug discovery.

Amruta Gajanan Bhat

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease leads to hepatic fat accumulation (steatosis) and fibrosis, which can be measured using ultrasound elastography. We evaluated how elastography-derived measures of steatosis and fibrosis relate to chronic inflammation, disease states, and physiological determinants of drug dosing. Liver elastography data from 5,494 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed. Controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) and median liver stiffness (LSM) were used to assess steatosis and fibrosis, and their associations with over 50 biomarkers were evaluated using regression, ensemble learning, and Bayesian network methods. CAP and LSM increased with age and were higher in males and individuals with liver disease, hepatitis C, diabetes, or prediabetes. Inflammatory markers, body surface area, and liver enzymes were also elevated. Machine learning identified interactions among metabolic and inflammatory factors associated with steatosis and fibrosis. Elastography measures may help inform individualized drug dosing in patients with metabolic comorbidities.

Anna Pellegrino

Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) is a key enzyme in alcohol metabolism that converts aldehydes into nontoxic acetate. Approximately 560 million people of East Asian descent have the ALDH2*2 (E487K) polymorphism, which reduces enzymatic activity and leads to toxic aldehyde accumulation during alcohol consumption. This induces catecholamine release in a reaction commonly known as "Asian Flush Syndrome." Aldehyde Oxidase 1 (AOX1) is a phase I enzyme that oxidizes aldehydes. In the context of chronic e-cigarette nicotine exposure, AOX1 can contribute to superoxide generation and oxidative lung injury. The purpose of this study is to clone ALDH2 and AOX1 to evaluate their expression for future metabolism studies. Both genes were amplified using PCR with specifically designed sense and antisense primers, cloned into a pcDNA™3.1 V5-His expression vector, transformed into E. coli, and transfected into HEK293 cells to evaluate their expression and activity with and without the V5-His tag.

Ayisha Hassan

Anti-drug antibodies (ADAs) can significantly alter a biologic drug's exposure and efficacy, however their impact on pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) is rarely incorporated into early predictive models. This work bridges the gap between clinical ADA data and PK/PD outcomes to quantify the consequences of immunogenicity. Data from ClinicalTrials.gov and FDA labels will be analyzed to identify the relationships between ADA formation, drug exposure, and clinical response. These variables will later be incorporated into a database to demonstrate the impact of ADA formation on PK variability. This approach enables the quantitative prediction of immunogenicity consequences and supports the development of improved translational modeling and biologic drug development.

Bronagh Cassidy

Within the lab, my work investigates knockdown - siRNA, small interfering RNA, mediated gene silencing in PDAC cell lines. My project builds upon background information discovered from previous work in my lab by scientist Qingxiang Lin, whose research demonstrated that single-agent fibroblast growth factor receptor, FGFR1, inhibitors suppress pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cell proliferation, with the greatest effects observed in PDAC tumors expressing low-to-moderate levels of FGFR1. Leveraging these findings, my curiosity seeks to further define the role of fibroblast growth factor receptor, FGFR, signaling in pancreatic cancer cell survival and drug response. Specifically, I will assess the effects of FGFR knockdown on cell viability and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) marker expression. Using gemcitabine as a positive control, I will evaluate whether FGFR modulation alters drug sensitivity in a drug-sensitive pancreatic cancer cell line, MIA PaCa-2-GR8, compared to drug-resistant, more mesenchymal cell lines. Since we can hypothesize that pancreatic cancer cell survival correlates with FGFR signaling, by using siRNA mediated FGFR knockdown, we can decrease cell viability and drug therapy resistance by enhancing sensitivity to gemcitabine. 

Deepesh Jain

Activity of the hepatic organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B1 (OATP1B1) drug uptake transporter has been associated with phosphorylation of tyrosines (Y) 640 and 645. It remains unclear how loss of Y640/645 phosphorylation, simultaneously, impacts transport activity, trafficking, and interactions. We hypothesized that loss of Y640/645 phosphorylation together impairs OATP1B1 function by altering surface abundance and protein interactions. FLAG-tagged wild-type or Y640/645 to phenylalanine mutant (Y640/645F) OATP1B1 overexpressing HEK293 cells were used to measure 8-(2-[Fluoresceinyl]-aminoethylthio)-adenosine-3′,5′-cyclic-monophosphate uptake, as well as transporter surface abundance with sulfo-NHS-SS-biotinylation, and protein interaction with Bis(sulfosuccinimidyl)suberate, in the presence or absence of nilotinib (4μM) by Western blot analysis. Function of the Y640F/Y645F OATP1B1 mutant had ~50% reduced function (p<0.05) compared to wild-type. Surface abundance and interactions of the wild-type OATP1B1 and Y640F/Y645F mutant were similar, and unchanged with nilotinib (p>0.05). This collectively indicates that Y640/645 partially regulates OATP1B1 function without impacting cell surface abundance or protein interaction.

Hannah Pollack

Efficient phagocytosis of dead cancer cells is key for promoting inflammation resolution and decreasing cancer recurrence within the tumor microenvironment. Resolvin D1 (RvD1), a specialized pro-resolving lipid mediator (SPM), has been shown to increase macrophage phagocytic function and may enhance the clearance of cellular debris following chemotherapy. In this study, we examined how RvD1 influences macrophages phagocytosis of dead cancer cells by pretreating macrophages with RvD1 and then co-incubating them with doxorubicin treated cancer cells. Phagocytosis of macrophages was analyzed with Flow Cytometry and both frequency and capacity were studied. Our findings show that RvD1 enhances macrophage phagocytic capacity without altering phagocytic frequency significantly. This suggests that SPMs improve the efficiency rather than the initiation of phagocytosis. Future studies are warranted to determine how this enhanced clearance translates into therapeutic benefits. 

Jonathan Bussa

Biofilm infections produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa are difficult to treat due to them limiting drug exposure and increasing antibiotic resistance. This study aimed to evaluate treatment options against these biofilms in an in vitro model. Biofilms were grown in an in vitro reactor before receiving treatment from antibiotic or bacteriophage therapy. These treatments were given as a mono or a combination dose. Both planktonic and biofilm solutions were collected over 72 hours to measure treatment efficacy. Antibiotic monotherapy produced 2-log reductions in both planktonic and biofilm populations. Phage therapy reduced total bacterial counts by 4 logs in planktonic and 3 logs in biofilm solutions. Combination therapy produced the greatest reductions, decreasing 5 logs in planktonic and 4 logs in the biofilm solutions. In conclusion, the combination therapy results suggest synergy between the two treatments and support the potential to use them as a treatment option.

Joshua Tutin

In this experiment we tired to see the effects Penicillin Binding Protein 7/8* has on PA01 regarding resistance against beta-lactam antibiotics.

Olivia Grafer

Dabrafenib, which is one of many FDA approved tyrosine kinase inhibitors, is used as a cancer treatment drug. The function of OATP1B1 is dependent on kinase-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation and is inhibited by TKIs such as dabrafenib because the phosphorylation event is inhibited. Dabrafenib significantly inhibits the activity of the transporter OATP1B1 in hepatocytes when co-administered  with other drugs which leads to many adverse interactions.  

Toluwalope Adeniyi-Aogo

T cell exhaustion (TCE), characterized by progressive loss of effector function and epigenetic reprogramming, is a major barrier to effective solid tumor immunotherapy. The nonlinear interplay between T cell activation and exhaustion within the tumor microenvironment (TME) is poorly quantified. To address this, we developed a hybrid multiscale modeling framework coupling an agent-based model (ABM) with ordinary differential equations (ODEs). The ABM captures spatiotemporal cellular interactions and tumor infiltration while intracellular ODEs incorporate TME components including oxygen availability, using nonlinear Hill-type kinetics to model activation and exhaustion as continuous state variables. This framework simulates TCE as a continuous process spanning from early to terminal exhaustion states. The model is calibrated using time-series flow cytometry data from CD8+ T cells and pancreatic cancer cells co-cultured under hypoxic conditions to identify the critical temporal windows of exhaustion onset and progression. This approach provides mechanistic insights for optimizing therapeutic interventions.

Thomas Lindstrom

Tolerogenic lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) composed of Lysophosphatidylserine (LysoPS) and Dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) have been shown to reduce undesired immunogenicity. However, there are challenges yet to be solved in the storage of manufactured LNPs, including preserving membrane stability post-preparation. In this study, we will analyze the short‑term stability of LNPs formulated by thin‑film extrusion and stored at −20°C, with and without the cryoprotectant sucrose. Over the course of 4 weeks, three independent batches prepared on separate days will be tested weekly for particle size (NICOMP dynamic light scattering) and membrane fluidity (DPH anisotropy measured by Horiba spectrofluorometry). We hypothesize that particle size and anisotropy will remain stable throughout the study course and sucrose will improve preservation of membrane stability, supporting its use as a practical cryoprotectant for LNP storage.

Samuel Avetisyan and Manali Patel

Hemophilia A is a congenital bleeding disorder treated with recombinant Factor VIII (FL-FVIII), however frequent infusions are required due to rapid clearance and immune inhibitor development. To overcome these limitations, we developed a Lyso-Phosphatidylserine (LysoPS) lipid nanoparticle formulation designed to extend FVIII survival in circulation and promote immune tolerance simultaneously. In hemophilia A mice, LysoPS-FL-FVIII showed reduced clearance, 1.5-fold greater systemic exposure, and improved clotting efficacy compared to free FVIII. Human pharmacokinetic simulations predicted a 32% longer half-life and an additional day above the minimum therapeutic threshold, supporting its clinical potential. To test immune tolerance, mice received bi-weekly LysoPS-FL-FVIII injections for 8 weeks followed by rechallenge with free FVIII for 3- and 12- months. LysoPS-FL-FVIII treated mice showed reduced inhibitor development at both timepoints, confirming that durable tolerance was established. These findings establish LysoPS-FL-FVIII as a promising multifunctional therapy that simultaneously extends half-life and prevents inhibitor formation in Hemophilia A.

Sudhanshu Agnihotri, Amruta Bhat and Arya Satam

Anti-drug antibodies (ADA) against therapeutic proteins remain a challenge in drug development and clinical use. This study evaluated a protein drug immunogenicity repository through case studies and quantitative modeling of patient-, product-, and treatment-related determinants. Immunogenicity Insights is a full-stack PERN application integrating data from databases, clinical trials, regulatory agencies, sequence repositories, and literature. The database comprises 3,905 trial arms from 708 trials, covering 143 products and 117 proteins across multiple modalities. ADA frequencies were compared across trials for adalimumab products and anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies. Protein (3698 trial arms) and Monoclonal Antibody (483 trial arms) datasets were analyzed using mixed-effects models to identify determinants of ADA, binding, and neutralizing antibodies. ADA responses varied among antibodies targeting the same antigen and across diseases, with higher ADA levels for enzymes and immunotoxins compared to monoclonal antibodies. Several factors, including disease, light chain type, and expression system, contributed to the clinical ADA risk.

Tanush Nair

This study will examine the impact of polypharmacy on renal function in 200 people with HIV (PWH) receiving long-acting cabotegravir/rilpivirine (CABENUVA®). Using retrospective EHR data, patients were categorized by baseline medication count: non-polypharmacy (<5), polypharmacy (5-9), and hyper-polypharmacy (≥10). ANCOVA assessed cross-sectional differences in baseline eGFR across groups, adjusting for demographics and comorbidities. Linear mixed-effects models evaluated eGFR trajectories over 12 months, utilizing multiple imputation for missing data. We hypothesize that hyper-polypharmacy will be associated with significant eGFR decline compared to lower medication burdens. Findings may identify high-risk patients and inform personalized medication management. Future analyses will target specific drug classes and comorbidities most strongly linked to renal impairment, aiming to preserve kidney function in this aging population.

Jia Zhou

This project develops a principled statistical framework for quantifying the effective complexity of feed-forward neural networks used in binary outcome settings, such as disease presence versus absence. We adapt a method called generalized degrees of freedom (GDF) to measure that how sensitive a model's predictions are to small changes in observed data. This approach evaluates the model based on its actual behavior, making it more stable and broadly applicable in real-world health studies. Through simulation studies and applied data analysis, we show that our approach provides a reliable and interpretable measure of model flexibility. We also demonstrate that commonly used alternative measures can become unstable when underlying assumptions are violated, which is a situation frequently encountered in biomedical and public health research. By strengthening the statistical foundations of neural network modeling, this work promotes more transparent, reliable, and generalizable AI tools for health research and clinical practice.

Aubrey French

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) affects psychological well-being during addiction, treatment, and recovery. Well-being is defined as one's perception of fulfillment and enjoyment with life; this can affect daily life and functioning, and the pursuance of treatment. This review examines the association between well-being and alcohol use among adults in recovery or treatment. Studies were included if they quantitatively assessed well-being and current alcohol use among a sample of adult human subjects (18+) who had resolved a problem with alcohol. A search of PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PsycINFO, and Web of Science Core Collection databases was performed without publication period restrictions. Two authors independently screened all article abstracts; disagreements were resolved through discussion. This process yielded 3,350 studies; following title/abstract screening, 299 articles advanced for full-text screening. All articles deemed relevant will undergo data extraction and meta-regression models to assess the association between well-being and alcohol use.

Ana Leticia Pereira Andrade

Disordered eating in adolescence is shaped by behavioral and psychosocial mechanisms that may operate differently across socioeconomic contexts. This research integrates findings from two studies conducted in distinct adolescent populations to examine pathways to eating disorder risk. The first study, conducted in a predominantly higher-income cohort, examined behavioral susceptibility to the food environment. Greater responsiveness to food cues and higher reinforcing value of food were associated with increased disordered eating attitudes and behaviors, suggesting reward-related eating processes as an important behavioral pathway to risk. The second study, conducted among adolescents from moderate- to low-income households, focused on psychosocial mechanisms. Perceived stress was associated with disordered eating and moderated the relationship between emotional eating and disordered eating. Adolescents experiencing food insecurity also reported higher disordered eating. Together, these findings suggest complementary pathways to risk involving food reward processes and psychosocial stress linked to emotional coping and resource insecurity.

Mala McCormick-Cisse

Increases in problematic alcohol use among adult women have gained significant public health attention. However, little is known about the alcohol use patterns of women participating in drug treatment court (DTC) or how these behaviors are influenced by quality of life (QoL). This study examined whether multiple dimensions of QoL (general health, emotional well-being, and social functioning) longitudinally predict subsequent hazardous alcohol use (AUDIT ≥ 8) outcomes among DTC participants and whether these associations varied by gender. Data were drawn from five waves (baseline to 12 months) of a pragmatic study, the Health Evaluation on the Results of Opioid Intervention Court (HEROIC). Participants (N = 165) alcohol use (AUDIT) and QoL (RAND SF-36) were assessed every three months. Generalized estimating equations (GEEs) were used to examine associations between lagged QoL domains and subsequent hazardous alcohol use. Adjusted models examined gender and controlled for age, education, race/ethnicity, and treatment court setting. Hazardous alcohol use decreased over time across the sample. Lagged emotional well-being longitudinally predicted hazardous alcohol use, such that more emotional well-being was related to a lower likelihood of hazardous alcohol use. This association did not differ by gender. General health and social functioning were not longitudinally related to hazardous alcohol use. General health, emotional well-being, and social functioning at earlier assessments did not predict AUDIT ≥ 8, nor was gender significant in predicting problematic alcohol use. However, emotional well-being may be a key QoL target for decreasing hazardous alcohol use among all DTC participants.

Monisha Afrooz

Transgender populations in Africa face significant gender-based stressors linked to anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation, yet contextual research in Ghana remains limited. This qualitative study examined social stressors affecting transgender men and women in the Greater Accra Region, along with coping strategies and barriers to mental healthcare access. Between June and October 2024, eight focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were conducted with 54 transgender adults recruited through LGBTQ-serving organizations using purposive and snowball sampling. Thematic analysis identified stigma, violence, healthcare access, coping, and substance use as key themes. The mean age was 27.4 years, and 75.9% reported gender-related violence. Family rejection, religious condemnation, and systemic discrimination contributed to severe psychological distress and social isolation. Participants also reported mistreatment in healthcare settings and barriers such as fear of being outed and financial strain. Despite these challenges, many demonstrated resilience, highlighting the need for trans-affirming, trauma-informed mental healthcare and structural reform.

Junming Gong

The rising temperatures and temperature variability due to climate change may have long-term effects on hypertension. However, epidemiologic evidence on long-term temperature exposure and incident hypertension is limited and inconsistent, with most prior studies emphasizing short-term effects. Therefore, we examined the associations of long-term mean temperature and temperature variability with incident hypertension among postmenopausal women. We analyzed 30,067 postmenopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative Clinical Trial who were free of hypertension at baseline. Five-year mean temperature and temperature variability were assigned using geocoded residential addresses and categorized into quintiles within nine strata defined by Census region and latitude. Incident hypertension was defined by self-reported anti-hypertensive medication use. Cox proportional hazards models were fitted within each stratum, pooled using random-effects meta-analysis. In the fully adjusted model, higher mean temperature was associated with elevated pooled hazards, highest in Q4 (HR 1.39, 95% CI 0.73-2.64); however, none of the pooled estimates across quintiles were statistically significant. In contrast, greater temperature variability was significantly and inversely associated with hypertension risk, particularly in Q4 0.44 (0.24, 0.82) and Q5 (HR 0.40, 95% CI 0.20-0.81). Long-term mean temperature was not significantly associated with incident hypertension, whereas higher temperature variability was associated with a lower risk of hypertension.

Becky Stutz

Thyroid hormones regulate metabolism and may influence biological aging, but their relationship with DNA methylation-based aging measures, such as DunedinPoAm, which estimates the pace of biological aging, remains unclear. We examined this association using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2002, among 831 participants aged 50 years or older. Thyroxine (T4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) were measured by immunoassay, and DunedinPoAm was estimated from DNA methylation. Using linear regression, higher T4 was associated with faster aging: a 1-unit increase in T4 was associated with a 0.80% higher DunedinPoAm (95% CI: 0.28, 1.33) among males, after adjusting for demographics, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities. In females, T4 (β = −0.8%, 95% CI: −1.4, −0.2) and TSH (β = −1.7%, 95% CI: −3.5, 0) were associated with slower aging. These findings suggest sex-specific associations between thyroid hormones and biological aging.

Xuewen Pei

Childhood exposure to lead and urban air pollution remains a significant public health concern, yet evidence linking contemporary low blood lead levels (BLLs) to clinically diagnosed neurobehavioral disorders is limited. In addition, emerging evidence suggests that long-term exposure to ambient air pollution may increase the risk of ADHD. This was a clinical retrospective cohort including 14,127 children residing in Philadelphia, PA who visited the Temple University Health System (TUHS) between 2010-2020. Associations between BLLs and ADHD were evaluated using multivariable logistic regression, with BLLs modeled continuously and dichotomized at 3.5 µg/dL; sex-stratified analyses assessed effect modification. Associations between long-term ambient air pollution and ADHD were examined using a matched case-control design matching on age and index time and using conditional logistic regression models. Both models adjusted for individual- and neighborhood-level sociodemographic factors. Higher continuous BLLs were associated with increased odds of ADHD (adjusted OR 1.51; 95% CI 1.37, 1.67). Children with BLLs ≥3.5 µg/dL had higher odds of ADHD (adjusted OR 1.84; 95% CI 1.56, 2.16) compared with those with BLLs <3.5 µg/dL, with stronger associations observed among males than females. Associations between long-term exposure to PM2.5 or NO2 and ADHD were positive but not statistically significant (PM2.5: adjusted OR 1.19; 95% CI 0.77, 1.83; NO2: adjusted OR 1.02; 95% CI 0.91, 1.15). Childhood lead exposure, and to a lesser extent long-term ambient air pollution, was associated with increased risk of ADHD in this urban clinical population, underscoring persistent neurodevelopmental risks and the need for continued prevention efforts.

Cassandra Vaccaro

This study determined 3D body scanner estimated changes in body fat across the menstrual cycle compared to the Army body circumference equation estimation and the resultant enrollment in the Army body composition program. Fifteen naturally menstruating females completed 3 morning laboratory visits, during the early follicular (EF), late follicular (LF), and mid-luteal (ML) phases. A 3D body scanner estimated body fat and measured abdomen circumference. Army body composition program enrollment was determined when an age-based body fat threshold was exceeded. Mixed model ANOVA, paired t-tests, and chi square analysis were implemented. The body scanner estimated no differences in body fat across EF (28.1±3.2%), LF (28.9±4.1%), and ML (28.3±3.7%) (all p>0.05). Abdominal circumference was not different across phases (all p>0.05), resulting in no difference in Army circumference equation estimated body fat across phases (EF: 31.2±2.3%, LF: 31.8±3.1%, ML: 30.8±2.8%, all p>0.05). The Army circumference equation estimation exceeded the body scanner estimation in all phases (all p≤0.01). There was no difference in the proportion of participants enrolled into the body composition program across phases with the body scanner (p=0.45) or Army circumference equation (p=0.43). However, the body scanner classified 20% (3/15) of participants differently depending on menstrual cycle phase, enrolling into the body composition program only during LF (N=2) or only during ML (N=1). The 3D body scanner is reliable in estimating body fat percentage across menstrual cycle phases, however, some females close to the Army body composition program threshold were differently categorized throughout the menstrual cycle.

Sophia Kaczynski

Warfighters exposed to prolonged cold experience whole body cooling that reduces dexterity and performance. Evaluate the effects of catechin and caffeine consumption on body temperature, dexterity, and performance of medical skills. Sixteen healthy adults (25±4y, 172±11cm, 80.5±17.1kg) completed two, two-hour cold exposures at 0°C. Prior to exposure, subjects ingested 600 mg epigallocatechin gallate and 400 mg caffeine (STIM) or placebo (PLA). Before and after, the Purdue Pegboard Test (PPT) was administered to assess fine motor skills and needle chest decompression (ND), and tourniquet application (TQ) were measured to assess gross motor skills. Handgrip strength (HG) was measured before and after the exposure. Core temperature (TC) and mean skin temperature (TSk) were recorded every 10 minutes. Data are presented as mean±SD and analyzed using t-tests or one-way linear mixed models. TC decreased during cold exposure (p<0.001) with a time × condition interaction (p=0.02). TSk decreased over time (p<0.001) and differed between conditions (p<0.01). PPT performance in the dominant and non-dominant hands demonstrated main effects of time (p<0.001, p<0.001), condition (p=0.03, p=0.05), and time × condition (p=0.012, p=0.016). PPT assembly task performance decreased (p<0.001) in both conditions. ND and TQ performance were unchanged. HG decreased (p<0.005) and was lower in PLA in the non-dominant hand (p<0.05). Consumption of catechin and caffeine slowed the decline in body temperature but did not preserve fine dexterity. The impact on gross dexterity was minimal. 

Chloe Brown and Ben Opoku

In the United States, the leading cause of​ death is heart disease. The rate of deaths​ due to the high prevalence of this disease is​ mainly connected to the high-fat, high-carb diet​ that we put into our bodies every day. The other main effect on our bodies is the low amount of exercise that Americans get on average. These low activity levels are not sufficient to​ overcome the high-fat, high-carb diet effects​ on Americans' bodies. These causes have​ not only led to heart disease but also to numerous metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. ​ As the rate of exercise decreases and​ Unhealthy diets are increasing, which has severe​ effects on blood glucose levels.​ If one does not pay attention to their activity​ levels, this can lead to an increase in blood​ glucose levels, and have detrimental​ effects, such as inducing metabolic or cardiovascular diseases. If we promote​ Exercise can help to lower blood pressure​ glucose levels while simultaneously​ increasing insulin sensitivity. Our study will​ Evaluate the training and detraining effects on​ these levels. 

Myat Oo and Olivia Tomalska 

Adolescent food insecurity is associated with disordered eating, yet little research considers discrepancies between adolescents' and caregivers' perceptions of food insecurity. Adolescents may experience food access differently from caregivers, and these differences may influence eating-related attitudes and behaviors. This study examined whether adolescent-perceived food insecurity and concordance between adolescent and caregiver reports were associated with eating disorder symptomatology in early adolescence. Participants were 118 adolescents (ages 11-14) from the UB-EATS study. Adolescent food insecurity was assessed using the Venezuelan Food Security questionnaire (VFS), and caregiver-reported household food insecurity using the Food Insecurity Questionnaire (FIQ). A four-level concordance profile captured agreement or disagreement between reports. General linear models tested associations with BMI percentile and EDE-Q Global scores. Concordance profiles were not associated with BMI percentile (p = .850), but were associated with eating disorder symptoms (F(3,86) = 2.91, p = .039). Profiles characterized by adolescent-perceived food insecurity showed higher EDE-Q Global scores compared with concordant food-secure dyads. These findings highlight the importance of considering discrepancies in family perceptions of food insecurity when examining early disordered eating.

Melodie Loya

Food insecurity is a massive problem in the United States, and throughout the world, affecting many low-income individuals and households, as they have less access to food and experience higher variability in eating occasions. Research indicates low-income populations have a considerably higher likelihood of experiencing food insecurity.To address this, Food as Medicine programs have emerged as interventions designed to provide direct access to fresh, nutritious foods through partnerships between healthcare providers, community organizations, and local food systems. Galvanized by the September 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition & Health, the Food as Medicine movement now treats clinically tailored foods, such as produce prescriptions and medically tailored meals as reimbursable, evidence-based tools for ending hunger and diet-related disease by 2030.  These programs commonly utilize voucher-based systems redeemable at farmers' markets or grocery stores, or home-delivered fresh produce boxes. Because factors such as transportation, convenience, and sustained engagement can make or break these interventions, a systematic, side-by-side evaluation of voucher versus home-delivery models is critical to reveal which approach most effectively improves diet quality, enhances food security, and ultimately advances health among at-risk populations. 

Kevin Boasiako

This project explores how climate change affects the health of older adults, focusing on risks from extreme weather like heatwaves, cold winters, and flooding. Older adults face serious challenges such as heat stress, heart problems from cold weather, and mental health issues caused by isolation and lack of sunlight. Areas with severe weather put them at even higher risk. To protect them, it's important to improve healthcare access, build strong community support networks, and invest in safe housing and transportation. Raising awareness about these dangers and encouraging safe physical activity during extreme cold can help reduce health risks. Providing social connections, light therapy, and emergency support during winter also improves mental health and resilience. This work aims to bridge research and public health efforts to better support older adults facing climate-related health challenges.

Kento Carrera

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective in preventing HIV, yet uptake in Ghana remains limited. This study examined sociocultural and structural factors influencing PrEP acceptance among Ghanaian adults aged 18-45 years. In July 2021, semi-structured interviews were conducted via WhatsApp, audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using descriptive qualitative analysis. Three interrelated domains emerged: (1) social and moral framing of HIV and PrEP, including stigma and religious narratives; (2) knowledge gaps and misinformation regarding PrEP's safety, purpose, and eligibility; and (3) structural constraints, including distance to health facilities, confidentiality concerns, and perceived cost barriers. Participants recommended pharmacy-based distribution to enhance privacy and culturally tailored messaging delivered through trusted community leaders and media platforms. Findings suggest that increasing PrEP uptake in Ghana requires addressing both stigma and structural access barriers to strengthen national HIV prevention efforts. 

Michelle Goulette, Aria Wiseblatt and Sara Zielinski

This study examined cannabis use patterns among sexual minorities (SM) in New York State. A sample of 3,147 individuals aged 18-25 completed a web‑based survey assessing cannabis initiation, frequency, consumption methods, and cannabis use disorder (CUD). Using linear and logistic regression, we compared heterosexual participants with gay/lesbian, bisexual, and pansexual respondents. Pansexual young adults initiated cannabis use earliest, at around age 16, and showed the highest odds of past‑month use. Overall, SM participants were 1.4 to 2.5 times more likely to report recent cannabis use than heterosexual peers. Pansexual individuals also endorsed a wider range of cannabis consumption methods and used these products more frequently. All SM groups displayed elevated CUD risk, with pansexual respondents at greatest risk. Findings highlight the need for tailored public health strategies addressing distinct risk patterns within SM subgroups.

Andrea Calderon

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been widely used in motor rehabilitation studies to induce plasticity in the central nervous system, with specific protocols such as paired corticospinal-motoneuronal stimulation (PCMS) shown to increase corticospinal output and intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) shown to enhance motor cortex excitability. Their combined effect, however, is unknown. Therefore, this project examines whether combining iTBS and PCMS further facilitates corticospinal output. Fifteen participants completed two sessions: (1) iTBS + PCMS and (2) sham iTBS + PCMS. iTBS was delivered in brief high-frequency bursts over ~3 minutes, while PCMS involved 180 paired stimuli over ~30 minutes, timed to optimize corticospinal-motoneuronal synaptic connections. Motor evoked potentials were recorded before and after each intervention to test corticospinal excitability. Our results may support combined iTBS and PCMS as a promising neuromodulation approach to enhance motor output and functional recovery in neurorehabilitation.

Amani Alkinani and Tasnim Jahan Tisha

The vestibular system is fundamental to gaze stabilization and sensorimotor integration, enabling stable vision during head movement. Disruption of vestibular input can alter both reflexive and voluntary eye movements, yet the extent to which external vestibular perturbation modulates central oculomotor processing remains incompletely understood. This study examined whether Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation induces frequency-dependent changes in vestibulo-ocular reflex, smooth pursuit, and optokinetic nystagmus responses in healthy young adults. Eleven healthy participants underwent rotary chair testing at baseline and following vestibular stimulation. Vestibulo-ocular reflex gain was assessed using sinusoidal harmonic acceleration across low and high frequencies. Horizontal and vertical smooth pursuit were evaluated at increasing stimulus velocities, and optokinetic nystagmus responses were measured using standardized visual motion paradigms. Pre- and post-stimulation measures were compared using paired statistical analyses, and effect sizes were calculated to determine physiological relevance. This study demonstrated selective reductions in low-frequency vestibulo-ocular reflex gain and enhanced horizontal smooth pursuit at moderate stimulus velocities. Although optokinetic responses showed directional modulation, these effects did not persist after correction for multiple comparisons. These findings indicate vestibular perturbation produces frequency-specific modulation of both reflexive and centrally mediated oculomotor control. The results underscore the central contribution of vestibular input to visual stabilization and highlight Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation as a promising neuromodulatory approach for investigating and potentially informing rehabilitation strategies in balance and neurological disorders. 

Amani Alkinani, Mylin Ngo and Tasnim Jahan Tisha

Chronic occupational exposure to welding fumes has been associated with secondary parkinsonism and motor dysfunction. However, welders lack a structured clinical framework for quantifying motor severity. Parkinson's disease (PD) motor impairment is systematically classified using Hoehn and Yahr (HY) staging, providing a validated reference severity scale. To determine whether welders exhibit Parkinsonian-like motor balance phenotypes by projecting clinical balance scores into Hoehn and Yahr severity space using a PD-trained predictive model. In this exploratory cross-sectional study, 14 clinically staged PD patients (HY 1-4) and 16 experienced male welders without a PD diagnosis were evaluated. Balance performance was assessed using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Mini-BESTest, and Falls Efficacy Scale (FES). Random Forest-based classification models were trained exclusively on PD data and validated using leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV). A weighted aggregation model (Model 5), incorporating F1-macro-based weights, was applied to project welders into HY-like severity stages. The aggregated PD-trained model projected 75% of welders into Stage I and 25% into Stage III severity space. No welders were projected into advanced stages (IV-V). These projections reflect balance phenotype similarity within a PD-derived severity framework rather than clinical diagnosis. This study introduces a structured mapping framework for situating occupational motor balance phenotypes within a validated neurodegenerative severity reference model. The observed partial overlap with early PD stages suggests potential occupational motor vulnerability and supports longitudinal investigation of motor trajectories in exposed workers.

Megan Bailey

Refugee youth (RY) are navigating normative developmental and acculturative processes simultaneously. The goal of this study is to understand the impact of activity in the lives of RY. This study utilized a qualitative methodological approach to assess the role of activity participation among RY. Semi-structured individual interviews combined with object elicitation were used to better understand RYs' experiences with an activity. Activities provide space for RYs' identity development and sense of belonging. RY in this sample have a heightened sense of responsibility which impacts activity participation. Activities serve as an important context for RY as they go through adolescent development and acculturation processes. Resettlement policies should expand their scope to include provision for youth adjustment and support, including the allocation of funding to enable RY participation in activities.

Ericka Garcia-Allison

One of the most challenging aspects of foster care is the jarring reality that all youth placed  have trauma and face profound loss (Bride, 2004). The problem addressed in this capstone is implementing an Evidence Based Intervention to treat the untreated ambiguous losses  that youth experience in the child welfare system (Samuels, 2009). The practice population is the child welfare clinicians who implemented Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) to address the loss and referring caseworkers. Implementation strategies used included educational sessions, role revision in supervision, and clinical implementation team meetings. The research was collected over 16 weeks, and the outcomes show that the implementation strategies increased staff knowledge of the problem and TF-CBT, role revision was a helpful support to referrals, and CITM allowed clinicians to maintain the relative priority. Implementing EBIs in foster care settings needs to be planful and adaptable to support the staff beyond initial educational sessions.

Melissa Enns

Emotion regulation during adolescence includes a need for more Social Emotional Learning (SEL). While there are extensive school-based universal SEL programs for elementary schools, secondary students have limited options because they often ignore the unique developmental needs of this age (Martinez et al., 2021). This study examined the implementation of DBT STEPS-A (Mazza et al., 2016) as an evidence-based universal school program to improve emotion regulation skills in middle schoolers (n=29). While DBT STEPS-A is an evidence-based program, gaps in the implementation remain, as well as the evaluation of such implementation. This study evaluated a set of implementation strategies to improve the reach, adoption, and effectiveness of educational materials, promoting adaptability, an educational meeting with staff (n=39) and an incentivization plan. Anticipated outcomes aimed for improved skill knowledge, stakeholder buy-in, and means to sustain the program. The mixed-method results yield important data for the implementation of SEL programs in schools.

Zaned Colón Barreto

Puerto Rico has remained under U.S. colonial rule since 1898, systemically destabilized through colonial operations and policies, from Operation Bootstrap to the Fiscal Control Board, that have deepened economic dependency and forced the mass migration of Puerto Ricans to mainland cities like Buffalo, New York. Buffalo's Puerto Rican community maintains a strong cultural fabric, yet diasporic youth remain largely disconnected from the island's independence struggle and lack access to political education and organizing spaces. This community action plan proposes a step-by-step framework for building a socialist youth organization in Buffalo, targeting students and young adults aged 18-35. Drawing on community organizing concepts through a social work lens and practices from Juventud Unida por la Independencia (JUPI), the plan utilizes asset mapping of universities and Latino-serving community centers to outline strategies for coalition building, leadership development, and direct action in solidarity with the movement for a free and independent Puerto Rico.

Sare Martin, Jennifer McCarthy and Emily Sutton

To evaluate MSW (Master of Social Work) students' knowledge, interviewers asked questions regarding trauma, trauma education, trauma informed care, and practice implications. Interviews were then coded to discern which topics were brought up most frequently. This information highlights areas of trauma and trauma-informed care that are particularly popular amongst students and can be used to guide professors and the University at Buffalo School of Social Work in educational planning. In the same interview questions were also asked regarding social support systems of MSW students, exploring whether they discuss topics of trauma, and creating a social network map and social adjacency matrix. Through this we were able to determine the domain, cohesiveness, and support of the student's social network.

Alexa Pickering

Local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST) is a life-threatening process that occurs quickly, and rapid detection by bedside registered nurses and initiation of immediate treatment are the gold standards to preventing cardiac arrest and subsequent loss of life. Critical care registered nurses do not often have exposure to LAST crises and, therefore, are not aware of current evidence-based assessment and treatment tools they can utilize if a patient demonstrates this pathophysiology. The purpose of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to use evidence-based data to qualitatively educate bedside registered nurses (RNs) who care for adult hospitalized patients who have received or are receiving local anesthetics at a hospital in Western New York.  A quasi-experimental design guided by Watson's Science of Caring Model was utilized in the project. Participants completed a pre-test, an educational intervention, and a simulation followed by a post-test to assess knowledge gained. Data was analyzed via descriptive statistics through Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Knowledge and confidence levels increased as reflected in the participants' post-test scores.

Alice Corey

The concept of human flourishing (flourishing) arose in 384-322 BC with Aristotle's work "Nicomachean Ethics," highlighting that the goal of human life should be "eudaimonia" or well-being. Today, flourishing is expanding to mainstream disciplines such as medicine and nursing as a positive construct of "health." Hemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder that requires lifelong medical and pharmaceutical interventions with the potential to impact a person's wellbeing and their ability to flourish. Despite the longevity of the concept, the use in healthcare is new and is not well defined in hemophilia. The purpose of this study was to analyze the concept of flourishing in adolescents living with hemophilia and develop a working definition. A literature search was performed using CINHAL and PubMed databases. Studies published between 2020 and 2026 examining flourishing in chronic disease and in adolescents were included. A search of flourishing and hemophilia provided one result. Therefore, a search was completed using the terms hemophilia and outcome measures from 2024-2026 yielding 71 results. Twenty-five studies were analyzed and a concept analysis using The Walker and Avant method was completed. Definitions and descriptions in the studies were extracted and synthesized. A definition of flourishing in adolescents living with hemophilia emerged. The essential antecedents are diagnosis of hemophilia, self & illness acceptance, social connection, and familial support. The defining attributes are positive mental & physical health, high self-perceived functionality, limited bleeding episodes, family stability, parental, communication, autonomy, academic success, benefit finding, and quality relationships. The resulting consequences are self-actualization, enhanced maturity, increased resilience, decreased suicide risk, reduced substance abuse, future career success, and adult civic engagement. Clarifying the concept of flourishing in adolescents living with hemophilia may guide future research, inform development of psychosocial interventions, and support more holistic approaches to clinical care.

Elizabeth Duckham

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at higher risk of depression, have more physical health problems, experience isolation from friends, family, and community, have a higher divorce rate, and have a higher financial burden. Mindfulness- based interventions (MBI) help manage stress by promoting acceptance of the moment. Low-intensity stress reduction strategies have long-term impacts on parents' stress. To cater to the needs and preferences of these parents, this study quantitatively explores the effects of a brief daily virtual MBI, for parents of children with ASD (two to 21 years old) on their perceived psychological well-being.  A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest research design has participants complete a pre-study and post -study questionnaire, and a daily five -minute guided mindfulness-based intervention (breathing exercise) through an already existing phone application for four weeks.  This is an ongoing study that hypothesizes an improvement in perceived quality of life, parental stress, and general self-efficacy.

Matthew Murphy

Neurodivergent conditions are often characterized by differences in executive functioning, sensory processing, and social interaction. This review examined workplace experiences of people with neurodivergence, exploring how those experiences affect their sense of belonging and decision to disclose their diagnosis. A systematic search was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Peer-reviewed articles were retrieved from CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, and Psychology & Behavioral Sciences. 21 studies met inclusion criteria, representing 2,524 participants. A comprehensive review of results allowed for key findings to fall within three main themes: (1) Positive and negative experiences neurodivergent persons identify in the workplace. (2) Positive contributions neurodivergent persons can bring to the workplace. (3) The complexities that surround disclosure and masking. People with neurodivergence have unique workplace experiences, affecting their sense of belonging and willingness to disclose their diagnosis. A positive sense of belonging is essential to supporting longevity and success in the workplace.

Nicole Zhu

To support e-cigarette cessation among adolescents, our research team developed an AI-powered app for e-cigarette cessation, Kickit! This study evaluates the experiences of adolescent e-cigarette users who use the app. A mixed-method approach was used to collect data from interviews and surveys. The collected data identified themes such as app usability, enhanced mindfulness, behavioral regulation, and overall satisfaction. Participants reported that the app was easy to use due to its clear layout, intuitive navigation, fast load times, and accessible language. They also noted increased awareness and self-control of e-cigarette usage. The app helped track cravings, manage urges, and served as a vape-free reminder. Participants reported that progress tracking was rewarding and helped them stay on course with quitting. Most participants stated they would continue using the app and recommend it to others. Therefore, the study concludes that most users had positive experiences using Kickit!. 

Shivani Singh

Effective postoperative pain management is challenging in adults with a history of substance use disorder (SUD) due to stigma and clinical bias. Traditional self-report assessments may be unreliable, contributing to inequities in care. This project examines whether artificial intelligence (AI) can improve pain assessment accuracy and equity in this population. A literature review across PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL identified five studies, including one Level I systematic review and multiple observational analyses. Evidence indicates that AI models using facial recognition and physiologic data enhance pain detection accuracy and reduce disparities in opioid administration. One study (n = 14,747) reported decreased moderate-to-severe pain without increased adverse effects. A 12-week pilot program in postoperative units will evaluate the correlation (target r ≥ 0.75) between AI-derived and patient-reported pain scores. Integrating AI as a decision-support tool may strengthen objectivity, inform analgesia, and promote equitable care for patients with SUD.

Stephanie Durfee

Despite growing evidence of rural-urban inequities, limited research integrates clinical and social data to examine longitudinal care utilization. This study evaluated prenatal care utilization among rural and urban perinatal populations in Western New York (WNY) using data extracted from regional health information exchange to identify multilevel factors influencing access and utilization patterns to inform data-driven strategies that improve care quality. The Social Ecological Framework (SEF) conceptualizes healthcare access as shaped by individual, interpersonal, community, organizational, and policy-level factors across time. This framework supports examination of how social determinants of health intersect with system-level conditions to influence prenatal care trajectories. A retrospective, cross-sectional analysis was conducted using preprocessed, de-identified 2024 data. Using a previously validated data definition of pregnancy, the cohort of 12,132 perinatal participants with at least one inpatient hospitalization during 2024 was identified. Prenatal healthcare utilization was analyzed across a 270-day retrospective window. Measures included perinatal care encounter characteristics, perinatal complications, chronic health conditions, rurality, and social need. Analysis compared measures across urban and rural areas using SPSS (v30). Descriptive analysis revealed that participants residing in geographic areas classified as rural experienced greater social need, (mean deprivation percentile of 82.13 compared to 68.59). Rural areas had higher percentages with late entry to care defined as the first OP visit >20 weeks gestation (14.1% vs.10.6%). Rural areas had higher rates of chronic health conditions including substance use disorder (5.1% vs. 2.8%) and perinatal complications. Conversely, prenatal OP visit attendance was lower among urban participants, indicated by the mean number of outpatient visits being lower in all three trimesters with a mean total OP visit of 7.5 compared to 10.1 among rural participants. In this cohort, rural participants exhibited greater deprivation and higher rates of late entry and chronic conditions, while urban participants attended fewer outpatient visits overall. These opposing trends suggest distinct barriers shaping prenatal utilization across settings. Tailored, data-driven interventions are needed to address differing care trajectories and improve timely, continuous prenatal engagement in both rural and urban populations. 

Vera Frimpong 

Older African Americans face a higher risk of neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's disease compared with other populations, yet they remain underrepresented in sleep and biomarker research. Sleep disturbances may negatively affect brain health and increase risk for cognitive decline. This secondary analysis uses data from the VITAS Study (Weiss Lab), which includes adults ages 65-85 with sleep disturbances. A subset of African American participants is being examined to explore blood biomarkers associated with neurodegeneration, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), D-dimer, and amyloid-beta (Aß). Blood samples are processed to isolate plasma for biomarker analysis. The VITAS Study is ongoing, with continued enrollment and data collection. This work explores whether irregular sleep patterns may be associated with biomarker changes linked to early neurodegeneration and highlights sleep as a potential modifiable factor for supporting brain health in older African American adults.

Amarjot Gill and Bryan Lara

Farmworkers are essential to the U.S. economy, yet often forgo healthcare, with workload potentially shaping healthcare-seeking patterns. Guided by the Socio-ecological Model of Health, this study examined whether days worked per week predicted healthcare utilization among farmworkers in the National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS). A secondary analysis was of NAWS data from 1989-2022 (N = 73,910). The dependent variable was healthcare utilization within two years. Independent variables included days worked, hours worked, and demographic factors. Chi-square tests and binary logistic regression were performed. Days worked per week remained a significant predictor before and after adding insurance to the model (p <.001 without insurance; p =.007 with insurance). Findings reveal working 3-4 days per week was associated with a 32% increase in healthcare utilization, while the extremes of 1-2 and 7 days pointed toward lower utilization. This suggests workload may be an important determinant of healthcare access among farmworkers. 

Alfredo Chua

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have transformed cancer treatment, yet minoritized racial/ethnic groups remain underrepresented in trials. We conducted a systematic review/meta-analysis to evaluate overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) by race/ethnicity. MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched for randomized controlled trials published through December 31, 2024, reporting OS or PFS by race/ethnicity. Risk of bias was assessed, and hazard ratios (HRs) were pooled using random-effects models. Ninety-seven trials (59,949 patients) were included. ICIs significantly improved OS in non-White (HR 0.70) and White patients (HR 0.75), with similar benefit among Asian and non-Asian populations. PFS findings were similar. Estimates for Black and Hispanic patients were not significant, reflecting limited sample sizes. American Indian/Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander patients were minimally or not represented. ICIs improve survival across most racial/ethnic groups; however, underrepresentation limits definitive conclusions and highlights the need for equitable trial enrollment.

Chris Lawson

Interstitial photodynamic therapy (I-PDT) has demonstrated safety and potential efficacy in our recent and ongoing Phase I/II clinical trials in patients with refractory cancerous tumors. I-PDT involves inserting optical fibers into treated tumors for intratumoral delivery of laser light that activates a light sensitive drug (photosensitizer) for generating cytotoxic reactive oxygen species. Our mouse studies have shown that in addition to tumor size and photosensitizer dose, tumor response depends on the administration of light dose rate and dose to the tumor margins. We have demonstrated that increasing light transmission to tumor margins results in up to 90% cure rates in I-PDT. We hypothesize that light transmission is governed by tumor vascularity. The goal of this work is to define the mechanism by which changes in tumor vascularity affect light transmission, to determine clinically accepted methods that can maximize the efficacy of I-PDT in patients.

Kathryn Maraszek

Pancreatic cancer is characterized by desmoplastic stroma comprised of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins produced by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), impacting tumor development and therapy response. 75% of patients are prescribed opioids for pain and opioid use is correlated with worsened survival. However, little is known about how opioids impact tumorigenesis. We discovered that morphine increases expression of ECM genes in a murine model of pancreatic cancer, and that inhibition and knockdown of morphine receptor in CAFs reduces collagen expression. Tumors from morphine-treated mice exhibited increased collagen bundling and maturation, features associated with poor outcome. We discovered that CAFs produce endogenous opioids capable of driving collagen expression. Finally, treatment with a peripherally restricted morphine receptor antagonist (PAMORA) reduced desmoplasia and tumor weight. We propose that opioids act on CAFs to promote ECM remodeling in pancreatic cancer, resulting in more aggressive tumors, and that this can be inhibited with PAMORAs.

Caitlin James

The sympathetic nervous system, which mediates the “fight-or-flight” response, signals through catecholamines such as norepinephrine (NE). NE binds to β-adrenergic receptors (β-ARs) found on nearly every cell type, including immune cells. CD8 T cells, cytotoxic immune cells responsible for adaptive immune responses and tumor cell killing, have been shown to be negatively regulated by increased β-AR signaling both in vitro and in the tumor microenvironment. However, what remains unclear is the mechanism by which β-AR signaling restricts CD8 T cell activity. To examine the mechanism by which β-AR signaling impairs CD8 T cells, we utilized mutant mouse models and pharmacologic interventions to examine changes in activation signaling pathways, metabolic activity, and essential T cell functions. Our findings suggest that persistent β-AR signaling inhibits a specific co-stimulatory signaling pathway initiated by the CD28 receptor, resulting in diminished use of the amino acid glutamine to fuel mitochondrial metabolism. 

Hudaa Farrukh and Abir Khan

This paper addresses the growing need for digital literacy education in the United States, and the critical role colleges and universities play in bridging the digital literacy gap. It proposes a targeted solution of starting with the University at Buffalo (UB) to develop, implement and evaluate a digital literacy curriculum to be used as a model for encouraging other institutions nationwide to play their part in addressing the widening digital literacy gap in America. This initiative seeks to help students become technically competent and aware of security principles in the cyber space and prepare them for success in academic and professional settings. 

Cailin Enser and Amelia Uzcategui

Recent federal actions in the US including the imposition of tariffs, shifts in funding, and an immigration crackdown paired with the disproportionate impacts that minority communities often reap from limited access to affordable fresh fruits and vegetables has made a state-level intervention imperative. Through extensive research on current NYS, federal, and international policies on nutrition improvement, we have learned that public health education, outreach, and publicity are essential to increase accessibility and consumption of fruit and vegetable crops. Agricultural subsidies can be used to reduce the price point of the aforementioned goods. This incentivizes healthy dietary behaviors, improving overall health. Promoting Health Through Agricultural Subsidies and Education, the PHASE Initiative, proposes a combination of nutrition education and agricultural subsidies in NYS to improve both the demand for and the access to affordable fresh fruits and vegetables for New Yorkers.

Mohammed Wasif Asnan and Istansir Kaownain

The opioid overdose crisis in Erie County reflects a systemic public health failure rather than an issue of individual choice. Rising fatalities, driven by fentanyl contamination, geographic disparities, and limited access to resources during high-risk periods, demonstrate that current interventions lack sufficient scale, accessibility, and adaptability. While prior initiatives successfully reduced deaths through coordinated, data-driven strategies, recent shifts in the drug supply and breakdowns in service delivery have reversed this progress. Most overdoses now occur in private, isolated settings where timely intervention is unavailable, further exposing gaps in resource distribution and outreach. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a three-pronged harm-reduction approach: expanding 24/7 naloxone vending machines in high-burden areas, integrating harm-reduction services into the University at Buffalo's Health on Wheels program, and mandating EMS leave-behind protocols. Together, these interventions aim to improve accessibility, reduce preventable deaths, and strengthen pathways to long-term care.

Kimberly Androvett and Amanda Gee

Spring 2026 HON 499 Independent Study: Buffalo's East Side has faced the prolonged consequences of disinvestment and racial displacement, resulting in inadequate bus service, deepening the cycle of poverty, and failing residents who depend on public transportation the most. A significant portion of East Side households lack access to a personal vehicle, yet infrequent routes, slow speeds, and limited coverage have cut residents off from jobs, healthcare, and education. This study quantifies the mismatch between transit supply and demand, identifying where NFTA service levels fall short of community needs. We propose equity-centered policy recommendations that consider the returns of investing in public transit reform. Realigning bus routes and service frequency with the travel patterns of East Side residents can reduce their average travel time, expand job accessibility, and improve connectivity to essential services. Our findings offer actionable, evidence-based guidance towards closing the mobility equity gap on the East Side.

Hilda Santiago Bautista and Khalida Khatun

This literature-based research explores existing mental health resources for older adults in Buffalo, New York. Geriatric care primarily focuses on individuals 65 and older, but some studies identify trends from ages 55+ to detect continuing trends and early indicators of mental health challenges. Through a review of Buffalo initiatives and successful international programs, we propose routine cognitive screening in primary care, and integrated care models that combine mental health with senior services. This approach can address the rates of undiagnosed mental illnesses such as depression and fragmented services, since some symptoms in the geriatric population are often misunderstood as normal signs of aging. However, public awareness and advocacy are crucial for successful implementation of this policy. By targeting researchers, lawmakers, social workers, and healthcare providers, this paper lays out the groundwork for proposing a policy to reduce misdiagnosis and improve access to care for Buffalo's aging population.

Tanisha Chainani, Nazhlah Thompson and Connor Torrey

As artificial intelligence continues to grow, copyright law in the United States has struggled to manage how copyrighted works of literature are being used to train large learning models. The current "fair use" doctrine has proven to be too vague to clearly dictate when and how AI developers can legally incorporate the works of writers into their training datasets. This policy proposal seeks to create a solution that ensures authors are fairly compensated for the use of their works while still promoting technological innovation. To do so, it suggests making additions to the Copyright Act, including a compulsory licensing system for large language model training. This system would allow AI developers to legally use copyrighted works for training purposes by paying a standardized fee and obtaining a license from a government regulatory board. Portions of the fee would go to authors of the copyrighted works as a royalty payment.

Olivia Bylewski, Mariam Doss and E-Ling Seet

The school-to-prison pipeline defines the process of punitive disciplinary actions, such as suspensions and expulsions, pushing youth into the prison system. It has been argued to be detrimental to certain populations over the years, disproportionately impacting people of color, differently abled individuals, and low-income students. We investigate how it came to be, its evolution, and its impacts on the Erie County community. We conducted interviews to understand teachers' view of the current disciplinary system and what more can be done to improve it. We conclude with considering alternatives, like restorative justice, and offering potential solutions. 

Alexis Todaro

My UB Curriculum Capstone project was created to demonstrate my growth from a Registered Nurse to a baccalaureate-prepared nurse throughout my time in the University at Buffalo's RN to BSN program. I discuss classes that I felt shaped my maturation in nursing, such as Statistics, Public Health Nursing & Population Health, Informatics, and Evidence-Based Practice & Nursing Research. The central theme is the development of critical insight, evolving from simply performing tasks to understanding the rationale behind the interventions I perform daily. I brought these experiences into my role as a behavioral health nurse, applying what I learned to improve patient safety and contribute to positive changes in my unit. I found this project to be a truly enjoyable experience as I was able to reflect on my journey and see how much I have grown professionally and in confidence. I found myself wanting to work on each section before it was due, as it allowed me to revisit important parts of my journey. 

Kira Sethi

As an architecture and dance major, Kira Sethi's UB journey has been filled with a variety of classes focusing on design, history, technique, and more. Kira has learned through architectural classes how to design and analyze structures for effective stabilization qualities, how to research significant architectural precedents and utilize their inspiring features in design projects, and how to apply diversity into design so that the built environment is accessible to many. During Kira Sethi's UB journey, she has had the opportunity to study abroad in both architecture and dance programs. The opportunity to study theater and performance in London provided Kira with insight into the multiple career avenues for performers. She was able to analyze the architecture and urban context of London, which greatly inspired her in pursuing design for public spaces. Kira also studied throughout Italy the different cultures and customs resulting from site-specific architecture and their environments.

Matthew Drummond

This ePortfolio reflects on the integrated academic pathways that shaped my engineering education at the University at Buffalo. Through coursework in science, mathematics, communication, humanities, and global studies, I developed technical knowledge and the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly. Foundational STEM courses strengthened my analytical thinking. Communication and writing courses taught me how to translate technical concepts for broader audiences. Courses in history, theatre, economics, and cultural studies expanded my understanding of how engineering and technology interact with society. Experiences outside the classroom, including developing a web application for a business and designing printed circuit boards, further connected theory with practical problem solving. Together, these academic and experiential pathways demonstrate how interdisciplinary learning supports the development of a well rounded engineer. Reflecting on these experiences highlights the importance of communication, creativity, and systems thinking in engineering practice. It prepares me to continue designing innovative technologies that improve everyday life.

River North

In this project, I reflect on my experiences with the University at Buffalo as they relate to the construction of my identity. Through UB Curriculum courses and experiences with UB programs, I track the stratigraphy of my own life, the developments at UB which caused me to become the student, researcher, and friend that I am today. I examine my challenges and victories in the hope that I may inspire others to step outside of their comfort zone, chase new horizons, and discover more about themselves as I have.