Arts & Humanities
First Place: MICHAEL SCIMECA
Left Brain vs. Right Brain: An Analysis of Functionality in Cervantes’ Don Quixote
Mentor:: Dr. Martha Garcia (Department of Modern Languages and Literatures)
Second Place: KIMBERLY KUNDROTAS
From the Ascetic to the Aesthetic: The Western Reinvention of Yoga
Mentor: Dr. Ann Gleig (Department of Philosophy)
Honorable Mention : KARLA ORIHUELA
Closing the Gap Between STEM Researchers and Their Audience: Using Technical Communication in Poster Boards
Mentor: Dr. Madelyn Flammia (Department of English)
Honorable Mention: LARRY MORALEZ
Process and Mind: Is Process Philosophy and Nonlinear Cognitive Systems Science Commensurate?
Mentor: : Dr. Luis Favela (Department of Philosophy)
Engineering and Computer Science I
First Place: JESSICA CHAMBERS
Flame Turbulence Interaction for Deflagration to Detonation
Mentor: Dr. Kareem Ahmed (Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
Second Place: ARI HADAR
Studying the Formation of Suspected Disinfection Byproduct Carcinogens Using Fluorescence Spectroscopy, UV254 Absorbance, and Apparent Molecular Weight Distribution
Mentor: Dr. Steven Duranceau (Department of Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering)
Honorable Mention: GEOFFREY GREGORY
TCAD Modeling of TLM Contact Resistance Structures
Mentor: Dr. Kristopher Davis (Department of Optics)
Engineering and Computer Science II
First Place: REBECCA MCLEAN
Sodium Ion Effect on Chlorella Vulgaris as a Means of Increasing Lipid Production for Bioenergy
Mentor: Dr. Woo Hyoung Lee, Dr. Jaehoon Hwang (Department of Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering)
Second Place: JOEY VELEZ-GINORIO
Temporal Order-Based First-Take-All Hashing for Fast Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Detection
Mentor: Dr. Guo-Jun Qi (Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science)
Honorable Mention : JASMINE THOMPSON
Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy of Sub-Nanoliter Droplets
Mentor: : Dr. Martin Richardson (Department of Optics and Photonics)
Health Sciences I
First Place: CHELSEA HUGHES
Dosing Accuracy When Administering Oral Medications
Mentor: Dr. Kelly Allred (Department of Nursing)
Second Place: SHANNON HASSETT
Technologies to Enhance Optimal Glycemic Control in Young Adults with Type 1 Diabetes
Mentor: Dr. Laura Gonzalez (Department of Nursing)
Honorable Mention:LINDA LAVADIA
Effects of A Parent-Focused Intervention on the Communication of Children Using Augmentative and Alternative Communication Technologies
Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Kent-Walsh (Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders)
Health Sciences II
First Place: SAMANTHA SERMARINI
Black Caregiver Responses to and Perceptions of Signs, Symptoms, and Treatments at the End of Life
Mentor: Dr. Norma Conner (Department of Nursing)
Second Place: STEPHANIE LEVINE
Music Therapy as an Intervention to Reduce Anxiety in Mechanically Ventilated Patients
Mentor: Dr. Mary Lou Sole (Department of Nursing)
Honorable Mention: HANNA LINDNER
Identifying the Best Predictors of Intention to Perform Testicular Self-Examination in Young Adult Males
Mentor: : Dr. Michael Rovito (Department of Health Professions)
Life Sciences I
First Place: AMANDA COX
Improving Sensitivity and Detection Limits of Deoxyribozyme 10-23 Binary Sensor by Using DNA Antenna Tile
Mentor: Dr. Dmitry Kolpashchikov (Department of Chemistry)
Second Place: GRACE AVECILLA
An Investigation of the Correlation Between Temperature, Cuticular Melanization, and Immune Function in the Asian Citrus Psyllid, Diaphorina citri
Mentor: Dr. Ken Fedorka (Department of Biology)
Honorable Mention: ALEXIA BOSSAN
The Function of FGD4 and Its Role in the Development of Drug-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Mentor: Dr. Ratna Chakrabarti (Department of Biomedical Sciences)
Honorable Mention: HOLLIS DAHN
Perspectives on Southwestern Biogeography: Evolutionary Implications of the Continental Divide for Two Desert Snakes
Undergraduate Co-Author: Alejandra Osorio
Mentor: Dr. Christopher Parkinson (Department of Biology)
Life Sciences II
First Place: SAMUEL HARRIS
A Study on the Mechanism of Loss of Expression of MicroRNAs in Cell Lines Developed from Racially Disparate Patients
Mentor: Dr. Ratna Chakrabarti (Department of Biomedical Sciences)
Second Place: SARA KHEDERZADEH
Bioengineering and Development of Exosomes for Expansion of Cytotoxic Natural Killer (NK) Cells for Cancer Therapy
Mentor: Dr. Alicja Copik (Department of Biomedical Sciences)
Honorable Mention:Baggio Evangelista
Blood Brain Barrier-Penetrable Aptamer-Based Radio-Probe Targeting Alpha-Synuclein Oligomers for Early Diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease Using Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
Mentor: Dr. Yoon-Seong Kim (Department of Biomedical Sciences)
Honorable Mention: ZACHARY LOEB
The Impact of Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds Found in Wastewater Effluent on the Embryonic Development of Oryzias latipes (Medaka fish)
Mentor: Dr. Donovan Dixon (Department of Chemistry)
Life Sciences III
First Place: ASHELYN SIDDERS
Expanding the Genetic Toolbox for Mycobacteria: Constructing the pheS Counterselection Marker
Mentor: Dr. Kyle Rohde (Department of Biomedical Sciences)
Second Place: MICHELLE SHAFFER
Evaluating Black Mangrove, Avicennia germinans, Northern Range Expansion Impacts on Shoreline Bird Communities Along the Eastern Coast of Florida
Mentor: Dr. Melinda Donnelly (Department of Biology)
Honorable Mention: ARSHIA PESSARAN
Identifying the Mechanism for the PM21 Stimulated Expansion of NK Cells
Mentors: Dr. Alicja Copik (Department of Biomedical Sciences)
Honorable Mention: JESSICA SANDOVAL
Impact of Roosting Bats on the Urban Stormwater Quality of the UCF Campus
Mentor: Dr. Patrick Bohlen (Department of Biology)
Honorable Mention: CHRISTOPHER YANICK
Movement of Gopher Tortoises with Relation to Railroad Tracks: Consequences of Anthropogenic Barriers for Terrestrial Species
Mentor: Dr. Christopher Parkinson (Department of Biology)
Physical Sciences and Mathematics I
First Place: : RUSSELL FRANK
Color-Changing Surfaces Enabled by Liquid-Crystal Plasmonics
Mentor: Dr. Debashis Chanda (Department of Optics)
Second Place: : ROBERT BAUER
Geodesics of the Projective Models for the Cayley-Klein Geometries of the Plane
Mentor: Dr. Costas Efthimiou (Department of Physics)
Honorable Mention: BROOKE BAYLESS
Single Nucleotide Substitution Analysis Using OC Sensors
Mentor:Dr. Dmitry Kolpashchikov (Department of Chemistry)
Honorable Mention: DANIEL CERKONEY
Ultrafast Breakdown of the Insulating Phase in Bulk V2O3
Mentor: Dr. Volodymyr Turkowski, Dr. Talat Rahman (Department of Physics)
Honorable Mention: KATERINA CHAGOYA
The Synthesis of Delta Phase Molybdenum Nitride (δ-MoN) for Use as a Catalyst in Ammonia Production via Mechanochemical Methods
Mentor: Dr. Richard Blair (Department of Physics)
Honorable Mention: LAUREN GANDY
A Combined Method of Detection for Organic and Inorganic Gunshot Residue
Mentor: Dr. Candice Bridge (Department of Chemistry)
Physical Sciences and Mathematics II
First Place: JOSEPH SLEPPY
Use of Perovskite to Develop Flexible and Semitransparent Energy-Generating Solar Cells
Mentor: Dr. Jayan Thomas (Department of Optics)
Second Place: TYLER TOWNSEND
Exploration of the Temperature Dependence for Spin Pumping in a Superconducting Niobium Thin Film
Mentor: Dr. Enrique del Barco (Department of Physics)
Honorable Mention: NICOLE MRVOS
The Mechanosynthesis of Propane Using Recycled Biomass for Renewable Energy
Mentor: Dr. Richard Blair (Department of Physics)
Honorable Mention: JEFFER PINZON
Signal Amplification of a Highly Selective Universal MicroRNA Electrochemical Sensor for Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Detection
Mentors: Dr. Karin Chumbimuni-Torres (Department of Chemistry)
Honorable Mention: NIKIA TOOMEY
Synthesis and Characterization of Fluorescent C-13 Derivatives of Podocarpic Acid
Mentors:Dr. Delbert Miles (Department of Chemistry)
Social Sciences I
First Place: REBECCA CHAPPELL
An Examination of the Extent to Which Word Work with Elementary Students Transfers to Authentic Reading and Writing Practices
Mentor:Dr. Andrea Gelfuso (Department of Teaching, Learning, and Leadership)
Second Place: SHIRLEY DORSAINVIL
Does Distance Matter?: Predictors of Infidelity and Jealousy in Geographically Close vs. Long-Distance Romantic Relationships
Mentor: Dr. Grace White (Department of Psychology)
Honorable Mention: DEVIN BURNELL
Antecedent and Consequences of Right-Wing Authoritarianism and Social Dominance Orientation in the Workplace
Mentor: Dr. Doan Modianos (Department of Psychology)
Honorable Mention: ALYSSA FINNER
Transdiagnostic Exploration of Psychiatric Symptoms Related to Misattribution Errors to Neutral Faces
Mentors: Dr. Jeffrey Bedwell (Department of Psychology)
Honorable Mention: WILLIAM DEAN
Policy Evolution in Costa Rica: The Road to Sustainable Ecotourism
Mentors: Dr. Peter Jacques (Department of Political Science)
Social Sciences II
First Place: MELISSA GOMEZ
Stable Isotope Analysis of the Extracted Collagen from the Bahamian Hutia; Determining Role in Indigenous Agricultural Development
Mentor:Dr. Pete Sinelli, Dr. Lana Williams (Department of Anthropology)
Second Place: TAMAR NIR
Hebrew and Computer-Mediated Communication: The Effects of a Linguistic Manipulation on Perception, Identity, and Preservation
Mentor: Dr. Valerie Sims (Department of Psychology)
Honorable Mention: JAMES KOZACHUK
An Investigation of the Effect of the Discrete Fitts’ Pointing Task on Physiological Stress
Mentors: Dr. Daniel McConnell (Department of Psychology)
Honorable Mention: CHRISTINA KURSEWICZ
Palliative Care Education in American Medical Schools
Mentor: Dr. Elzbieta Sikorska-Simmons (Department of Sociology)
Honorable Mention: YETZENIA NEGRON
Victimization Experiences and Its Influence on Job Choice
Mentor: Dr. Amy Reckdenwald (Department of Sociology)
Honorable Mention: : SOFIA NEIRA
Perceptual Grouping in Visual Working Memory
Mentor: Dr. Mark Neider (Department of Psychology)
Social Sciences III
First Place: ANGEL SANCHEZ
Can Independent Redistricting Commissions Lead Us Out of the Political Thicket?
Undergraduate Co-Author: Tyler Yeargain
Mentor:Dr. Barry Edwards (Department of Political Science)
Second Place: : BETHANY WEDLUND
Student Perceptions of Birth Mothers of Adopted Children
Mentor: Dr. Shannon Carter (Department of Sociology)
Honorable Mention: AMAIRINI SANCHEZ
Social Media and Self-Presentation
Mentor: Dr. Amy Reckdenwald (Department of Sociology)
Honorable Mention: DIAMOND WASHINGTON
Unique Challenges Faced by Homeless Single Fathers
Mentor: Dr. Amy Donley (Department of Sociology)
Honorable Mention:JESSICA WALKER
Student Perception of Barriers to Study Abroad
Mentors: Dr. Carlos Valdez (Department of Marketing), Dr. Keith Folse (Department of Modern Languages and Literatures), Dr. Carolyn Massiah (Department of Marketing)
Honorable Mention: SAVANNAH WHEAT
“What I Wish I Knew:” Psychology Seniors’ Advice to New Psychology Majors
Undergraduate Co-Author: Randy Garland
Mentor: Dr. Karen Mottarella (Department of Psychology)
Peer Choice
ANDREW LETTER
Refining Camera Trap Identification of Bobcats
Undergraduate Co-Author: Jeremi McRae
Mentor: Dr. Gregg Klowden (Department of Biology)
RONNETRA GIBBONS
Sustainable Living Project EASY — Environmentally Aware Sustainable Youth: Building a Better Community Through Changing Our Personal Habits to Reduce Waste
Undergraduate Co-Authors: Timothy Widere, Andrea Bennett, Colton Wolfe, Brittany O’Connor, Lindsay Biancardi, Ashley Gallagher, Daniel Jalali, Bianca Currier, Jason Fronczek, Hieu Huynh, Whitney Morris
Mentor: Ms. Eileen Smith (Department of Visual Arts and Design)
SARA KHEDERZADEH
Bioengineering and Development of Exosomes for Expansion of Cytotoxic Natural Killer (NK) Cells for Cancer Therapy
Mentor: Dr. Alicja Copik (Department of Biomedical Sciences)
Audience Choice
VICTORIA BRODIE
What Our Eyes Can’t See: Distribution of Microplastic Pollution Within Mosquito Lagoon and the Eastern Coast of Central Florida
Undergraduate Co-Authors: Meagan Minadie, Aliris Loperena, Christian Pilato, Jennifer Griffith
Mentor: Dr. Linda Walters (Department of Biology)
HANNA LINDNER
Identifying the Best Predictors of Intention to Perform Testicular Self-Examination in Young Adult Males
Mentor: Dr. Michael Rovito (Department of Health Professions)
ZACHARY LOEB
The Impact of Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds Found in Wastewater Effluent on the Embryonic Development of Oryzias latipes (Medaka fish)
Mentor: Dr. Donovan Dixon (Department of Chemistry)
ARSHIA PESSARAN
Identifying the Mechanism for the PM21 Stimulated Expansion of NK Cells
Mentors: Dr. Alicja Copik (Department of Biomedical Sciences)
MARIELA SAAD
Gendered Virtue: A Study of Its Meaning and Evolution in Early Modern France
Mentors:Dr. Anne-Charlotte Trinquet (Department of Modern Languages and Literatures)