SPS 2024 Winners

Biochemistry, Cell & Molecular Biology (BCMB)

First Place
2024-BCMB-113
Examining the Effects of Stress on Epigenetic Aging and Health Outcomes by Race/Ethnicity: The Health and Retirement Study
Authors: Ninette Westendorff, Bathsheba Aklilu
Faculty Supervisor: Cathy Samayoa
Department: Biology

Second Place
2024-BCMB-111
The Function of CLS-2 in Segregation Dynamics of Male Sperm Meiosis in Caenorhabditis elegans
Author: Emma Harms
Faculty Supervisor: Diana Chu
Department: Biology

Third Place
2024-BCMB-123
A Novel Method to Measure Rotational Diffusion of Proteins in Whole Cells
Authors: Patra Holmes, Michelle Chong, Maureen Montes, Lika Chhit, Ericka Gonzales
Faculty Supervisor: Raymond M. Esquerra
Department: Chemistry & Biochemistry

Civil & Mechanical Engineering (CME)

First Place
2024-CME-208
AscendTech
Authors: Devin Munoz, Pavan Kalla, Leonardo Vigil Ruiz, Haval Kotrush, Steven Jones
Faculty Supervisor: George Anwar
Department: Engineering

Second Place
2024-CME-218
Shape Chaser
Authors: Alvaro Ramirez, Cameron Tuttle, Mutaz Albazian
Faculty Supervisor: David Quintero
Department: Engineering

Third Place
2024-CME-209
Lego Educational Shake Table
Author: Connor Galvin
Faculty Supervisor: Zhaoshuo Jiang
Department: Engineering

Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering (CSEE)

First Place
2024-CSEE-309
AirWatch
Authors: Michael Decker Jr., George Lebbos, Oscar Orozco, Marco Anguiano
Faculty Supervisor: Hao Jiang
Department: Engineering

Second Place
2024-CSEE-324
Satellite Image Segmentation for Environmental Sustainability
Authors: Lubat Asadova, William Watson, Aidan Bayer-Calvert, Ashley Raymond
Faculty Supervisor: Ilmi Yoon
Department: Computer Science

Third Place
2024-CSEE-322
Autonomous RC Car Using CAN Bus
Authors: Parth Sharma, Piyush Sharma
Faculty Supervisor: Hamid Shahnasser
Department: Engineering

Environment (ENV)

First Place
2024-ENV-401
A Statistical Analysis of Wildland and Prescribed Fires in the Changing California Climate
Author: Sequoia Andrade
Faculty Supervisor: Alexandra Piryatinska
Department: Mathematics

Second Place
2024-ENV-421
Prevalence of Microplastics in Influent and Effluent Wastewater
Author: Benjamin-Rafael Mingoa
Faculty Supervisor: Archana Anand
Department: Biology

Third Place
2024-ENV-427
The Fate of Mosses Under a Changing Climate: Evolution of Stress Tolerance in Syntrichia
Author: Ashley Meinke
Faculty Supervisor: Jenna Ekwealor
Department: Biology

Mathematics & Physical Science (MPS)

First Place
2024-MPS-512
Operando Electrochemical Raman Spectroscopy Studies of Working Electrodes in (Photo)electrocatalytic Water Splitting
Author: Timothy Lin
Faculty Supervisor: Jingjing Qiu
Department: Chemistry & Biochemistry

Second Place
2024-MPS-502
The r-Process Enhancement of Stars from Chemodynamically Tagged Groups in the Milky Way Halo
Author: Jessica Merritt Agnos
Faculty Supervisor: Charli Sakari
Department: Physics & Astronomy

Third Place
2024-MPS-504
Generalized Frobenius Numbers: Asymptotics and Two Product Families
Author: Anika O'Donnell
Faculty Supervisor: Matthias Beck
Department: Mathematics

Microbiology, Biomedical Science (MBS)

First Place
2024-MBS-624
RoboCam: A Flexible High-Throughput Platform for Biological Research
Authors: Sergio Gonzalez, Jr., Alexandria Nesbeth, Keith Curry, Jacob Vazquez, Diana Carolina Ceron, Kimi Lee, Peter Chudinov
Faculty Supervisor: Raymond Esquerra
Department: Chemistry & Biochemistry

Second Place
2024-MBS-611
Mostly Dead, Slightly Alive: Glimpses into the Proteomes of Dead Sea Halophilic Archaea
Author: Richard Baker-Strader
Faculty Supervisor: Jason Cantley
Department: Biology

Third Place
2024-MBS-601
Investigating the Impact of Host Blood Meal Identity on Ixodes pacificus Microbiome Composition Using a Multi-Species Analysis of Small Mammals and Reptiles
Author: Mariah Angel Cuyson
Faculty Supervisor: Andrea Swei
Department: Biology

Physiology, Zoology, Marine Science (PZMS)

First Place
2024-PZMS-721
Investigating Feeding by Naupliar Copepods in Resurrection Bay Gulf of Alaska
Author: Jennifer Staat
Faculty Supervisor: Michelle Jungbluth
Department: Biology

Second Place
2024-PZMS-704
Prevalence and Diversity of Avian Haemosporidian Parasites in Mixed-Species Flocking Birds of Peru
Author: Aileen Lopez
Faculty Supervisor: Ravinder Sehgal
Department: Biology

Third Place
2024-PZMS-726
Comparing the Contributions of Cutaneous and Respiratory Evaporative Water Loss to Cooling in Anna’s Hummingbirds (Calypte anna) Under Fasted and Fed Conditions
Author: Cecilia Doan
Faculty Supervisor: Derrick Groom
Department: Biology

Psychology, Human Geography, Science Education (SOC)

First Place
2024-SOC-814
“Go back to where you came from”: A Qualitative Investigation of Immigration Discrimination Among Adolescents
Author: Manuel Abundis-Morales
Faculty Supervisor: Zena Mello
Department: Psychology

Second Place
2024-SOC-805
TACCTI: Deep Learning-Based Cultural Capital Theme Identification in STEM Education using Reflective Journals
Author: Gian Carlo Baldonado
Faculty Supervisor: Anagha Kulkarni
Department: Computer Science

Third Place
2024-SOC-815
Health Status and Relationship Closeness: Associations Among Adolescents with Chronic Health Conditions
Author: Fernanda Amaya
Faculty Supervisor: Jeff Cookston
Department: Psychology