Alzheimer\u27s Disease as a Systems Problem

Alzheimer\u27s disease is often treated as a single diagnosis, but memory loss can look similar even when the biology is different. This presentation explores Alzheimer\u27s as a systems problem, showing how symptom overlap complicates diagnosis, biomarkers, and treatment while pointing toward broader approaches that include whole-body health. Faculty Sponsor:  Professor Melanie Robinso

Uncovering the Impact of YouTube\u27s Hidden Algorithm on Its Users

YouTube is a well-known platform that offers users endless hours of news, entertainment, and education. This research seeks to understand how the algorithm functions and uncover the effects of allowing a system to curate content for viewers. The research combines academic sources with fieldwork to understand the impact of YouTube\u27s algorithm. Faculty Sponsor:  Professor Jacqueline McGrat

Capitalism and Identity: Tracing Economic Foundations in 20th Century Liberation Theory

This presentation examines how capitalism shapes identity categories, not just oppresses them. Tracing thinkers from Adam Smith to Bayard Rustin, I argue that economic systems produce social identities like gender and sexuality. Rather than treating identity and class politics as opposing strategies, effective liberation movements must address both. Faculty Sponsor:  Professor Joshua Pric

Discovering Women in History

I studied women who have impacted history, from the Roman Empire to the present: Boudica, Hildegard of Bingen, Joan of Arc, Natalie Barney Clifford, and Shonda Rhimes. Through this research, I discovered challenges each woman endured while in pursuit of achievements that define how they are viewed in society today. Faculty Sponsor:  Professor Kristen Beirn

Neuroplasticity and Hippocampal Impacts Associated with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

A review on the implications of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and Hippocampal Brain Health. It explores the role of sleep medicine, its effect on the hippocampus, its influence on cognitive function, and emphasizes the need for continued research and intervention to preserve cognitive health. Faculty Sponsor:  Professor Felipe Arma

Shaped by the Feed: Big Data, Identity and Power

I explored how big data and algorithms shape the way we think and interact at an individual and societal level. This started from things I kept noticing in everyday life. Through my research, I learned how the personalization and predictability in feeds can reinforce beliefs, limit our critical thinking, deepen polarization and threaten our freedom. Faculty Sponsor:  Professor Aleisha Balestr

BDNF Signaling Dysfunction in College-Aged Males: MAPK/ERK Contributions to Mood, Cognition, and Motivation.

BDNF Signaling Dysfunction in College-Aged Males: MAPK/ERK Contributions to Mood, Cognition, and Motivation. Faculty Sponsor:  Professor Liane Cochran-Stafir

When Healing Becomes Horror: Medical Malpractice and Institutional Fear

I studied medical malpractice through the lens of Monster Theory, examining how systemic failures, institutional silence, and cultural ideals shape harm in healthcare. I learned that malpractice is not only a legal issue, but a structural and ethical one, where fear and lack of transparency erode trust and impact both patients and providers. Faculty Sponsor: Professor Aleisha Balestr

The Hierarchy Between Humans and Other Natural Living Beings

My research explores the hierarchical human treatment of the natural environment and the need to better address this detrimental systematic issue. By understanding the psychological approaches to our actions I deepened my understanding in the importance of educating ourselves about the characteristics and properties that unite every living being through equality. Faculty Sponsor:  Professor Alejandra Orteg

There\u27s Nothing Tragic About Being Fifty: An Introduction to Hagsploitation

A brief introduction to Hagsploitation, a subgenre of Exploitation film both established and popularized by the release of Robert Aldrich s What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). Notable examples of these films will be discussed, as well as historical context, and the potential for a feminist reading on the subgenre. Faculty Sponsor:  Professor Dylan Simon