Congratulations to the 2025 University Research Day award winners! Read about the winning posters and presentations, or scroll down to watch a recording of the 2025 awards ceremony.
Oral Presentations
Best oral presentation, doctoral:
Electrofabricated Chitosan Membranes on Filter Paper for Household Water Purification in Disaster Relief
- Phuc Long Duong, School of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering), Ph.D. student
- Advisor: Dr. Xiaolong Luo
Finalists, oral presentation, doctoral:
Medical Treatment Preferences among Emerging Adults with and without Chronic Medical Conditions
- Frances Cooke, School of Arts & Sciences (Psychology), Ph.D. student
- Collaborators: Mary Rose Yockel, Jackson Gasperecz, Leah Gadi, Alexandra DeLone, Larry Mullins
- Advisor: Dr. Christina Sharkey
Better Informed School Nurses = Healthier Students: Analyzing the School Nurse's Role on the Student Assistance Team (SAT) for School-Aged Children and Youth
- Susan Macyko, Conway School of Nursing, Ph.D. student
- Collaborators: Dr. Mary Flynn, DNP (CUA Faculty Mentor); Ms. Margaret Kenney (ADW Special Educator)
- Advisor: Dr. Janice Agazio
Best oral presentation, masters:
Is Jesus Christ's Cross Only a Repayment of Debt?
- John M.H. Quinn, School of Theology and Religious Studies (Historical and Systematic), Master's student
- Advisor: Rev. Dr. Vincent L. Strand, SJ
Finalists, oral presentation, masters:
AI-Driven Optimization and Security for High-Performance Compiting and Cloud-Native Systems
- Sandeep Shiraskar, School of Engineering (Electrical Engineering), Master's student
- Collaborator: Dr. Dominic Rizk
- Advisor: Dr. Dominic Rizk
The Politics of Perception: Judgements of Culpability Across Ideologies
- Julia Kennedy, Tysyn Minnis, & David Arroyo, School of Arts and Sciences (Psychology), Master's student
- Collaborators: Madison Schultz, Chase Kovalcheck, Hannah Chesterton, Elise Cardinale
- Advisor: Elise Cardinale
Best oral presentation, undergraduates:
The Great Māhele: How the 1848 Privatization of Land Ownership led to the Hawaiian Annexation
- Chloe Masaitis, Arts and Sciences (History), Undergraduate
- Advisor: Dr. Stephen West
Finalists, oral presentation, undergraduates:
Doctoring the Books: How Can You Tell if It's (Non) Fiction?
- Mary Margaret Brennan,School of Arts & Sciences (English), Undergraduate
- Advisor: Dr. Trevor Lipscombe
- Benjamin Rees, Arts & Science (Biology), UndergraduateAdam Cady, School of Philosophy, Undergraduate
- Advisor: Dr. Marshall Bierson
Saved by the Spray: How Naloxone Reverses Opioid Overdoses
- Maura Hroncich, Conway School of Nursing, Undergraduate
- Advisor: Dr. Gregory Miller
Posters
Best poster, doctoral:
Impact of Childhood Parenting Practices on the Psychological Well-being of Emerging Adults with Chronic Medical Conditions
- Mary Rose Yockel, Arts and Sciences (Psychology), PhD Student
- Collaborator: Frnaces Cooke, Emma McGrade, & Larry L. Mullin
- Advisor: Christina M. Sharkey
Finalists, poster, doctoral:
Marijuana Legalization and Labor Trafficking
- Marian Ruiz, School of Arts and Sciences (Psychology), PhD Student Theresa Jeffrey, Columbus School of Law, J.D. candidate
- Raha Hajiashrafi, School of Engineering (Civil Engineering), PhD Student
- Collaborators: Dr. Gunnar Lucko, Dr. Jeffrey W. Herrman, Dr. Kiran R. Bhutani, & Dr. Mohamed S. Eid
- Advisor: Dr. Gunnar Lucko
Best poster, masters:
Addressing Homelessness
- Muhammad Ataul Gani, School Architecture and Planning (Architecture), Master's Student
- Advisor: Patricia Andrasik
Finalist, poster, masters:
Unveiling Hidden Discounts and Price Trends on Amazon
- Abdul Baseer Shaik,School of Engineering (Data Analytics), Master's Student
- Collaborator: Syed Riyaz
- Advisor: Dr. Chaofan Sun
Little Interactions, Lasting Impact: Capturing Moment-to-Moment Social and Emotional Dynamics
- Chantelle Dias, School of Arts & Sciences (Psychology), Master's Student
- Collaborator: Elise Cardinale
- Advisor: Elise Cardinale
Closing the Resilience and Adaptability Discrepancy for Children of Single Parents: An Income-Adjusted Randomized Controlled Trial
- Cayden Antee, School of Arts & Sciences (Psychology), Master's Student
- Collaborator: Alexa J. Hudock, Daniel A. Ponciano, Brendan A. Rich
- Advisor: Brendan Rich
Analyzing and Predicting New York City Traffic Accidents: A Machine Learning Approach to Road Safety
- Nikhil Kumar Reddy Dilli, School of Engineering (Data Analytics), Master's Student
- Advisor: Matthew Jacobs
Best poster, undergrad:
Protein Engineering: A Toolkit for Modern Medicine
- Maria Erquiaga, Engineering (Mechanical Engineering) Cephas Wilson-Bahun, Arts and Sciences (Chemistry), Undergraduate Student
Finalists, poster, undergrad:
Incorporation of Psychophysiology Measures in Frustrating AX-Continuous Performance Task (FAX-CPT)
- Ashleigh Meskill & Lucy Knopf, School of Arts & Sciences (Psychology), Undergraduate Student
- Collaborators: Ena Sullivan, Jennifer Meigs, Shannon Shaughnessy, Emilio Valadez, Spencer Evans, & Kathryn Degnan
- Advisor: Elise Cardinale
- Priya Mammen, Conway School of Nursing, Undergraduate Student
- Collaborators: Isabelle Muller, Konstantin Gilbo
- Advisor: Dr. Gregory Miller