Past Conferences
Past Conferences
2026 STEM Research Conference Overview
| Start | End | Room | Activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00 AM | 8:45 AM | Hidalgo |
Check-in & Breakfast Opening Remarks Conference Overview |
| 8:45 AM | 8:55 AM | Break and Poster Setup | |
| 9:00 AM | 10:30 AM | Arroyo Colorado Brooks Cameron Laguna Madre Rio Grande Starr Willacy |
Session 1 Oral: Electrical Engineering, Health Sciences, Physics & Astronomy, Materials Science and Engineering, Biology, Environmental and Marine Sciences, Robotics and AI, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Poster: Biochemistry, Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Medical Sciences |
| 10:30 AM | 10:45 AM | Break and Poster Setup | |
| 10:45 AM | 12:15 PM | Arroyo Colorado Brooks Cameron Laguna Madre Rio Grande Starr Willacy |
Session 2 Oral: Computer Science, Health Sciences + Biomedical Engineering, Physics & Astronomy II, MSE + Mechanical Engineering, Biology II, Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences II, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences II Poster: Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Health Sciences, Materials Science and Engineering |
| 12:15 PM | 12:30 PM | Transition Time and Poster Setup | |
| 12:30 PM | 2:00 PM | Hidalgo |
Lunch, Remarks, and Keynote Remarks by Keynote Speaker: Dr. James P. Long |
| 2:00 PM | 3:30 PM | Arroyo Colorado Laguna Madre Rio Grande |
Session 3 Oral: Chemistry, Civil Engineering Poster: Biology, Computer Science, Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Physics & Astronomy, Robotics & AI |
| 3:30 PM | 3:45 PM | Transition Time | |
| 3:45 PM | 4:30 PM | Arroyo Colorado Laguna Madre Rio Grande |
Session 4: Careers, Service, and Graduate School |
| 4:30 PM | 5:00 PM | Hidalgo | Award Ceremony |
Keynote Speaker
Speaker's Abstract
STEM Research in the Age of AI: Challenges and Opportunities
Artificial intelligence is transforming STEM research. While AI promises to accelerate discovery, it also introduces substantial challenges. New AI tools are being rapidly developed which require time to learn, validate, and integrate into existing research workflows. As certain tasks are done faster with AI, new bottlenecks in research and development pipelines arise, slowing knowledge discovery. Perhaps most concerningly, AI models are adept at producing voluminous quantities of unverified output, potentially leading to an erosion of trust in research results. In this talk, I will share how AI has reshaped my work as a biostatistician and data scientist over the past 5 years. I will discuss two recent projects motivated by AI: first, overcoming bottlenecks in the drug development pipeline using external control arms in clinical trials; and second, developing biologically motivated performance metrics for in-silico cellular perturbation models. I will conclude with thoughts on how AI may reshape the next 5 years of STEM research.
Outstanding Thesis Awards
| Recipient | Award Title | Program / Area | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ismael Lamas, Jr. | 2026 Outstanding Thesis | Biomedical Engineering | College of Engineering and Computer Science |
| Karla Viviana Sierra Flores | 2026 Outstanding Thesis | Civil Engineering | College of Engineering and Computer Science |
| Angel Peredo | 2026 Outstanding Thesis | Computer Science | College of Engineering and Computer Science |
| G. M. Mehedi Hossain | 2026 Outstanding Thesis | Electrical Engineering | College of Engineering and Computer Science |
| Nicholas Perez | 2026 Outstanding Thesis | Mechanical Engineering | College of Engineering and Computer Science |
| Deisy Garcia | 2026 Outstanding Thesis | AESS | College of Sciences |
| Edmund Fosu Agyemang | 2026 Outstanding Thesis | Applied Statistics & Data Science | College of Sciences |
| Md Faisal Amin | 2026 Outstanding Thesis | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | College of Sciences |
| Shikha Bharti | 2026 Outstanding Thesis | Biology | College of Sciences |
| Maria I. Myers Armas | 2026 Outstanding Thesis | Chemistry | College of Sciences |
| Aiden M. Lalonde | 2026 Outstanding Thesis | Mathematics | College of Sciences |
| Rebecca Muniz | 2026 Outstanding Thesis | Ocean, Coastal & Earth Sciences | College of Sciences |
| Jeffery Opoku | 2026 Outstanding Dissertation | Mathematics & Statistics | Interdisciplinary |
Overall Outstanding Thesis Awards
| Recipient | Award Title | College |
|---|---|---|
| Karla Viviana Sierra Flores | 2026 Outstanding Thesis in the College of Engineering and Computer Science | College of Engineering and Computer Science |
| Rebecca Muniz | 2026 Outstanding Thesis in the College of Sciences | College of Sciences |
Best Presentation Category Awards
| Category | Classification | Type | Presenter | Mentor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biochemistry | Undergraduate | Poster | Mariely Gonzalez | Dr. Yonghong Zhang |
| Biochemistry | Graduate | Poster | Daniela Delgado | Dr. Nirakar Sahoo |
| Biology | High School | Poster | Sunakhi Sahoo | Dr. Veerachandra Yemmireddy |
| Biology | Undergraduate | Oral | Edwin Biju | Dr. Teresa Patricia Feria Arroyo |
| Biology | Undergraduate | Poster | Sean Patrick Miller | Dr. Sarah Mays Maestas |
| Biology | Graduate | Oral | Keyaa Shah | Dr. Yonghong Zhang |
| Biology | Graduate | Poster | Erich Aldo Leopold Frey | Dr. Alejandro Fierro |
| Biomedical Engineering | Undergraduate | Poster | Gerardo De Leon | Dr. Murali M. Yallapu |
| Biomedical Engineering | Graduate | Oral | Juan Jose Muñoz II | Dr. Mohammad R. Islam |
| Biomedical Engineering | Graduate | Poster | Tiham Fayaz | Dr. Fahmida Alam |
| Chemistry | Undergraduate | Oral | Olivia Ocampo | Dr. Julie P. Vanegas |
| Chemistry | Undergraduate | Poster | Eleni Brianne Gonzalez | Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay |
| Chemistry | Graduate | Oral | Bryan Ramirez | Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay |
| Chemistry | Graduate | Poster | Kaelyn G Calma | Dr. Eloi Camprubi |
| Civil Engineering | Undergraduate | Poster | Serena Rosales | Dr. Omar Al-Qudah |
| Civil Engineering | Graduate | Oral | Jennifer Herrera Solis | Dr. Mohsen Amjadian |
| Civil Engineering | Graduate | Poster | Rosa Aimee Castan Ruiz | Dr. Gasser Ali |
| Computer Sciences | High School | Oral | Suchit Peddoju | Dr. James R. Pittman |
| Computer Sciences | Undergraduate | Oral | Damian Villarreal | Dr. Sergei Chuprov |
| Computer Sciences | Undergraduate | Poster | David Alejandro Sanchez | Dr. Sergei Chuprov |
| Computer Sciences | Graduate | Oral | Ei Ei Nyein Chan | Dr. Sergei Chuprov |
| Computer Sciences | Graduate | Poster | Sebastian Alejos Torres | Dr. Kristina Vatcheva |
| Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | High School | Poster | Kaitlyn Tran | Mentor Not Listed |
| Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Undergraduate | Poster | Katie Cantu | Dr. Hudson DeYoe |
| Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Graduate | Oral | Ana Yarely Casillas Rodriguez | Dr. Tian Y. Dong |
| Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Graduate | Poster | Andrew Ward | Dr. Tian Y. Dong |
| Electrical Engineering | Undergraduate | Poster | Jorge Garcia | Dr. Jinghao Yang |
| Electrical Engineering | Graduate | Oral | MD ILIAS RAHMAN | Dr. Ahmed Hasnain Jalal |
| Electrical Engineering | Graduate | Poster | Jingyi Li | Dr. Jinghao Yang |
| Health Sciences | Undergraduate | Oral | Julissa Peña | Dr. Milena Melo |
| Health Sciences | Undergraduate | Poster | Cristina Dulgheru | Dr. Carina Marques |
| Health Sciences | Graduate | Oral | Omar Sharif | Dr. Omar Sharif |
| Health Sciences | Graduate | Poster | Justice Yaw Effah | Mentor Not Listed |
| Material Sciences Engineering | High School | Poster | Renata Leonhardt | Dr. Mataz Alcoutlabi |
| Material Sciences Engineering | Undergraduate | Oral | Alejandro Cantu Paniagua | Dr. Victoria Padilla |
| Material Sciences Engineering | Undergraduate | Poster | Jesus Gonzales | Dr. Misael Martinez |
| Material Sciences Engineering | Graduate | Oral | Misael Eduardo Martinez | Dr. Victoria Padilla |
| Material Sciences Engineering | Graduate | Poster | Daniel Garza Jr | Dr. Fahmida Alam |
| Mathematical & Statistical Sciences | High School | Poster | Sofia Sifuentes | Dr. Josef Sifuentes |
| Mathematical & Statistical Sciences | Undergraduate | Oral | Alessandra Martinez | Dr. Michael R. Lindstrom |
| Mathematical & Statistical Sciences | Undergraduate | Poster | Deborah Davila | Dr. Murali M. Yallapu and Dr. Rinki Verma |
| Mathematical & Statistical Sciences | Graduate | Oral | Daniel Gutierrez | Dr. Kristina Vatcheva |
| Mathematical & Statistical Sciences | Graduate | Poster | Peggy Enyonam Akabuah | Dr. Kristina Vatcheva |
| Mechanical Engineering | Undergraduate | Oral | Kenia Lopez | Dr. Constantine Tarawneh |
| Mechanical Engineering | Undergraduate | Poster | Joseph Mojica | Dr. Constantine Tarawneh |
| Mechanical Engineering | Graduate | Oral | Aaron Blanton | Dr. Constantine Tarawneh |
| Mechanical Engineering | Graduate | Poster | Yazmin G. Cortes | Dr. Javier Ortega |
| Medical Sciences | Undergraduate | Poster | Estephania Kumpf-Garcia | Dr. Claudia Biguetti and Dr. Bhuvana Lakkasetter Chandrashekar |
| Medical Sciences | Graduate | Poster | Tolulope Olamide Oluwadairo | Dr. Satish Kumar |
| Physics & Astronomy | High School | Oral | Leo Marsili | Dr. Karen S. Martirosyan |
| Physics & Astronomy | Undergraduate | Poster | Orel Josue Sanchez-Leal | Dr. Karen S. Martirosyan |
| Physics & Astronomy | Graduate | Oral | Manoj Chhetri | Dr. Karen S. Martirosyan |
| Physics & Astronomy | Graduate | Poster | Parinaz Amaniabdolmalaki | Dr. Mircea Chipara |
| Robotics & Artificial Intelligence | Undergraduate | Poster | John Hinojosa | Dr. Luis Castanuela, Dr. Dario Hinojosa, and Dr. Sergei Chuprov |
| Robotics & Artificial Intelligence | Graduate | Oral | Martha Asare | Dr. Jinghao Yang |
| Robotics & Artificial Intelligence | Graduate | Poster | Christopher Attafuan | Dr. Hansapani Rodrigo |
Oral Presentations
| Presenter | Position | Title of Presentation | Category | Mentor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brittany Griggs | Master's Student | Green Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles using Medicinal Plant Extracts: Evaluation of their Antioxidant Capacity | Biochemistry | Dr. Julie P. Vanegas |
| Keyaa Shah | Master's Student | The N-Terminus of PSD-93 as a Target for Calmodulin: Structural and Functional Analysis | Biochemistry | Dr. YongHong Zhang |
| Abbey Abalos | Master's Student | qPCR-based detection of Ixodiphagus sp. infestation in Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. | Biology | Dr. Sarah Mays Maestas |
| Adryenna Perez | Master's Student | The Life History of Tube Tailed Thrips on the Native Coastal Plant Borrichia frutescens | Biology | Dr. Julie Mustard |
| Dileka Kariyawasam | Master's Student | Niche variation in high-diversity avian communities | Biology | Dr. Andrea Contina |
| Esmeralda Rosas | Master's Student | From Diet to Defense: Larval Nutrition Affects Resistance and Gene Expression in Aedes aegypti | Biology | Dr. Christopher vitek |
| Fernanda Martinez | Master's Student | Influence of Blood Feeding on Insecticide Resistance and Cytochrome P450 Expression in Aedes aegytpi | Biology | Dr. Christopher Vitek |
| Fernanda Martinez | Master's Student | Influence of Blood Feeding on Insecticide Resistance and Cytochrome P450 Expression in Aedes aegypti | Biology | Dr. Christopher Vitek |
| Ian Becker | Master's Student | Leveraging community science to understand the socio-ecological usage of urban green spaces | Biology | Dr. Andrea Contina |
| Javier Ramos | Master's Student | Investigating the roles of small RNAs in regulating drought, heat, and combined drought and heat stress in Sorghum | Biology | Dr. Manohar Chakrabarti |
| Jimena Garcia-Guillen | Master's Student | Temporal-to-Spatial Conversion of Gene Expression in Tribolium castaneum | Biology | Dr. Ezzat El-Sherif |
| Joshua Michael Morris | Master's Student | Patterns of Soft Tick Occurrence, Species Composition, and Borrelia Detection in Relation to Environmental Conditions in Burrow Habitats of South Texas | Biology | Dr. Sarah Mays Maestas |
| Josiah Padilla | Undergraduate Student | Screening of Cat Fleas Collected from Domestic Cats and Dogs for Rickettsia and Bartonella Species in Two South Texas Counties | Biology | Dr. Sarah Maestas |
| Juliana Moreno | Undergraduate Student | Magnetic fields, altered gravity and vitamin d on microbial behavior Implications for space health | Biology | Dr. Karen Martirosyan |
| Linda Esquivel | Master's Student | Assessing Non-Adult Fracture Patterns in Non-Accidental Causes of Death using CT scans from the New Mexico Decedent Image Database | Biology | Dr. Carina Marques |
| Marco Arriaga | PhD Student | LC–MS Profiling of Plasma Aflatoxins for NAFLD Risk Assessment: Establishing a Framework for Genotype–Environment Interactions | Biology | Dr. Jacob Galan |
| Md Abdullah Al Masum | Master's Student | ECOTOXICOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF SERTRALINE EXPOSURE IN THE AMERICAN OYSTER AT ENVIRONMENTALLY RELEVANT CONCENTRATIONS | Biology | Dr. Saydur Rahman |
| Noah Al-Hassan | Master's Student | Magnetic Fields, Altered Gravity, and Vitamin D on Microbial behavior - Implications for Space Health | Biology | Dr. Seratna Guadarrama-Beltran |
| Sofia Ayala | Master's Student | Legacy effects of agriculture on Tamaulipan thornscrub ecosystem processes | Biology | Dr. Pushpa Soti |
| Wesam Almoustafa | Undergraduate Student | Roles of Artificial Intelligence in Biotechnology | Biology | Dr. Manohar Chakrabati |
| Juan Jose Muñoz II | Master's Student | Development of Composite Hydrogel Biomaterials for Volumetric Muscle Loss | Biomedical Engineering | Dr. Mohammad Islam |
| Juan Jose Muñoz II | Master's Student | Development of Composite Hydrogel Biomaterials for Volumetric Muscle Loss | Biomedical Engineering | Dr. Mohammad R. Islam |
| Valeria Ayala | Master's Student | Development of Fiber-reinforced Hydrogel Biomaterials for Wound Healing | Biomedical Engineering | Dr. Mohammed R. Islam |
| Anthony Martinez | Master's Student | Suzuki Coupling of Protected Bromo-Aniline Derivatives | Chemistry | Dr. Jose Gutierrez |
| Bryan Ramirez | Master's Student | Hydrolysis and Sulfination of Spiro-?-lactams | Chemistry | Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay |
| Emanuel Aggeo Flores | Master's Student | Computational Insights Into Androgen Receptor Dynamic Behavior Induced by the Binding of p,p?-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) | Chemistry | Dr. Evangelia Kotsikorou |
| Emylee Carrillo | Undergraduate Student | Valorization of Fish Scale Biowaste Using High-Energy Ball-Milling for the Adsorption of Heavy Metal Pollutants | Chemistry | Dr. Julie Vanegas |
| Keyla Madelaine Rosas-Mata | Undergraduate Student | Sustainable Recovery of High-Purity SiO? from Recycled Glass Waste via Mechanochemical and Sonochemical Processing in the United States | Chemistry | Dr. Julie P. Vanegas |
| Mahendran Sithamparam | Post-Doctoral Researcher | Microfluidics in Prebiotic Fatty Acids Chemistry | Chemistry | Dr. Eloi Camprubi |
| Olivia Ocampo | Undergraduate Student | Functional Fibers from Recycled Plastics with Gold Nanoparticles for Rapid Detection of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus | Chemistry | Dr. Julie P. Vanegas |
| Alejandro Jesus Elias Espinoza | Master's Student | Graphene Oxide-Modified In?O? for Efficient Photoelectrochemical Degradation of PFOA | Civil Engineering | Dr. Jinwoo An |
| Daniel Bravo | Undergraduate Student | Impala Pump Station Project | Civil Engineering | Dr. Omar Al-Qudah |
| Jennifer Herrera Solis | Master's Student | Stationary Vision-Based Motion Tracking for Identifying Structural Damage via Frequency Shift Analysis | Civil Engineering | Dr. Mohsen Amjadian |
| Jorge Pena Robles | Master's Student | Biopolymer Enhance Dredged Beach | Civil Engineering | Dr. Jinwoo An |
| Luis Velez | Undergraduate Student | Full Reconstruction of Coffee Port Road | Civil Engineering | Dr. Omar Al-Qudah |
| MINZHE WU | PhD Student | Enhancing Localization Accuracy and Cost Optimization of Acoustic Emission 1 Monitoring in Concrete Using Explainable Machine Learning | Civil Engineering | Dr. LI Ai |
| Orlando Amaro | Undergraduate Student | Movex Engineering | Civil Engineering | Dr. Michael Salinas, Dr. Roberto Hernández |
| Syed Muhammad Oan Naqvi | Master's Student | Structural and Cost Evaluation of Geopolymer Concrete Decks in Horizontally Curved Steel I-Girder Bridges | Civil Engineering | Dr. Jinwoo An |
| AKUA SEKYIWAA OSEI-NKWANTABISA | PhD Student | Large Language Models and Digital Twins in Neurological Disorders: A Scoping Review of Opportunities and Challenges | Computer Science | Dr. LINFENG WU |
| Damian Villarreal | Undergraduate Student | Federated Domain-Adaptive Pre-Training for Privacy-Preserving Security Language Models in Multi-Tenant Environments | Computer Science | Dr. Sergei Chuprov |
| Ei Ei Nyein Chan | Master's Student | A Granularity-Centered Taxonomy of Personalized Federated Learning | Computer Science | Dr. Sergei Chuprov |
| Gaukhar Nurbek | PhD Student | A multi-class convolutional neural network based search for core collapse supernovae signals in LIGO’s fourth observation run using a network of gravitational wave detectors. | Computer Science | Dr. Soma Mukherjee |
| Jingting Jiang | PhD Student | AM Dataset Benchmark | Computer Science | Dr. Jinghao Yang |
| Miguel Ramirez | Staff | Making Hard Ideas Land: Turning Expertise Into Universal Interest | Computer Science | N/A (Self-submitted) |
| Suchit Peddoju | High School Student | A Physics-Informed Deep Learning Framework for Real-Time Exoplanet Atmospheric Classification: Leveraging Explainability and Astrophysical Laws for Enhanced Accuracy | Computer Science | Dr. James R. Pittman |
| Vincent Agbenyeavu | Faculty | Comparative Analysis of Sequential and Non-Sequential Modeling Techniques for DDoS Attack Detection with Explainable AI | Computer Science | Dr. Hansapani Rodrigo |
| Ana Valeria Esparza Guevara | Master's Student | Effect of artificial light on the orientation ability of green turtle hatchlings on Tortuguero Beach, Costa Rica | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Roldán A Valverde |
| Ana Yarely Casillas Rodriguez | Master's Student | Spatiotemporal Evolution of Flow Decline and Water Consumption in a Highly Regulated Transboundary River: The Lower Rio Grande/Bravo | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Tian Y. Dong |
| Andres Hernandez | Master's Student | Agrivoltaics Effects on Soil Health and Soil Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in a Subtropical Agroecosystem of South Texas | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Engil Pereira |
| Angela Garcia | Master's Student | Analyzing Air Pollutant Concentrations and Meteorological Parameters across the Rio Grande Valley, Laredo, and Corpus Christi Regions of South Texas | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Amit U. Raysoni |
| Edwin Biju | Undergraduate Student | Predicting the Northward Expansion of the Central American Locust (Schistocerca piceifrons) Using Machine Learning and Citizen Science | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Teresa Patricia Feria Arroyo |
| Esmeralda Mendez | Staff | Enhancing Research Capacity and Career Readiness in Earth and Environmental Sciences Using Data Analytics and Remote Sensing Data at an MSI | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Tian Y. Dong |
| Kaitlyn Doyscher | Master's Student | Estimating Fish Assemblages on Artificial Nursery Habitats within the RGV Reef using an Imaging Sonar | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Richard Kline |
| Kaitlyn Doyscher | Master's Student | Estimating Fish Assemblages on Artificial Nursery Habitats within the RGV Reef using an Imaging Sonar | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Richard Kline |
| Mahad Rizwan | Master's Student | Black Carbon Exposure Patterns and Sources in Various Microenvironments | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Amit Raysoni |
| Maria Camila Mejia Garcia | PhD Student | AI for predicting temporal patterns of greenhouse gas emissions in fishpond aquaculture | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Hansapani Rodrigo |
| Maximiliano Bettini | Master's Student | Biochar as a Low-Cost Filter Sock Material for Copper and Zinc Removal From Stormwater. | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. James Jihoon Kang |
| Piper Johnson | Master's Student | Seasonal Changes in Biomarkers of Foraging and Reproduction and their Associated Behaviors in Captive Sea Turtles | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Roldan Valverde |
| SK Taufiqul Islam | Master's Student | Developing a spatial water quality index for coastal wetlands in South Texas | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Jongsun Kim |
| Waqid Nabi | Staff | MODERN WATER AND SEDIMENT TRANSPORT PATTERNS IN ALLUVIAL RIDGE BASINS OF THE RIO GRANDE DELTA, SOUTH TEXAS, USA | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Tian Y. Dong |
| Armando Gonzalez Jr | Undergraduate Student | Interactive Sensory Device | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Carlos Betancourth |
| Gael Diaz | Undergraduate Student | Autonomous robot collector | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Luis Castanuela |
| Justin Luna Contreras | Undergraduate Student | UFAD (User Friendly Autonomous Drone) | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Wenjie Dong |
| Laura Carrizales | Undergraduate Student | Smart Child Seat Cushion System | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Alam |
| MD ILIAS RAHMAN | Master's Student | A Tungstophosphoric Acid-Doped Sulfonated Polyether ether ketone Electrochemical Sensor for Label-Free Trichloromethane Detection | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Ahmed Hasnain Jalal |
| Md Abdul Kuddus Sheikh | Post-Doctoral Researcher | Sputter-Deposited Thin Films for Advanced Electronic and Optoelectronic Device Applications | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Hasina Huq |
| Roberto Avila | Master's Student | Accelerometer comparison for rolling stock | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Heinrich Foltz |
| Sabino Rodea | Undergraduate Student | User friendly autonomous drone | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Wenjie Dong |
| Caitlin Zarzeczny | PhD Student | Assessing Risk Factors Associated with Female Perpetration of Violence | Health Sciences | Dr. Arthur Cantos |
| Gifty Duah | Master's Student | On-the-Fly versus Pre-Saved Data Augmentation for Deep Learning–Based Ophthalmic Image Classification | Health Sciences | Dr. Eric Nyarko |
| Ifeoma McGuire | PhD Student | Developmental Pathways to Language in Autism: Motor–Cognitive Predictors and Service-Access Moderation in Latino Toddlers | Health Sciences | Dr. Cecilia Montiel-Nava |
| Julissa Peña | Undergraduate Student | Understanding Maternal Health Disparities in the Rio Grande Valley Borderlands: A Bilingual and Bicultural Community-Based Study of Mexican and Mexican American Women | Health Sciences | Dr. Milena Melo |
| Katherine Goulden | PhD Student | Neuropsychological Differences Between Early Neurodegenerative Disease and Suspected Functional Cognitive Disorder in Latino and Non-Latino Older Adults | Health Sciences | n/a |
| Muhammad Maysam Kazmi | Faculty | Present ingredient | Health Sciences | Self |
| Nayda Castillo | PhD Student | Antecedents of Intimate Partner Violence and Their Association with Violence Severity Among A Predominant Sample of Latino-Mexican American Male | Health Sciences | Dr. Arthur Cantos |
| Omar Sharif | PhD Student | Prion Spread on the Mouse Connectome: A Stochastic Network Model | Health Sciences | Dr. Omar Sharif |
| Peggy Enyonam Akabuah | Master's Student | Investigating optimal machine learning methods for predicting diabetes type 2 using longitudinal data. | Health Sciences | Dr. Kristina Vatcheva |
| Alejandro Cantu Paniagua | Undergraduate Student | Quantum Chemical Simulations of PVP-Solvent Interactions and Precursor Behavior in Methylammonium Tin Halide (MASnICl2) Systems. | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Victoria Padilla |
| Amber Garcia | PhD Student | Mechanochemical Synthesis of Noble Metal Nanoparticle and Au-Si Nanocomposite Frameworks vis Reactive High-Energy Ball Milling | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Julie P. Vanegas |
| Antonio Perez | Undergraduate Student | Non-Contact Surface Roughness Tester | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Jesus Gonzalez |
| Casandra Sauceda | Master's Student | Gas Sensors Based on Boron Nitride - Silver Nanocomposites | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Mkhitar Hobosyan |
| Iram Lopez | PhD Student | Characterizing Surrogate Oxide Powders for Nuclear Fuel Applications Using AAS and Microscopy | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Julie Vanegas |
| Lydia Morales | Master's Student | Thermogravimetric Analysis of Polyvinylidene Fluoride Powder and Nanofibers | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Chipara |
| Md Arafat Hossain | PhD Student | Multifunctional Electrospun TPU/PVDF-HFP/PCL Fibers for Sustainable Mechanical Energy Harvesting and Self-Powered Sensory Applications | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Victoria Padilla |
| Md Iftekhar Amin | PhD Student | Flexible Al-Doped ZnO Nanorod Based Biosensor for Noninvasive Cortisol Detection | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Fahmida Alam |
| Misael Eduardo Martinez | PhD Student | Comparison of PANI incorporation methods in PVDF fibers and their effects on morphology and electroactive behavior | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Victoria Padilla |
| Syed Mehdi Hussain Kazmi | PhD Student | Molecular Dynamics (MD) studies of Elastic and Thermal Behavior of Hydrated cement phases | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Jinwoo An |
| Alessandra Martinez | Undergraduate Student | Mathematical Framework for Modeling Non-Genetic Heredity in Vesicle Systems | Mathematical and Statistical Sciences | Dr. Michael R. Lindstrom |
| Changyan Shi | PhD Student | A Sasa-Satsuma-mKdV equation and its various soliton solutions | Mathematical and Statistical Sciences | Dr. Bao-Feng Feng |
| Daniel Gutierrez III | Master's Student | Predictive Statistical and Machine Learning Approaches for Time-Unstructured and Unbalanced Longitudinal Data: Application to Bariatric Surgery Outcomes | Mathematical and Statistical Sciences | Dr. Kristina Vatcheva |
| Gangadhara Boregowda | Post-Doctoral Researcher | Stability and Bifurcation Analysis of a Prion Production Model with the Unfolded Protein Response | Mathematical and Statistical Sciences | Dr. Mike |
| Joel Williams | PhD Student | Generating Live Heatmaps of EDR Data through a Spatiotemporal Weighting | Mathematical and Statistical Sciences | Dr. Mike Lindstrom |
| Marina Nacianceno | Master's Student | Deflation-Based Preconditioning for Parallel Time Stepping Algorithms | Mathematical and Statistical Sciences | Dr. Josef Sifuentes |
| Saugata Ghosh | PhD Student | Effect of Point Source Heating in a Strain-Limiting Thermoelastic Fracture Model for a Transversely Isotropic Solid | Mathematical and Statistical Sciences | Dr. Dambaru Bhatta |
| UMME HABIBA | PhD Student | Impact of Super-Pathways in Cancer Drug Prediction with Transformer | Mathematical and Statistical Sciences | Dr. Hansapani Rodrigo |
| Aaron Blanton | Master's Student | Development and Testing of an Onboard Load Sensor Embedded within Passive Steering Bearing Adapter Pads | Mechanical Engineering | Dr. Constantine Tarawneh |
| Gerardo Isai Zapata | Undergraduate Student | Fungal mycelium-based bioadhesives | Mechanical Engineering | Dr. Mohammad Refatul Islam |
| Gerardo Isai Zapata | Undergraduate Student | Fungal mycelium-based bioadhesives | Mechanical Engineering | Dr. Mohammad Refatul Islam |
| Javier Isai Ramirez | Master's Student | Fracture Mechanics of Nanofiber Networks | Mechanical Engineering | Dr. Mohammad Islam |
| Kenia Lopez | Undergraduate Student | Effects of Prolonged Inactivity on Railcar Bearing Performance | Mechanical Engineering | Dr. Constantine Tarawneh |
| Fedja Kadribasic | Faculty | Computational Methods for Directionally Sensitive Phonon-Mediated Dark Matter Detection | Physics & Astronomy | Dr. Fedja Kadribasic |
| Leo Marsili | High School Student | Comparison on the Fluid Dynamics of an Oil-Water System Subjected to Earth’s Gravity Vs. Simulated Microgravity | Physics & Astronomy | Dr. Karen Martisyan |
| Liliana Rivera Sandoval | Faculty | Hunting Stellar Vampires in the Globular Cluster 47 Tucanae | Physics & Astronomy | Dr. Liliana Rivera Sandoval |
| Manoj Chhetri | PhD Student | Thermodynamic and Experimental Evaluation of Nanoenergetic Performance of Al/TiNiON System | Physics & Astronomy | Dr. Karen S. Martirosyan |
| Richard Pomeroy | PhD Student | Evidence for Environmental Stripping in the Coma Cluster | Physics & Astronomy | Dr. Juan P. Madrid |
| Samuel Gauna | PhD Student | NORMALIZED INTER-THRUSTER SPACING for THERMAL MANAGEMENT IN POLYMER-BASED SOLID-PROPELLANT MICROTHRUSTER ARRAYS | Physics & Astronomy | Dr. Karen S. Martirosyan |
| Srbuhi Yolchinyan | PhD Student | Exploring Copper Iodide as a Disinfection Agent in Aluminum-based Nanoenergetic Systems | Physics & Astronomy | Dr. Karen Martirosyan |
| Wendy Mendoza | PhD Student | COPAS: Compact Objects and the Physics of Accretion Survey - I. Accreting Binaries with $P < 83$ Minutes | Physics & Astronomy | Dr. Liliana Rivera Sandoval |
| Wendy Mendoza | PhD Student | COPAS: Compact Objects and the Physics of Accretion Survey - I. Accreting Binaries with P < 83 Minutes | Physics & Astronomy | Dr. Liliana Rivera Sandoval |
| Yonghong Chen | PhD Student | Peakons in Cubic Nonlinear Equations | Physics & Astronomy | Dr. Zhijun Qiao |
| Jinman Zhang | PhD Student | deep learning enhanced defect detection in additive manufacturing | Robotics & Artificial Intelligence (AI) | Dr. Jinghao Yang |
| Martha Asare | PhD Student | Deep Learning-Based Object Detectors for Real-Time Additive Manufacturing Defect Detection under Resolution Scaling | Robotics & Artificial Intelligence (AI) | Dr. Jinghao Yang |
| Peggy Enyonam Akabuah | Master's Student | Investigating Optimal deep learning methods and machine learning Methods for predicting diabetes type 2 using longitudinal data | Robotics & Artificial Intelligence (AI) | Dr. Kristina Vatcheva |
| Zhugang Liu | PhD Student | Bridging the Pretrain-to-Real Gap: Alignment Challenges in Deploying Generalist VLA Models for Additive Manufacturing | Robotics & Artificial Intelligence (AI) | Dr. Jinghao Yang |
Poster Presentations
| Presenter | Position | Title of Presentation | Category | Mentor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aarya Tripathi | Undergraduate Student | Emerging Therapeutic Strategies Using Novel Compounds in Liver Cancer | Biochemistry | Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay |
| Andrea Aldaba | Master's Student | Simulating The Surface Maturation of Exogenous Organic Material on Europa | Biochemistry | Dr. Eloi Camprubi-Casas |
| Angelina Trinh | Undergraduate Student | Deciphering the Mechanobiology of Desmin Ile402Thr Variant Using Co-Cultures of Cardiomyocytes-Cardiofibroblasts | Biochemistry | Dr. Gloria M. Conover |
| Cristina Dulgheru | Undergraduate Student | Biochemical Identification of Gout in Human Skeletal Remains Using FTIR Spectroscopy | Biochemistry | Dr. Carina Marques |
| Diego Lopez | Undergraduate Student | Filament competent mutant desmin accelerates muscle disease through altered cytoskeletal mechanics | Biochemistry | Dr. Gloria M. Conover |
| Kaitlynn Lamghari | Undergraduate Student | Investigating the Interaction of the SAP-102 N-Terminal Domain with the Metal Ion Lead (Pb2+) | Biochemistry | Dr. Yonghong Zhang |
| Kiara Garduno Perez | Master's Student | Phospholipid Vesicle–Mineral Interactions in Alkaline Hydrothermal Vent Analogues: Implications for Early Cellular Systems | Biochemistry | Dr. Eloi Camprubi |
| Mariely Gonzalez | Undergraduate Student | Investigating Hg2+ interaction with the N-terminal domain of Synapse-Associated Protein 102 to explore its regulatory mechanism for neuronal degeneration. | Biochemistry | Dr. Yonghong Zhang |
| Md. Didaruzzaman Sohel | Master's Student | Effects of Sertraline Exposure on Tissue Integrity, Protein Nitration, and Proteasome Protein Regulation in Goldfish | Biochemistry | Dr. Md Saydur Rahman |
| Md. Didaruzzaman Sohel | Master's Student | Effects of Sertraline Exposure on Tissue Integrity, Protein Nitration, and Proteasome Protein Regulation in Goldfish | Biochemistry | Dr. MD Saydur Rahman |
| Natalia De Los Santos | Master's Student | Impact of nutrient concentrations on various types of seed germination: Assessing water quality challenges in the Rio Grande Valley | Biochemistry | Dr. Jongsun Kim |
| Sarah Walzer | Master's Student | Identifying Algal Lipids via GC-MS: Applications to Biofuel Production | Biochemistry | Dr. Michael Persans |
| Sergio Gonzalez | Master's Student | Enhancing Niclosamide Derivatives: Optimization of Hydroxyl Modification for Improved Solubility and Anticancer Activity | Biochemistry | Dr. Mito Shizue |
| Seun John Ibrahim | Master's Student | In Silico evaluation of phytoconstituents from Carica Papaya and its anti-hyperglycemic activities on high sucrose-induced oxidative stress in Drosophila melanogaster | Biochemistry | Dr. Omotade Oloyede |
| Aisa Saldaña | Undergraduate Student | Roles of Artificial Intelligence in Agricultural Biotechnology: AI implementation in crop improvement | Biology | Dr. Manohar Chakrabarti |
| Alyssa Rosales | Undergraduate Student | Isolation, characterization, identification, genomics and analyses of bioaccumulation and biosorption potential of two arsenic-resistant bacteria obtained from natural environments | Biology | Dr. Manohar Chakrabarti |
| Ana Maria Moncada Rosas | Master's Student | ASSESING TAG LOSS AND PITTAG DETECTION RATES IN GREEN TURTLES (CHELONIA MYDAS) NESTING IN TORTUGUERO, COSTA RICA | Biology | Dr. Roldán Valverde |
| Anai Tabera-Cruz | Master's Student | Legume Cover Crop Trade-offs: Cowpea Monocropping Alters Soil Moisture and Nitrogen Dynamics in Organic Vegetable Systems | Biology | Dr. Pushpa Soti |
| Angel Jose | Undergraduate Student | Potential of Brown Midrib (bmr12) Sorghum in Managing Sorghum Aphids | Biology | Dr. Rupesh Kariyat |
| Antonio Rodríguez | Undergraduate Student | PCR-Based Detection of Bartonella DNA in Blood-Fed Ticks from Wildlife in South Texas | Biology | Dr. Sarah E. Mays Maestas |
| Casee Garcia | Undergraduate Student | Identified Single Chain Antibodies Interacting with Major Venom Components- Lsy49 PLA2 | Biology | Dr. Ying Jia |
| Celeste Sauceda | Undergraduate Student | Label-Free Confocal Imaging of Early Pollen Responses to Hydration Conditions | Biology | Dr. Sasmita Sahoo |
| Christian Ramirez | Undergraduate Student | Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria:The Role of Soil Microorganisms | Biology | Dr. Sasmita Sahoo |
| Christian Ramirez | Undergraduate Student | Environmental Modulation of Membrane-Associated Cell Architecture in Nitrogen-Fixing Rhizobia | Biology | Dr. Sasmita Sahoo |
| Christian Ramirez | Undergraduate Student | Environmental Modulation of Membrane-Associated Cell Architecture in Nitrogen-Fixing Rhizobia | Biology | Dr. Sasmita Sahoo |
| Christopher Johnson | Undergraduate Student | Ecological Impacts of the Giant Reed (Arundo donax) in the Rio Grande Valley | Biology | Dr. Pushpa Soti |
| Claudia L Segovia | Undergraduate Student | Metabolic Responses to Repeated Ethanol Exposure in Honey Bees | Biology | Dr. Julie Mustard |
| Daniela Cervantes | Undergraduate Student | Label-Free Confocal Imaging of Early Pollen Response to Hydration Conditions | Biology | Dr. Sasmita Sahoo |
| Daniela Delgado | Master's Student | Ferroptosis-Mediated Cell Death Induced by Hinokitiol in Liver Cancer Cells | Biology | Dr. Nirakar Sahoo |
| Darrius Michael Harvey | Undergraduate Student | Evaluating methods of molecular detection and identification of Cochliomyia hominivorax | Biology | Dr. Sarah Maestas |
| Elise Palacios | Undergraduate Student | The Role of mexican Free-tailed Bats in Ecosystem Balance and Agricultural Sustainability Elise Palacios Dr. Pushpa Soti School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences (SIBCS) University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley | Biology | Dr. Pushpa Soti |
| Elise Palacios | Undergraduate Student | The Role of Mexican Free-tailed Bats in Ecosystem Balance and Agricultural Sustainability | Biology | Dr. Pushpa Soti |
| Erich Aldo Leopold Frey | Master's Student | Abscisic acid may reduce transplant shock in thornforest seedlings used in reforestation. | Biology | Dr. Alejandro Fierro |
| Ethan Govea | Master's Student | Mechanisms of Ethanol State-Dependent Learning in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) | Biology | Dr. Julie Mustard |
| Giovana Scalizi Ribeiro | Undergraduate Student | Community Engagement and Public Awareness of Vector-Borne Diseases within the FloDisMod Framework in the U.S.–Mexico Border Region | Biology | Dr. Teresa Feria Arroyo |
| Haley Angelina Olvera | Undergraduate Student | Quantifying Taproot Growth Rates of Four Tamaulipan Thornscrub Plant Species | Biology | Dr. Bradley Christoffersen |
| Haley Angelina Olvera, Aaron Guerra, Claireshine Heep | Undergraduate Student | Quantifying Taproot Growth Rates of Four Tamaulipan Thornscrub Plant Species | Biology | Dr. Bradley Christoffersen |
| Isaella Ochoa | Undergraduate Student | Environmental Modulation of Membrane-Associated Cell Architecture in Nitrogen-Fixing Rhizobia | Biology | Dr. Sasmita Sahoo |
| Isaella Ochoa | Undergraduate Student | Environmental Modulation of Membrane-Associated Cell Architecture in Nitrogen-Fixing Rhizobia | Biology | Dr. Sasmita Sahoo |
| Ivan Vargas | Undergraduate Student | Assessing a DMSO-Based Cryopreservation Method for Long-Term Storage at -80°C of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and other Algae Strains | Biology | Dr. Michael Persans |
| Jacqueline Marie Davis | Undergraduate Student | Bacterial Identification Through 16S rRNA Sequencing | Biology | Dr. Yahan Wei |
| Janelle Guerra | Master's Student | Differential Expression of Transcripts in Sorghum Bicolor Under Drought, Heat, and Combined Stress | Biology | Dr. Manohar Chakrabarti |
| Juliana Zarate | Undergraduate Student | Detection of Bacterial Pathogen, Eschirichia Coli in Eastern Oysters in South Texas Waters. | Biology | Dr. MD Saydur Rahman |
| Khalil El-Jirby | Undergraduate Student | Nanotechnology in Agricultural Biotechnology: Advancing Sustainable and Efficient Crop Production | Biology | Dr. Manohar Chakrabarti |
| Luis Salazar | Undergraduate Student | Assessing Community Knowledge and Public Awareness of the Central American Locust (Schistocerca piceifrons) in the Lower Rio Grande Valley | Biology | Dr. Teresa Feria Arroyo |
| Mateo Chamberlin | Undergraduate Student | roles of artificial intelligence in biotechnology | Biology | Dr. Manohar Chakrabarti |
| Md Abdullah Al Masum | Master's Student | Ecotoxicological Assessment of Sertraline Exposure in the American Oyster at Environmentally Relevant Concentrations | Biology | Dr. Rahman |
| Melanie Torres | Undergraduate Student | Temporal Patterns of Pollinator Diversity in the UTRGV Brownsville Native Plant Garden | Biology | Dr. Alejandro Fierro-Cabo, Dr. Julie A. Mustard |
| Mia Valdez | Undergraduate Student | Roles of biotechnology in environmental and ecological stewardship | Biology | Dr. Manohar Chakrabarti |
| Miguel Mego | Undergraduate Student | Does Stress Protect Listeria? Evaluating Nisin Efficacy Under Physiological Challenge | Biology | Dr. Kranti Yemmireddy |
| Miranda Cecilia Sifuentes | Undergraduate Student | Validating Foxo1 Target Genes in C2C12 Myoblasts | Biology | Dr. Megan Keniry |
| NEHA NARAYANAN | Master's Student | Co-colonization of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Dark Septate Endophytes in Solanum elaeagnifolium: Implications for Plant Defense Against Herbivory and Abiotic Stress | Biology | Dr. PUSHA SOTI |
| Nandha Jayan | Master's Student | Floral resources of common species among three versions of the Tamaulipan thornscrub in the Lower Rio Grande Valley | Biology | Dr. Alejndro Fierro Cabo, Dr. Julie A Mustard |
| Neel Gondi | High School Student | Roles of Technology in Bioremedition | Biology | Dr. Chakrabarti |
| Robert Gilkerson | Faculty | Mitochondrial remodeling in differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts | Biology | Dr. Robert Gilkerson |
| Rosalinda Morgado | Undergraduate Student | Assessing Tick-Borne Pathogen Prevalence in Shelter Dogs from Two South Texas Counties | Biology | Dr. Sarah E. Mays Maestas |
| Samantha Lopez | Undergraduate Student | Personalized medicine in the era of gene editing | Biology | Dr. Manohar Chakrabarti BIOL-4398-01 (Biotechnology course) |
| Sean Patrick Miller | Undergraduate Student | Detection of Parasitoid Wasps as Potential Biological Control Agents for Cattle Fever Ticks | Biology | Dr. Sarah Mays Maestas |
| Stella Aime Rios | Master's Student | Investigating the Ability of Foxo1 to Maintain Stem Cells | Biology | Dr. Megan Keniry |
| Stella Aime Rios | Master's Student | Investigating the Ability of Foxo1 to Maintain Stem Cells | Biology | Dr. Megan Keniry |
| Stephanie Norahi Hernandez Bonilla | Master's Student | Identifying High-Priority Zones for Lyme Disease in Northeastern Mexico through Geospatial Analysis of P. leucopus and P. maniculatus | Biology | Dr. Teresa Feria-Arroyo |
| Stephanie Norahi Hernandez Bonilla | Faculty | Identifying High-Priority Zones for Lyme Disease in Northeastern Mexico through Geospatial Analysis of P. leucopus and P. maniculatus | Biology | Dr. Teresa Feria |
| Sunakhi Sahoo | High School Student | Studying the Effects of Antibacterial Treatments on the Morphology of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. Under Distinct Environmental Conditions | Biology | Dr. Veerachandra Yemmireddy |
| Vanesa Calvillo | Undergraduate Student | NASA VITAL | Biology | Dr. Teresa Feria |
| Virginia Piccirillo | Undergraduate Student | Migration, Adaptation, and Conservation Challenges in Monarch Butterflies | Biology | Dr. Pushpa Soti |
| Wajiha Tahir Rana | Undergraduate Student | Roles of Biotechnology in environmental and ecological stewardship | Biology | Dr. Manohar Chakrabarti |
| Whard alsabbagh | High School Student | Roles of artificial intelligence on biotechnology | Biology | Dr. Manohar Chakrabarti |
| Brianna Torres | Undergraduate Student | Nanobiotechnology: Engineering Molecular Solutions for Complex Clinical Challenges | Biomedical Engineering | Dr. Manohar Chakrabarti |
| Damaris Montes | Undergraduate Student | Bioinspired Long-Acting Mucoadhesive Gastric Patch for Extended Breast Cancer Drug Delivery | Biomedical Engineering | Dr. Murali Yallapu |
| Damaris Montes | Undergraduate Student | Development and Characterization of a Bioadhesive Polymeric Oral Patch for Localized Breast Cancer Therapy | Biomedical Engineering | Dr. Murali Yallapu, Dr. Rinki Verma |
| Denisse Galvan | Master's Student | Fabrication of biopolymer-based conductive thin films for sensor application | Biomedical Engineering | Dr. Mohammad R. Islam |
| Diego Montes | Undergraduate Student | Development and Characterization of a Bioadhesive Polymeric Oral Patch for Localized Breast Cancer Therapy | Biomedical Engineering | Dr. Rinki Verma, Dr. Muralli Yallapu |
| Ethan Cheng | Other/Visitor | Patient-specific Computational Modeling and Training in Image-based Cardiovascular Simulation | Biomedical Engineering | Dr. WeiGuang Yang |
| Francisco Coronado | Undergraduate Student | Acquisition of Nanobodies Targeting the key Snake Venom Toxin: Metalloproteinase | Biomedical Engineering | Dr. Ying Jia |
| Jasmine Joseph | Undergraduate Student | Flexible rGO/MWCNT Hybrid Electrode on PET Substrate for Non-Invasive Electrochemical Glucose Biosensing | Biomedical Engineering | Dr. Ahmed Hasnain Jalal |
| Sidiqot Oyekade | Undergraduate Student | Breast Cancer Patch Medication | Biomedical Engineering | Dr. Murali Yallapu, Dr. Rinki Verma |
| Sidiqot Oykeade | Undergraduate Student | Development and Characterization of a Bioadhesive Polymeric Oral Patch for Localized Breast Cancer Therapy | Biomedical Engineering | Dr. Murali Yallapu, Dr. Rinki Verma |
| Taylor Admire | Undergraduate Student | Patient-specific Computational Modeling and Training in Image-based Cardiovascular Simulation | Biomedical Engineering | Dr. Weiguang Yang |
| Tiham Fayaz | Master's Student | Sonochemical Synthesis of Al-Doped and Undoped ZnO Nanorods for Flexible Piezoelectric Nanogenerators | Biomedical Engineering | Dr. Fahmida Alam |
| Alejandro Salinas | Undergraduate Student | Tackling fruit waste: Chemical profiling of the hydroalcoholic extract of Prunus avium | Chemistry | Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay |
| Alejandro Salinas | Undergraduate Student | Stereoselective synthesis of 5-Chloro-subsituted spiro-?-lactam via ketene-imine cycloaddition | Chemistry | Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay |
| Alessandra Rosales | Undergraduate Student | Mechanochemical Programming of Microbially-Derived Steroid Intermediates to Enable Asymmetric, Green Synthesis of Estradiol | Chemistry | Dr. Julie Vanegas |
| Alessandra Rosales | Undergraduate Student | Mechanobiocatalytic Valorization of Waste Phytosterols: A Green, Modular Platform for Deeply Sustainable Estradiol Synthesis | Chemistry | Dr. Julie Vanegas |
| Alonzo Cabrera Jr | Undergraduate Student | Anti-glioblastoma activity in 6-amino-5,8-quinolinediones | Chemistry | Dr. Shizue Mito |
| Amy Carolina Ramos | Undergraduate Student | Investigating the Nucleophilic Properties of Nitrogen and Oxygen Species of Aromatic Compounds | Chemistry | Dr. Jose Gutierrez |
| Andres Loredo | Undergraduate Student | Facile Trihaloacetylation of Bromo-Aniline Derivatives for Cross Coupling Reactions | Chemistry | Dr. Jose Gutierrez |
| Arshaan Hussain | Undergraduate Student | Still Undecided | Chemistry | Dr. Swati Mohan |
| Bryan Ramirez | Master's Student | Enhanced Spiro-?-Lactam Synthesis Through Controlled Reaction Conditions | Chemistry | Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay |
| Caroline Nuno | Undergraduate Student | Investigating the Nucleophilic Properties of Nitrogen and Oxygen Species of Aromatic Compounds | Chemistry | Dr. Jose Gutierrez |
| Chokratchanee Nutthawasutha | Other/Visitor | One-pot Isoquinoline Synthesis towards Anti-cancer Natural Products | Chemistry | Dr. Shizue Mito |
| Dulce Selene Castillo | Undergraduate Student | Extraction and NMR Analysis of Organics in Europa-Analog Meteorite Simulant | Chemistry | Dr. Eloi Camprubi-Casas |
| Edgardo De Leon | Master's Student | Computational Characterization of Chain Length-Dependent Allosteric Antagonism of the Androgen Receptor by Parabens | Chemistry | Dr. Evangelia Kotsikorou |
| Eduardo Martinez | Undergraduate Student | Examination of the Intercalation and Carbonization of PEG into synthetic and natural MoS2 towards anodes for Li ion batteries. | Chemistry | Dr. Jason Parsons |
| Eleni Brianne Gonzalez | Undergraduate Student | Microwave-induced chemical modification of 3-amino beta lactams for the treatment of cervical cancer. | Chemistry | Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay |
| Erik Munoz | Undergraduate Student | Stereoselective synthesis of 5-EWG (electron-withdrawing group)-substituted spiro-?-lactams via ketene-imine cycloaddition | Chemistry | Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay |
| Estefania Gonzalez-Hernandez | PhD Student | Hydrolysis/ hydrothermal synthesis of TiO2 nanomaterials and application as a Catalyst for the Oxidative removal of Dibenzothiophene | Chemistry | Dr. Jason Parsons |
| Ethan Hernandez | Undergraduate Student | Controlled Oxidation and Mechanochemical Functionalization of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes via High-Energy Ball Milling for Solubility-Enhanced Anticancer Drug Delivery Applications | Chemistry | Dr. Julie P. Vanegas |
| Ilankuzhali Elavarasan | Master's Student | Simulating Surface Biosignature Evolution: UV-Ice-Salt Interaction in Layered Europa Analog Matrices | Chemistry | Dr. Eloi Camprubi-Casas |
| Jaqueline Guerrero | Undergraduate Student | Mutations in the BF-3 Surface Site Lead to Changes of the Dynamic Behavior of the Androgen Receptor | Chemistry | Dr. Evangelia Kotsikorou |
| Juliocesar Delgado | Undergraduate Student | Building Knowledge Communities in Chemical Education A Regional perspective from the Rio Grande Valley | Chemistry | Dr. Swathi Mohan |
| Kaelyn G Calma | Master's Student | Electrochemical Simulation of Alkaline Hydrothermal Vent CO2 Reduction with S-Nucleophiles | Chemistry | Dr. Eloi Camprubi |
| Kailyn Gomez | Undergraduate Student | Docking Studies of the Endocrine Disrupting Chemical BPA on the Androgen Receptor | Chemistry | Dr. Evangelia Kotsikorou |
| Lauren Sanchez | Undergraduate Student | Stereoselective synthesis of 5-EWG (electron-withdrawing group)-substituted spiro-?-lactams via ketene-imine cycloaddition | Chemistry | Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay |
| Lauren Sanchez-Castillo | Undergraduate Student | Stereoselective synthesis of 5-fluoro-substituted & 5-nitro-substituted spiro-?-lactam via ketene-imine cycloaddition | Chemistry | Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay |
| Morgan Bodnar | Master's Student | Removal of Methyl Orange Dye using TiO2 and Various Sources of Light. | Chemistry | Dr. Jason Parsons |
| Myles Carter | High School Student | Chemo-selective synthesis?of 5-EDG-substituted spiro-?-lactam via ketene-imine cycloaddition | Chemistry | Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay |
| Noah Lozano | Undergraduate Student | C-C Bond Activation in Alkynes By Nickle: Insights from Periodic Trends | Chemistry | Dr. Tulay Atesin |
| Nolan Salinas | Undergraduate Student | The Effect of Selective Pressures on Vesicle Membranes | Chemistry | Dr. Eloi Camprubi-Casas |
| Rajib Ghose | Master's Student | From trash to treasure: Should we discard sweet cherry (Prunus avium) seeds? | Chemistry | Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay |
| Raven Leigh Jacinto Cabasag | Undergraduate Student | Optimization of Bulk-Polymerization of Poly (Methyl Vinyl Ketone) for Enhanced Hydrogen Storage Efficiency | Chemistry | Dr. Javier Macossay-Torres |
| Sheidi N. Gomez Vazquez | Master's Student | Synthesis, Functionalization and In-silico Assessment of Heteropolyaromatic 3-Amino-Azetidin-2-ones | Chemistry | Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay |
| Shelby Lopez | Staff | Selectivity of Vesicle Membrane Compositions Driven by pH and Salinity | Chemistry | Dr. Eloi Camprubi-Casas |
| Shelsea Aydee Vaca | Undergraduate Student | Ball-Milled Waste-Glass Silica Nanoparticles Embedded in Polymer Fibers for Fire-Stage Gas Recognition | Chemistry | Dr. Julie Vanegas |
| Tushar Deb Nath | Master's Student | Advancing Green Chemistry: Efficient Synthesis of Pharmacologically Significant Thiometallic Compounds | Chemistry | Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay |
| Victoria Delgado | Undergraduate Student | Optimizing a Biodegradable Branched Polycationic Polymer for Non-Viral Gene Delivery | Chemistry | Dr. Shizue Mito, Dr. Sue Anne Chew |
| Victoria Gutierrez | Undergraduate Student | Stereoselective synthesis of 5-chloro-substituted & 5-bromo-subsituted spiro-?-lactam via ketene-imine cycloaddition | Chemistry | Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay |
| Victoria Gutierrez | Undergraduate Student | Stereoselective synthesis of 5-halo-subsituted spiro-?-lactam via ketene-imine cycloaddition | Chemistry | Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay |
| Aaron Longoria | Undergraduate Student | Edinburg stub improvement | Civil Engineering | Dr. Omar Al-Qudah |
| Andrew Vega | Undergraduate Student | FM 491 Bridge Replacement Project | Civil Engineering | Dr. Al-Qudah |
| Angel Franco | Undergraduate Student | Impala pump station project | Civil Engineering | Dr. Omar Al-qudah, Dr. Michael Salinas |
| Fernando Torres | Undergraduate Student | UTRGV Robert and Janet Upgrade | Civil Engineering | Dr. Omar Al-Quadah |
| Jesus Amaro | Master's Student | Simulation of Longitudinal Resistance in Continuously Welded Rail | Civil Engineering | Dr. Amjadian |
| Joaquin Alvarado | Undergraduate Student | The Impala Pump Station Project | Civil Engineering | Dr. Michael Salinas, Dr. Roberto Hernandez, Dr. AlQudah |
| Jonathan Leal | Undergraduate Student | Elevated Water Tower Infrastructure Project | Civil Engineering | Dr. Omar Al-Qudah |
| Jorge Trevino | Undergraduate Student | Impala Pump Station | Civil Engineering | Dr. Michael Salinas, Dr. Roberto Hernandez |
| Rosa Aimee Castan Ruiz | Master's Student | Residential Cooling Energy Efficiency During Extreme Heat in South Texas | Civil Engineering | Dr. Gasser Ali |
| Ryan Salinas | Undergraduate Student | Impala pump station | Civil Engineering | Dr. Omar Al-Qudah |
| Serena Rosales | Undergraduate Student | Helix Plaza Project | Civil Engineering | Dr. Omar Al Qudah |
| Adrian Javier Peña | Master's Student | Evaluating Robust Aggregation in Federated Learning Under Adaptive Multi-Strategy Attacks | Computer Science | Dr. Sergei Chuprov |
| Angel Peredo | PhD Student | Flood Detection and Water Depth Estimation from Urban Street Cameras Using Vision-Language Models | Computer Science | Dr. Sergei Chuprov |
| David Alejandro Sanchez | Undergraduate Student | Real Time Grade-Crossing Anomaly Detection | Computer Science | Dr. Sergei Chuprov |
| Eduardo Tovias | Master's Student | Integrating Vision System and Virtual Reality for Process Monitoring in Additive Manufacturing | Computer Science | Dr. Linfeng Wu |
| Fabian Alexis Hernandez | Master's Student | Learning Adaptive Control Barrier Functions for Safer V2X-Based Autonomous Driving | Computer Science | Dr. Qi Lu |
| Gabby Gutierrez | PhD Student | Evaluating the Impact of Extreme Temperature Events on the US Rail Network ? | Computer Science | Dr. Gasser G. Ali |
| Miguel Garcia | Master's Student | Self-Supervised Learning for Robust SEM-based Defect Detection | Computer Science | Dr. Jinghao Yang |
| Ruben James Aleman | Master's Student | Indirect Prompt Injection Propagation in Agentic AI Pipelines: A Structural Analysis of Attack Surface and Exploitation Pathways | Computer Science | Dr. Sergei Chuprov |
| Salomon Ibarra | PhD Student | Collision Behavior-Based Group Distributionally Robust Optimization on Robot Trajectory Prediction | Computer Science | Dr. Li Zhang |
| Samantha Ocana | Master's Student | Estimating the Cost of Highway Rehabilitation Projects Using Machine Learning | Computer Science | Dr. Gasser Ali |
| Sebastian Alejos Torres | Master's Student | Multivariate Time-Series Forecasting of Ambulatory Blood Pressure Using LSTM and Temporal Fusion Transformers | Computer Science | Dr. Kristina Vatcheva |
| Aleen Pertuz Paz | Master's Student | Morphological Evolution of a Flood-Tidal Delta in a Tidal Lake of the Coastal Rio Grande, TX, USA | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Tian Dong |
| Alexuss Jauregui | Master's Student | Climate Adaptation Across Borders: A Literature Synthesis | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Anna Erwin |
| Andrew Ward | Master's Student | Geomorphology and Preliminary Chronology of the Stabilized Lunette Dunes (Lomas) in the Rio Grande Delta | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Tian Dong |
| Annette M. Obregon Rivera | Master's Student | Time Distribution of the Abandoned Channel Belts in the Rio Grande Delta | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Tian Y. Dong |
| Anthony Mendoza | Undergraduate Student | Assessing the Trophic State of Urban Resacas: Insights from Water Turbidity, Suspended Solids, and Chlorophyll-a | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. David Lecusay |
| Deepali Singh | Post-Doctoral Researcher | Simulating Mars: Do Organic Molecules Stand a Chance? | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Eloi Camprubi-Casas |
| Evelyn Luiton | Undergraduate Student | Citizen Science: Establishing a Community-Based Monitoring Network for the Central American Locust in the Rio Grande Valley | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Teresa Patricia Feria Arroyo |
| Fernando Lopez | Undergraduate Student | The use of spectral reflectance to detect stress in the marine algae, Ulva Lactuca | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Hudson Deyoe |
| Iliana Coronado | Undergraduate Student | Settlement Patterns of Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea virginicia) | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Joanne Rampersad-Ammons |
| Kaitlyn Tran | High School Student | Predicting Groundwater Contamination Risk in a Karstic Quarry: A GIS Post-Mining Scenario Analysis for the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | n/a |
| Katana Trinity Mireles | Undergraduate Student | Confusion Matrix of Random Forest and Neural Networks for Crop Pest Prediction | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Teresa Feria Arroyo |
| Katie Cantu | Undergraduate Student | Effect of Snail Grazing on Seagrass Epiphytes in the Lower Laguna Madre | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Hudson DeYoe |
| Megan Anika Francis | Undergraduate Student | Assessing the distribution of Leptoseris on the Salas y Gómez Ridge / Evaluando la distribución de Leptoseris de la Salas y Gómez Ridge | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Erin E. Easton |
| Mia Zamora | Undergraduate Student | Comparative assessment of pneumatophore morphology between black mangrove ecotypes | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Alejandro Fierro-Cabo, Dr. Valeria Garza |
| Natalie Victoria Gonzales | Undergraduate Student | Spatial Patterns of Sediment Composition in a Wildfire-Affected Semi-Arid Watershed | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Tian Y Dong |
| Olagoke Emmanuel Daramola | Post-Doctoral Researcher | Estimating gully erosion volume along the U.S. bank of the lower Rio Grande River | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Tian Dong |
| Sebastian Lopez | Undergraduate Student | Reconstruction of Holocene Rio Grande Delta Avulsions using a Relative Age Model of the Abandoned Channel Belts | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Tian Y. Dong |
| Sebastian Tamez | Undergraduate Student | Role of Biotechnology in Bioremediation | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Manohar Charkrabarti |
| Stephanie Cano | Master's Student | Phylogeography and Genetic Structure of Species of Temora (Copepoda: Calanoida)Temora turbinata and Temora stylifera | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Diego Figueroa |
| Sydnee Castillo | Undergraduate Student | The Fate of Scales After Decomposition: Insight into Reptile Skin Taphonomy | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Juan Gonzalez |
| Syed Muhammad Fahad Abdullah | PhD Student | Hydrodynamic Modeling of Water-Nutrient Transport and Mixing as a Preliminary Water Quality Proxy for Shallow Coastal Lagoons in South Bay | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Chu-Lin Cheng |
| Syed Muhammad Fahad Abdullah | PhD Student | Hydrodynamic Modeling of Water-Nutrient Transport and Mixing as a Preliminary Water Quality Proxy for Shallow Coastal Lagoons in South Bay | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Chu-Lin Cheng |
| Valeria Martinez | Master's Student | Farmer’s Perspectives on Agrivoltaics in the Lower Rio Grande of Texas | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences | Dr. Anna Erwin |
| Abel Rodriguez | Undergraduate Student | Omnidirectional blind vest | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Yunsoo Park |
| Adrian Mascorro | Undergraduate Student | Omnidirectional Blind Vest | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Yunsoo Park |
| Alexandre Maldonado | Undergraduate Student | ECT Axle Scanner | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Foltz, Dr. Rogelio Salinas |
| Amanda Rodriguez | Master's Student | Field Evaluation of a Crack Detection Sensor for Continuous Structural Health Monitoring | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Jinhao Yang |
| Belinda Jasso Lozano | Undergraduate Student | Smart Child Car Seat | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Fahmida Alam & Dr. Ahmed Jalal |
| Diego Antonio Sauceda | Master's Student | AI Agent Assisted Antenna Design | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Yinghao Yang & Dr. Yong Zhou |
| Diego Cedillo | Undergraduate Student | Smarter Irrigation | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Benitez |
| Edgar Pelayo Jr | Undergraduate Student | Autonomous Attendance Tracking System | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Hasina Huq, Dr. Carlos Andres Pena-Caballero |
| Elias Moreno | Undergraduate Student | Capacitive Deionisation system Absorption system | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Carlos A. Rodriguez Betancourth |
| Eliud Reyna | Undergraduate Student | ECT Axle Scanner | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Foltz, Dr. Rogelio Salinas (M.S. EE) |
| Emilio Chavez | Undergraduate Student | Development of Zinc Oxide Nanofibers Using a Scalable Forcespinning Method | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Alam |
| Enrique Cortes | Undergraduate Student | Muscle Signal Communication Board | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Nantakan Wongkasem |
| Esteban Padilla | Master's Student | Multi-Functional Biosensing Miniaturized Wearable Potentiostat | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Fahmida Alam |
| Gerardo Reyes | Undergraduate Student | BAC Wearable Device | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Jalal |
| Giovanny Pesina | Master's Student | Multi-Functional Biosensing Miniaturized Wearable Potentiostat | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Fahmida Alam |
| Hector Rodriguez | Undergraduate Student | UFAD (User Friendly Autonomus Drone) | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Wenjie Dong |
| Jesus Garcia | Undergraduate Student | UFAD (User Friendly Autonomous drone) | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Dong |
| Jingyi Li | Master's Student | A Robust Color-Enhanced Registration Framework for Fast 3D Reconstruction of Additively Manufactured Parts | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Jinghao Yang |
| Joe Flores | Undergraduate Student | Smart Irrigation | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Laura Benitez |
| Jonathan Hernandez | Undergraduate Student | Smart Irrigator | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Benitez |
| Jorge Evandro Franco Vazquez | Undergraduate Student | Autonomous Robot Collector | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Luis Castanuela |
| Jorge Garcia | Undergraduate Student | Digital Twin Development for Sodium-Ion Battery Management System (BMS) Optimization | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Jinghao Yang |
| Jose Gutierrez | Undergraduate Student | Autonomous Attendance Tracker | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Hasina Huq, Dr. Carlos Caballero |
| Justin Prado | Undergraduate Student | Capacitive Deionization Adsorption System | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Carlos A. Rodriguez Betancourth |
| MD SHAZARUL ISLAM | Master's Student | Thin Film Deposition Recipe for Uniform and Reliable Coatings | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Hasina Huq |
| Md Shazarul Islam | Master's Student | Magnetron-Sputtered SnO? Thin Films for Optoelectronic Device Applications | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Hasina Huq |
| Miguel Angel Hernandez | Undergraduate Student | Muscle Signal Assistive Device | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Nantakan Wongkasem |
| Mohamed Saleh | Undergraduate Student | Omnidirectional Blind Vest | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Yunsoo Park |
| Moises Pedroza | Undergraduate Student | Self monitoring Solar Tracker | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Jun Peng |
| Oziel Ortega | Undergraduate Student | CDI Metal Adsorption System | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Carlos Betancourth |
| Richard Luis Guzman Dominguez | Master's Student | AnalogCoder: An AI Pipeline for Simulation-Verified Analog Circuit Design and Automated Schematic Generation | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Jinghao Yang |
| Stephanie Camacho | Undergraduate Student | Capacitive Deionization Adsorption System | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Carlos A. Rodriguez Betancourth |
| Yael F. Alarcon Mata | Undergraduate Student | Autonomous Attendance Tracking System | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Hasina Huq, Dr. Carlos Pena Caballero |
| edson garay | Undergraduate Student | Wearable BAC Monitor | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Jalal |
| Ashlee Vu | Undergraduate Student | Retrospective Analysis of Factors Affecting Health Outcomes and Socioeconomic Barriers in the Rio Grande Valley ? ? | Health Sciences | Dr. Shizue Mito |
| Evelyn Saldana | Undergraduate Student | - still deciding on our title | Health Sciences | Dr. YU-CHENG LIN |
| Francisco Coronado | Undergraduate Student | Acquisition of Nanobodies Targeting the key Snake Venom Toxin: Metalloproteinase | Health Sciences | Dr. Ying Jia |
| Justice Yaw Effah | Master's Student | ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF DISTINCT NEURO-PSYCHIATRIC SYMPTOMS (NPS) CLUSTERS ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE (QOF) OF SERVICE USERS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM: K-MEANS AND DISCRIMINANT ANALYSIS APPROACH | Health Sciences | NA |
| Tolulope Olamide Oluwadairo | PhD Student | Genetic determinants of liver fibrosis risk in Mexican Americans | Health Sciences | Dr. Satish Kumar |
| Abdullah Mohammad Sarjish | Master's Student | Hydrothermally Functionalized Ti Wire with ZnO Nano-Prism Photoelectrodes for Fiber-Shaped Solar Energy Harvesting Applications | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Victoria Padilla |
| Abdullah Mohammad Sarjish | Master's Student | Hydrothermally Functionalized Ti Wire Decorated with ZnO Nano-Prisms for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Performance in Fiber-Shaped Photoelectrodes | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Victoria Padilla |
| Alejandra Guerrero | PhD Student | Characterization of SiOx fibers for anode material in lithium-ion batteries | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Mataz Alcoutlabi |
| Daniel Garza Jr | Master's Student | Centrifugal Spinning of h-BN/PVP Composite Fibers: Effects of Solvent Composition, Humidity, Solids Weight, and Needle Gauge on Fiber Formation | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Fahmida Alam |
| Darian Gonzalez | Undergraduate Student | Nanoparticle Embedding in Carbon Nanofiber Networks for Aerogel-Like Composite Materials | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Ahmed Jalal & Alexa Villarreal (Ph.D. Student) |
| Diane Joseph | Master's Student | Chitosan-Based Proton Exchange Membranes for Acetone Sensing Applications | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Ahmed Jalal |
| Dyana De Leon | Undergraduate Student | Engineering Multiscale Carbon Nanofiber Membranes via Anatase TiO? Functionalization and In Situ Carbon Network Integration. ( changed the title to this) | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Alexa Villarreal |
| Edna Orozco-Leonhardt | PhD Student | DEVELOPMENT OF BIO-COMPOSITE REINFORCED WITH NATURAL FIBERS FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Victoria Padilla |
| Elizabeth Hernandez | Undergraduate Student | Fibers for Biomedical Application: Antibacterial Activity of PVP/Copper Oxide Short Fibers against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Mataz Alcoutlabi |
| Esteban Ordaz | Undergraduate Student | The optimization of Polycaprolactone nanofibers Synthesis for Biomedical Implants | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Lawrence Cano |
| Jade Mendieta | Master's Student | Thermal Management and Lubrication Characteristics of Tungsten Disulfide (WS2) Vegetable-Based Nano lubricants | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Jose Taha Tijerina |
| Jeannia Maldonado | Undergraduate Student | Optimizing Fabrication of PLA fiber mats for application in metal nanoparticle coatings for surface modifications on implants | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Lawrence Cano |
| Jesus Gonzales | Undergraduate Student | Effect of Polyaniline Concentration on the Morphology of PVDF Composite Fibers for Electroactive Sensing Applications | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Misael Martinez |
| John Alfred Acevedo | PhD Student | Investigation on the Feasibility of Electrical Impedance Tomography in Concrete Damage Detection | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Philip Park |
| Marcelo Alejandro Navarro Lozano | Undergraduate Student | Laser Surface Texturing of SS316L Stainless Steel Surfaces for Biomedical Applications | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Javier Ortega |
| Mauricio Berazaluce Lopez | PhD Student | Development of an Iron Nanoparticle-Based Sensor for Detecting Lunar Regolith Dust Contamination | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Eloi Camprubi-Casas |
| Md Anwar Sadat Anik | PhD Student | Fabrication of Glass Particle-filled Fungal Biocomposites | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Mohammad Refatul Islam |
| Renata Leonhardt | High School Student | Engineering Antibacterial Nanofibers: PVP/Zinc Nitrate Fibers for Antibacterial Activity Against Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacteria | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Mataz Alcoutlabi |
| Roy Rodriguez | Undergraduate Student | Optimization of Force Spinning Fiber fabrication of Polyethylene Oxide (PEO) Nanofiber mat for application in Biomedical Implants | Materials Science and Engineering | Dr. Lawrence Cano |
| Carlos Montes | Master's Student | Using Machine learning to predict and understand Homeless population | Mathematical and Statistical Sciences | Dr. Mike Lindstrome |
| Deborah Davila | Undergraduate Student | Development and Characterization of a Bioadhesive Polymeric Oral Patch for Localized Breast Cancer Therapy | Mathematical and Statistical Sciences | Dr. Murali Yallapu, Dr. Rinki Verma |
| Emmanuel Boadi | Master's Student | Comparing Neural Architectures for Semi-Supervised DNS-Based DDoS Detection Under Extreme Class Imbalance | Mathematical and Statistical Sciences | Dr. Hansapani Rodrigo, Dr. Sanjeev Kumar |
| Peggy Enyonam Akabuah | Master's Student | Longitudinal Data-Driven Prediction of Type 2 Diabetes | Mathematical and Statistical Sciences | Dr. Kristina Vatcheva |
| Sofia Sifuentes | High School Student | The Lost Author: Using Bigram Frequency to Predict Authorship | Mathematical and Statistical Sciences | Dr. Josef Sifuentes |
| benoni.spradlin01@utrgv.edu | Undergraduate Student | A Mathematical Model of Disease Associated Microglia in Alzheimer's Disease | Mathematical and Statistical Sciences | Dr. Mike Lindstrom |
| Aaron Blanton | Master's Student | Development and Testing of an Onboard Load Sensor Embedded Within Passive Steering Bearing Adapter Pads | Mechanical Engineering | Dr. Constantine Tarawneh |
| Andrew Molen | Undergraduate Student | Design, Simulation, and Experimental Validation of a Modular Nitrous Oxide-Paraffin Wax Hybrid Rocket Engine | Mechanical Engineering | Dr. Robert Jones |
| Arlan Nuenz | PhD Student | High-Fidelity Simulations and Statistical Overloading for Examining Laser Powder-Based Directed Energy Deposition Processes | Mechanical Engineering | Dr. Nadim Zgheib |
| Dong Hwan Nam | Post-Doctoral Researcher | Surface Oxidation and Functionalization of Nanocellulose for Organic Dispersion and Gel Polymer Electrolyte Applications | Mechanical Engineering | Dr. Gyu Leem |
| Emmanuel Ramirez | Master's Student | Acoustic Excitation for Thinning Nano-Fibers | Mechanical Engineering | Dr. Arturo Fuentes |
| Irvin Velazquez | PhD Student | Sediment Transport and Cable Hydrodynamic Loading Around Offshore Monopiles Under Oscillatory Tidal Flow | Mechanical Engineering | Dr. Nadim Zgheib |
| Joseph Mojica | Undergraduate Student | Accelerometer Placement on Measured Vibration Response of Freight Railcar Bearings | Mechanical Engineering | Dr. Constantine Tarawneh |
| Michael Martinez | Undergraduate Student | FROM WATER TO WHEELS: ADVANCING HYDROGEN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES FOR SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION | Mechanical Engineering | Dr. Gyu Leem |
| Nicolas Ramos | Master's Student | Design and Optimization of a Piezoelectric Micro-Fan for Active Thermal Management in 3D Heterogeneous Integrated Systems | Mechanical Engineering | Dr. Horacio Vasquez, Dr. Ahmed Jalal |
| Richard Aaron Palacios Jr. | Master's Student | Integration of Solar Energy Harvesting on Wireless Onboard Condition Monitoring Systems for Long-Term Power Sustainability | Mechanical Engineering | Dr. Constantine Tarawneh |
| Sabian Cardenas | Undergraduate Student | Design, Simulation, and Experimental Validation of a Modular Nitrous Oxide-Paraffin Wax Hybrid Rocket Engine | Mechanical Engineering | Dr. Robert Jones |
| Samantha Garcia | Undergraduate Student | Comparison of Onboard Condition Monitoring System Mounting Location for Freight Railcar Bearing Defect Detection using Vibration Signatures | Mechanical Engineering | Dr. Constantine Tarawneh |
| Valeria Tirado | Undergraduate Student | Electrochemical Performance of Silicon-Oxide Anodes for Lithium-ion Batteries | Mechanical Engineering | Dr. Alejandra Guerrero, Dr. Mataz Alcoutlabi |
| Vanessa Gamboa | Master's Student | CFD Investigation of Off-Axial Powder Injection in Laser Directed Energy Deposition (LDED) | Mechanical Engineering | Dr. Nadim Zgheib, Dr. Monsuru Ramoni |
| Yazmin G. Cortes | PhD Student | Influence of Coating Architecture on the Tribological Performance of UHMWPE/Al?O? Electrostatic Spray Coatings | Mechanical Engineering | Dr. Javier Ortega |
| Yeaseul Jang | Post-Doctoral Researcher | Mesoporous Tin Oxide-based Electrochemical Flow Sensor for Per and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFAS) | Mechanical Engineering | Dr. Gyu Leem |
| Alisha Singh | High School Student | The Curious Case of Tau: Exploring the Role of Tau Protein in Alzheimer's Disease | Medical Sciences | Dr. Chelsea Ohanaga |
| Daniel Salinas | PhD Student | Mapping Parkinson’s Disease Heterogeneity by Integrating Brain Imaging, Genetics, and Proteomics with a Multi-Headed Latent Attention (MLA) Network | Medical Sciences | Dr. Anderson Winkler |
| Estephania Kumpf-Garcia | Undergraduate Student | Immunomodulatory and Healing Responses to Surface-Modified Ti-6A1-4V Alloys: In Vivo Analysis in Lewis Rats | Medical Sciences | Dr. Claudia Biguetti, Dr. Bhuvana Lakkasetter Chandrashekar |
| Gerardo De Leon | Undergraduate Student | Electrospun Polyvinyl Alcohol Nanofibers as a Drug Delivery Platform | Medical Sciences | Dr. Murali M. Yallapu |
| Lakshitha Kamala Kannan | Undergraduate Student | The Role of Volunteer and Family Support in Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation: A Bronfenbrenner Ecological Systems Approach | Medical Sciences | Dr. Yessenia Garza |
| Ramiro Cisneros | Undergraduate Student | Establishing a High-Fat Diet–Induced Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Model in C57BL/6J Mice for Wound Healing Studies | Medical Sciences | Dr. Claudia Biguetti |
| Alejandra Pérez Contreras | Undergraduate Student | Spectroscopic Investigation of X-ray sources as Possible Symbiotic Systems | Physics & Astronomy | Dr. Liliana Rivera Sandoval |
| Alexander Mendoza | Undergraduate Student | Preliminary results from two months of commissioning observations with TOROS Observatory | Physics & Astronomy | Dr. Mario C. Diaz |
| Eric Cano | Undergraduate Student | Categorization of Nuclear Pasta under Magnetic Fields | Physics & Astronomy | Dr. Andrea P. Carvajal, Dr. Nicholas Dimakis |
| Erick Alan Flores | Undergraduate Student | X-Ray diffraction on PS-PVDF mixtures | Physics & Astronomy | Dr. Mircea Chipara |
| Juanangel Montemayor | Undergraduate Student | Thermal Features of Polystyrene-Polyisoprene-Polystyrene Block Copolymers | Physics & Astronomy | Dr. Karen Martirosyan, Dr. Mircea Chipara |
| Lizzie Flores | Undergraduate Student | Origins of Young [?/Fe]-Rich Stars using GALAH DR4 | Physics & Astronomy | Dr. Michael Hayden (University of Oklahoma as part of 2025 NSF REU) |
| Orel Josue Sanchez-Leal | Undergraduate Student | 3D Fabrication and Aerodynamic Evaluation of Triangular Porous Texturing on a Scaled Aircraft Wing Model | Physics & Astronomy | Dr. Karen S. Martirosyan |
| Parinaz Amaniabdolmalaki | PhD Student | Thermal Degradation of Polystyrene–Polyvinylidene Fluoride Mixtures Investigated by TGA and DTG Analysis | Physics & Astronomy | Dr. Mircea Chipara |
| Wendy Mendoza | PhD Student | COPAS: Compact Objects and the Physics of Accretion Survey - I. Accreting Binaries with P < 83 Minutes | Physics & Astronomy | Dr. Liliana Rivera Sandoval |
| Christopher Attafuah | Master's Student | Multimodal Transformer Modeling of Alzheimer’s Disease Severity Using Longitudinal Clinical and Neuroimaging Data | Robotics & Artificial Intelligence (AI) | Dr. Hansapani Rodrigo |
| Dr. Immanuel Edinbarough | Faculty | Robotic Excavator | Robotics & Artificial Intelligence (AI) | Dr. Imanuel Edinbarough |
| Elian Alexis Cantu | Master's Student | Autonomous Train Maintenance: Machine Learning Model for Bearing Health Prediction | Robotics & Artificial Intelligence (AI) | Dr. Jinghao Yang |
| John Hinojosa | Undergraduate Student | Autonomous Rover | Robotics & Artificial Intelligence (AI) | Dr. Luis Castanuela, Dr. Dario Hinojosa, Dr. Sergei Chuprov |
| Nathon Orive | Undergraduate Student | Excalivator | Robotics & Artificial Intelligence (AI) | Dr. Immanuel edinbarough |
| Silvia Flores-Osuna | Master's Student | Traffic Tracking at Grade Crossings using AI | Robotics & Artificial Intelligence (AI) | Dr. Gasser Ali |
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 8:00 AM - 8:30 AM | Registration / Breakfast |
| 8:00 AM - 8:45 AM | Introductions / Welcome Welcoming remarks and overview of agenda |
| 8:45 AM - 8:55 AM | Break |
| 8:55 AM - 9:55 AM | Oral Session #1 10 minute oral presentations plus 2 minutes for questions - 5 talks |
| 9:55 AM - 10:05 AM | Break |
| 10:05 AM - 11:05 AM | Oral Session #2 10 minute oral presentations plus 2 minutes for questions - 5 talks |
| 11:05 AM - 11:15 AM | Break |
| 11:15 AM - 12:30 PM | Oral Session #3 10 minute oral presentations plus 2 minutes for questions - 6 talks |
| 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM | Lunch Keynote speaker presentation - Dr. Constastine Tarawneh |
| 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM | Poster Presentation First hour for poster presentations and judging, second hour for open floor |
| 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Awards Ceremony Oral/Poster and Outstanding Thesis awards and final Remarks |
Outstanding Thesis Award
| College of Engineering and Computer Science | ||
| Alfirio Trejo Jr | Biomedical Engineering | Dr. Dumitru Caruntu |
| Shayan Khosravi | Civil Engineering | Dr. Mohsen Amjadian |
| Kaichuang Zhang | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Ping Xu |
| Alexis Andaverde | Engineering Management | Dr. Hiram Moya |
| Miguel A. Martinez | Mechanical Engineering | Dr. Dumitru Caruntu |
| College of Sciences | ||
| Samantha Colunga | Agricultural, Environmental, and Sustainability Sciences | Dr. Engil Pereira |
| Priscilla Kissi-Appiah | Applied Statistics and Data Science | Dr. Zhuanzhuan Ma |
| Christine M. Vega | Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | Dr. Ying Jia |
| Emily Desiree Medelez | Biology | Dr. Pushpa Soti |
| Esther Owusu | Chemistry | Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay |
| Linoy Utkina | Mathematics | Dr. Luigi Ferraro |
| Manoj Chhetri | Interdisciplinary Studies (Physics) | Dr. Karen Martirosyan |
| Mya J. Brown | Ocean, Coastal, and Earth Sciences | Dr. Owen Temby |
Overall Outstanding Thesis
| College of Sciences | ||
| Samantha Colunga | Agricultural, Environmental, and Sustainability Sciences | Dr. Engil Pereira |
| College of Engineering and Computer Science | ||
| Kaichuang Zhang | Electrical Engineering | Dr. Ping Xu |
Keynote Speaker:
Dr. Constantine Tarawneh
Senior Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs
Constantine M. Tarawneh, Ph.D., is a Full Professor of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and a Summer Sessions Visiting Faculty member at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Jordan and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Dr. Tarawneh has over twenty years of experience in experimental research and fifteen years of teaching, with expertise in acoustics and vibrations, mechanical measurements and instrumentation, experimental heat transfer, and thermal sciences. He has received the Lockheed Martin Outstanding Faculty Award multiple times, along with the Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award. His research includes experimental acoustics, thermal systems, and railroad-related projects sponsored by Amsted Rail. He has been a member of ASHRAE since 1998 and is listed in Who’s Who in America.
| Name | Classification | Abstract Title | Topic |
| Lois Akosua Serwaa | Graduate | Exploring the specificity of CTP in regulating ParB-mediated DNA compaction using ATP As Control | Biochemistry |
| Jimena Garcia-Guillen | Graduate | Decoding Gene Interactions in Insect Embryos Through Highly Multiplexed Imaging | Biology |
| Sofia Ayala | Undergraduate | Habitat restoration, invasive species, and soil nutrients in the subtropical Tamaulipan Thornscrub | Biology |
| Claudia Garza | Graduate | Identification of Cadmium as a Structural and Functional Modulator of PSD-95 Regulating NMDARs at Postsynaptic Membranes | Chemistry |
| Brittany Griggs | Undergraduate | Green Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles using Native Rio Grande Valley Plant Extracts and their Antioxidant and Reduction Activity | Chemistry |
| Karla Sierra Flores | Graduate | Metakaolin/coal fly ash-based porous geopolymer for grouting applications | Civil Enginnering |
| Gaukhar Nurbek | Doctoral | A Deep Learning Framework for Complex Astrophysical Signal Detection. | Computer Science |
| Rebecca Muniz | Graduate | Detection of Microplastics in the Wild Gulf of Mexico Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) Collected from Texas Coast: A Depuration and Laboratory Study | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences |
| Ines Mendiola | Undergraduate | Student Performance and Understanding of Very Large Scale Integration at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | Electrical Engineering |
| Olga Ibarra-Sanchez | Graduate | Observer Error Assessment for Sex Estimation Using CT-Scans of the Femoral Head: A study of the New Mexico Decedent Image Database | Forensic Anthropology |
| Andy Torres | Doctoral | DACA Status Correlates with Traumatic Instances in a Sample of College Students in a US-Mexico Border Region | Health Sciences |
| Carlos Antonio Cisneros | Undergraduate | Exploring Myelin-Related Contributions to Reward Learning and Addiction in Nf1+/– Mice | Health Sciences |
| Amber Garcia | Doctoral | Synthesis of Nucleoside-passivated AuNPs: Utilizing Caffeine as a Competitor for the Active Site of Adenosine A1 Receptor | Materials Science and Engineering |
| Diego De Leon Galindo | Graduate | Synthesis of Highly Porous Carbon Nanofibers for Enhanced Li-ion Battery Performance | Materials Science and Engineering |
| Matthew Lin | High School | Examining the Effect of Iron-Manganese Concentrations and Thermal Cooling Rates on Na0.67FexMn1−xO2 Battery Performance | Materials Science and Engineering |
| Ashwin James | Undergraduate | Synthesis and Morphology of Polyaniline/Polystyrene Blend Nanofibers for Biosensing Applications | Materials Science and Engineering |
| Myrine Barreiro-Arevalo | Doctoral | A Mathematical Model to Study the Heredity of Protocells | Mathematical and Statistical Sciences |
| Joel Williams | Graduate | Mathematical Modeling of Neurodegenerative Prion Diseases in One-Dimensional Neuronal Networks | Mathematical and Statistical Sciences |
| Noah V. Mireles | High School | Social Science | Mathematical and Statistical Sciences |
| Haily Martinez | Undergraduate | Solving Differential Equations with Linear Algebra | Mathematical and Statistical Sciences |
| Javier Isai Ramirez | Graduate | Nonlinear Mechanics and Failure Mechanisms of Composite Nanofiber Mats | Mechanical Engineering |
| Chun (Cathy) Xu | Undergraduate | STEM Education and Student Research Involvement in Cognitive Impairment Study | Medical Sciences |
| Miguel Lopez | Graduate | Regional Disparities in the Diagnostic Age of Skin Carcinomas: An Analysis of the Rio Grande Valley | Medical Sciences |
| Wendy Mendoza | Doctoral | Compact Objects and the Physics of Accretion Survey (COPAS) | Physics & Asronomy |
| Martha Asare | Doctoral | AI-enhanced Real-time Additive Manufacturing Defect Detection Method | Robotics & Artifical Inteligence |
| Akua Sekyiwaa Osei-Nkwantabisa | Graduate | Implementing and Evaluating an AI-Powered Visual Decision Support System to Improve Antibiotic Usage Among Physicians with a Built-in Alert Warning System | Robotics & Artifical Inteligence |
| Name | Classification | Abstract Title | Topic |
| Stella Aime Rios | Graduate | Investigating the Ability of Foxo1 to Maintain Stem Cells | Biochemistry |
| Andrea Aldaba | Undergraduate | Simulating Surface Maturation of Exogenous Organic Material on Europa | Biochemistry |
| Christine Vega | Graduate | Cloning and Heterologous Expression of nAChRs and a Unique Spider Venom Toxin | Biology |
| Ana Angelica Mendez | Undergraduate | Do Water Lilies Entice Insects To Their Death? | Biology |
| Ismael Lamas Jr. | Graduate | Synthesis and Characterization of Composite Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering: An Investigation on Mechanical Properties and Biocompatibility | Biomedical Engineering |
| Marissa Silva | Undergraduate | Plantar pressure distribution altered during walking in individuals with hammertoe deformities | Biomedical Engineering |
| Tushar Deb Nath | Graduate | Is the UTRGV Campus a Chemical Storage? Chemical Profiling of the Ethanolic Extract of the On-Campus Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) Galls | Chemistry |
| Uzzi Jachin Hann Guasa | Undergraduate | Utilizing Au-NPs in Enzyme Immobilization: Evaluation of Catalytic Stability, Reusability, and Industrial Application | Chemistry |
| Shayan Khosravi | Graduate | Development of Novel Friction-Based Mechanical Metamaterials for Vibration Control of Railways and Surrounding Structures | Civil Enginnering |
| Pedro de Jesus Fonseca Ortiz | Doctoral | Spam Email Detection Using Machine Learning Techniques | Computer Science |
| Jannatul Ferdaus | Graduate | A Knowledge Graph Approach to Predict Phosphatase-Substrate Association | Computer Science |
| Sunakhi Sahoo | High School | Decoding Diabetic Heart Failure Through Gene Expression Patterns and Predictive Modeling | Computer Science |
| John Justin Rodriguez | Graduate | Effects of Agrivoltaic Installations on Soil Moisture in a Subtropical Semi-arid Climate | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences |
| Nicolas Rodriguez | Undergraduate | Evaluating Trophic Dynamics in the Resacas of Brownsville, Texas: Exploring the Link Between Chlorophyll-a Concentrations and Secchi Disk Transparency | Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences |
| G M Mehedi Hossain | Graduate | Sonochemically Synthesized ZnO Nanowires (NWs) based Non-invasive Glucose Sensor | Electrical Engineering |
| Emilio Chavez | Undergraduate | Zinc Oxide Nanofiber Growth using Forcespinning Technique | Electrical Engineering |
| Dreida Villegas | Undergraduate | InBody Body Composition Analysis: Revolutionizing Fitness, Health, and Wellness | Health Sciences |
| Sophia Leslie | Doctoral | Nanoparticle-Based Delivery of FOXO1 Inhibitor AS1842856 for Targeted Glioblastoma Therapy | Materials Science and Engineering |
| Rodrigo Benavides | Graduate | Effects of current density in alloy fiber batteries | Materials Science and Engineering |
| Hana Elnahas | Undergraduate | Orodispersible Nanofiber Diosgenin-Based Glioblastoma Therapy: In-silico Anti-EGFR Screening and Drug Release Modeling | Materials Science and Engineering |
| Octavio Guevara | Graduate | Sediment transport on rippled beds from particle-informed high-fidelity simulations. | Mechanical Engineering |
| Emmanuel Evaristo Sanchez | Undergraduate | Relaxation Time of Continuous Release Gravity Currents | Mechanical Engineering |
| Victor Abiye Bob-Yellowe | Doctoral | The Role of Magnesium in Inflammatory Bowel Disease | Medical Sciences |
| Efe Martins | Undergraduate | Designing a Hierarchically Porous Lipoderm™-Based Thermosensitive Hydrogel for Enhanced Skin Penetration | Medical Sciences |
| Miriam Ramos Arevalo | Doctoral | Improving LIGO Calibration Monitoring Tools: A Comparative Study | Physics & Asronomy |
| Casandra Sauceda | Graduate | Development of Boron Nitride Based Composites for Enhanced Gas Sensing Applications | Physics & Asronomy |
| Eric Thomas Cano | Undergraduate | Technique to Solve Fractional Differential Equations | Physics & Asronomy |
| Miguel Espinoza | Undergraduate | Solar Tracking and Energy Monitoring System | Robotics & Artificial Intelligence |
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 8:15 AM - 8:45 AM | Registration / Breakfast Poster and oral presentation setup |
| 8:45 AM - 9:00 AM | Introductions / Welcome Welcoming remarks and overview of agenda |
| 9:00 AM - 9:10 AM | Break |
| 9:10 AM - 10:10 AM | Oral Session #1 10 minute oral presentations plus 2 minutes for questions |
| 10:10 AM - 10:20 AM | Break |
| 10:20 AM - 11:20 AM | Oral Session #2 10 minute oral presentations plus 2 minutes for questions |
| 11:20 AM - 11:30 AM | Break |
| 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM | Oral Session #3 10 minute oral presentations plus 2 minutes for questions |
| 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM | Lunch Keynote speaker presentation |
| 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM | Poster Presentation First hour for poster presentations and judging, second hour for open floor |
| 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Awards Ceremony Oral/Poster and Outstanding Thesis awards and final Remarks |
Best Undergraduate Oral Presentation in:
Biology:
Sofia Ayala - The Behavioral Influence of Fungal Endophytes on Yellow Fever Mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti)
Chemistry:
Juan Manuel Garcia Jr. - Enhancing Photoluminescence Properties, Shape, and Size Analysis of Metal and Semi-metal Nanoparticles using Reactive High-Energy Ball Milling (RHEBM)
Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences:
Ira Narang - Flood Impact Mitigation: Assessing the Role of Sand Dunes in Protecting Crops in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas
Health & Medical Sciences:
Noah Al-Hassan - Periodontitis and Alzheimer's Disease: A Magnetic Link
Best Graduate Oral Presentation in:
Biology:
Emily Medelez - Impact of native and invasive grasses on the behavior of Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus
Chemistry:
Alitza Garcia - Microhydration of 3,4,5-trifluorobenzoic acid
Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences:
Kabir Bahadur Shah - Assessment of Air Pollution Levels Using Data from Low-cost Sensors and Remote Sensing Satellite in Roma Independent School District, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, USA
Health & Medical Sciences:
Taha Al-Hassan - Rare Presentation of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Tongue with Ectopic β-hCG Secretion
Mathematics:
Joel Williams - Generating Heat Maps for Turbulence - Imputing Turbulence Readings Through Spatio-Temporal weighting
Physics:
Manoj Chhetri - Utilizing machine learning to predict the charge storage capability of Lithium-ion battery materials
Best High School Poster Presentation in:
Chemistry:
Matthew Lin - Simulation of carbon dioxide adsorption in metal-organic frameworks with open metal sites utilizing RASPA
Best Undergraduate Poster Presentation in:
Arts:
Luz Rodriguez - Analysis of Rabbit's Unique Anatomy
Clarissa Sifuentes - Yersinia Pestis Bacterium
Biochemistry:
Cesar Morales Alba - A Study of Cadmium Binding With The N-Terminus of Synapse Associated Protein 102 And Implications For Its Postsynaptic Functions
Biology:
Jimena Garcia-Guillen, Miguel Salazar, Sofia Jordan, Efe Martins, Hasan Mahmud, Sydney Do, and Alexa Alaniz - Gene Regulation in the Intermediate-Germ Insect: Tribolium
Chemistry:
Octavio J. Jupp - Triboelectric Analysis of Naturally Abundant, Renewable, and Sustainable Glycosidically Linked Based Films for Sensor Applications
Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences:
Jose Cisneros, Gaspar Najera, and Aaliyah Garcia - Assessing the effects of channel-widening on water quality in Bahia Grande
Engineering:
Hana Elnahas - Development of Pullulan based antibiotic nanofiber membranes for sinusitis treatment
Health & Medical Sciences:
Sussy Mendoza and Ariane Garcia - Identifying Peptides Targeting Phospholipase A2
Physics:
Pablo Zepeda and Cecilia Pena - Fabrication of PDMS-Based Piezoelectric Nanogenerator Utilizing Barium Ruthenate (BaRuO3) Synthesized by Solid-State Reactions
Best Graduate Poster Presentation in:
Biochemistry:
Mohammad Yaman Karkoutly - B-CNN for Early Alzheimer Disease Detection in MRI Scans
Biology:
David Uribe - Investigating FOXO4 Targets in GBM
Chemistry:
Esther Owusu - Microwave-assisted green synthesis of spiroindolinopyranopyrazoles
Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences:
Siena Rose Stassi - Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide fluxes from managed distributaries across the Rio Grande Delta
Engineering:
Cesar Sanchez - Multi-Method Synthesis of Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Quantum Dots via Bottom-Up Approach
Health & Medical Sciences:
Justin Zander Heckman and Alyssa Sepulveda - Oxidative Stress, a culprit in cardiovascular diseases and Resveratrol as a potential therapeutic agent
Mathematics:
Adhira Tippur - Developing Machine Learning Models to Predict Oral Cancer
Physics:
Siegfried Gawenda - Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder Observations of the Most Powerful Radio Sources in the Southern Sky
Photo Gallery - 2024 ARC Annual Research Conference Flickr photo album
Keynote speaker:
Dr. Eloi Camprubi-Casas
Assistant Professor of Astrobiochemistry
School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences
Eloi Camprubi is an Assistant Professor at UTRGV’s SIBCS. His research interests lie within the broad research field of Astrobiology. He is particularly interested in understanding why and how life emerges in a previously barren planet. He also simulates extraterrestrial environments to refine the interpretation framework for detecting extraterrestrial life (biosignatures) within the Solar System, particularly in relation to the (bio)geochemistry at Ocean Worlds (e.g. Enceladus, Europa, Titan). He is from Barcelona (Spain) and, thanks to a ‘la Caixa’ Foundation doctoral fellowship, he earned his PhD in Chemistry from University College London (UK) in 2018. He was then awarded a 3-year postdoctoral fellowship to join the Origins Center (Utrecht University, Netherlands). In 2021 he obtained a 3-year Human Frontier Science Program fellowship to join the Earth-Life Science Institute (Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan). In 2022 he joined UTRGV as an awardee of the University of Texas System’s STARs Program.
S11-1 The Battle Within: How Gut Cells Protect Us from Bacteria
Presenting author(s): Dikshanta Vinaya Luitel
Advisor: Dr. Nirakar Sahoo
S11-2 Impact of native and invasive grasses on the behavior of Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus
Presenting author(s): Emily Medelez
Advisor: Dr. Pushpa Soti, Dr. Christopher Vitek
S11-3 The effects of soil texture and root densities on thornscrub seedling development root and shoot development
Presenting author(s): Lance Santos
Advisor: Dr. Bradley Christoffersen
S11-4 Dynamic Insights into Sorghum Transcriptome: Unraveling Abiotic Stress Responses through Genome-Wide 3'-End Sequencing
Presenting author(s): Shikha Bharti
Advisor: Dr. Manohar Chakrabarti
S11-5 The Behavioral Influence of Fungal Endophytes on Yellow Fever Mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti)
Presenting author(s): Sofia Ayala
Advisor: Dr. Pushpa Soti
S12-1 Evaluating Recyclable Glass Material as a Substitute for Soil in Vegetable Cultivation: An Innovative Approach to Sustainable Agriculture
Presenting author(s): Andrea K. Quezada
Advisor: Dr. Julie P. Vanegas
S12-2 Improvement of Triboelectric Nanogenerator by as-prepared Lithium Niobate for energy harvesting and sensing applications
Presenting author(s): Jahid Inam Chowdhury and Dr. Mohammed Jasim Uddin
Advisor: Dr. Mohammed Jasim Uddin
S12-3 Recycled Glass Sand Analysis and Impact in Confined Marine Life and Environments
Presenting author(s): Samantha Tamayo
Advisor: Dr. Julie P. Vanegas
S12-4 Microhydration of 3,4,5-trifluorobenzoic acid
Presenting author(s): Alitza Garcia
Advisor: Dr. Wei Lin
S12-5 The first report for the synthesis of spiro-centered β-lactams
Presenting author(s): Nneoma James
Advisor: Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay
S13-1 Synthesis of NANO-MICROSTRUCTURED BaTiO3 Incorporated in PVDF-HFP/PEO for Sustainable and Green Energy Generation
Presenting author(s): Rigobert Ybarra
Advisor: Dr. Mohammed Jasim Uddin
S13-2 La1-xSrxCoO3 perovskite Antimicrobial properties and PVDF based piezoelectric nanogenerator through self-induced polling and sensory application
Presenting author(s): S M Anyet Ullah Shohag, Luke Franco, and Adhira Tippur
Advisor: Dr. Mohammed Jasim Uddin
S13-3 Multifunctional Properties of Delafossite-Coated Cotton Textiles for Photocatalytic Self-Cleaning, UV-Blocking, and Antimicrobial Activity
Presenting author(s): Shahria Ahmed Sachin Chopra
Advisor: Dr. Mohammed Jasim Uddin
S13-4 Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes with Diverse Ligands: Expanding Possibilities for Surface Modifications and Applications via High-Energy Ball Milling (HEBM)
Presenting author(s): Amber Garcia
Advisor: Dr. Julie P. Vanegas
S13-5 Synthesis of Silicon Nanoparticles Passivated by Organic Ligands via Reactive High Energy Ball Milling (RHEBM): A Potential Method for Crude Oil Fractionation
Presenting author(s): Emanuel Aggeo Flores
Advisor: Dr. Julie P. Vanegas
S14-1 Wealth from Waste: Aloe vera peels as a sustainable resource for natural pesticides
Presenting author(s): Jonathan Garcia
Advisor: Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay
S14-2 Enhancing Photoluminescence Properties, Shape, and Size Analysis of Metal and Semi-metal Nanoparticles using Reactive High-Energy Ball Milling (RHEBM)
Presenting author(s): Juan Manuel Garcia Jr.
Advisor: Dr. Julie P. Vanegas
S14-3 Spanish moss, a forestry waste, can be a sustainable resource for phytoceuticals
Presenting author(s): Jakir Hossain and Debasish Bandyopadhyay
Advisor: Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay
S14-4 Enhancement of Polytetrafluoroethylene- Polyvinyl Alcohol Nanofibers Triboelectric Effect with Carboxylic Functionalized Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Coating
Presenting author(s): Fernando Viesca, Diego de Leon, Kevin Alejandro, Rigobert Ybarra, Karen Lozano, and Dr. Mohammed Jasim Uddin
Advisor: Dr. Mohammed Jasim Uddin
S15-1 Rare Presentation of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Tongue with Ectopic β-hCG Secretion
Presenting author(s): Taha Al Hassan
Advisor: Dr. Rachel A. Giese
S15-2 Periodontitis and Alzheimer's Disease: A Magnetic Link
Presenting author(s): Noah Al-Hassan, Taha Al-Hassan, and Model Zerfu
Advisor: Dr. Guadarrama
S15-3 Empirical Evidence to Beliefs and Perceptions about Mental Health Disorder and Substance Abuse: The Role of a Social Worker.
Presenting author(s): Helena Baffoe
Advisor: Dr. Andrew Rose
S16-1 Nonlinear stability analysis of Rayleigh-Bénard convection in a non-Newtonian fluid
Presenting author(s): Mahanthesh Basavarajappa
Advisor: Dr. Dambaru Bhatta
S16-2 A Mathematical Model for Fracture in the Context of Linearized Elastic Fracture Model (LEFM)
Presenting author(s): Saugata Ghosh
Advisor: Dr. Dambaru Bhatta
S16-3 Constrained Quantization for A Uniform Distribution
Presenting author(s): Dipok Deb
Advisor: Dr. Mrinal K. Roychowdhury
S16-4 Ramanujan Type Congruences for Quotients of Klein Forms
Presenting author(s): Jeffery Opoku
Advisor: Dr. Tim Huber
S16-5 Generating Heat Maps for Turbulence - Imputing Turbulence Readings Through Spatio-Temporal Weighting
Presenting author(s): Joel Williams
Advisor: Dr. Michael Lindstrom
S17-1 Reactive Interaction of Ti-Graphene with the formation of TiC into MWCNT yarns
Presenting author(s): Sara Sharifi
Advisor: Dr. Karen S. Martirosyan
S17-2 Computational and Experimental study on erbium doped lithium tantalate nanoparticles as visible and NIR phosphors
Presenting author(s): Andrea Pelayo Carvajal
Advisor: Dr. Nicholas Dimakis
S17-3 Utilizing machine learning to predict the charge storage capability of Lithium-ion battery materials
Presenting author(s): Manoj Chhetri
Advisor: Dr. Karen S. Martirosyan
S17-4 A multivariate analysis of the gravitational wave signal landscape from core collapse supernovae
Presenting author(s): Raul Alberto Espinosa Perez
Advisor: Dr. Soma Mukherjee
S17-5 A search for intermediate-mass black holes in compact stellar systems through optical emissions from tidal disruption events
Presenting author(s): Richard Pomeroy
Advisor: Dr. Juan Madrid
S18-1 An Analysis of Fish Assemblages and Flow Regimes Upstream and Downstream of Falcon Reservoir
Presenting author(s): Christopher Austin
Advisor: Dr. Christopher Taylor
S18-2 Effects of Nitrogen Loading on Respiration and Photosynthetic rate of Red Seaweed Gracilaria tikvahiae
Presenting author(s): Donavuan Salazar
Advisor: Dr. Hudson Deyoe
S18-3 Blue Carbon and the Rio Grande Valley Artificial Reef
Presenting author(s): Michelle King
Advisor: Dr. Richard Kline
S18-4 Greenhouse Gas Emission Dynamics from Turfgrass Soils Affected by Contrasting Water Saturation Conditions
Presenting author(s): Angel Salinas
Advisor: Dr. James Jihoon Kang
S18-5 Effects of Short-term Exposure to Pesticide Mixture on Tissue Architecture, Body Fluid Conditions, Nitrative Stress, and Osmoregulation of the American Oyster
Presenting author(s): Asif Ahmed
Advisor: Dr. Md Saydur Rahman
S19-1 Pesticides Mixture Disrupt Kidney Architecture, Induce Oxidative Stress, Increase Renal Expression and Alter Swimming Behavior in Goldfish
Presenting author(s): Esmirna Cantu
Advisor: Dr. Md Saydur Rahman
S19-2 Cover Crop’s Vertical Soil Moisture Impacts on Rain-Fed Systems: A Meta-analysis across all climatic regions.
Presenting author(s): Fabrizio Javier Pilco Alvarez
Advisor: Dr. Bradley Christoffersen
S19-3 Assessment of Air Pollution Levels Using Data from Low-cost Sensors and Remote Sensing Satellite in Roma Independent School District, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, USA
Presenting author(s): Kabir Bahadur Shah
Advisor: Dr. Amit U. Raysoni
S19-4 Integrating Data from Satellites and Low-Cost Sensors to Investigate Stubble Burning Effects on Air Quality in Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, USA
Presenting author(s): Sai Deepak Pinakana
Advisor: Dr. Amit U. Raysoni
S19-5 Development of environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques to detect rough-footed and yellow mud turtles in Texas waters
Presenting author(s): Sakib Tahmid Rishan
Advisor: Dr. Saydur Rahman, Dr. Richard J. Kline
S20-1 Reforestation Impacts on Carbon Sequestration Rates: Thorn Forest Chronosequences in the Rio Grande Valley
Presenting author(s): Samantha Lynn Colunga
Advisor: Dr. Engil Pereira
S20-2 Adaptation to climate change in border regions: A literature synthesis
Presenting author(s): Amanda Hernandez
Advisor: Dr. Anna Erwin
S20-3 Sustainably Reusing Mushroom Waste product and new practices to minimize waste.
Presenting author(s): Carlos Wong
Advisor: Dr. Robin A. Choudhury
S20-4 Production of Tagatose from Galactose with CaO at Room Temperature
Presenting author(s): Ethan Andrew Cruz
Advisor: Dr. Jikai Zhao
S20-5 Usage of the water refill stations across campus
Presenting author(s): Nayeli Garcia, Leticia Contreras, and David Hicks
Advisor: Dr. Leticia Contreras
S21-1 Flood Impact Mitigation: Assessing the Role of Sand Dunes in Protecting Crops in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas
Presenting author(s): Ira Narang
Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Proft
SA-1 Probing prebiotic RNA Oligonucleotide Polymerization on Mineral Surfaces using Microfluidics
Presenting author(s): Gabriella Garza
Advisor: Dr. Eloi Camprubi-Casas
SA-2 A Study of Cadmium Binding With The N-Terminus of Synapse Associated Protein 102 And Implications For Its Postsynaptic Functions
Presenting author(s): Cesar Morales Alba
Advisor: Dr. Yonghong Zhang
SA-3 Identification of Cadmium as a Structural and Functional Modulator of PSD-95 Regulating NMDARs at Postsynaptic Membranes
Presenting author(s): Claudia Garza
Advisor: Dr. Yonghong Zhang
SA-4 Investigation of zinc as a structural and functional modulator of postsynaptic protein SAP102
Presenting author(s): Mohammad Yaman Karkoutly
Advisor: Dr. Yonghong Zhang
SA-5 Oral Biofilms: Exploring The Growth Dynamics Of Streptococcus Mutans Under Diverse Environmental Conditions
Presenting author(s): Vanessa Escudero
Advisor: Dr. Ahmed Touhami
SA-6 Screening antimicrobial candidates against Proteus vulgaris allowed the identification of an old drug niclosamide as new antibacterial application
Presenting author(s): Carina Casas
Advisor: Dr. Yonghong Zhang
SA-7 The binding kinetics of ParB protein with parS DNA sequence
Presenting author(s): Huda A Al-Zuhari
Advisor: Dr. HyeongJun Kim
SA-8 XerD compaction rate decreases in the presence of XDS engineered DNA
Presenting author(s): Brandon Shields
Advisor: Dr. HyeongJun Kim
SA-9 Unveiling the Role of CTP and ATP on ParB Dynamics
Presenting author(s): Lois Akosua Serwaa
Advisor: Dr. HyeongJun Kim
SB-2 Exploring the temporal variations of nitrogen throughout cropping seasons and its relation to other determinants of soil health in dryland farming systems
Presenting author(s): Mia Martinez
Advisor: Dr. Pushpa Soti
SB-3 Using Autonomous Recording Units to Monitor Avian Ecology in Southern Texas
Presenting author(s): Natalie Bautista Linzey Arambul Layla Arambul
Advisor: Dr. Andrea Contina
SB-5 Synthesis and Characterization of Vesicle Compartments to Study the Origins of Heredity
Presenting author(s): Myrine Barreiro-Arevalo
Advisor: Dr. Eloi Camprubi-Casas, Dr. Mike Lindstrom
SB-6 An economical andalysis of prickly pear cactus consumption in areas of South Texas
Presenting author(s): Ana Medellin
Advisor: Dr. Teresa P. Feria Arroyo
SB-7 The Understanding of Hyperhidrosis and its Effects on Individuals
Presenting author(s): Marissa Alvarez
Advisor: Dr. Viviana Trevino
SB-8 Learning and Memory in Bees: Prioritizing Taste or Nutrition?
Presenting author(s): Alessandra Perry
Advisor: Dr. Julie Mustard
SB-9 Seedling recruitment in contrasting microhabitats and successional stages in South Texas thorn-forests
Presenting author(s): Catarina Miranda
Advisor: Dr. Bradley Christoffersen
SB-10 Investigating FOXO4 Targets in GBM
Presenting author(s): David Uribe
Advisor: Dr. Megan Keniry
SC-1 Floral phenology of species of the Tamaulipan thornscrub of the lower Rio Grande Valley
Presenting author(s): Gracie Granados
Advisor: Dr. Alejandro Fierro, Dr. Julie Mustard
SC-2 Phenotypic plasticity in response to biotic and abiotic stresses in silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium)
Presenting author(s): Marco Silguero
Advisor: Dr. Pushpa Soti
SC-3 FOXO Factors bind and induce TCF7 in glioblastoma cells
Presenting author(s): Stephanie Oyervides, Stella Rios
Advisor: Dr. Megan Keniry
SC-4 Taxonomic Analysis of springsnails of Pyrgulopsis located in Nevada
Presenting author(s): Trenton Meadows
Advisor: Dr. Kathryn Perez
SC-5 Activating Autophagy with Anthocyanins to Fight Cancer
Presenting author(s): Sumeet Chauhan
Advisor: Dr. Nirakar Sahoo
SC-6 Carbon Monoxide's Role in Inhibiting Liver Cancer Cell Growth
Presenting author(s): Aarya Tripathi
Advisor: Dr. Nirakar Sahoo
SC-7 Insights into Toxoplasma gondii: From Historical Breakthroughs to Future Directions
Presenting author(s): Alan Ochoa
Advisor: Dr. Veerachandra Yemmireddy
SC-8 Emerging waterborne parasitic infections of concern - A case study on Cryptosporadium, Cyclospora Cayatenensis, and Giardia intestinalis
Presenting author(s): Damaris Cantu, Blanca Ochoa, and Javier Pena
Advisor: Dr. Veerachandra Yemmireddy
SC-9 Gene Regulation in the Intermediate-Germ Insect: Tribolium
Presenting author(s): Jimena Garcia-Guillen, Miguel Salazar, Sofia Jordan, Efe Martins, Hasan Mahmud, Sydney Do, and Alexa Alaniz
Advisor: Dr. Ezzat El-Sherif
SC-10 Food Security and Climate Change: Oppuntia spp. as an alternative cash crop in the Valley
Presenting author(s): Ramya Kunta
Advisor: Dr. Teresa P Feria-Arroyo
SD-1 Understanding and Combatting Zoonotic Parasites: A Comprehensive Study on Trichinella and Taeniasis
Presenting author(s): Scarlet Elizondo and Araely Ruiz
Advisor: Dr. Veerachandra Yemmireddy
SD-2 Xenophagy-Mediated Bacterial Clearance: In-Vitro and In-Vivo Insights
Presenting author(s): Dikshanta V. Luitel, Sidney Loya, and Anyssa Rodriguez
Advisor: Dr. Nirakar Sahoo
SD-3 A novel lysogenic bacteriophage increases pandemic O3:K6 of Vibrio parahaemolyticus resistance to ciprofloxacin
Presenting author(s): Yael Gonzalez, David Silva, and Daniele Provenzano
Advisor: Dr. Daniele Provenzano
SD-4 Phreatodrobia coronae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) is the imposter of the genus
Presenting author(s): Yamileth Guerrero
Advisor: Dr. Kathryn Perez
SD-5 Reassignment of Tryonia diaboli and Texapyrgus longleyi.
Presenting author(s): Evan Guerrero
Advisor: Dr. Kathryn Perez
SD-6 Quantification of Leaf Trichomes and Examination of Their Consequences for Fall Armyworm Feeding in Soybean Accessions
Presenting author(s): Evelyn Marie Madrigal
Advisor: Dr. Rupesh R. Kariyat, Dr. Christoffersen
SE-1 Design and Synthesis of DNA-Functionalized Metal Nanoparticles via Reactive High-Energy Ball Milling for Improved Biosensor Performance
Presenting author(s): Abraham Z. Torres and Alejandro Ramirez
Advisor: Dr. Julie P. Vanegas
SE-2 Microwave-assisted green synthesis of spiroindolinopyranopyrazoles
Presenting author(s): Esther Owusu
Advisor: Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay
SE-3 BOREAS- Probing Europa’s Subsurface Ocean by Simulating Icy Surficial Conditions
Presenting author(s): Ilankuzhali Elavarasan
Advisor: Dr. Eloi Camprubi-Casas
SE-4 Electrodegradation of Simazine in Aqueous Solution
Presenting author(s): Joseph Alexander Felix
Advisor: Dr. Jason Parsons
SE-5 Mechanistic Investigation of C—C Bond Activation of Phosphaalkynes with Pt(0) complexes
Presenting author(s): Roberto
Advisor: Dr. Tülay Ateşin
SE-6 Degradation of Indigo Dye in Aqueous Solution via Electrocatalysis
Presenting author(s): Rolando R Barron Jr
Advisor: Dr. Jason Parsons
SE-7 Simulation of carbon dioxide adsorption in metal-organic frameworks with open metal sites utilizing RASPA
Presenting author(s): Matthew Lin
Advisor: Dr. Haoyuan Chen
SE-8 A Study of the Biochemistry of Zingiber offcinale (Ginger). A widely used Diabetes Remedy.
Presenting author(s): Summer Sosa, Helia M. Morales, Erick Plata, and Arnulfo Mar
Advisor: Dr. Arnulfo Mar
SE-9 Solubility, Photoluminescence, and Antimicrobial properties of Mn: Zn2GeO4
Presenting author(s): Dave Philips
Advisor: Dr. Swati Mohan
SE-10 A Phytochemical Investigation of Camu Camu Leaves
Presenting author(s): Dusty Garcia
Advisor: Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay
SF-1 Effect of Temperature on the Hydrothermal Synthesis of TiO2 from TiCl4.
Presenting author(s): Estefania Gonzalez-Hernandez
Advisor: Dr. Parsons
SF-2 Advancements in Silicon Nanoparticle Synthesis: The Role of Reactive High Energy Ball Milling and Organic Ligands
Presenting author(s): Jorge Cazares and Emanuel A. Flores
Advisor: Dr. Julie P. Vanegas
SF-3 Effect of Temperature on the Synthesis of LaCoO3 Using Sol-Gel and Precipitation Methods
Presenting author(s): Juan Martinez
Advisor: Dr. Jason Parsons
SF-4 Computational Study of Pesticide Capture by Metal-Organic Frameworks
Presenting author(s): Lauryn Guzman
Advisor: Dr. Haoyuan Chen
SF-5 PDMS-based Piezoelectric Nanogenerator Fabricated by Magnesium Ruthenate (MgRuO3) towards Energy Harvesting
Presenting author(s): Phillip Winger and Juan Tamez
Advisor: Dr. M. Jasim Uddin
SF-6 Investigating Antibiotic Strategies for Inhibiting Clostridioides difficile Infection
Presenting author(s): Miguel Alanis
Advisor: Dr. Yonghong Zhang
SF-7 Photocatalytic Removal of Methyl Orange Dye
Presenting author(s): Morgan Bodnar
Advisor: Dr. Jason Parsons
SF-8 Triboelectric Analysis of Naturally Abundant, Renewable, and Sustainable Glycosidically Linked Based Films for Sensor Applications
Presenting author(s): Octavio J. Jupp
Advisor: Dr. Mohammed Uddin
SF-9 Synthesis and Characterization of Maya-Blue Pigment
Presenting author(s): Paula Itzel Zarco Ramos, Helia Magali Morales, and Jason G. Parsons
Advisor: Dr. Jason G. Parsons
SF-10 Photocatalytic Removal of Methyl Orange Dye
Presenting author(s): Vanisia Renteria
Advisor: Dr. Jason G. Parson
SF-11 Fluorescentnt Futures: N-Cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidone Mediated Dispersion of Biodegradable Silicon Nanoparticles
Presenting author(s): Yadira Lopez
Advisor: Dr. Julie P. Vanegas
SG-1 Antiseptic and Antibiotic Incorporation to Polyvinylpyrrolidone Fibers for Wound Applications
Presenting author(s): Luis Sotelo
Advisor: Dr. Lozano
SG-2 Multi-Method Synthesis of Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Quantum Dots via Bottom-Up Approach
Presenting author(s): Cesar Sanchez
Advisor: Dr. Victoria Padilla
SG-3 Highly Porous Fibers Structure for Carbon Fibers Production in Li-Ion Anode
Presenting author(s): Diego de Leon
Advisor: Dr. Victoria Padilla
SG-4 Cellulose Based and Copper/Aluminum Deposited Hydrogel Triboelectric Nanogenerator
Presenting author(s): Ashwin James
Advisor: Dr. Swati Mohan
SG-5 Developing Machine Learning Models to Predict Oral Cancer
Presenting author(s): Adhira Tippur
Advisor: Dr. Marzieh Ayati
SG-6 Modeling Selected Water Quality Parameters in Arroyo Colorado Basin Under Climate Extremes for Possible Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) using HEC-RAS
Presenting author(s): Syed Muhammad Fahad Abdullah
Advisor: Dr. Chu-Lin Cheng
SG-7 Development of Pullulan based antibiotic nanofiber membranes for sinusitis treatment
Presenting author(s): Hana Elnahas
Advisor: Dr. Karen Lozano
SG-8 High Precision 3D Printing (filament disposition modeling) Using Adaptive Control - Mobile 3D Printing
Presenting author(s): Kenneth Duran, Martin Munoz, Eryssa Quintanilla, Daniel Ramos, Joshua Cerda, Dr. Jianzhi Li, and Dr. AMM Nazmul Ahsan
Advisor: Dr. Jianzhi Li, Dr. AMM Nazmul Ahsan
SH-1 Oxidative Stress, a culprit in cardiovascular diseases, and Resveratrol as a potential therapeutic agent
Presenting author(s): Justin Zander Heckman and Alyssa Sepulveda
Advisor: Dr. Amin Shah
SH-3 Harnessing Lysosomal Channels for Liver Cancer Treatment
Presenting author(s): Rida Shareef
Advisor: Dr. Nirakar Sahoo
SH-4 B-CNN for Early Alzheimer Disease Detection in MRI Scans
Presenting author(s): Mohammad Rafsan
Advisor: Dr. Hansapani Rodrigo Advisor and Dr. Tamer Oraby Co-Advisor
SH-5 An Evolving Diagnosis: How Juvenile Dermatomyositis/Scleroderma Later Became Mixed Connective Tissue Disorder
Presenting author(s): Victoria Cuello
Advisor: Dr. Myint Thway
SH-6 Modelling Hospital Performance Using Machine Learning Feature Selection Techniques: Subset Selection and Shrinkage Methods
Presenting author(s): James Ladzekpo
Advisor: N/A
SH-7 Reducing Foot Pain and Peak Plantar Pressure in Patients with Foot Pain
Presenting author(s): Krista Elizabeth Samreth
Advisor: Dr. Hafizur Rahman
SI-1 Innovative Approaches in Diabetes Biomarker Prediction: A Fusion of Machine Learning and Epigenetics
Presenting author(s): Richmond Essieku
Advisor: N/A
SI-2 Gait Pattern Analysis in CHF Patients by Implementing Advanced Biomechanical Methods
Presenting author(s): Yasim Zafar
Advisor: Dr. Hafizur Rahman
SI-3 Identifying Peptides Targeting Phospholipase A2
Presenting author(s): Sussy Mendoza and Ariane Garcia
Advisor: Dr. Ying Jia
SI-4 Evaluating the Effectiveness of Treatments on Gait Biomechanics in Patients with Hammertoe Deformities
Presenting author(s): Elnaaz Eskandari
Advisor: Dr. Hafizur Rahman
SI-5 Improving Solubility with Retained Bioavailability of Niclosamide in Glioblastoma Pharmacotherapy
Presenting author(s): Fernando Cisneros and Benjamin Valdivia
Advisor: Dr. Shizue Mito
SI-6 The Energy cost of walking for Diabetic Partial-Foot Amputees
Presenting author(s): Karishma Sebastian, Elnaaz Eskandari, Krista Samreth, Yasim Zafar, Javier La Fontaine, Luis Venegas, and Dr. Hafizur Rahman
Advisor: Dr. Hafizur Rahman
SI-7 Choroid Plexus Enlargement in Young Alcohol Users is Associated with Reduced Fluid Intelligence and Mental Flexibility
Presenting author(s): Monica Lozano Garcia, Dr. Ihsan M. Salloum, and Dr. Alan N. Francis
Advisor: Dr. Alan N. Francis
SJ-2 Bayesian Inference for Deep Learning
Presenting author(s): Ricardo Reyna JR
Advisor: Dr. Hansapani Rodrigo
SJ-3 Bayesian Estimation of Reproduction Numbers from Distributions of Outbreak Sizes: Branching Processes Approach
Presenting author(s): Alberta Araba Johnson
Advisor: Dr. George Yanev
SJ-4 Anomaly Detection Using Unsupervised Machine Learning Algorithms: A Simulation Study
Presenting author(s): Edmund Fosu Agyemang
Advisor: Independent Research Sent for Review in Scientific African Journal
SJ-5 An Evaluation of Feature Selection Methods in Machine Learning in the Presence of Class Imbalance
Presenting author(s): Martha Asare
Advisor: Dr. Rodrigo Hansapani
SJ-6 Oscillations in neuronal activity: a neuron-centered spatiotemporal model of the Unfolded Protein Response in prion diseases
Presenting author(s): Omar Sharif
Advisor: Dr. Michael R. Lindstrom
SJ-7 Bayesian Quantile Regression using lasso and net lasso Penalty
Presenting author(s): Priscilla Kissi-Appiah
Advisor: Dr. ZhuanZhuan Ma
SK-1 Poly (Lactic-co-glycolic acid) Fibers Integrated with Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles CoZnFe4O8
Presenting author(s): Jose Garcia
Advisor: Dr. Karen S. Martirosyan
SK-2 ATR on Polyethylene Oxides
Presenting author(s): Alexandro Trevino
Advisor: Dr. Mircea Chipara
SK-3 DSC on Polyethylene Oxides and their Nanofibers
Presenting author(s): Parinaz Amaniabdolmalaki
Advisor: Dr. Mircea Chipara
SK-4 Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder Observations of the Most Powerful Radio Sources in the Southern Sky
Presenting author(s): Siegfried Gawenda
Advisor: Dr. Juan Madrid
SK-5 Identifying Ultracompact White Dwarf Binaries Through their Spectral Energy Distribution
Presenting author(s): Alexander Mendoza
Advisor: Dr. Liliana Rivera Sandoval
SK-6 Fabrication of PDMS-Based Piezoelectric Nanogenerator Utilizing Barium Ruthenate (BaRuO3) Synthesized by Solid-State Reactions
Presenting author(s): Pablo Zepeda Cecilia Pena
Advisor: Dr. M. Jasim Uddin
SL-1 Assessing the effects of channel-widening on water quality in Bahia Grande
Presenting author(s): Jose Cisneros Gaspar Najera Aaliyah Garcia
Advisor: Dr. David Hicks
SL-2 Effects of Nutrient Enrichment on black mangroves (Avicennia germinans)
Presenting author(s): Luke Snelson Gaspar Najera
Advisor: Dr. Alejandro Fierro Cabo
SL-4 Advanced Predictive Models for Assessing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Freshwater Aquaculture
Presenting author(s): Maria Camila Mejia Garcia
Advisor: Dr. Hansapani Rodrigo, Dr. Rafael M. Almeida
SL-5 Estimation of Fish Biomass on the RGV Reef Using Split Beam Sonar
Presenting author(s): Allison White
Advisor: Dr. Richard Kline
SL-6 Understanding How Interactions Between Bathymetry and Current Velocities Affect Fish Assemblages of the RGV Reef
Presenting author(s): Annie Zeiler
Advisor: Dr. Richard Kline
SL-7 Water savings and energy generation potential from covering water systems with photovoltaic panels in the semi-arid Rio Grande Valley of Texas
Presenting author(s): Augusto Torezan Silingardi Del Claro
Advisor: Dr. Rafael Almeida
SL-8 Delineating and Characterizing the Rio Grande River’s Abandoned Channels (Resacas) in the United States and Mexico from a Hydrologic and Geomorphologic Perspective
Presenting author(s): Bridgett Collis
Advisor: Dr. Jude Benavides
SL-9 How Forms of Capital Shape Farm Worker Resilience Amid Socio-Ecological Change
Presenting author(s): Cody Mortell
Advisor: Dr. Anna Erwin
SM-1 Analyzing Synergies and Conflicts: Solar Power Potential and Bee Diversity Patterns in the Contiguous United States
Presenting author(s): Deisy Garcia
Advisor: Dr. Rafael Almedia
SM-2 Identifying the Opportunities for Agrivoltaic Development in Nigeria
Presenting author(s): Ifeoluwa Babarinde
Advisor: Dr. Rafael M. Almeida
SM-3 The Effects of Environmental Factors on Surface Water Nutrients of Resacas, Abandoned Distributaries of the Rio Grande River
Presenting author(s): Jacob Resendiz, Myung Hwangbo, and Dr. Jongsun Kim
Advisor: Dr. Jongsun Kim
SM-4 Habitat Use and Movement of Parrotfish on Coral Seascapes in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary
Presenting author(s): Lelaina Clayburg
Advisor: Dr. Richard Kline
SM-5 Oithona of the Gulf of Mexico: Abundance, Distribution, and Phylogeography
Presenting author(s): Marshall Perry
Advisor: Dr. Diego Figueroa
SM-6 Seasonal and Spatial Variation of Amphipod Communities in the Galapagos Islands in Response to Oceanographic Processes
Presenting author(s): Misty R. Lopez and Apolonio Flores
Advisor: Dr. Diego Figueroa
SM-7 Examining Collaborative Governance for the Bahia Grande in Cameron County, Texas
Presenting author(s): Mya Brown and Dr. Owen Temby
Advisor: Dr. Owen Temby
SM-8 The Case for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers in the Rio Grande Valley
Presenting author(s): Perla Schrock
Advisor: Dr. Anna Erwin
SM-9 Evaluating the effectiveness of wildlife exit designs and sensor lights in mitigating wildlife-vehicle collisions for safer highways in South Texas
Presenting author(s): Rupesh Maharjan
Advisor: Dr. Richard J. Kline
SN-1 Dynamics of methanogenic and methanotrophic microorganisms in South Texas Coastal Wetlands: Impact of Environmental Factors
Presenting author(s): Shahida Ferdousee
Advisor: Dr. Jongsun Kim
SN-2 Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide fluxes from managed distributaries across the Rio Grande Delta
Presenting author(s): Siena Rose Stassi
Advisor: Dr. Rafael Almeida, Dr. Jude Benavides
SN-3 Population structure of the critically endangered Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)
Presenting author(s): Stephanie Cano
Advisor: Dr. Diego Figueroa
SN-4 Co-Benefit Potentials of Flood Mitigations and Increasing Water Supply via Groundwater Recharge in Arroyo Colorado Watershed in South Texas
Presenting author(s): Sumiaya Amin Preota
Advisor: Dr. Chu-Lin Cheng
SN-5 Temporal Dynamics of Seagrass Bare Patches in the Lower Laguna Madre: A Remote Sensing Analysis
Presenting author(s): Zahra Mocarrami, Dr. Hudson DeYoe, Dr. Warren M. Pulich Jr., and Dr. Chu-Lin Cheng
Advisor: Dr. Chu-Lin Cheng
SN-7 Fluorescence Detection of TiO2 nanoparticles in solution using Fluorescein dye molecule.
Presenting author(s): Alexandra Shepperd and Dr. Jason G. Parsons
Advisor: Dr. Jason G. Parsons, Helia Magali Morales
SN-8 Network of plants and their butterfly pollinators in the Rio Grande Valley
Presenting author(s): Ali Ramos
Advisor: Dr. Robin Choudhury
SN-9 Relationship between chlorophyll-a concentration and Secchi depth measurements in Cameron County, Texas, resacas
Presenting author(s): Andrew Ward and Abdiel De Hoyos
Advisor: David Lecusay
SO-1 Integrating Oysters and Algae into Polyculture Aquasystems for Sustainable Shrimp Farming
Presenting author(s): Danielle Martinez, Luis Rios, and Laileth Montes
Advisor: Dr. Hudson Deyoe
SO-2 Exploring pollinator preferences for plant species native to the lower Rio Grande Valley
Presenting author(s): Dianela Jaramillo, Ashley Sandoval, Alexa Alaniz, and Elizabeth Guajardo
Advisor: Dr. Julie Mustard and Dr. Alejandro Fierro
SO-3 Effects of Inundation on Greenhouse Gases Production in a Tidal saltmarsh Soil
Presenting author(s): Hector Alejandro Leal
Advisor: Dr. Alejandro Fierro Cabo
SO-4 Greenhouse gas flux in soils affected by soil type, amendment, and redox conditions: Mesocosm experiment.
Presenting author(s): Joel Reyes
Advisor: Dr. James Kang
SO-5 The Influence of Abiotic Factors on Kinorhynch Biodiversity in the Bahia Grande
Presenting author(s): Josue Martinez, Katherine Garcia, Emily Kornblum, and Erin E. Easton
Advisor: Dr. Erin E. Easton
SO-6 Investigating the Use of Oysters in a Polyculture Aquaculture System
Presenting author(s): Laileth Montes
Advisor: Dr. Hudson Deyoe
SO-7 The effects on Texas Gulf Shrimp in a polyculture system opposed to a monoculture system
Presenting author(s): Luis Rios
Advisor: Dr. Hudson Deyoe
SO-8 None Assessing the distribution of Leptoseris across varying depths throughout the seamounts of the Salas y Gómez Ridge
Presenting author(s): Megan Francis
Advisor: Dr. Erin E. Easton
SO-9 Effect of cover crop rotation on plant growth and root-associated fungi on a corn cropping system
Presenting author(s): Geovanni Hernandez, Qiurong Fan, and Alejandro Rojas
Advisor: Dr. Robin Choudhury
SP-1 Yersinia Pestis Bacterium
Presenting author(s): Clarrissa Sifuentes
Advisor: Ivan Davila
SP-2 Analysis of Rabbit's Unique Anatomy
Presenting author(s): Luz Rodriguez
Advisor: Ivan Davila
| Time | Salon Gardenia |
Salon Jacaranda |
Salon Bougainvillea |
BLHSB 1.312 |
BLHSB 1.314 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:40 AM - 9:00 AM |
Registration/Breakfast | ||||
| 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM |
S11 Biology |
S21 Chemistry |
S31 Environmental |
S41 Math & Stat. |
S51 Physics |
| 10:00 AM - 10:10 AM |
Break | ||||
| 10:10 AM - 11:10 AM |
S12 Biology |
S22 Chemistry |
S32 Environmental |
S42 Math & Stat. |
S52 Physics |
| 11:10 AM - 11:20 AM |
Break | ||||
| 11:20 AM - 12:20 PM |
S13 Biology |
S23 Medical |
S33 Environmental |
||
| 12:20 PM - 12:30 PM |
Break | ||||
| 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM |
Keynote presentation by Dr. Gabriela González and lunch in El Gran Salon | ||||
| Time | El Gran Salon | Salon Gardenia | Salon Jacaranda | Salon Bougainvillea |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Poster Session | WISE Meeting | Career Fair | Graduate Info Session |
| 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM | Award announcements - El Gran Salon
|
|||
Keynote speaker:
Dr. Gabriela González
Gabriela González is a professor of physics and astronomy at Louisiana State University searching for gravitational waves with the LIGO team. She was born in Córdoba, Argentina, where she studied before pursuing her Ph.D. in Syracuse University, obtained in 1995. She was a staff scientist in the LIGO group at MIT, joined the faculty at Penn State in 1997 and moved to LSU in 2001. She has received awards from the American Physical Society, the American Astronomical Society and the National Academy of Sciences and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the US and Argentinian National Academies of Sciences. She has been a member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration since 1997, served as spokesperson in 2011-2017, and participated in the announcement of the discovery of gravitational waves in 2016. Her group works on LIGO instrument development, reducing noise sources, and data diagnostics.
Oral Session Descriptions:
Biology
- S11-1: Ellisah Patricia Famador - Interaction of mitochondrial OPA1 and transmembrane potential in NTera-2 cells
- S11-2: Adegboyega Fajemisin - Investigating the cascading effects of cover crops on the subsequent cash crop defense against a polyphagous herbivore
- S11-3: Anna Rose Mehner - Influence of Traffic on Bobcat and Coyote Behavior at Wildlife Crossing Structures Along Two Highways in South Texas
- S11-4: Avninder Kaur - Impact of temperature stressed Listeria monocytogenes on its growth and survival kinetics on fresh-cut salad during storage
- S11-5: Daphne Alcala-Zuniga - Shortening of telomeres caused by bacterial lipopolysaccharides in HIV-1 exposed Human Oral Keratinocytes (HOK)
- S12-1: Elizabeth Ann Gonzalez - Describing the root and tuber morphology of the endangered plant species Asclepias prostrata from extraction in South Texas
- S12-2: N/A
- S12-3: Harpreet Kaur - Understanding the Developmental Regulation of OPA1 Processing in C2C12 Myoblasts
- S12-4: Lance Santos - Relationship between soil texture and fine root density on border palo verde seedling growth, and effects on drought tolerance and growth
- S13-1: Madison Nadler - Camera Traps and Infrared Trip Wires Effectively Capture Herpetofauna and Small Mammals
- S13-2: Ruth Lilia Galan - Alternative net apertures for the exclusion of the Asian Citrus Psyllid from young citrus trees in South Texas
- S13-3: N/A
- S13-4: Sofia Ayala - Influence of light availability on the growth and morphology of Megathyrsus maximus
Chemistry
- S21-1: Aleida G. Gonzalez - Novel Strategy to Influence Reactivity of Ni-H-Al Subunit in Heterometallic Complexes by Addition of Varying Ancillary Ligands
- S21-2: Alitza Gracia - Density Functional Theory Investigations on the Conformational Landscapes of Symmetrically Fluorine-Substituted Benzoic Acids
- S21-3: David De Los Santos - Ni2 Complexes Supported By A Redox-Active Ligand Bearing An N-Atom Anchor
- S21-4: Tamanna Zakia - ZnSnO3 Hollow Nanorod/PDMS Based Piezoelectric Nano-generator for Harvesting Mechanical Energy
- S22-1: Tanzida Zubair - On-water green synthesis of spiroindolinepyranopyrazoles
- S22-2: Elvira Alanis - Rational Design of an Antimicrobial Peptide
- S22-3: Edgardo De Leon - Amplifying Reactivity of Metal Hydrides: A Heterotrimetallic NiAl2(μ2-H)2 Catalyst for the Dearomatization of N-Heterocycles
Medical & Health
- S23-1: Olivia Mackey - Microbiome dysbiosis and its possible association with inflammatory complications and progression of Type II Diabetes: A pilot study in Mexican-American cohort from Rio Grande Valley
- S23-2: Jaqueline Quintanilla - Minocycline-loaded PLGA Microparticles with Targeting Agents for the Treatment of Glioblastoma
- S23-3: Emily Jordan - The Dual Delivery of Y15 and Metformin in a PLGA Scaffold for the Treatment of Platinum Resistant Ovarian Cancer
Environmental
- S31-1: Audrey Hicks - No Title Provided
- S31-2: Esmirna Cantu - Pesticides Induce Oxidative/Nitrative Stress, Disrupt Renal System and Impair Swimming Behavior in Goldfish
- S31-3: Esther Oginni - Efficacy of novel interventions to mitigate the risk of Salmonella spp., in hydroponic systems.
- S31-4: Jerald Thomas Garrett - Factors influencing Tamaulipan thornforest restoration outcomes
- S32-1: Manish Gautam - Cover crop impacts on soil moisture dynamics influenced by soil texture and rooting depth in semi-arid South Texas
- S32-2: Marissa Lamb - Sonar Mapping and Fish Biomass Estimates of East Bank Ridge, Gulf of Mexico
- S32-3: Sai Deepak Pinakana - Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) Pollution Monitoring at port of entries along the US-Mexico border with Sentinel-5P Satellite Imagery
- S32-4: Samantha Lynn Colunga - Reforestation Impacts on Carbon Sequestration Rates: Thorn Forest Chronosequences within the Rio Grande Valley
- S33-1: Aaliyah Garcia, Selma Mendez, Jesus Villalvazo - Living shorelines as a sustainable solution to shoreline erosion at the UTRGV Port Isabel campus
- S33-2: N/A
- S33-3: N/A
- S33-4: N/A
Math & Stat
- S41-1: Kristen Hallas - Optimizing Battery Recycling Network: A Modeling Approach
- S41-2: Tania Vargas - A machine learning approach to obese-inflammatory phenotyping
- S41-3: Theophilus Baidoo - Survival Modeling of Breast cancer Patients using Random Survival forests and Cox Proportional deep neural network (DeepSurv)
- S41-4: Dora Reyes - Logistic equation and applications in population dynamics
- S42-1: Changyan Shi - Bright and Dark soliton solutions to a vector Sasa-Satsuma equation
- S42-2: Omar Saldana, Aaron Puente - Resonant soliton solutions to the KP equation and beach waves
- S42-3: Rosa María Serrato - Mathematical Modeling and Analysis in Spring Systems
- S42-4: N/A
Physics
- S51-1: Bhawana Sedhai - Detection and parameter estimation of unknown Supernova signals by using Convolutional Neural Network model
- S51-2: Elnaz Hamdarsi - No Title Provided
- S51-3: Luis Salazar Manzano - Time-domain analysis of the outbursts of AM CVns with TESS
- S51-4: Manoj Chhetri - Thermodynamic Feasibility of Potential Nano-energetic Systems based on Oxynitride
- S51-5: Md Habibur Rahman - A Novel Technique to Solve Fractional Differential Equations Using Fractional-order B-polynomial Basis Set
- S52-1: Michael Gale Benjamin - Efficiency of Core Collapse Supernova models in the on-source window of SN2019ejj using network analysis and a convolutional neural network
- S52-2: Raghav Girgaonkar - Effect of Alternative Model Parameters on Gravitational Wave searches
- S52-3: Shahrear Khan Faisal - Search for Gravitational Waves from Core Collapse Supernovae in LIGO's observation runs using a network of detectors
- S52-4: Andrea Pelayo Carvajal - Erbium doping of Lithium Tantalate nanoparticles for infrared detectors
Biology
- SA-1: Alessandra Perry - Learning and Memory in Bees: Prioritizing Taste or Nutrition?
- SA-2: Bianca Jimenez - FOXO4 regulates the NOTCH pathway in Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM)
- SA-3: Elizabeth Estrada - Cactoblastis cactorum and the Utilization of R Models to Monitor this Destructive Species in the Lower Rio Grande Valley
- SA-4: Megan Samantha Solis - One, Two or Three species? Using an integrative approach to taxonomy to clarify species boundaries in spring snails
- SA-5: Michelle Rada - Optimization of DNA transformation into algae cells
- SA-6: Sarah P Gutierrez - Investigating Role of FOXO factors in the nucleus of Basal Breast Cancer (BBC) and Glioblastoma Multiform (GBM) through gene expression of ADAMTS2
- SA-7: Alma Nelly Lopez - Role of Foxo Transcription Factors in Glycolisis and the Developmental Wnt Pathway
- SA-8: Bianca Farrell - Exofacial thiol levels on various Trichomonas vaginalis isolates
- SA-9: Daphne Zapsas - Exploring the relationship between soil properties, microbial communities, and crop productivity in dryland farming systems of south Texas
- SA-10: David Uribe - No Title Provided
- SA-11: Dikshanta Vinaya Luitel - Unveiling Xenophagy: The Secret Weapon of Colon Epithelial Cells Against Intracellular Bacteria
- SB-1: Emily Medelez - Sustainable Farm Management For Carbon Sequestration in Agricultural Fields
- SB-2: Gabriella Garza - Prebiotic RNA Oligonucleotide Polymerization on Mineral Surfaces using Microfluidics
- SB-3: Jamie Langbein - Preliminary Results of the Effectiveness of Redesigned Wildlife Exits Along a South Texas Highway
- SB-4: Mia Martinez - Exploring the effects of cover crops on soil nutrient availability: An On-farm research study
- SB-5: Millat Jahan - Investigating the localization of FOXO4 in U87MG Glioblastoma cell lines
- SB-6: Rebecca Flores - Do honey bees develop tolerance to ethanol?
- SB-7: Adhira Tippur - Nature's Chemical Defenders: Exploring Reactive Oxygen Species in Plant Protection
- SB-8: Abdallah Galal - Evaluation of Multi-Session Temporary Anesthesia to Improve Upper Limb Recovery in Spinal Cord Injury
- SB-9: Andrew P Guerra - Screening of Antimicrobial Candidates against Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- SB-10: Aracely Balderas-Leal, Ana Medellin, and Vicky Pena-Moreno - An Anthropological, Financial, and Medical Analysis of Opuntia ficus-indica Consumption in Areas of South Texas
- SB-11: Yahia Al-Qudah - No Title Provided
- SC-1: Arianna Hernandez - Effect of bacterial growth stage on the antimicrobial activity of ZnO nanoparticles
- SC-2: Christine Vega - Tarantula Toxin Transcripts and Toxin Structure Prediction by Alpha Fold
- SC-3: Gustavo Othon Estrada Jaimez - Monitoring the Lower Rio Grande Valley to prevent the possible spread of the Cactus moth
- SC-4: Jolie Gonzalez - Monitoring the Effects of Wildlife Crossings on Bobcat Range in South Texas
- SC-5: Jonathan R Dominguez - DNA identification of a small wolfsnail population (Euglandina sp.) in downtown San Antonio.
- SC-6: Marco A Silguero - Evaluating The Ecology of North America Lace Bug, A Potential Biocontrol Agent of Silverleaf Nightshade
- SC-7: Mariana Gonzalez-Tiscareno - Determining the relationship between two species of Central Texas cave snails
- SC-8: Natalia Salazar-Lozano - Building a molecular phylogeny of cave snails of Central Texas to better understand their diversity
- SC-9: Roberto Davila - Exploring the Traits of AMF Spores: Implications for Fungal Ecology
- SC-10: Roel Castaneda - Identification of unknown phreatic snail populations (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Cochliopidae) from Central Texas
- SC-11: N/A
- SC-12: Joshwa Gandy - No Title Provided
Chemistry
- SD-1: Chioma Chinwe Nwakanobi - Electrolysis degradation of Cyanuric Acid in Waste Water at Cu/GO Cathodes
- SD-2: Christopher Munoz - NanoDesign With Intent:
Controlling Dimension, Porosity & Morphologies of ZnSnO3 Perovskites (ABX3) For Enhanced Piezoelectric Activity via Combination Synthesis Methods - SD-3: Eloy Garza, Hassan Ahmad - Attachment of Papain to Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Using Polydopamine as Covalent Linker
- SD-4: Jose Vega, Sophia Villa - Antimicrobial Properties of Mixed Metal Oxides
- SD-5: Islam Uddin Shipu - Functionalization of Polyvinylidene Difluoride (PVDF) with LiTaO3 and Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) for Advanced Piezoelectric Nanogenerator
- SD-6: Jesus Gamez - Designing Lewis acid-base interactions in a Substituted Phosphine Ligand Towards Ethylene-CO2 Coupling
- SD-7: Joe Lara - Synthesis, characterization, and application of vanadium phthalocyanines as a mixed heterogeneous catalyst for low temperature coupling reactions
- SD-8: Joseph A Felix - Detection of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles in Aqueous Solution Utilizing Fluorescent Dye
- SD-9: Katherine Wright - Electrolysis for Degradation of Bisphenol A Via NiS/GO and CoS/GO
- SD-10: Maria Irene Myers Armas - Catalytic activity of Porphyrin Metalated Complexes in Coupling Reactions
- SD-11: Rigobert Ybarr - Synthesis of Nanostructured BaTiO3 and Enhancement of PVDF/PEO
- SE-1: Dave Philips - Photoluminescence properties of Mixed Metal Oxide Nanoparticles in Textile Industry
- SE-2: Adhira Tippur - Perovskites for biomedical and solar cell application
- SE-3: Amber Garcia, Juan Garcia - Characterization of Photoluminescence Properties, shape and size of Gold, Silver, Silicon, Copper Nanoparticles Synthesized Using High Energy Ball Milling
- SE-4: Claudia Garza - Structural Exploration of PSD-95 Regulating the Surface Stability of NMDARs at Postsynaptic Membranes
- SE-5: Fernando Gonzalez - Modulating Cooperative Reactivity in Catalysis: Synthesis of Novel Heterometallic Hydride Complex
- SE-6: N/A
- SE-7: Sergio Gonzalez - Synthesis of Ni-bisphosphine complexes that support Lewis acids in coupling of CO2 and ethylene
- SE-8: Yolanda Gutierrez, Joaquin Rivera - New ways to improve dispersibility of Nanotubes: Approaching from the formation of silica nanoparticles by High Energy Reactive Ball Milling (HEBM) in polar solvents
- SE-9: Asif Shahriar - Structural and functional insight of Helicobacter pylori Translation Initiation Factor IF1 (HpIF1) in protein biosynthesis and rational design of new antimicrobial candidate
- SE-10: Ihssan Al-Qudah - Case Study of Steglich Esterification: Applying Modern Physical Organic Techniques to Study the Catalytic Cycle and Formation of Acylpyridinium Ion
- SE-11: Zachary Siehr - Green Chemistry: One-Step Wet Synthesis of Amino Acid Functionalized Silver and Silica Nanoparticles Derived from Recycled Pulverized Glass Via Chemical Reduction
Environmental
- SF-1: Allison White - Estimation of Fish Biomass on the RGV Reef Using Split Beam Sonar
- SF-2: Alyssa Alvarado - Development of a low-cost method for concentrating microalgae using a freshwater overlay
- SF-3: Angel Salinas - Greenhouse Gas Emission and Redox Potential Dynamics Affected by Water Saturation Conditions in Biochar/Compost Amended Soil
- SF-4: Angelica R. Tamayo - Assessing Effectiveness in Habitat Connectivity of Different Designs of Wildlife Underpass Crossing Structures
- SF-5: Annie Zeiler - Impacts of Bathymetry and Current Velocities on Fish Assemblages of the RGV Reef
- SF-6: Asif Ahmed - Effects of short-term exposure to pesticides mixture on tissue architecture and body fluid conditions of American oyster
- SF-7: Christopher J Austin - A Comprehensive Analysis of Fish Assemblages and Flow Regimes Upstream and Downstream of Falcon Reservoir / Un Analisis comprensivo sobre ensemblajes de peces y Corrientes en el Falcon Reservoir
- SF-8: Michelle King - The potential for Carbon Sequestration in a Nearshore Artificial Reef
- SF-9: Amanda Hernandez - Comparing adaptation to Climate Change in a U.S. and Pakistani Border Community
- SG-1: Odile Umuhoza - Reference Plant Available Water for Semi-Arid Cover Cropping and Restoration Studies
- SG-2: Rupesh Maharjan - Habitat Suitability analysis of Fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) in Northern sector of Chitwan National Park using a geospatial approach
- SG-3: Sakib Tahmid Rishan - Applications of environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect subterranean and aquatic invasive species: Prospects and challenges of eDNA metabarcoding
- SG-4: Ana Yarely Casillas Rodriguez - Evaluation of biochar metal impregnation methods: Post-pyrolysis vs. Pre-pyrolysis treatments
- SG-5: Donavuan Salazar - Effect of Hyposalinity on Physiology of Marine Algae of the Lower Laguna Madre, Texas
- SG-6: Johnathan Robert Gonzalez - Measurement of personal exposure to Black Carbon using mobile measurement techniques : A case study in Lower Rio Grande Valley
- SG-7: Zachary Rivera - Investigation of Hydraulic Parameters and Their Roles in Soil Greenhouse Gas and Water Exchange Under Climate Extremes
- SG-8: Edgar Garcia, Maximiliano Bettini - Soil redox potential (Eh) measurements affected by wetting-drying cycle
- SG-9: Lorraine M. Lozada Reyes - Developing Genomic Tools for Underutilized Crops of Puerto Rico
Engineering
- SH-1: N/A
- SH-2: Robert Alexander Perez - Novel Nanofiber Manufacturing Process: Collection System
- SH-3: Shadman Sakib - Cellulose/Chitosan Composite Aerogel Based Triboelectric Nano-generator for Harvesting Mechanical Energy
- SH-4: N/A
- SH-5: Kevin Zhou - Identifying Citrus diseases using A.I. learning
Math & Stat
- SI-1: Dipok Deb - Optimal Quantization for Discrete Distributions
- SI-2: Nicholas Niako - Effects of missing data imputation on univariate time series forecasting using ARIMA and LSTM
- SI-3: Saikou Jawla - Data Science for Antibiotic Stewardship
- SI-4: Solomon Eshun - A Machine Learning Approach to Evaluate the Effect of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors (SGLT2) on Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in Patients with Diabetes
- SI-5: Dora Reyes - Logistic equation and applications in population dynamics
Physics
- SJ-1: Miranda Molina - No Title Provided
- SJ-2: Aleshintsev Aleksey- ParB promotes DNA sliding at the C-terminal domain through flexible DNA binding lysine motif
- SJ-3: Aram Flores - Solar Simulator
- SJ-4: Francisco D. Santillan - Rabi Oscillations and Entanglement between two Rydberg Atoms in an Optical Cavity studied by the Jaynes-Cummings Model and Quantum Circuits on Qiskit
- SJ-5: Francisco Llamas - Photon Calibrator Power Sensor Temperature Sensitivity
- SJ-6: Miriam Ramos Arevalo - Ultracompact White Dwarf Binaries in Globular Clusters
- SJ-7: Wendy Mendoza - Enhancing Convolutional Neural Networks for Accurate Detection of
Optical Astronomical Transients through a User-Friendly Web Application - SJ-8: Andrea Pelayo Carvajal - On Polyethylene Oxide – Fluorinated Polymers Blends
- SJ-9: N/A
- SJ-10: Rock Mason - Measuring Flux of Cataclysmic Variable Stars:
Photometry of SS Cygni Using IRAF - SJ-11: Victoria Delgado - Speed of Sound of a Dense Medium of Massive Fermions
Computer
- SK-1: Randy De Leon, Sebastian A. Torres - Determining Reachability in 1-Source 1-Consuming Chemical Reaction Networks Simulator
- SK-2: N/A
- SK-3: Isaac Manuel Bernal, Hamza Awan, Benjamin Alvarado - Optical Detection of Exoplanets using Transit Method with CTMO and McDonald Observatories
- SK-4: Asher Haun - The Effect of Cellular Regeneration on Viral Infections
Medical & Health
- SL-1: Ashily Chemplayil - Correlation between the anatomy and biomechanics of the ankle joint involving the etiology of lateral ankle sprain (LAS)
- SL-2: Isabella Victoria Strash - Pre and Post Operative Analysis of Forefoot Plantar Pressure During Walking in Patients with Hammertoe Deformities
- SL-3: James Mcclure Hughes - Plantar Pressure Analysis of Patients with Isolated Gastrocnemius Tightness
- SL-4: Jordan Danielle Escobar - Effects of Psychological Stress on Health Status and Lifestyle in College Students
- SL-5: Nicholas Obias - Energy Cost of Walking in Diabetic Partial-Foot Amputees as Related to Amputation Levels
- SL-6: Olivia Mackey - Epidemiology Biomechanics and Patient Outcomes for Lateral Ankle Sprains in Athletes
- SL-7: America Prado - Rio Grande Valley Frontiers in Nutrition: The impact of nutritional labels on consumer food choices
Arts & Science
- SX-1: Cecilia Sierra - Stimulated Flight from a Visual Arts Perspective
- SX-2: Josue Rubio - Visual Arts rendition of a stringed instrument and research to understand waves and energy