22nd Bi-Annual COAS Student Research Conference
The Fall, 2025 conference dates are Monday and Tuesday, December 1 and 2, 2025.
See below for the full, two-day schedule.
All events will take place on the second floor of the Anderson Library.
Monday, December 1, 2025
9:00 am—Continental breakfast
9:30 – 10:30 am Keynote Speaker
Conference Keynote Speaker
Introduction of Keynote Speaker: Dr. Christopher Young
Dr. Justin Hodgson
"AI in Education + Workforce Readiness"
Artificial intelligence is transforming how we learn, teach, and work. Are you AI-Ready? In this engaging session, Dr. Justin Hodgson will connect big picture considerations — what AI is and how it’s reshaping education and the global workforce — with the concrete realities facing today’s faculty and students. From policy and ethics to practice and pedagogy, this talk will explore how educators and students can navigate this shifting landscape with curiosity and confidence. Participants will leave with a clear sense of what AI is, where it is headed, why it matters, and some sense of how to use it responsibly and creatively in their own teaching and learning.
- See the Big Picture:Explore how AI is redefining education, creativity, and the future of work — and what that means for students today.
- Turn Insight into Action:Bridge the gap between policy and practice with strategies and examples for integrating AI responsibly and effectively in learning environments.
- Lead with Confidence:Walk away inspired and equipped to harness AI as a tool for innovation, collaboration, and lifelong learning.
As a research scholar and teacher, Dr. Justin Hodgson focuses on the points of connection (and spaces of contention among) digital media and rhetorical studies, with a particular tint toward multimedia production, aesthetics, media studies, game/play theories, and rhetorical invention. His current book project, New Aesthetics, New Rhetorics attempts to bring the digital (i.e., its affordances, modes, and/or structures) to bear on current rhetorical practices. More specifically, it attempts to map the contours of New Aestheticism (Bridle) and use those as a way for opening key considerations for digital rhetoric practices, performances, and proclivities.
Hodgson’s published research to this point has taken shape in both print and multimedia formats. Those digital and nondigital artifacts have been included in edited collections as well as in the journals Enculturation, Kairos, Pre/Text, Composition Studies, and Education Quarterly. Additionally, Hodgson is the founding editor of The Journal for Undergraduate Multimedia Projects ( ), a journal dedicated to (1) showcasing undergraduate multimedia scholarship and (2) serving as pedagogical resource for instructors of multimedia composition.
Monday, December 1, 2025
10:40—11:40 am, STEM Center
Faculty Moderator: Dr. Garin Cycholl
Ted Plants, Erin Harrison, Paige Kasmir, Nate Fortener—Assisted Living; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Garin Cycholl
10:40-11:40 am, Library, second floor, south window area
Faculty Moderator: Dr. Margaret Pollak
Isabella Storey—Exploring the Archives: Digging through the Past to See the Future; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Margaret Pollak
Madison Vargo, Savannah Ham—The Fall of the Physical Media, and the Rise of Streaming in the Music World; Faculty Sponsor: Professor Nico Casas
Andrea Puente—Sounds From a Tropical Country Blessed by the Gods: An Overview to Afro-Brazilian Music Styles; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Scooter Pegram
10:40-11:40 am, Library, Room 230
Faculty Moderator: Dr. Erin Schaefer
Ammara Mansoor, Axel Heramb, Gabrielle Shelton, Quachelle Redfield—Keepsake Personal Narratives: Baby Blankets, Baseballs, and Bracelets; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Erin Schaefer
11:45 am light buffet lunch, Library, 2nd floor, north window area
Monday, December 1, 2025
11:45 am-12:50 pm
Poster Session #1
Karyssa Smith, Ruaa Fares, Oksana Mroz—Tree Mapping and Health Considerations of the 快猫短视频 Campus and Local Community; Faculty Sponsor: Professor Joseph Blockland
Tyler Massengill, Jake Klingaman, Jackson Novak—Tree Mapping and Wind Considerations of Native Trees at 快猫短视频; Faculty Sponsor: Professor Joseph Blockland
Jared Brouwer, Brooklyn Johnson, Lillian Jones—Tree Mapping and Organism Considerations of Native Trees at 快猫短视频; Faculty Sponsor: Professor Joseph Blockland
Vanessa Vital—Rare But Not Forgotten: Strengthening Early Recognition and Diagnostic Access for Rare Diseases in Northwest 快猫短视频 Through Provider and Community Education; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Amy Han and Dr. Baraka Muvuka
Marwah Tarakey, Jenna Ibrahim—Stories from a Volunteer Centered Student Organization; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Erin Schaefer
Aniyah Hinton-Henry, Leah Streetman, Aiden Orr—Tree Mapping and Floodplain Considerations at 快猫短视频; Faculty Sponsor: Professor Joseph Blockland
Taylor Zezovski, Sofiya Dedic, Jonathan Spates—Muscle Activation in Dominant vs. Non-Dominant Arms; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Maureen Rutherford
Lily Keown, Kayla Massie, Nahryja Pigram, Kayla Stewart—Is Reaction Time Really Affected by Distractions; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Maureen Rutherford
Iris Balderas, Ava Czerniak, Mi’Kaylah Davis—Do Different Music Genres Affect Stress Levels When Performing a Stressful Task?; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Maureen Rutherford
Calvin Alcox, Sally Cespedes, Hannah Suba, Kayla Ayala—Brain Freeze v. Hand Freeze; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Maureen Rutherford
Maleah Gest, Megan Fulkerson, Lauren Hernandez, Karyme Ayala—Mind Over Muscle; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Maureen Rutherford
Colton Charo—The Nutritional Aspects of Eggs and How They May Change Once Cooked Under Different Conditions; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Tia Walker
Juan Rubio—Comparing Soy Milk vs. Cow Mild on the Texture and Flavor of Alfredo Sauce; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Tia Walker
Lorenzo Rojas—Ground Beef Tacos vs. Plant-Based Tacos Effects on Taste, Texture and Health Benefits; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Tia Walker
Francis Ramirez—How Sweet Are My Muffins?; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Tia Walker
Lindsay Opiola—How the Type of Flour Affects the Texture of Fresh Pasta Dough and the Result of That Cooked Pasta; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Tia Walker
John King—How the Temperature of Butter During Preparation Affects Texture, Spread, Color, and Taste of Cookies; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Tia Walker
Aaron Bodnar—The Effect of All-Purpose Flour vs. Corn Flour on the Texture and Rise of Breadsticks; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Tia Walker
Michael Ludwig—Natural Plant Dyes vs. Artificial Food Dye: Extraction and Intensity; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Tia Walker
Jiselle Chabes—The Effects on Starter Culture Hydration Level on the Rise and Leveling of Sourdough Bread; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Tia Walker
Allesandra Bruesch—Gluten-Free vs. Oat Flour Affects the Texture of Cookies; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Tia Walker
Zuri Ramos—Vegan Chocolate vs Dark Chocolate: How Does It Affect the Texture and Taste in Milkshakes; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Tia Walker
Nick Bravo—Rise of Pancakes; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Tia Walker
Maha Alshamaileh, Ella Garcia, Sarita Rivera Centen—Early-life Exposure to Nanoplastics and Antidepressants: Impact on Stress Responses in Larval Zebrafish (Danio rerio); Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Maureen Rutherford
Monday, December 1, 2025
1:00—2:15 pm, Library, second floor, central bank of computers
Faculty Moderator: Professor Katherine Arfken
Interactive web pages:
Valyn Becker, Shaniya Flowers—Parasitic: a Hypothetical Production; Faculty Sponsor: Professor Katherine Arfken
Jenavine Gallegos—”Isle of Whiskers”: a Hypothetical Production; Faculty Sponsor: Professor Katherine Arfken
Areyana Robinson, Kyla Chisom, Kaeya Whitt—Moose Tracks: A Hypothetical Production; Faculty Sponsor: Professor Katherine Arfken
Iman Ibrahimi, Addison Waddell—Cats Gone Wild: A Hypothetical Production; Faculty Sponsor: Professor Katherine Arfken
Nina West—”Looking for the Sun”- A Play About Loss; Faculty Sponsor: Professor Katherine Arfken
1:00 –2:15 pm, 2nd floor central lobby
Poster Session #2
Destiny Clay—Improving Black Women’s Perinatal Health Experience with Education; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Samuel Ruzga, Matas Skeberdis, Julia Wheeler, William Sancho, Ari Burgos and William Mabon—Reconstruction of the Geological History of the Calumet Region near 快猫短视频; Faculty Sponsor: Professor Joseph Blockland
Alex Brower—Investigating the Economic Impact of Lake Level Rise of Lake Michigan in Miller, 快猫短视频 Using GIS; Faculty Sponsor: Professor Joseph Blockland
Adam Keeton—Exploring the Influence of Social Determinants on Postoperative Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) Complications in Northwest 快猫短视频; Faculty Sponsors: Dr. Jonathan Guerrero, Dr. Kyle Gospodarek, Dr. Joshua Mangum, Dr. Baraka Muvuka
Olivia Strube—Examining In-Hospital and Post-Discharge Surgical Complications Following Cardiac Interventions in Northwest 快猫短视频; Faculty Sponsors: Dr. Joshua Mangum, Dr. Kyle Gospodarek, Dr. Baraka Muvuka, Dr. Jonathan Guerrero
Ruby Massey, Dr. Baraka Muvuka Dr. Johathan Guerrero, Dr. Joshua Mangum, Dr. Kyle Gospodarek—Associations Between Social Determinants of Health and Emergency Department Utilization for Sexually Transmitted Infections; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Baraka Muvuka
Carly Waite, Dr. Baraka Muvuka, Dr. Jonathan Guerrero, Dr. Joshua Mangum, Dr. Kyle Gospodarek—Social Determinants of Health and Emergency Department Utilization for Genitourinary Complications in Patients with Genitourinary Cancers: A Retrospective Cohort Study; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Baraka Muvuka
Monday, December 1, 2025
1:30—2:30 pm, Library, STEM Center
Dr. Justin Hodgson—Learning GenAI and Prompt Engineering through Play: A critical and creative hands-on engagement
Step into the world of generative AI through exploration, creativity, and play. This interactive workshop invites participants to experiment with prompt engineering techniques that unlock the potential of text-based, image-based, and other style AI tools. Together, we’ll explore strategies for crafting effective prompts, refining outputs, and using AI as a collaborator in both learning and creative work. Along the way, we’ll reflect on how play can deepen critical understanding, spark innovation, and expand what’s possible in our classrooms and professional practice. No prior experience required—just curiosity and a willingness to explore.
- Experiment with Intention: Learn practical strategies for crafting and refining prompts that guide generative AI tools toward more creative, accurate, and meaningful results.
- Create Across Modalities: Explore hands-on exercises with text, image, and retrieval-augmented GenAI platforms to expand your digital fluency and imagination.
- Play with Purpose: Complete challenges to deepen understanding, inspire innovation, and help you integrate AI thoughtfully into teaching, learning, and professional work
Bring your laptops for hands-on participation!
Tuesday, December 2, 2025
10:00 - 11:00 am, Library, STEM Center
Faculty Moderator: Dr. Maureen Rutherford
Mina Mahmood—Association of Blood-based Transcriptional Risk Scores With Diffusion Tensor Imaging for Alzheimer’s Disease in a Korean Cohort; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Maureen Rutherford
Maxwell Votaw—Smelling Unsanctity: Odor and the Medieval Whale; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Brian O’Camb
10:00-11:00 am, Library Room 230
Faculty Moderator: Dr. Margaret Pollak
Kaiah Goldsby, Aniya Herrod, Riko Koch—The Impacts of Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD); Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Margaret Pollak
Paige Philbin, Isaiah Salcido, Tommy Conway, Jordan Nix, Brayden Donaldson—Social Determinants of Cardiovascular Disease; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Margaret Pollak
LaTresa Sims, Neyah Sims, Nicholas Petrakovic, Andrej Prentoski—Opioids and the Detrimental Effects on Society; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Margaret Pollak
Zoha Babar, Maria Nikolaras, Chad Skarja—Killer Order; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Margaret Pollak
11:30 am—buffet lunch, Library, second floor
11:45– 12:45 pm, Library, second floor
Poster Session #3
Luke Baczkowski—Modeling Catastrophic Insurance Losses Using Extreme Value Theory: An EVT-Based Risk Management Approach; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Xiaofeng Wang
Ayah Kanaan—Archival Detail: A Comparative Study of IUN, Lake County, and National Archives; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Gianluca Dimuzio
Dennis Taylor—How Has Digital Communication Affected Our Interpersonal Communication in College; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Camila Angulo
Kayla Smith—The Effects of Water Conservation in the United States; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Camila Angulo
Jailene Gonzalez—The Hidden Cost of Intelligence: Environmental and Social Consequences of AI Innovation; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Camila Angulo
Violet Barick—The Effect of Anti-Homeless Architecture; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Camila Angulo
Robert Shaffer—From American Myth to Corporate Cash Cows: The Corporatization of Superman and Batman; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Patrick Johnson
Kaylee Hilligoss—Media Portrayals of Mental Health and Suicide in “13 Reasons Why” and Their Impact on Teens; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Patrick Johnson
Jazmin Jimenez—Criminal Minds; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Patrick Johnson
Maria Morales—The Sparkly Dangers of Romance in Twilight; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Patrick Johnson
Pascha Campbell—Black Panther Movie; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Patrick Johnson
Daniella Robles—Breaking Vanity; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Patrick Johnson
Audrey Glasgow—Mental Health in Music; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Patrick Johnson
Elyse Stanis—Negative Emotions Are Essential; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Patrick Johnson
Brandon Jones—The Controversy of Mortal Kombat; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Patrick Johnson
Nicholas Whisenand—How People Suffering From Mental Health Use Emo Music as a Means to Cope with Emotions; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Patrick Johnson
Kiyla Glispie—How Have Tyler Perry’s Films and TV Shows Both Positively and Negatively Impacted the Black Community?; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Patrick Johnson
Evan Vittetoe—Authority and Mismanagement; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Patrick Johnson
Austin Terrill—Are Slasher Movies Immoral?; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Gianluca Dimuzio
Savannah Durham—When Violence Becomes Entertainment: Philosophical question?; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Gianluca Dimuzio
Isiah Wilson, Callum Niksich—Does Natural Evil Exist?; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Gianluca Dimuzio
Jumana Suleiman—How Has Professional and Public Recognition of PA’s Changed Over Time, and What Factors Have Contributed to Their Emerging Presence in Healthcare?; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Camila Angulo
Sydney Wood—The Hauntings of Lake County; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Gianluca Dimuzio
Alyce Combs—Controversial Advertisements Today: Psychological and Publicity View; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Patrick Johnson
Jaden Steward—How to Make a Research Survey: Asking the Difficult Questions Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Camila Angulo
Lorelai St. George—Serial Killers and Their Methods; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Camila Angulo
Gabriela Maldonado—Orcas in Captivity vs Wild; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Camila Angulo
Jett Lloyd—Preserving Wildlife While Protecting Drivers: Wildlife Overpasses and Underpasses; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Camila Angulo
Mariela Bugarin—Efficiency vs. Ethics: Implications of AI in Corporate Hiring; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Camila Angulo
Kaylee Goodson—The Philosophical Question of the Soul and Body; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Gianluca Dimuzio
Leticia Segura— If You Can Upload Your Mind to a Computer, Would It Still Be You?; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Gianluca Dimuzio
Marko Nastovich, Ethan Price — Are Slasher Movies Immoral?; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Gianluca Dimuzio
Allen Ilagan—Utilitarianism as a Moral Theory ; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Gianluca Dimuzio
Aubree Green - Does God Exist? The Argument from Design; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Gianluca Dimuzio
Tuesday, December 2, 2025
1:15 –2:30 pm, Library, second floor
Poster Session #4
Hayley Feeler—Nurses at Night: The Challenge of Health Maintenance and Burnout; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Nevaeh Schmidt—The Impact of Secondary Traumatic Stress on Nurse Well-Being and the Protective Role of Resilience; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Alexis Miller—Nursing-Led Emotional Health Support With Infertility Treatment; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Sanaa Chamblis—Nurse-Led Prenatal Counseling to Breastfeeding Support; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Raven Rectitud—Autism in Young Children; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Jordan Woolfolk—Infants with Congenital Heart Defects (CHD); Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Pearltrice Lamar—The Use of Herbal Medicine to Improve the Quality of Life in Cancer Patients; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Brianne Eaton—Comparing Natural Supplements and Hormonal Birth Control in the Management of Ovarian Cysts; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
Brittany Davis, Julia Asfour, Katelyn Pass, Jacobus Bernard, Amy Han—Examining the Relationship Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea Diagnosis and Stroke Recurrence in Northwest 快猫短视频; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Amy Han
Katelyn Pass, Brittany Davis, Jacobus Barnard—Predictors of Door-to-Needle Time in Acute Stroke Care; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Amy Han
Christian Jones—Does the Presence of an Authority Figure Impact Retention and Engagement During Active Learning Tasks?; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Frances Daniel
Jayden Henneman—Examining Sociodemographic and Diagnostic Predictors of Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) Scores and Suicide Attempts Withing Northwest 快猫短视频 Emergency Departments; Faculty Sponsors: Dr. Jonathan Guerrero, Dr. Joshua Mangum, Dr. Baraka Muvuka, Dr. Kyle Gospodarek
Tyler Porter—Disparities in Hospitalization Outcomes Among Pediatric Cancer Patients: A Nationwide Healthcare Cost Utilization Project (HCUP) Analysis; Faculty Sponsors: Dr. Baraka Muvuka, Dr. Jonathan Guerrero, Dr. Joshua Mangum
Alex Bindemann, Anushri Umesh, Esther Thang, Alan Richardson, Kara Meister, Nathan Alves—Isolation and Quantification of Microplastics from Pediatric Tonsil Samples; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Nathan Alves
Peter Mayfield—Evaluation of a Multicomponent ED-based Intervention for Increasing Rates of Lung Cancer Screening: A Randomized Controlled Trial; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Nicholas Pettit
Dylan Kim, Katherine Stanford—Diagnostic Delays and Socio-Demographic Factors Among Patients Referred to an Undiagnosed Rare Disease Clinic; Faculty Sponsors: Dr. Baraka Muvuka, Dr. Amy Han
Eleanor Boyle, Joshua Mangum, Jonathan Guerrero, Baraka Muvuka, Kyle Gospodarek—Assessing Determinants of Prolonged Hospital Stay and Readmissions in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Joshua Mangum
Ankurpreet Kaur, Baraka Muvuka, Jonathan Guerrero, Joshua Mangum—Geographic and Socioeconomic Disparities in Mammography Services Across Northwest 快猫短视频 and Chicagoland; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Baraka Muvuka
Elizabeth Sullivan—A Regional Analysis of Air Quality and Respiratory Health Outcomes in the Northwest 快猫短视频 and Chicagoland Area; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Baraka Muvuka
Abigail McCampbell, Autumn Pifferitti, Cindy Torres, Thomas Gutierrez—Experiential Learning and Small Business Development; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Azemi Yllka
Shivam Bhargava—Intersecting Burdens: Exploring Social Drivers of Food Insecurity in Congestive Heart Failure Patients in Northwest 快猫短视频; Faculty Sponsors: Dr. Baraka Muvuka, Dr. Jonathan Guerrero
Mykhaylo Severinov—Chasing the Sun, Comparing Geospatial Models with IUN Solar Data; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Jessica Warren
Shaker Erbini, Kyle Gospodarek, Jonathan Guerrero, Joshua Mangum, Baraka Muvuka—Characterizing Non-urgent Ophthalmic Utilization of Emergency Departments in Northwest 快猫短视频; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Baraka Muvuka
Maddie Bakouris—How Summarizing a Warning Impacts the Creation of False Memories; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Frances Daniel
Kaila Stephens—Herbal Medicine Versus Conventional Antidiabetic Medications in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: Impacts on Glycemic Control; Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Stephanie Baranko Lincoln
