2026 Top Scholars and Finalists

Undergraduate Research Conference

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Top Scholar

Justyn Morris
"The Effects of AI on Educational Outcomes: An Umbrella Report"

Finalists

  • Bridget Collier 
    "Determinants of Electric Consumption for Residential Customers Across the U.S."
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Rebecca Davis
     
  • Vanessa Coronado 
    "Depreciation methods and aircraft valuation"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Emiliano Giudici
     
  • Colby England 
    "Gender's Role in Political Ideology: An Analysis of College Voters"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Hannah Wich
     
  • Cameron Ferguson and Eva Hampton 
    "Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Outdoor Pursuits"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Wenjing Li and Dr. Pamela Rogers
     
  • Ellie Glaeser, Britelyn Zeleskey, Jolie P. Rizzo and Linnea E. Gorman
    "Sephora Kids" 
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Wenjing Li and Dr. Pamela Rogers
     
  • Ella Hollis, Violett Ames, Reed M. Ogrady and En-Qi Charis Yiow 
    "Nacogdoches' Impact on Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Students"
    Faculty sponsors: Dr. Pamela Rogers and Dr. Wenjing Li
     
  • Eric McCulloh 
    "Arbitrage Opportunities in High Frequency Trading of Cryptocurrencies"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Emiliano Giudici
     
  • Logan Pantoja, Bella Alford and Faith Long 
    "Understanding Customer Loyalty and Repurchase Behavior for Summer Fridays"
    Faculty sponsors: Dr. Pamela Rogers and Dr. Wenjing Li
     
  • Elysabeth Ripley, Jason Madden, Hayden Medley and Kyle Sinopoli 
    "Meta Data Practices and Consumer Trust"
    Faculty sponsors: Dr. Pamela Rogers and Dr. Wenjing Li
     
  • Isabel Jedmears, Jacob Crosby, Julio Espinoza and Juliana Frigo 
    "AT&T: Create Change Campaign"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Marlene Kahla
     
  • Ashley Girard 
    "High School Financial Literacy Coursework and Undergraduate Financial Confidence and Knowledge: Evidence from Business Students"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Charles Oberweiser

James I. Perkins College of Education

Top Scholar

Enrrique Reyes
"The Metabolic Cost of 3 Different Modes of Interval Exercise Versus Continuous Running"

Finalists

  • Lauren Kirk
    "Prevalence of Internalizing and School Adjustment Symptoms in Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Students Diagnosed with ADHD"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Luis Aguerrevere>
     
  • Molly Scheidt, Autumn Andrusick, Megan Goodyear and Amy Fugiel 
    "Sex Differences in Force Production During Static and Dynamic Round-Offs in Tumblers"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Amber Chelette
     
  • Alexandria Nichols 
    "Designing a Customizable Mental Health Resource in Collaboration with the Burke Center"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. John Stewart

Micky Elliott College of Fine Arts

Top Scholar

Savannah Bunn
"Ephemeral Patterns: A Choreographic Study of 'The Yellow Wallpaper'"

Finalists

  • Jorden Zepeda 
    "Affective Soundscapes: Music, Emotion, and the Imposed Listening Experience in Sigur Ros"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Hannah Snavely
     
  • Cassandra Sarmiento 
    "Dine On Campus User Experience Improvements"
    Faculty sponsor: Mr. Zachary Howell
     
  • Matthew Sims 
    "YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!: Popular Music and Political Weaponry During the Cold War" 
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Hannah Snavely
     
  • Ashley Crittenden 
    "Sculpture and Digital Media Combined"
    Faculty sponsors: Mr. Benjamin Anderson and Mr. Jason Millward
     
  • Darcy Alleman 
    "Wrestling Costume and Culture"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Angela Bacarisse
     
  • Logan Burse 
    "Growing Support"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. William Nieberding
     
  • Noah Lakey 
    "Built for the Contemporary: Institutional Exclusion and the Technical Culture of the Saxophone"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Hannah Snavely
     
  • Justice Johnson 
    "Pina: A Study of the Life and Works of Pina Bausch "
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Haley Jameson

Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture

Top Scholars

Richard Thornton and Maximus Davis
"Rural vs. Urban Enrollment for the Departments of Agriculture, Forestry, Environmental Science and Geology at Stephen F. Austin State University From 2014 to 2024"

Finalists

  • Ane Elizondo
    "Effects of Experimental Venue on Chinese Tallow (Triadica sebifera) Leaf Litter Decomposition: Implications for Wetland Research"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Cord Eversole
     
  • Colten Carpenter
    "Shortleaf Pine Survival and Growth for Insecticide Treated Seedlings of Different Provenances in East Texas"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Rebecca Kidd
     
  • James Keeling
    "A Case Study of the Accuracy and Precision of GNSS Receivers and Mobile Devices"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Yanli Zhang
     
  • Raviyah Anderson and Matthew Petre
    "Mapping Lights Using Trimble R12i GNSS Receiver on Stephen F. Austin State University Campus"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. David Kulhavy
     
  • Christopher Marroquin 
    "Attitudes Towards Mass Timber as a Sustainable Building Material"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. John Kidd
     
  • Meghan Mcllroy, Madison Adams, Mia Rivers, Kaitlin Eckert and Kenna Peveto 
    "Evaluating Functional Ecology of Beaver Dams vs. Human-made Water Structures"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Sheryll Jerez
     
  • Bowen Andel, Carson Snead, Noah Howard and Sydney Krupa 
    "Environmental Health on Campus: Comparing Formaldehyde Concentrations of Buildings on Campus of Stephen F. Austin State University"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Sheryll Jerez
     
  • Kaitlin Eckert 
    "Wax Worms and Their Ability to Reduce Single Use Plastic"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Sheryll Jerez
     
  • Heather Lillibridge and Alayna Wagner 
    "Diatom Fauna Along the Angelina River Site on Highway 7, Angelina County, Texas, USA"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Jenny Rashall

College of Liberal and Applied Arts

Top Scholar

Mia Bradley
"Anti-Money Laundering Laws and Counter Terrorism: An Effective Strategy?"

Finalists

  • Halee Lopez
    "Food Insecurities for Native Americans on Reservations"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. James Morris
     
  • Alistair Criswell
    "Investigating Gender Differences in Environmental Education Podcasts"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Jessica Gordon
     
  • Ethan Kanetzky
    "A'ole i 'Ae i ka Ho'ohui 'Aina: Na Leo Ku'e o Hawai'i: Refusing Annexation: Hawaiian Voices of Opposition"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Lydia Towns
     
  • Chloe Kerns
    "The Impact of Bullying in Schools and a Policy Analysis of Texas Education Code 37.0832"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Mohammad Khan
     
  • Abigail Gilmore and Marii Merchant
    "Recognition of Al-Generated Faces in Rapid Exposure"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Gregory Drury
     
  • Jordan Segelken, Madden Bennett, Emily Lecureux and Madeline Bass
    "Starbucks Iced Energy: Audiences and Analysis"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Bailey Thompson
     
  • Madelyn Edwards
    "Piano Man, Take Two: How Social Media Revived Billy Joel"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Tyler Welsh
     
  • Jacklynn Lydia-River Husak
    "The Creation and Continuation of the Tahitian 'Dusky Maiden'"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Lydia Towns
     
  • Ethan Robertson
    "Wrestling Culture: How Professional Wrestling Reflects Gender Identity and Conflict in American Culture"
    Faculty sponsor: Dylan Parkhurst
     
  • Stephen Rauch
    "Serendipitous Turn in the Himalayas"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Lydia Towns
     
  • Azucena Reyes
    "Artificial Intelligence: A Savior or Threat?"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Micheal Tkacik
     
  • Marlie Leathers
    "The Kinosphere: A Proposal on the Effects of Dance on Spatial and Working Memory"
    Faculty sponsor: Katheryne Wood

College of Sciences and Mathematics

Top Scholars

William Koehler, Lena Slater, Macauley Parker, Claire Costello and Yaireth Escobedo
"Invasive Plant Effects on Habitat Use by Treefrogs for Calling Behavior"

Finalists

  • Andrew Do
    "A Molecular Cleft for Colorimetric Detection of Heavy Metals"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Rashid Mia
     
  • Sadie Ryan, Emily Zavala, Kaitlyn Curtis and Grace Mata 
    "A Scope into Interpersonal Healthcare Communication: How to Break Bad News"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Katy Trotty
     
  • Hayden Hargett 
    "The Chromatic Symmetric Function of Extended Cycle Windmill Graphs"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Colin Lawson
     
  • Rylie Brantley 
    "Cognitive Mitigation of Anthropogenic Noise Masking in Bottlenose Dolphin Signature Whistles: Exploring Evidence for a Cocktail Party Effect in a Non-Human Species"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Jason Bruck
     
  • Evelyn Crowe 
    "The Grapes of Wrath: How to Store Wine Without Letting It Go Bad (and Other Oenological Adventures) "
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Alyx Frantzen
     
  • Joseph Sheffield 
    "Neotropical Catfishes Display Trophic Niche Variation as Revealed by Stable Isotope Analysis"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Carmen Montana-Schalk
     
  • Brandon Lovell and Kadin Green 
    "Pharmaceutical Contaminant Analysis in the Nacogdoches Wastewater Treatment Process using SPE and UHPLC-MS/MS"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Kefa Onchoke
     
  • Benjamin Watrous and Tristan Burgess 
    "Multifunctional Treatment Composition and Method Comprising of TMPyP and Metal (II) Ions as Possible Phototherapeutic, Chemotherapeutic, and Antimicrobial Agents"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Matibur Zamadar
     
  • Alicia Trejo, Thanh Tien Dao and Georgetta Zuo 
    "Investigation of the Inhibiting Effect of Flavonoid on 6-PGD in Silico"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Bidisha Sengupta
     
  • Aiyana Gonzalez, Emma Patton and Hadley Watts 
    "Battle for Communication: Role of Energy Matching, Metal Geometry, and Organic Component Identity in Modulating Redox Communication"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. John Gary
     
  • Jake Swallow 
    "Occurrence and Quantitation of Microplastic Contamination in Deep East Texas Wastewater Treatment Plants"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Kefa Onchoke

Regional Colleges and Universities

Top Scholar

Camron Liston-Wallace
"Accessible Spaces vs. Usable Spaces: A Task-Based Evaluation of Campus Accessibility"

Finalists

  • Anishka Ande
    "Elucidating the Mechanisms of Obesity-Induced Cholangiocyte Reactive Activation and Biliary Liver Injury"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Chaodong Wu, Texas A&M University, College Station
     
  • Anahi Borja 
    "Athletic Legs: A Quantitative Study on Athlete Leg Composition and Performance Metrics"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Andrea R. Hathcote, Tyler Junior College
     
  • Peter Beam 
    "Surviving Life: The Relationship between Physical Activity and Overall Health in Early and Late Adulthood"
    Faculty sponsor: Dr. Andrea R. Hathcote, Tyler Junior College