Symposium on Student Research, Creative Activities, & Innovation

2024 CSUSM Symposium

On March 1, 2024, CSUSM will host an internal competition to select ten projects that that will represent CSUSM at the 38th Annual CSU Student Research Competition -- hosted by https://www.calpoly.edu/ in April 26-27, 2024. 

At the internal competition, projects will be presented by CSUSM undergradate students and graduate students from across all disciplines. All member of the campus community and supporters are invited to attend. 

Please review the full set of guidelines

The 38th Annual CSU Student Research Competition Information

The CSU Student Research Competition is held to promote excellence in undergraduate and graduate scholarly research and creative activity by recognizing outstanding student accomplishments throughout the 23 campuses of the California State University (CSU).

Important Dates:

2024 Application Process:

• Read the participation criteria.
• Complete the application and include the written summary. If you do not already have an InfoReady account, you will be prompted to create one.
• Use your school email and check it regularly, as all correspondence will be sent through this address.
• Designate one person if you are submitting as a group. You will be able to list all other group members and emails in the group presentation space on the application.

Written Summary Guidelines

These guidelines follow the CSU statewide competition requirements. Your paper submission is final, make sure you have submitted the most updated version.

1. Presentation Title
2. Author Name(s) & Contact Information
3. Project Summary / Abstract (100-200 words)
   • Haven't written a project summary/abstract before? Check-out:
     • University of Wisconsin-Madison: Writing an Abstract for Your Research Paper (includes sample abstracts from the humanities, social sciences, and sciences)
     • SACNAS: How to Write a Successful Abstract (Webinar) 
4. Project narrative/Description about the scholarly research/creative project and findings
   • Different disciplines have different approaches for the organization of the project narrative/description (or "body" of the paper). One common approach is the IMRaD format, but this may not be the format most common in your discipline. 
     • • Introduction – what is the topic; why study it? (may include a thesis statement and/or research question)
       • Materials & Methods – how was the research conducted?
       • Results – what was found in the research?
       • Discussion & Conclusions – what do the findings mean?
   • All students are encouraged to use headings and sub-headings in their submission wether utilizing the IMRaD formate or another format. 
   • The project narrative must include the name(s) of the student(s) and the title of the presentation and
     • • Utilize a font size of 10 or above
       • Have margins of at least 0.75”
       • Should be a minimum of one page and not exceed two pages in total (1-2 pages)
       • Appendices (bibliography, graphs, photographs, or other supplementary materials) are optional, may not exceed three pages total, and will be uploaded separately from the written narrative.
5. Bibliography & Other Supplemental Materials
   • Appendices (bibliography, graphs photographs or other supplementary materials) are optiona, may not exceed three pages total, and will be uploaded separately from the written narrative. 
   • Use the citation and bibliography formate appropriate for your discipline. 
6. Affirmation (as applicable) that any project that involves human and/or animal subjects as undergone appropriate institutional review and the IRB or IACUC number.                                                                                                              

Faculty Mentor Approval

• Upon submitting, an email notification will be sent to your faculty mentor to alert them of your submission.
• Faculty mentors are required to approve your submission by responding to the email they receive within three days.
• You may want to check with your advisor to ensure they receive and confirm your submission.
• Once approved, you will receive a confirmation email with event details.

The Symposium on Student Research, Creative Activities, & Innovation is organized by the Office of Graduate Studies and Research and the Committee for Undergraduate Research.

Symposium Sessions:

Sessions to be announced

Etiquett Reminder: Do not enter or exit a session while a presentation is in progress. 

• Session 1: Markstein Hall 101

  3:00-3:15 PM: Andrea Armas 

  Application of ELISA in Immunology  

  3:15-3:30 PM: (WITHDREW) Gilda Castellanos 

   

  3:30-3:45 PM: Gabriel Alfredo Siguenza 

  Drug Discovery: An Approach for Developing a Novel Nebulizer system in Acoustofluidics 

  3:45-4:00 PM: Jasmine O’Hara & Jessica Keatly

  Camera Trap Survey of Insect Pollinators of Encinitas, Baccharis (Baccharis vanessae) in San Diego, California. 

• Session 2: Markstein Hall 102

  3:00-3:15 PM: Kevin Brown 

  APOLIPOPROTEIN E GENOTYPE-SPECIFIC SYNAPTIC FORMATION & NEURONAL SUBTYPES IN MONOCULTURED NEUROGENIN-2 iPSC-DERIVED NEURONS 

  3:15-3:30 PM: Jocelyne Dates 

  Voltage-gated Ion Channels Regulate Ion and Fluid Transport in the Malpighian Tubules of the Common Cabbage Looper larvae Trichoplusia ni 

  3:30-3:45 PM: (WITHDREW) Siaje Gideon 

   

  3:45-4:00 PM: Yesenia Mora 

  The effects of wing-flashing on escape behavior of insects and vertebrate prey of San Clemente Loggerhead Shrikes 

• Session 3: Markstein Hall 107
  
  

  3:00-3:15 PM: Mason Laurin 

  Malleable mouths: upper and lower beak kinematics of the Loggerhead Shrike in relation to bite force and velocity 

  3:15-3:30 PM: Levi-Briana Shinn & Renee Laurenzana

  NACHO expression in the VTA and NAc using a Lynx2 transgenic knockout mouse model. 

  3:30-3:45 PM: Kevin Garcia 

  Using Plastic Microbial Community Composition and Consistency to Better Describe Plastisphere Uniqueness 

  3:45-4:00 PM: Jaeden Flury 

  Investigating wound microbiome composition in Type 2 Diabetic mice  

• Session 4: Markstein Hall 214
   

  3:00-3:15 PM: Jennifer Sanchez 

  MetaHiC Sequencing on Coastal Microbiomes to Map Mobile Genetic Elements 

  3:15-3:30 PM: Jeremy Benjamin 

  Investigating the Role of REV1, REV3, and TOP1 on Transcription Associated Mutagenesis in S. cerevisiae. 

  3:30-3:45 PM: Shyane Masters & Cameron St. Onge

  Critical thermal tolerance polygon for poikilothermic ectotherm Epalzeorhynchos frenatum 

  3:45-4:00 PM: Cristina Velasquez & Jake Coast 

  Identification of BST2 as a Biomarker for Alopecia Areata in Both Mice and Humans 

• Session 5: Markstein Hall 201

  3:00-3:15 PM: Yetunde Adebayo 

  E-cigarettes Motivations, and Expectancies. 

  3:15-3:30 PM: Karina Marquez & Nessa Jamalian

  The interaction between nicotinic receptor modulators in the hippocampus: implications for learning and memory. 

  3:30-3:45 PM: Ariana Almaraz 

  NACHO Expression in the Interpeduncular Nucleus in Lynx2 Knockout Mice. 

  3:45-4:00 PM: Minjung (Michelle) Kang 

  The Saturation Spectrum of Odd Cycles 

• Session 6: Markstein Hall 203

  3:00-3:15 PM: Ashley Mota 

  Trust and Treatment-Seeking Behaviors in Childhood Betrayal Trauma Survivors 

   3:15-3:30 PM: Miranda Medina 

  Chronic and Acute Ethanol Exposure Leads to the Early Onset of Memory-like Impairments and the Aggregation of Beta-Amyloid Plaques in Rats with the Apolipoprotein ε4 Gene 

   3:30-3:45 PM: Karissa Tran 

  Age of First Cannabis Use and Cannabis Misuse Linked for Men and Women and Explained by Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults 

  3:45-4:00 PM: Anastasia Navarro 

  Investigating the Experiences of Undergraduate STEM Majors and their Mental Health and Wellness 

• Session 7: Markstein Hall 209

  3:00-3:15 PM: Maiya Larry 

  Dementia Worry  

  3:15-3:30 PM: Briana Smith Reyes 

  The Effects of Enrichment on Rehabilitating California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus) 

  3:30-3:45 PM: Marielle Castaneda 

  Seeing is Believing: Conservation and Welfare Effects of Repeated Exposure to Animals in Anthropomorphic Contexts 

  3:45-4:00 PM: Devin Ghidella 

  Impact of Cannabis State Law on Cannabis Use and Behavioral Health among Non-Hispanic Black, Non-Hispanic White, and Hispanic U.S. Young Adults  

• Session 8: Markstein Hall 210

  3:00-3:15 PM: Sana Hashemi 

  Satiating Nicotine Addictions 

  3:15-3:30 PM: Jonathan Nocon 

  Measuring the MPOWER Framework in the United States 

  3:30-3:45 PM: Nicolas Morales 

  Assessing compliance to in-person tobacco sales requirements in San Diego County 

  3:45-4:00 PM:  (WITHDREW) Aidelen Montoya 

   

• Session 9: Markstein Hall 213

  3:00-3:15 PM: Leah Coe 

  Sex Differences in Hemodynamic Response to High Intensity Interval Exercise (HIIE) 

  3:15-3:30 PM: Harrison Thomas & Derek Solenberger

  Characterization of Sun Protection Utilization and Knowledge of Ultraviolet Radiation Exposure Among Recreational Surfers 

  3:30-3:45 PM: Samantha Cruz 

  Trends in Marijuana Prevalence Among Light Smokers 

  3:45-4:00 PM: Grecia Acevedo 

  Persuasive Language Skills in Youth of Diverse Backgrounds & Juvenile Justice System