| Major |
Student Researcher |
Thesis Title |
Research Overview |
| Nursing |
Nia Lewis '27 |
Holistic Wellness and CAM in Heart Failure Patients |
Many heart failure patients turn to alternative remedies alongside — or instead of — conventional medicine, guided by their spiritual beliefs, cultural background, and personal values. Nia is researching what drives those choices and whether they help or hinder patients' ability to manage their condition and maintain their overall wellbeing. |
| Information Systems |
Nant Myint '27 |
Exploring the Judgments Surrounding AI |
Many people hesitate to use AI tools at work because they worry others will see them as lazy or less capable — but is that perception fair? Nant examines that stigma and what it means for professionals who rely on AI every day to do their jobs better and more efficiently. |
| International Studies |
Olga Romero Zelaya '27 |
Migration Enforcement and Asylum Realities in El Salvador |
Behind the headlines about migration policy are real people navigating an increasingly difficult system. Olga has gone directly to the source — interviewing migrants, government officials, and aid organizations in El Salvador — to understand what seeking asylum actually looks like on the ground. |
| Computer Science |
Haley Sapp '27 |
Automated Hurricane Eye Detection and Tracking Using Satellite Imagery |
Tracking a hurricane's eye accurately is critical for predicting where and how hard a storm will hit. Haley is working to build a computer program that can automatically spot and follow a hurricane's eye in satellite images, then checks how well it performs against real historical storm data. |
| Marketing Strategy |
Alexandra Stan '27 |
Ethics vs. Efficiency of AI in Marketing and Supply Chain Management |
Businesses are racing to adopt AI because it saves time and money — but that speed often comes at a cost, including invasion of privacy, biased decision-making, and job losses. Alexandra argues that being ethical and being competitive are not mutually exclusive, and proposes a practical framework for companies to achieve both. |
| Biology |
Jacob Mayer '26 |
The Oncolytic Potential of Equine Herpesvirus Type-1 in Human Prostate Cancer Treatment |
Jacob explored whether a virus normally found in horses can be used to kill human prostate cancer cells, offering a potential new approach to cancer treatment. Early results are promising, with the virus destroying up to 90% of cancer cells within 72 hours across three different prostate cancer cell types. |
| Economics |
Sarah
Truskolaski '26
|
The Macroeconomic Impact of Ukrainian Refugees upon Poland's Economy using Synthetic Controls |
When millions of Ukrainians fled to Poland after the outbreak of war, it raised an important question: what does absorbing that many refugees actually do to a country's economy? Sarah used statistical modeling to measure that impact and explore why refugees choose to stay — or leave — their host country. |
| Spanish |
Madison Curran '26 |
American Cultural Influence in Spain: Changing Attitudes in Salamanca and Barcelona |
American movies, music, and social media have been quietly reshaping how Spanish people speak and think about their own language. Madison explored that cultural shift through conversations with native speakers and analysis of media, asking whether American influence on Spanish is something to embrace, resist, or somewhere in between. |
| Marine Biology |
Jake Hetz '26 |
A Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis of the Genus Melastoma in the Philippines |
The Philippines is home to a group of flowering shrubs called Melastoma that scientists have never fully catalogued or sorted into proper species. Jake worked with DNA sequencing to build a clearer family tree of these plants, which may reveal species that have never before been formally identified. |
