TWU well represented at research conference

April 2, 2025 — DENTON — A contingent of 25 TWU students will make presentations at the 2025 National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Pittsburgh, April 7-9.

"NCUR allows students who may not otherwise have the opportunity or have yet to have the opportunity to present their work in a public forum," said Diana Elrod, director of the Center for Student Research. "Our job as researchers is to be able to express our work, and this is that public forum piece. Being able to express their work in a way that is understandable to someone who knows, perhaps knows absolutely nothing about what they're doing."

TWU students will be doing podium, oral and poster presentations.

In addition to the students, TWU's Katherine Rose, PhD, and Rhonda Buckley, PhD, from the School of Human Sciences will present at the conference, and Enrollment Management will be on hand to recruit students to TWU.

NCUR promotes undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activity in all fields of study by sponsoring an annual conference for students. Unlike meetings of academic professional organizations, this gathering of student scholars welcomes presenters from all institutions of higher learning and from all disciplines.

TWU's student representatives come from a broad spectrum of disciplines across three of the university's five colleges: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Theatre, Music, Visual Arts, Social Sciences & Historical Studies and Psychology from the College of Arts & Sciences; Nursing from the College of Nursing; and Curriculum and Instruction, Marriage and Family Therapy, Child Development and Human Development and Family Studies from the College of Professional Education.

"This is a great way for students to get their feet wet and hone their presentation skills," Elrod said.

TWU’s participation in NCUR is an institutional effort facilitated by the Center for Student Research. Funding for TWU's attendance comes from various sources, including McNair Scholars Program; Partnerships, Research, Internships, Mentoring and Engagement (PRIME); and an NSF grant.

The TWU students presenting:

• Christopher Bacidore, Computer Science (CAS) “HANDI: Human Advancement through Next-Gen Design and Innovation”
• Siekleng Chhuon, Computer Science (CAS) “ECLIPSE: Enhanced Containerized Lab Infrastructure for Platform-Independent Student Engagement Using Virtualization”
• Miles Collier, Theatre (CAS) “Everybody Needs a Hero: Body Politics, X-Men, and Transgender Futures”
• Starr Davis, Biology (CAS) “Role of BATF3 in Human Central Memory CD8T Cells”
• Madison Donahoe, Nursing (CON) “The Impact of Oral Histories on Long-Term Care Staff’s Perceptions of Patient-Centered Care”
• Dulce Garcia Galvan, Nursing (CON) “Effectiveness of a Medication Safety Checklist on Final-Semester Nursing Student Competency”
• Kamden Gauldin, Curriculum and Instruction (COPE) “The Disconnect Between the American Dream Ideology and the Evolving Work Culture of Younger Generations: A Study of Changing Values, Economic Realities, and Career Expectations”
• Mackenzie Heisser, Marriage and Family Therapy (COPE) “How Do Boys’ and Girls’ Perceptions of Their Own Academic Success Differ in Highschool?”
• Ashley Horn, Social Sciences & Historical Studies (CAS) “The Power of Misconception: Understanding the Role of Legal Circumstances in the Salem Witch Trials”
• Anjola Ifagbayi-Adeniran, Biology (CAS) “Antiproliferative Activity of Euphorbia dentata in T47D, MDA-MB 231, and MCF-7 Cancer Cell Lines”
• Simone Lang, Chemistry (CAS) “Low-Dimensional Materials for Spacesuit Applications”
• Amanda Li, Music (CAS) “Building Focus in Beginner Piano Students: Strategies for Effective Practice”
• Aleah Mendoza, Biology (CAS) “Effect of Gonadel Hormones on P2X Purinergic Receptor 3 (P2RX3) Expression in the Rat Trigeminal Ganglia”
• Lauren Orozco, Chemistry (CAS) “Experimental Efficiency: How Machine Learning Estimations Streamline Catalytic Density-Functional Theory Calculations”
• Emily Palacios, Biology (CAS) “A Comparative Analysis of Sonic Hedgehog Activation and WNT Pathway Inhibition in Human Cochlear Organoids”
• Serina Patel, Biology (CAS) “IlluminATE1”
• Guadalupe Perez Posada, Biology (CAS) “Neural Plasticity and Affective Pain Behaviors in a Preclinical Model of Pain Associated with Burn Injury”
• Evelyn Pugh, Nursing (CON) “Exploring the Impact of Medical Interpreters in Simulation on Nursing Students’ Knowledge and Competence”
• Isabella Rose, Child Development (COPE) “Parental Decision-Making About After School Programs for their School Aged Children”
• Tatiana Scott-Anchietta, Visual Arts Art History (CAS) “The Exploration of Art Education in Character Development and Self-Actualization: A Focus on Gratitude”
• Maria Silva, Chemistry (CAS) “Pt Cluster Doped molten-salt Carbon Nitride in Methanol Dehydrogenation”
• Emma Sloan-Garza, Nursing (CON) “FAVOR – Feasibility and Acceptability of Virtual Reality for Older Acute Stroke Patients”
• Angel Stigers, Human Development and Family Studies (COPE) “Improving the quality of education of special needs students with intentional physical environments, adaptive devices, and family support”
• Esmeralda Victor, Chemistry (CAS) “Analyzing Energy Transference in the y Subunit of Escherichia coli ATP Synthase through Terminus Extension”
• Britaney Zacarias Hernandez, Psychology (CAS) “Development of the Face-Saving Lies Scale: Examining Self-Esteem and Shame as Predictors”