Honors Colloquium

Join us for the Spring 2026 Honors Colloquium as our Honors seniors present the original research they have developed through their thesis projects. Throughout the day, student-scholars will share their ideas, discoveries and insights across a variety of disciplines. All are welcome to attend! Stop by for a presentation block or stay for several as we celebrate the dedication, curiosity and hard work of our graduating Honors students.

BLOCK A
9:15 A.M.

Learning Commons, Room 103

Kian Drees, Computer Science, Music

• Investigating creative possibility using automated composition

Kate Buehrig, Neuroscience

• The Brain Breakdown: Bringing Neuroscience to a Broader Audience

Meghan Ryan, Finance

• The Role of Universities in the Successful Fiscal Futures of Collegiate Graduates

Learning Commons, Room 104

Lauren Carpeneti, Marketing, Psychology

• Fitspiration vs Body-Positive Wellness Content: The Role of Social Comparison and Authenticity in Shaping Body Satisfaction 

Maribel Acevedo, Sociology

• The sociology of Death: How colonization has affected the Chicano views and practices around death and dying

Katrina Zhang, Biochemistry

• Screening flavanone/chalcone derivatives against DNA-binding cytokine, High Mobility Group B1

Learning Commons, Room 105

Danielle Thompson, Integrated Engineering

• Integrating Sociotechnical Thinking to Strengthen E-Waste Awareness in Engineering Students

Gianna Figueroa, Neuroscience, Chemistry

• Effect of Noggin on Neural Stem Cell Proliferation

 Lara Dominique Solante, Creative Writing

• Database: A Poetry Collection

Learning Commons, Room 202

Devon Eder, Finance, Computer Science

• Relational Analysis Between Sovereign Indebtedness and Asset Return Correlation

Maya Merchant, Environmental and Ocean Sciences

• Impact of land-type disturbances on the composition of wetland plant communities across the conterminous United States

Maeve Egger, Political Science

• Implementation of Laudato Si' at Catholic Universities

Learning Commons, Room 204

Macy Cherneff, Finance, Computer Science 

• Reading Between the Lines: AI-Driven Vocal Emotion Detection in Corporate Earnings Calls

Kristiana Krasteva, Communication

• Growing Up, Going Abroad: A Thematic Analysis of Upbringing, Communication, and Adjustment in Study Abroad

Albert Ogrodski, Physics

• Energy Transport in Black Hole X-ray Binary Accretion Disks

Learning Commons, Room 206

Ava Azucenas, Integrated Engineering

• Is Health Deserved? The Moral and Political Construction of Healthcare through Personal Autonomy and Religious Narratives in the United States v. Japan

Allison Branch, Psychology

• Compulsory Collaboration: The impact of ignoring preference on productivity and engagement 

Ruby Stinson, Biology

• Genetic variation in a butterfly virus across varying precipitation patterns in the U.S.

BLOCK B
10:30 A.M.

Learning Commons, Room 103

Leila Francisco, Liberal Studies

• Rethinking Classroom Power Through Reacting to the Past

Avery Ehrlich, Neuroscience

• The Role of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex and Sex-Based Differences in Spatial Navigation in Rats Performing the Traveling Salesperson Problem

Lily Demman, Supply Chain Management

• The Ethics and Accountability Gap in Corporate Supply Chains: Who Bears Responsibility When Failures Occur?

Learning Commons, Room 104

Claire Sznewajs, Biochemistry 

• Characterization of single-strand DNA substrates of the DNA-binding proinflammatory cytokine, HMGB1

Tanner Blackington, Political Science

• The Supreme Court and Climate Law: A Qualitative Analysis

Mae Vanderslice, Psychology

• When Sound Meets Self-Belief: How Psychological Mechanisms Affect Literacy Outcomes for Individuals with Speech Sound Disorder

Learning Commons, Room 105

Ava Ribando, Psychology

• Client Preferences for Therapist Self-Disclosure 

Caley Tamondong, Integrated Engineering

• STEAM Unseen: User-Centered Design for Accessible Engineering Education for Blind and Low-Vision Students 

Kaitlyn Hradnansky, Accounting

• How AI Model Collapse and Capacity for Critical Analyisis Affects its Ability to Detect Financial Misstatement

Learning Commons, Room 202

Kevin Curran, Environmental and Ocean Sciences 

• Site Specific Sea Otter Behavior and Disturbance Impacts from Ecotourism in Morro Bay, CA

Salome Medina, Political Science

• Rome’s Gendered Political Order Displayed in the Persistence of Gendered U.S. Politics

Chrystalyn Alvidrez-Lee, Business Administration

• Arbitration: A Hidden Villain to Justice and Accountability or A Necessary Evil?

Learning Commons, Room 204

Lila Fowler, Physics

• A Self Consistent Solution to the Quantum Kinetic Equation for Neutrino Evolution in the Early Universe 

Nick George, Finance, History 

• Technology’s Historical Effects on Wealth Advisors and How They Plan to Pivot Around Career Challenges Posed by Artificial Intelligence

Grace LaKose, Psychology

• When Memory Fades, Music Remains: A Curriculum Framework for Integrating Music into Early-Stage Dementia Care for Patients, Caregivers, and Loved Ones

Learning Commons, Room 206

Grace Morgan, Business Administration

• Zoning, Density, and Housing Affordability in Pacific Beach

Julia Robinson, Biomedical Ethics

• Molecular Vulnerability and moral responsibility: the ethical and public health consequences of inadequate post-operative follow-up care for border fall patients 

Fiona Allen, Chemistry

• Shaking Hands: Synthesis of Enantioselective Metal Catalysts

BLOCK C
12:30 P.M.

Learning Commons, Room 103

Sophia Skubic, Neuroscience 

• Microglial neuroinflammation examined in a rodent model of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Caitlin Horvath, Business Administration, Visual Arts 

• Visual Storytelling in Business Leadership Communication: Enhancing Strategic Clarity and Stakeholder Engagement

Betsy Ploudre, Anthropology 

• Stories after Sundown

Learning Commons, Room 104

Jonathan Martin, Biochemistry

• Inhibition of Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases by Truncated tRNAs

Camille Van Bruaene, Political Science 

• A Crisis of Authority: The Vietnam War and the Abdication of Congressional War Powers

Karla Saldana, Neuroscience

• Why the Dentist is So Scary: How the Brain Learns and Maintains Dental Fear

Learning Commons, Room 105

Faith Gideon, Psychology

• Mental Health Advertising

Josiah Lee, Biology

• Sugar-Coated Sabotage: Re-engineering a Sweet Protein to Shut Down Thiol Proteases in the Mouth

Emma Alvarez, International Business

• International Experience and Career Performance: Examining the Role of Global Competence in International Business

Learning Commons, Room 202

Madison Gambon, Mathematics, Business Analytics 

• A Mathematical & Computational Study of Voting Power in Social Choice Systems

Irianna Morales, Psychology

• Intergenerational Households and Mental Health in Filipino American Young Adults

Shea Salamack, Creative Writing

• Moments in San Diego

Learning Commons, Room 204

Sarah McCormack, Biology 

• The Gut-Brain Connection in a Cnidarian Model: Microbiome Rehabilitation and Neural Function in Sea Anemone Exaiptasia diaphana

Alexandra Milshtein, Marketing

• I’ll Have What They’re Having: Social Media and the New Age of Consumer Conformity

Sarah Boland, Communication

• Anonymity and Social Belonging: A Case Study of Campus-Based Social Media at the University of San Diego

Learning Commons, Room 206

Logan Scottlind, Integrated Engineering

• The Human Element in Civil Design: Integrating People-Scale Infrastructure into the Built Environment

Josie Balish, Architecture

• Second Life: Revitalizing Portland's Industrial Architecture

Maryann Michlovich, Economics

• Designing Cooperation: Incentive Mechanisms in a Public Goods Game on Homelessness Support in San Diego

BLOCK D
1:45 P.M.

Learning Commons, Room 103

Aubrie Ackland, Chemistry 

• Optical Properties of Brown Carbon Aerosols in Aged Smoke

Madeleine Turco, Anthropology

• A Shared Sentence: How Ape Sign Language Informs Our Understanding of Human Language and its Origins

Cataleen Flores, Business Administration

• Business with Purpose: Exploring the Financial and Social Benefits of Corporate Social Responsibility Regarding Community Relations and DEIB Initiatives

Learning Commons, Room 104

Preston Dorand, Business Analytics

• The Transformation of Analytics in Sports

Victoria Garcia, Biology, Chemistry

• Effects of Amyloid Beta on Rhodopsin Accumulation in Endolysosomal Systems of Aging Drosophila Melanogaster

Mackensey Speirs, Neuroscience

• Evaluating Hippotherapy for Children with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities

Learning Commons, Room 105

Drew Pollard, Political Science

• Drivers of Latin America Economic Growth in the 21st Century; Examining the Role of Foreign Direct Investment in Economic Development 

Nicolas Narloch, Biochemistry

• The Adsorption Enigma: Deciphering How Surface Binding Determines the Fate of Salivary Cystatin Function 

Clara Smith, Psychology

• Therapist Self-Disclosure and Perceptions of Competence

Learning Commons, Room 202

Elena Williams, Economics

• The Impact of Transaction Costs on Remittances in Latin America & the Caribbean

JD Mouri, Chemistry

• Compositional Analysis of Metal Alloy Electrochemical Cobalt/Nickel Electrodes

Spoorthi Aedma, Psychology

• Intergenerational Transmissions of Culture among First-Generation Undergraduate Women of Color

Learning Commons, Room 204

Sofia Aguayo, Environmental and Ocean Sciences

• Contaminated Soils and Community Solutions: Urban Gardens, Health, and Environmental Education

Umi Sharif Ali, Psychology

• Discipline or Damage? How corporal punishment affects the psychological wellbeing of kids

Maren Bronson, Marketing, International Business

• The Role of Cultural Contexts Within Marketing Strategies of Experiential Tourism Across Countries that Rely Heavily on Tourism

Learning Commons, Room 206

Ashley Perri, International Relations

• Something in the Air: A Contemporary Examination of European Air and Missile Defense

Amanda Seitz, Business Administration

• Just Take the Job: Why Gen Z Graduates Are Settling and What It's Costing Them

Gianna Eaton, Digital Humanities 

• Mapping & Metadata: An Analysis of AI Impact Using Medieval Maps as a Framework