Presentations - 2026

Presentations given at the annual showcase, April 29th & the 30th 2026

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The Acute Effects of Heat Exposure on Cognitive Function

René Barbier

Passive heat exposure negatively impacts: •Executive function & response inhibition •Attention & processing speed •Workplace productivity

Older adults face heightened vulnerability to cognitive decline under heat stress (Schlader et al., 2015).

Who is most affected?

•Outdoor & industrial workers •Athletes training in summer heat •First responders (firefighters, EMTs) •Older adults with thermoregulatory decline

San Antonio context: persistent summers, growing population, occupational health implications.
Something in the Air? Uncovering the air quality of St. Mary's University

Isaiah Charles, Keagan Farrell, Antonio Martinez, Andrea Realyvasquez, and Kelly Swyers

What is air quality?

Measurement of how clean or polluted the air is in a certain area. The Environmental Protection Agency uses Air Quality Index (AQI), a scale that describes the quality of air. The six major pollutants measured are: •ground- level ozone •particulate matter •carbon monoxide •sulfur dioxide •nitrogen dioxide •lead Impacts of air pollution
•Acid rain •Climate change •Damage to plants and crops •Loss of biodiversity
•Respiratory illnesses •Cardiovascular damage •Premature death •Coughing and asthma
Match-A-Fit

Adan Diaz De Leon, Juan Marco Saca Dada, Brianna Mendoza, Arsalan Kataneh, Theophile Nsabimana, and Pedro Jacobo

Welcome to Match-a-Fit! Match-a-Fit is an iOS application that allows the user to create a digital closet by uploading images of their clothing items. With AI, the program can generate outfits based on the digital closet, the time, and the occasion. Match-a-Fit’s purpose is designed to help users who struggle to get ready, run out of time, or can’t decide on an outfit, by easily generating outfit options based on the occasion.
Fallen Light (Video Game)

Joshua Do

Problem:

•People misunderstand Lucifer’s deception

•(shown through Temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4) •Lack of engaging ways to teach theological concepts •Background: Lucifer corrupts not through force, but subtle self-elevation and doubt Motivation: •Just initially wanted to make a game of how sin entered the world for fun •Just thought it was a cool idea in general.

Solution:

•Dialogue-driven narrative game •6+ story chapters •10+ regions •Focused on spiritual conflict, deception, and discernment •Uses event-based progression •Presents Lucifer through subtle manipulation, by being a false light by choosing self-pleasure over what is right.
FoxBuddy

Luis Eduardo Garza Jr.

Problem:
•Many people are still unprepared incase of an emergency. (42%-46% are prepared for an emergency)
•Supplies can be scattered, expired, or forgotten. •Reliable guidance is often not easy to access.
Analysis of mitochondrial DNA haplotype groups for south Texas canids, Canis rufus, after past hybridization events

Isabella Lopez

mtDNA: mitochondrial DNA; passed from maternal parent to offspring (Haplotype)

Haplotype: a group of genes or genetic markers inherited together from a single parent (Haplotype)

Mitochondrial DNA haplotypes specific sequences of mtDNA that is passed exclusively from maternal parent to offspring (Giles et al. 1980)

Pro's:

It is passed unchanged from mother to offspring, meaning it is fairly stable (Giles et al. 1980)

Each cell has multiple mitochondria vs one nucleus , which means mtDNA it is more likely to be recoverable from degraded samples like scat (Templeton et al. 2013)
Microplastic-mediated Delivery of Di-butyl Phthalate alters C. elegans Lifespan and Reproductive fidelity

Chiara Angelyn Maldonado

•The challenge: microplastic contamination •The question: How do microplastics and chemical contaminants affect living organisms? •The follow-up: What’s next!
Budgeting apps, Financial literacy, and Financial control

Max Masabo and Abdullah Mohammad Mahi

Our paper shows the real hidden connections between budgeting app usage and financial wellbeing of U.S Households
ChopChop: The Digital Cookbook

Dominc McDevitt, Shane Misley, Katie Cerda, Kobie Henson, and Adolfo Duran

Problem With traditional recipe organization methods,

● Recipes are scattered across paper, PDFs, Word docs, and notes

● Paper recipes can be lost, damaged, or left at home

● Digital recipes are difficult to edit, store, and organize

● Manually typing or updating recipes is time-consuming

● Sharing recipes is inconvenient and often confusing

● Limited or inconsistent cloud access reduces accessibility

● Formatting is messy and inconsistent across platforms

● No simple, centralized system for managing recipes
MaddenLite

Sergio Pena

Problem •“What If” scenarios impossible to test accurately •Commercial games rely on arcade physics •Spreadsheets lack visual engagement

Motivation •Passion for football analytics •Desire to simulate cross-era matchups •Apply math models to real-world sports data

Solution •Python based simulation engine using historical play-by-play data •Simulates outcomes based on probability
FishEasy

Jake Rankin

Problem:
Inexperienced and experienced anglers lack necessary tools to begin fishing

Motivation:
Fishing is a fun hobby everyone should be able to enjoy – the lack of resources makes that difficult

Solution:
An application that integrates learning tutorials with helpful practices tools for both novice and experienced anglers
A.I.R.E.

Laurene Robinson

•Cybersecurity analysts rely on reverse engineering to understand suspicious software. •Ghidra can surface decompiled code, but it does not fully explain function purpose, behavioral meaning, or analyst priority. •When symbols are stripped and context is weak, analysts must still reconstruct intent manually from low-level output. •That process is Time-consuming , complex and , operationally costly
"Transgender Insanity" and Scapegoating: President Donald Trump's Political Rhetoric Regarding Transgender Americans

Savannah Torres

The political rhetoric used by President Donald Trump to refer to transgender Americans results in their scapegoating.