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Economic disparities in financial education: how financial literacy varies by socieoeconomic status in the United States
Serigo Arguello, Megan Beach, Adolfo Duran, and Gabriel Gomez
Financial literacy enables informed decisions, wealth building, and economic mobility.
• It is unevenly distributed across socioeconomic groups in the U.S.
• Key factors: parental income, education, occupation.
• Lower-income populations face greater financial vulnerability (Pew Research, 2024; FINRA Foundation, 2022).
• Improving literacy fosters stability, reduces welfare dependence, and boosts growth.
• Our study identifies barriers and recommends policies to close the literacy gap.
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The language of Theshrahk Thwath
Mary Arnolds, Nicholas Denmark, Sophia C. Farias, and Alexandra Renteria
J.R.R. Tolkien, British linguist and creator of fictional Elvish languages, coined the term glossopoiea to describe the act of inventing languages. In EN5361A Inventing Languages, our group engaged in glossopoiea to develop a constructed language, Theshalshe, based on the fictional culture and environment of Theshrahk Thwath, the Crane Forest.
Theshrahk Thwath is a deciduous forest. The climate is temperate, with four seasons and mild winters. The people observe a monotheistic religion centered around the goddess Kemajthwa, incarnate in an ancient willow tree. They are an egalitarian society arranged with age hierarchy. They are a scientifically advanced and literate people, specializing in herbal medicine, writing, and bookbinding.
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A protocol to investigate the acute effects of contrast therapy vs. heat therapy on cardiovascular health outcomes
René Barbier, Jace Nicolet, and Annahy Pesina
There is a growing number of people being affected by hypertension, often referred to as high blood pressure. Chronic high blood pressure (>130/80 mmHg) affects 45% of U.S. adults (Huguet et at., 2021). Chronic hypertension can have catastrophic outcomes, as it significantly increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, and heart failure. On top of this, this cardiovascular disease is often referred to as a "silent killer," because it tends to not present symptoms until serious damage already occurred. In addition to the negative effects on the individual, hypertension constitutes a large public heath burden, costing over $50 billion annually in the U.S. alone.
Pharmacological treatments are effective at treating hypertension, but they often come with undesirable side effects. These include dizziness, fatigue, electrolyte imbalances, or reduced quality of life. The best way to control blood pressure is through lifestyle changes, especially regular exercise. However, many individuals are unable to engage in physical activity due to physical disabilities, age-related mobility issues, obesity, chronic pain, or recovery from surgery or injury. Given these limitations, research has been exploring alternative, nonpharmaceutical interventions. Among these are the therapies that will be analyzed in this research study: passive heat therapy (HEAT) and contrast heat therapy (CONTRAST). HEAT involves exposure to heat, in this study through a Finnish sauna, and causes vasodilation enhancing blood flow, reducing vascular resistance, and increasing shear stress on vessel walls. Studies have shown that HEAT improves endothelial function (Brunt et al., 2016), reduces arterial stiffness and systolic blood pressure (Lee et al., 2022), and enhances coronary blood flow and overall cardiovascular resilience (Cheng & MacDonald, 2019). Then, CONTRAST involves alternating between heat and cold, using saunas and ice baths in this research project. This therapy causes cyclic vasodilation and vasoconstriction, and this alternating pressure shifts may have added benefits for cardiovascular health. It is hypothesized that CONTRAST results in greater cardiovascular responses than HEAT alone, potentially offering a more effective approach for the long-term management of blood pressure.
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Clinical use of Sit2Stand AI application for kinematic analysis in prosthesis users.
Samerial Brown
Biomechanical analysis is a tool to evaluate prosthetic and orthotic patient's. These tools offer the clinician capability of understanding the mechanism of injury, gait deviation or prosthesis problem. Video based analysis require expensive hardware, software, and training which sometimes costs $40-100,000.
The recent advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has opened up the possibility of acquiring high speed human motion video analysis using low-cost hardware and open-source machine learning algorithms. Still, free assessments like the Sit2Stand test is a current clinical outcome measure which assesses ability of a patient to stand and sit as fast as possible 5x. The faster the speed, the less likely they are to fall in the future.
One such offering is the Sit2Stand.ai application created by scholars at Stanford University. This application uses machine learning and pose estimation to create a human joint model which is then used to estimate joint kinematics (angle) and velocity of movement. Thus, by combining a clinically relevant measure with AI, the Sit2Stand app offers clinicals a more detailed level of analysis of their patient’s function. This study sought to explore a clinician’s perspective on utility of the application.
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Attachment and culture: Exploring relationship satisfaction
Lizbeth Carbajal
- Suggests that communication patterns related to attachment impact relationship satisfaction (Domingue & Mollen, 2009). -Latinx cultural values influence attachment-related conflict behaviors and relationship satisfaction (Guerrido, 2017). -Secure attachment leads to healthier conflict resolution and greater satisfaction (Pistole, 1989). The purpose is to analyze existing research on how attachment styles impact conflict resolution strategies in romantic relationships and determine whether cultural background (Latinx vs. non-Latinx) and relationship length influence these behaviors. Hypotheses H1: The quality of a relationship is mentioned more frequently than other themes when examining previous literature. H2: Cultural influences are discussed more frequently than relationship length in college students' romantic relationships in previous literature.
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Determinants of voting behavior in the 2020 U.S. presidential election: Issues, demographics, and the pandemic's influence
Julissa Cavazos
• The 2020 election caused many shifts in how certain groups voted based on their views on several issues which is why this research is essential.
• Leading up to the election, the top issues among voters according to news sites were the state of the economy, attitudes on how the government handled the COVID-19 pandemic, and concern over the immigration crisis.
• COVID-19 was a main factor in causing individuals to vote for Joe Biden as president.
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Immigration: A comparative analysis of the United States and Europe
Julissa Cavazos
* What can the United States do to improve the immigration system compared to Europe?
* What ideas and procedures could the United States adopt to alleviate the current immigration issue?
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The impact of tariffs on auto parts trade with China, Canada and Mexico: AI-Driven strategies for supply chain optimization
Katie Cerda, Layla Dickerson, Riley Gibson, and Oluwabunmi Sanusi
U.S. tariffs (7.5-25%) on auto parts from China, Canada, and Mexico are severely disrupting the automotive industry, a key global economic driver. These tariffs dramatically increase production costs and vehicle prices, potentially by up to $12,200 per vehicle (CBS News, 2025; MarketWatch, 2025). These tariffs necessitate major supply chain adjustments, leading to inefficiencies (MIT Sloan, 2024). Supplier diversification, while intended to mitigate tariff impact, extends lead times and shrinks profit margins (XenonStack, 2025). The industry's complex supplier network is now highly vulnerable, compelling companies to seek more adaptable strategies. AI-driven technologies like predictive analytics and route optimization offer potential solutions to these disruptions (RTS Labs, 2023). Real-time logistics and demand forecasting via AI can reduce costs by up to 15% and improve inventory accuracy by 20% (XenonStack, 2025). However, high implementation costs remain a significant obstacle (Deloitte, 2024)
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The impact of employer-provided drug/alcohol education on marijuana and alcohol use in young adults.
Sonia Cerrillo and Naomi Ramirez
According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, addiction is a treatable, chronic medical disease involving complex interactions among brain circuits, genetics, the environment, and an individual’s life experiences (1). People with addiction use substances or engage in behaviors that become compulsive and often continue despite harmful consequences. The most common addictions in the United States are alcohol and marijuana (2). In the U.S., 59.277 million people twelve and older have used illegal drugs or misused prescription drugs. Out of the 138.522 million Americans who overdrink alcohol, 28.32 million have an alcohol use disorder (3).
Since alcohol and drug abuse is a major problem in the U.S., several preventative programs and support groups have been created to educate people on how the overconsumption of drugs and alcohol can negatively affect them. The most common service provided for employees is the Employment Assistance Programs (EAP’s), which offer several ways of assistance such as employee education and therapy (4). This study strives to specifically assess whether these preventative programs prevented individuals from abusing marijuana or alcohol
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Acute Physiological Responses to an Infrared Sauna Blanket Towards Home Based Passive Heat Therapy
Arlene Chaidez, Mia Gonzales, Amaryllis Rubalcaba, Meghan Walls, and Rene Barbier
Repeated passive heat exposure can improve cardiovascular health outcomes. A novel infrared sauna blanket may enable home-based heat therapy, but these devices are yet understudied. By closely monitoring blood pressure, heart rate, core body temperature, and perceptual responses, it could be determined how a participant's body reacts to the infrared treatment. We found elevated cardiovascular activity in response to the sauna blanket, similar to that observed during moderate-intensity exercise. Therefore, the infrared sauna blanket may have potential for inducing long-term cardiovascular adaptations and become an accessible and costeffective way of treating/preventing chronic illness.
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Many otters project - coding analysis of otter behavior with foraged puzzles
Isaiah Charles and Andres Vega
The study of long-term memory and the cognitive abilities of otters is not extensively documented. This research consisted of the use of foraging puzzles, which are different containers with food inside such as fish, squid, and oysters. This research project, named ManyOtters, takes inspiration from the foraging puzzle techniques exhibited in separate studies (e.g., Saliveros et al., 2022; Ladds et al. 2017). Based on the studies, foraging puzzles have shown to draw engagement for several otter species. The species focused on in this study were Asian small-clawed otters (Aonyx cinereus) and African spotted-necked otters (Hydrictis maculicollis) housed at SeaWorld San Antonio (San Antonio, TX). The goal of the study was to assess if otters solved novel puzzles faster the second time the puzzle was given 8 weeks later.
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Hidden gems in the COPS/Metro Archival Collection
Qiuying Chen
This student poster was created for the 5th annual Research Showcase at St. Mary's University. From the poster:
University of Texas in San Antonio’s Special Collections has boxes upon boxes of COPS/Metro archival records which include rarely-known stories including these about a United Nations award, nationwide documentaries, and an inspiring bishop. In this project, it is my goal to uncover these special memories.
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The silent pandemic: Link between depression, marijuana usage and mental health services after the Covid-19 pandemic
Elias Ciudad and Lori Boies
The National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) measure substance use, mental illness, and treatment in the civilian noninstitutionalized population 12 or older. Depression is a public health epidemic that disproportionately affects young adult populations aged 18-25. At the same time, the consumption of marihuana is on the rise and more popular in this demographic group.
This statistical study aims to identify and model predictors of major depressive disorders (MDE) and marijuana abuse among populations older than 18 via standard tests, modeling, odds ratios, and epidemiological approaches for 2023 NSDUH data.
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An investigation of permethrin and polystyrene nanoplastic mixture xposure in C. elegans
Angelica Cue-Leon, Gregory Guantos, Viviana Palacios, David Mares, and Jennifer C. Harr
Microplastics (MP) are pieces of plastic less than 5 micrometers (mm) and Nanoplastics (NP) are less than 1 micrometer (um). Microplastics are found in our environment and have even been found in the food humans consume, including in drinks from plastic bottles (Hu 2020).
•Permethrin is an artificial insecticide commonly used on crops, livestock and human application.
•Very little research on the effects of permethrin on human health has been conducted especially on the reproductive system.
•Permethrin is believed to be a human carcinogen with damage and inflammation being found in liver and kidneys (Sun 2022).
•Weuse C. elegansas a model organismto ask about combinedNP and permethrin exposure (Liu 2024).
•C. elegans is a widely excepted model organism for toxicology studies.
•Here we use C. elegans to investigate the physiological effects involved when organisms are exposed to both nanoplastics and permethrin.
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The acute effects of high-intensity functional training on inhibitory control
Julia Daniel, Amaryllis Rubalcaba, and Brianna Valadez
High-Intensity Functional Training (HIFT), such as CrossFit®, integrates high-intensity, multi-joint movements and has gained attention for its potential to enhance both physical and cognitive performance. While acute resistance exercise (RE) is known to influence physiological responses like heart rate variability (HRV) and cognitive functions such as inhibitory control, the specific effects of CrossFit®—a structured HIFT program—on cognitive outcomes remain underexplored, particularly when comparing trained CrossFit participants to untrained or non-CrossFit populations. HIFT’s unique combination of cardiorespiratory and muscular stress may uniquely enhance cognitive processing speed and response stability, especially in individuals with chronic CrossFit® experience. However, it is unclear how these effects differ between trained CrossFitters, who may adapt to HIFT’s demands, and non-CrossFitters, who lack such training exposure. This study aims to compare the acute effects of a single bout of CrossFit® exercise on cognitive function—specifically inhibitory control, processing speed, and response variability—between trained CrossFit participants (≥6 months experience) and a nonCrossFit population performing resistance exercise, providing insight into how training history modulates cognitive responses to high-intensity exercise.
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Remembering ancient heroes: How literary devices InBeowulf and Homer Assist in poetic recollection
Emily Davey
In both Ancient Greek and Old English traditions of poetry, memory is an essential part in the retention of the language and story in the culture’s history. Beowulf shares some poetic lyrical elements with Homer’s epithets. Though both poems have unique and different poetic meters, they possess similar tactics in the language to move the story along while providing poets “footholds” in the poem to remember the story.To deliver these stories of heroes to the public, the sophists of Greece and the scops of Celtic England had only one tool available for the record of these lengthy poems: their capacity for memorization. In the Odyssey and in Beowulf, the authors use elements of language, such as syntactical choices, phonology, and the repetition of certain epithets or kennings to carry the poem along. These elements also work as memory aids or mnemonics for the oral poet when reciting and performing these works.
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Is less more, or more better? Behavioral insights from Bottlenose Dolphins during dolphin interaction programs
Megan E. Davis, Alicia Virthe, Heather Manitzas Hill, Kathleen Dudzinski, Michelle Samm, Buck Lyman, Kelly Flaherty Clark, and Todd Robeck
This poster was created for the 5th annual Research Showcase. From the poster:
Using video recordings collected during randomly selected human-dolphin interaction programs (2022-2023), 19 target dolphins were assessed for their behavioral repertoire, correct and incorrect responses to trainer/guest-given cues, and the total number of unique requested behaviors.
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V.O.T.S. Virus Outbreak Tracking System
Izak O. De La Cruz, Elias Ciudad Leon, Van Nguyen, Amy Torres, and Enzo Jaques
In a post-pandemic world, the need for real-time, accessible disease tracking has never been more critical. While global COVID-19 heat maps were widely utilized during the pandemic, local virus tracking tools have since diminished, leaving a gap in public health awareness.
V.O.T.S. is an interactive application that visualizes real time disease outbreaks through an interactive heatmap, enabling users to track virus trends by county, severity, and timeframe. The system integrates public health data from trusted sources such as the CDC, empowering individuals and healthcare professionals to make informed decisions. In addition, V.O.T.S. enhances accessibility with multilingual support, symptoms assessment, and alert notifications to keep communities informed.
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Investigating the drug response of PDAC cells to Pan-KRAS inhibitor
Jalyn De La Fuente, Yi Xu, Jun Liu, Angel Dominquez, Ava Sanchez, and Pei Wang
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an exocrine pancreatic cancer. It is one of the most lethal types of cancer and is projected to become the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths by 20401 . One major challenge in treating PDAC is drug resistance and the lack of effective treatments. Oncogenic KRAS mutation and loss of function mutation in tumor suppressor genes including P16, TP53, and SMAD4 are found in most PDAC patients. It is unclear whether the different driver mutations can affect the tumor responses to chemo- and targeted therapy. Gemcitabine, a chemotherapy drug, is a cytotoxic agent that has been used for treating pancreatic cancer2 . RMC7977, a most recently developed drug that targets active RAS proteins, shows strong tumor-specific effects in pre-clinical models of PDAC3 . Transcription factors are proteins that regulate gene expression, which may play a role in cancer drug resistance. We proposed to perform an overexpression screen using a commercially available cDNA library of transcription factors in our primary human pancreatic acinar organoids, aiming at identifying key transcription factors that contribute to drug resistance.
The research project aims to characterize the drug response from PDAC cells harboring different genetic mutation backgrounds. This will provide important guidance for precision medicine and pharmacotyping for individual PDAC patients to predict their drug response phenotypes and characteristics resulting from various genetic backgrounds.
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Detection of microplastics in the hindgut content of Zophobasmoriolarvae
Zoey Drexler
Microplastic and nanoplastic pollution is a growing environmental concern, with potential impacts on soil ecosystems and the organisms within them. Insects play a crucial role in soil health, and their digestive processes may influence the fate of microplastics in terrestrial environments.
Detection of micro- and nano-plastic particles in complex mixtures such as soil, sediments, and feces is difficult because these small particles often resemble particles of mineral or organic materials. One way to visualize them more specifically is by using Nile Red, a stain which is a dull blue when in aqueous on hydrophilic conditions, but which fluoresces bright red when exposed to hydrophilic conditions, such as adsorption to the surface of a microplastic particle. 1-4
This study aims to analyze the hindgut contents of the beetle larva Zophobas morio using fluorescence microscopy to detect and quantify digested microplastics. Specifically, we will examine polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, polyester, and polystyrene foam (“Styrofoam.”) By analyzing the concentration of these plastics in Zophobas morio feces (“frass”), we can better understand the extent of plastic ingestion and its potential effects on soil ecosystems
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CURE "Battery Discharge" Project: How (un)reliable were the batteries we bought?
Zoey Drexler, Aditi Kumar, and Abigail Padilla
The idea behind battery reliability is much beyond common knowledge. It is more than just batteries charging and discharging our common household items on a day-to-day basis. Battery reliability means to understand their parameters such as voltage, capacity, and internal resistance. This doesn't just mean battery reliability, but the reliability of data measurements pertaining to batteries. Data reliability regards to the integrity of measurements, consistency, and the quality behind what the analysis will tell us about batteries.
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Lessons from Roatan: Personal Growth Through Study Abroad
Cristina R. Duque and Astrid Burgos
Studying abroad is known for being significant and transformative for students. Using a pre and post survey given to 136 students at three universities before and after a goals, study abroad in Roatan, Honduras. This study assessed the goals students had before the program, how they felt when they reached their goals, if they found the program to be transformative, and how their self-esteem and confidence levels grew. It was predicted that the students would find the study abroad transformative and would reach most, if not all, of their goals. Students tended to have mainly academic/professional goals, and most achieved all of their goals and found the study transformative and had raised self-esteem.
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Modeling student depression with decision trees: Predictive insights from data
Ahloe Feomaia, David Montoya, Israel De Leon, and Oluwabunmi V. Sanusi
• Student depression is a growing public health concern that adversely affects academic performance and general well-being.
• According to Ibrahim et al. (2013), the prevalence of depression among university students ranges from 10% to 85%, with an overall weighted mean of 30.6%.
• Factors such as financial challenges, academic stress, and social adjustments significantly contribute to higher depression rates among students compared to the general population.
• Studies have shown that female students are more prone to depression due to hormonal, psychological, and social factors (Altemus et al., 2014). Depression impacts academic performance, reducing cognitive function and increasing dropout rates (Eisenberg et al., 2007).
• Therefore, proactive mental healthcare interventions are vital for student well-being and academic success.
• Predictive modeling using decision trees offers a data-driven approach to understanding complex relationships between demographic, academic, and lifestyle factors and depression levels, enabling more targeted interventions.
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Cyber Safe
Hiram Franco, Laurene Robinson, Joshua Do, Enrique Martinez, and Han Vu
With the rapid rise of cyber threats, understanding malware behavior is more crucial than ever. Millions of new malware variants emerge annually, compromising personal data, financial information, and entire networks. While no system is entirely immune, cybersecurity education can help mitigate risks. CYBERSAFE is a sandbox malware analyzer designed to enhance malware detection and analysis skills. By running malware samples in a controlled virtual environment, users can observe real-time file modifications, network activity, and system changes. The tool also includes interactive exercises and quizzes to reinforce learning. CYBERSAFE bridges the gap between theory and practice, providing hands-on experience to help users identify and understand malicious activity, ultimately strengthening cybersecurity awareness.
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Speed measurement on SwRI Shell Eco-Marathon vehicle
Andrew Garza, Benjamin Openshaw, and Scott Roelker Murillo
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) operates a fully autonomous electric vehicle known as the Shell Eco-Marathon Vehicle. This platform provides students with the opportunity to develop software, thus gaining hands-on experience in autonomous vehicle systems and advancing their careers. The vehicle competes against other fully autonomous vehicles, testing the performance and reliability of its software in real-world scenarios.
• However, improper handling during shipping damaged the previous speed encoder decoding method. A temporary fix was implemented, but it was limited — it provided accurate readings up to 3MPH but often falsely detected movement when the vehicle was stationary.
• Our project aims to develop a new, robust speed encoder decoding system capable of accurately measuring speeds up to 11.1m/s (24.9MPH). A test bench is needed for validation before installation. This system will be integrated with the vehicle’s state estimation system and securely mounted to ensure it does not interfere with any other vehicle operations.
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