Posters - 2026

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  Separate But Found: An Ontological Analysis of Toni Morrison's Beloved

  Byron Haynes

  In Toni Morrison's Beloved, separation becomes the ideal solution for African American women to recover their humanity and build a future. These women understandably harbor for their oppressor and would be unable to foster a coexistence with them, given their suffering after being the victims of sexual assault, lynchings, hard labor, substandard living circumstances, and death regularly. By illustrating the methodical methods in which women are dehumanized under Whiteness, this essay examines how each woman reclaims their humanity through the separation of Whiteness in their lives through Baby Suggs’s preaching, Sethe’s choice to kill her daughter, Denver’s exploration of reality distanced from her family, and Beloved’s mere existence. Keywords: Race, Maternity, Slavery, History, Identity

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  Libertatis Cunabula: Slavery in San Antonio

  Makayla Hernandez

  This research on the taxes collected by our city and county exposes the pervasiveness of slavery in San Antonio. This truth is shockingly new for San Antonio. No marker nor plaque nor historical commemoration exists to honor the memory and contributions of enslaved San Antonians, nor to force a reckoning with the legacy of prominent enslavers among San Antonio’s leading families and Alamo heroes. This research project recovers every person listed as enslaved in the Bexar County Tax Assessment Records from 1837 to 1862 and names their enslavers. It immediately counters the assumption and assertion that slavery was insignificant in the history of our community. The tax records prove our city’s dependence on slavery and our debt to our enslaved ancestors. Among the many findings gleaned from these records, we see that not only were men enslaving people, but women were also enslavers in their own names, exercising their own property rights in humans, independent of husbands, fathers, and sons. Among the enslavers, we also see Hispanic surnames, both male and female. Hispanic surnames are a small fraction of Anglo surnames, but they appear throughout this 25-year period. Although this research topic is sensitive, it is very important to face this raw-yet-real history.

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  SmartStock

  Enzo Jaques

  SmartStock is a mobile application designed to help small business owners efficiently manage inventory and track sales in real time. Many small businesses rely on manual tracking methods or spreadsheets, which can lead to errors, lost data, and inefficient operations. SmartStock addresses this problem by providing a simple, mobile-first solution that allows users to manage products, monitor stock levels, and calculate profits instantly.

  Purpose:

  • Simplify inventory management • Track sales and profit automatically • Provide real-time low stock alerts • Improve decision-making for small businesses

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  Co-ordination driven heteroleptic self-assembly of naphthalene diimide and aromatic dicarboxylate

  Rosanna Jees, Kennedy Kuchta, Joshua Do, and Erendra Manandhar

  Co-ordination driven self-assembly is a powerful tool to construct supramolecular co-ordination complexes (SCCs) with predictable and well-defined molecular structures. Fujita, Stang, Newkome, & others have developed novel methodology to synthesize 2D & 3D Metallo-supramolecular structures, such as triangles, cubes, and octahedrons. These have potential applications for optical materials, sensing, catalysis, light harvesting & emissions due to the structures’ well-defined cavity and easy functionalization at the periphery position of ligands.1–4 SCCs with various functional groups, fluorophores, and chromophores, like crown ethers, carbazoles, fullerenes, and dendrimers, have been reported through self-assembly, yet naphthalene-diimide (NDI)-based macrocycles and cages are limited. This project focuses on the synthesis of a core-substituted NDI-based using self-assembly, its binding behavior via fluorescence, and its capabilities for hierarchical self-assembly.

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  Translating Research for the Public: Lab and Online Engagement

  Hannah Jiron

  In the world of psychological research, we spend countless hours in the lab gathering data that has the potential to change lives. But if that data stays locked away in spreadsheets or professional journals, it remains "invisible" to the very people who need it most. As our research moves into the digital age, we have a unique opportunity to "uncloister" science taking it out of the lab and bringing it into the community. This poster explores why simply having good data isn't enough. For research to truly matter, it requires active management and a heart for public outreach. We argue that the bridge between complex lab findings and community engagement is built through "trans-scientific" communication spaces like research blogs or interactive databases where experts and the public can finally talk to one another. By prioritizing how we organize and share our work, we ensure that our data isn't just a collection of numbers, but a living tool that empowers our community, honors their values, and drives real-world change.

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  Availabilty of Educational Tools and the Presence of Technology in Online Stores: Supporting Teaching Practices in Autistic Youth

  Sofia Kamar and Layla Alanis

  - A neurodevelopmental condition known as, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is characterized by difficulties with social interaction, behavior regulation, and communication. (DSM-5-TR; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) - Specialized educational tools are essential for supporting the learning, communication, and social development of autistic youth (Jones, Hanley, & Riby, 2020). - Teachers depend on a variety of learning aids—such as sensory supports, visual schedules, and assistive technologies— to address diverse student needs (Carrington et al., 2020). - According to earlier studies, young people with ASD frequently require specific resources, physical and technological, as well as scheduled routines to facilitate learning and transitions between activities (American Psychiatric Association, 2013; Strain et al., 2011). - The purpose of this study was to analyze the availability and technological integration of educational tools for autistic youth across categories such as language materials, dramatic play, blocks/manipulatives, and decor/furniture, on the online school supplies websites, Lakeshore and Gateway, to determine how well these commercially available tools align with the evidence-based practices and classroom needs identified in current research.

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  Beyond the Sidelines: A Qualitative Analysis Proposal of How Female Athletes Reclaim Narratives via Digital Ownership

  Kaitlyn Kirschner

  The Gatekeeping Model: Traditional sports media operates through a centralized gatekeeping system, in which editorial filtering determines the information disseminated to the public (Wilderness Agency, 2021). Narrative Control: Such centralization strongly shapes the portrayal of athletes’ identities and restricts the visibility of individuals outside mainstream sports. The 90/10 Coverage Gap: Despite the expansion of professional leagues, women’s sports continue to receive less than 10% of total media coverage (I Play Like a Girl, 2024). Standardized Reporting: Established broadcasting practices and commercial priorities have historically resulted in standardized reporting that favors male-dominated sports (Doyle et al., 2021). Systemic Inequity: These frameworks perpetuate persistent disparities in the allocation of airtime and resources, thereby constraining the commercial and cultural reach of female athletes.

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  Regional Inequalities in Healthcare Access and Capacity in Brazil

  Elena Kossler

  The Brazilian health system is one of the largest and most comprehensive universal public health systems, fully funded by the government.

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  The cost of affordable healthcare: How Brazil's SUS and generic drug strtegy produce structural inequality and challenge global pharmaceutical rules

  Elena Kössler

  Affordable healthcare is often seen as a major social achievement, but maintaining low costs involves important trade-offs. Brazil’s Unified Health System (SUS) provides universal healthcare and relies heavily on generic medicines to expand access. This raises a central question: how can a system reduce the cost of healthcare while simultaneously generating new forms of inequality and tension within global pharmaceutical markets? This paper argues that Brazil’s cost-reduction strategy, particularly its reliance on generic medicines, improves affordability but also produces structural trade-offs between equitable access, quality of care, and incentives for pharmaceutical innovation.

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  The Effects of Sour & Spicy Food on Visual & Auditory Reflexes

  Aditi Kumar, Alondra-Sophia Martinez, Magdalena E. Saad, and Emma J. Welsch

  • The reflex reaction time measures how quickly the nervous system can respond to a stimulus. • In the experiment, both visual and auditory reflexes were measured to evaluate differences in reaction time after the consumption of sour and spicy foods. • Spices and herbs produce different signals that interact with the nervous system. (McMullen 2024) • Comparing the response times from before and after consumption, this experiment allowed us to determine if different tastes affect reflex reaction times.

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  Agglomeration of Particles Streaming down a Zigzag

  Juan Llamas

  Zigzags or “letdown ladders” limit the flow speed of dry grains as they flow downward by gravity when loading silos, ships, barges, railcars, or trucks.

  • Reduce cracking and shattering of grains.

  • Increase grain shelf life.

  • Increase grain resale value. • Increase ability of grain to germinate.

  • Reduce generation of grain dust, an explosion and environmental hazard.

  How can we design a zigzag that we know will not plug?

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  Assessing Differential Expression in Skin of Surface Versus Subterranean Salamanders (Eurycea) Through Development

  Chiara Angelyn Maldonado, Van Nguyen, and Amy Torres

  In salamanders, previous findings have shown that subterranean environments impose different selection pressures on sensory systems than surface environments do (1). Differences in ocular development between phenotypes is part of ongoing research to better understand the evolutionary and molecular underpinnings. Studies have shown that parallel ocular development occurred in subterranean and surface phenotypes, while pax6 expression decreased in latter stages of development of subterranean species (2). These insights of gene labeling and expression as well as reduction of ocular structures in latter stages of development provide a stage for understanding evolutionary processes and genetic mechanisms as well as having potential clinical applications (2). There are many other phenotypic and physiological characteristics that can be analyzed to further these differential expression findings from the ocular structures. Some phenotypic differences include fully formed functioning eyes, small robust limbs, and pigmentation in surface species; in contrast subterranean species have dorsally ventrally compressed heads, reduced non-functioning eyes, and highly reduced pigmentation (2).

  Considering the preliminary findings about sensory systems selections, skin is another potentially insightful area of investigation due to the mechanoreception differences between surface and subterranean species (1). Using previous gene sequencing data from tissue sampling, the species E. sosorum, E. rathbuni, E. latitans, E. nana, E. pterophila CS, and E. pterophila PC were utilized for our skin analysis.

  We aimed to explore the developmental process to learn which genes are differentially expressed in skin tissue between subterranean and surface species.

  We hypothesize that skin tissue from subterranean salamander species will exhibit a distinct gene expression profile compared with surface species, including differential expression of genes related to sensory function, mechanoreception, and skin-associated developmental pathways, reflecting adaptation to subterranean environments.

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  Beluga Buddies: The Preferred Social Network of Belugas in Managed Care

  Valery Marinelarena and Diamond Garcia

  Belugas societies are not fixed and group composition is everchanging. Group composition can also influence behavior. This study aims to examine the preferred social networks and the role age plays in the behavioral diversity within a group of managed care belugas housed at Sea World San Antonio. Results Supported TYO had a preferred, non-random social network and ATL performing more chinslaps than TYO.

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  The Childhood Beyond the Border

  Joshua Marroquin, Cheyenne Ruiz, and Evelyn Adela Perez

  • In 2024, there were approximately 18.3 million immigrant-origin children (1st, 2nd or 3rd generation; unauthorized; or international) which represented 26% of all 69.1 million children in the United states (Batalova, 2026). • There are many factors in immigrant-origin children’s childhoods that influence their early education, wellbeing and sense of identity as they grow up, but also in higher education. • Research Question: How do immigrant-origin students' experiences affect their current standing in U.S. universities?

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  Sustainable Mitigation of Microplastic Pollutants Using Native Plant Species

  Antonio Martinez

  Microplastics (MPs) are defined as small plastic particles that come from the degradation of plastics [Ziani et al. 2023], that hold a regular or irregular shape, ranging from 1μm to 5 mm [Campanale et al. 2025]. This diminutive size makes them virtually impossible to remove once released into the environment[Lee et al. 2023]. Furthermore, biological, chemical, and physical processes break MP's further down in the environment, causing them to exist in nano-level sizes (1nm-1μm) [Lee et al. 2023], further exacerbating their threat to critical habitats. However, recent studies have shown MP contamination expands beyond the natural environment as recent studies revealed the presence of MPs in tap water systems (TWS) worldwide, including treated drinking water, distributed water and household/public tap water [Sun et al. 2024].

  As a method of mitigation, enhanced coagulation-flocculation, rapid sand filtration, membrane bioreactors, have been implemented in water filtration systems to remove microplastics, showing a 99% removal rate. However, as these filtration methods are designed to remove biological contaminants and sediment greater than 1um, nano-size microplastics quickly bypass these barriers, inevitably reaching our household taps.

  In this experiment we explored the phytoremediation capabilities of Pontederia Cordata and Ceratophyllum demersum to serve as sustainable and cost-efficient phytoremediators for municipal water systems to remove nano-size microplastics (< 1μm). For this experiment we hypothesized Texas native plants; Pickerelweed(P. Cordata) and Coontail(C. demersum) to efficiently remove microplastics/nano-plastics from their environments as previous studies demonstrated the water hyacinth (same genus as P. Cordata) to be a highly effective phytoremediator for microplastics, effectively up taking microspheres down to .5μm from its environment. However, coontail is not closely related to the water hyacinth, but due to its fully submerged growth style and its highly prolific growth in nature, it may offer superior microplastic uptake capabilities.

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  Property Taxes and Educational Inequality: How Funding Structures Perpetuate Social Class Divides in San Antonio, Texas

  Kristanna Martinez and Camila Ore

  The U.S education system relies heavily on property taxes, creating an unhealthy dependence where property value dictates the quality of education depending on the school district

  • In the historical case Edgewood v. Kriby, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the reliance on local property taxes for school funding was unconstitutional, as it violated the state requirement that all children receive a “thorough and efficient” education. The court ruled that every district must be provided the same ability to obtain educational funds regardless of their local property wealth. • The purpose of this study is to examine if the 2025-2026 funding data between Edgewood ISD and Alamo Heights ISD determine if these historic court rulings and subsequent policies were enough to balance the educational funding field, or if the unequal tax system persisting necessitates further reform.

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  The Effects Human Presence has on Dolphins within a Natural Lagoon Enclosure in Managed Care

  Mario Martinez and Winter Saldaña

  ● Previous research looked into the overall behavior of dolphins in managed care using observations of location (Dudzinski & Hill, 2025).

  ● This study provides opportunities to investigate the effects of human presence on dolphin activity and space use (Lauderdale et al., 2022; Trone et al., 2005).

  ● Purpose - To determine if human presence affects dolphin behavior / spatial use of natural lagoon.

  ● H1: Dolphin clustering will be seen in the most Northern part of the lagoon and area associated with humans consistently (Melillo et al., 2009).

  ● H2: Higher activity levels will be observed during the “during” sessions with a swimming researcher (Trone et al., 2005).

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  Finding Light

  Jose Enrique Martinez Melgar

  Finding Light is a narrative driven RPG that follows the journey of Hop, a protagonist who is navigating a fragmented world of lost memories. By exploring diverse environments and interacting with environmental puzzles, you can uncover a story of existentialism and self-discovery. This project aims to explore how interactive media can represent the process of reclaiming one's identity in moments of darkness. Moreover, Finding Light aims to promote mental health awareness.

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  Healthcare Systems & Policy Implications for the Impact of State Medicaid Reimbursement Rates on Access to Primary Care Services in Rural Communities: Turning Knowledge into Action

  Miriam Martinez

  • Where a child lives can determine whether they receive care or go without it. • Access to primary care is essential for prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment, but rural areas face persistent challenges such as provider shortages and geographic isolation. • Medicaid serves as the primary source of health coverage for low-income children; however, reimbursement rates vary by state and are often lower than other forms of insurance. • This study examines how Medicaid reimbursement policy contributes to disparities in access to care for rural children and reflects broader structural inequalities within the healthcare system.

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  Using AI-based predictive scheduling to improve patient flow and reduce wait times in healthcare clinics

  Oscar Martinez

  • Healthcare systems face increasing challenges in patient access and wait times
  • Average wait times for specialist care continue to rise, creating:
    • Delays in treatment
    • Reduced patient satisfaction
    • Increased system inefficiencies (Sanford, 2025)
  • A major contributor is operational bottlenecks, defined as:
    • Points of congestion that slow or disrupt service flow
  • Hospitals typically operate under process layouts, which:
    • Handle diverse patient needs
    • Reduce specialization efficiency
  • Contributing factors to bottlenecks:
    • Physician shortages and burnout
    • Administrative burden
    • Inefficient scheduling systems (Moura & Pinho, 2025)
  • AI offers potential solutions through:
    • Predictive scheduling
    • Automation of administrative processes
    • Data-driven optimization of patient flow

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  St. Mary's ROTC, One Hundred Years of Military Science

  Pedro Martinez

  The ROTC program at St. Mary’s has built a proud legacy of over a century of military tradition, leadership, and service. That distinguished chapter will evolve at the end of this semester as the program transitions from host institution status and becomes an extension of the University of Texas at San Antonio. While the program will continue to operate, this change marks both the end of one era and the beginning of another. Much of this rich history had long gone undocumented by the university and the battalion, until now, bringing together the key moments of its evolution, from its earliest conception, to its role during World War II, and the integration of women into its ranks.

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  Signaling response of Epinephrine treated CARDS Toxin-infected THP-1 Macrophages

  Trinity Martinez

  Aspiration pneumonia is a common mild case of pneumonia, a disease where the lungs are inflamed and filled with fluid, compromising respiration and gas exchange. One common cause of mild pneumonia is bacterial infection via a pathogen known as Mycoplasma pneumoniae. M. pneumoniae causes a variety of respiratory illness- ranging from pharyngitis, tracheobronchitis, mild pneumonia- and in rare cases encephalitis. M. pneumoniae produces the CARDS toxin, which participates in ADP-ribosylation and vacuolization (Kannan et al., 2006)1. The CARDS toxin causes aspiration pneumonia by paralyzing the cilia that lines the respiratory tract. Epinephrine, or Adrenaline- is a hormone that is medically administered as a drug to act as a bronchodilator and vasoconstrictor for patients experiencing anaphylaxis (Horstmann et al., 2015)2. Epinephrine has a harsh impact on the respiratory and circulatory system, with bronchodilation expanding the airways and vasoconstriction narrowing the blood vessels, encouraging the heart to pump harder to deliver blood. THP-1 cells are a human monocytic leukemia cell line commonly utilized for studying monocytes and macrophages. If THP-1 monocytes undergo a PMA treatment to be differentiated into macrophages and are then treated with CARDS- the cells become ill and the innate immune response of the macrophages reacts. However, in mild pneumonia, certain qualities- such as gas exchange and respiration, are compromised. Thus, when injected with epinephrine, or adrenaline- the macrophages are already ill and their ability to respond to epinephrine may be deterred. This experiment aims to uncover whether there is, if any, change in the cellular modulations, inflammation, or oxidative stress present in THP-1 monocytes that have been differentiated into macrophages, treated with CARDS Toxin, and then hit with Epinephrine.

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  Detecting Cancer Genes Using Graph Neural Networks

  Marvin Masabo Nkaka

  • Cancer survival prediction is challenging due to the complexity of genomic data and limited samples especially for rarer cancer types. • To address this challenge, we developed an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model for survival analysis using RNA-sequencing gene expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). • Moreover, a key concept we investigate was how transfer learning enhanced our model’s performance especially for rarer cancer types difficult to perform accurate survival analysis due to their limited samples.

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  Between Boots and Beaches: A Study of Spanglish Across the Souothwest

  Payton Mayfield, Kaylynn Perez, Demetri Zoutis, and Sandra Villarreal

  When two living organisms reproduce, they create new life—an entity that is distinct, yet traceable to its origins through inherited traits. While languages are not biological, a similar process of creation can occur through contact and convergence. When two languages interact, a new vernacular may emerge, shaped by its linguistic “parentage” while developing its own structures, meanings, and cultural significance. Spanglish represents one such linguistic evolution. This study examines the development of Spanglish across the United States mid-West, with a focus on communities spanning from Texas to California. By comparing these regions, the research identifies both shared patterns and regional variations, while also exploring the broader cultural impact of Spanglish within the communities in which it is spoken.

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  When the Jingle isn't Human: How AI-Generated vs. Human Composed Sonic Branding Shapes Consumer Response

  Zecong Ma, Hong-Hee Lee, and Danielle Rangel

  Sonic branding elements—such as sound logos and jingles—shape brand meaning by communicating cues that consumers process quickly and often implicitly (e.g., through affect, fit, and memory). Recent evidence suggests that even specific musical choices (like instrumentation in a sound logo) can shift perceived brand personality traits (e.g., sophistication, ruggedness), indicating that audio can function as a powerful identity signal rather than mere “background.” At the same time, generative AI is rapidly lowering the cost and increasing the speed of producing branded music, making AI-composed jingles a realistic and scalable tool for marketers. Yet consumer responses to AI-generated creative work are theoretically ambiguous. On one hand, AI may trigger skepticism or “algorithm aversion,” producing lower trust or warmth relative to human creators. On the other hand, in advertising contexts where the music’s role is instrumental (supporting mood and fit), consumers may rely more on congruence than on the creator, potentially attenuating authorship effects.