糖心少女

Symposium on Student Research, Creative Activities, & Innovation

2026 CSU Student Research Competition

In spring 2026, San Jos茅 State University will proudly host the . This prestigious, three-day statewide event showcases outstanding research, scholarship, and creative work by undergraduate and graduate students from all academic disciplines across the CSU鈥檚 23 campuses.

What is the Symposium on Student Research, Creative Activities, and Innovation (SRCI)? 

糖心少女 hosts an annual internal competition to select ten SRCI projects that will represent 糖心少女 at the system-wide CSU Student Research Competition. During this internal competition, undergraduate and graduate students from all disciplines present their research conducted as part of a 糖心少女-sponsored project. 

Application Information

Showcase your research for 2027, creative activities, and Innovation. Gain valuable experience and have the opportunity to represent 糖心少女 on a statewide stage. Submit your project and be part of this incredible journey! 

Judges & Mentors

Be a part of something special by volunteering as a judge or moderator! Your involvement can make a huge difference in our student's success while giving you the chance to engage with innovative ideas, creative projects, and impactful research.

Symposium 2026 Winners/Runner-Ups

Symposium 2026

Symposium 2026's Sessions

• Session 1: MARK 101

  2:00-2:15 PM: Maria Angela Jungers: In Her Space Journal: A Qualitative Study Exploring Collective Meaning-Making Through Creative Works in a Women-Centered Literary and Arts Journal

  2:15-2:30 PM: Charles Taylor: Ruin

  2:30-2:45 PM: Charlotte Dumbeck: Inside Out: An Exploration of Human Separation from the NaturalWorld

  2:45-3:00 PM: Katya Frazier: LY2444296, a K-Opioid Receptor Antagonist, Selectively ReducesAlcohol Drinking in Male and Female Wistar Rats with a History of Alcohol Dependence

  3:00-3:15 PM: Madison Gill:Muons Attack Your DNA: Biological Implications of Cosmic-Ray Muons

• Session 2: MARK 102

  2:00-2:15 PM: Maggie Vo:A Novel Age-Related Role for the Developmental Hedgehog Signaling Pathway in Drosophila Hearts

  2:15-2:30 PM: Natalie Nosco: Non-Invasive Detection of Plant Stress Biomarkers: Using Reverse Iontophoresis for Peroxide Measurement

  2:30-2:45 PM: Victoria Naficy: Investigating the mechanisms of voltage-gated ion channel biogenesis at the human ER

  2:45-3:00 PM: Vincent Gonzalez: Time鈥揅ourse Host and Viral Gene Expression in Responseto Ranavirusambystoma1 Infection

• Session 3: MARK 103

  2:00-2:15 PM: Monica Ambrocio: Florescence Imaging of Actin Formations in MCF-7 shMLH1:Implications for Metastasis

  2:15-2:30 PM: Casandra Nguyen & Tania Hernandez: Triple Negative Breast Cancer Proliferation Reveals the Efficacy of Each Inhibitory Drug Treatment Leading to Molecular Pathway Targets

  2:30-2:45 PM: Mikayla Torres & Gabriela Salsameda: Cassiopeaxamachana: A model organismfor observing the effects of warming water temperatures in complex oceanic habitats

  2:45-3:00 PM: Alexis Rios & Melissa Chico Brito: Milpa increases soil carbon, metabolic capacity, and reduces plant stress, and mutualistically impacts our community

  3:00-3:15 PM: Syrita Maria Joe: Automated Cell Counting for Immunofluorescent Images inAlopecia Areata

• Session 4: MARK 201

  2:00-2:15 PM: Sarah Wiese & Camryn Nelson:Effect of Outdoor Lighting on Nocturnal Insects Visiting Coastal Sage Scrub Plants in San Diego County

  2:15-2:30 PM: Zachary Davis: Body and hindfoot posture during swimming of salt marsh harvest miceand coexisting rodents in the Suisun Marsh

  2:30-2:45 PM: Dregyn Bennett: Immunophenotypic Analysis of Alopecia Areata Progression in aC3H/HeJ Mouse Model

  2:45-3:00 PM: Harnoor Boparai: Bioprinting Hybrid Collagen-PEGDA Scaffolds to Study Differencesin Breast Cancer Cell Attachment and Migration

  3:00-3:15 PM: Jason San Nicholas: Investigating the Role ofTrissin Signaling inDrosophilia Heart Function

• Session 5: MARK 203

  2:00-2:15 PM: Kyler Pinkowski: Ecological Perspectives on Microbial Community Characterization and Implications for Bioremediation

  2:15-2:30 PM: Camile Angel Sevilla: Developing Mixed-Valence Dicopper Complexes as Models for Biological Copper Sites

  2:30-2:45 PM: Valerie Cota-Carrillo: Using Flow Cytometry to Discern Functional Subpopulationsof Epidermal 饾浘饾浛 T Cells

  2:45-3:00 PM: Miguel Kinyon: Qualitative research on Calcidiscus leptoporus sexual reproduction

• Session 6: MARK 205

  2:00-2:15 PM: Julian Banuelos Torres: Exploring the genetics of performance: morphology, kinematics & genomics of salt marsh harvest mice 

  2:15-2:30 PM: Jhasmine Valencia: Developmental Response of Symbiosis Under High-Temperature Stress on the Upside-down Jellyfish

  2:30-2:45 PM: Nashea Lampkins:The upregulation of gamma delta T cell genes and their correlation to alopecia areata in mice and humans

  2:45-3:00 PM: Hunter Alan: Molecular Characterization of the 21L ORF in Ranavirusambystoma1

• Session 7: MARK 208

  2:00-2:15 PM: Kaitlyn Sung: Discrepancy between primary language and neuropsychological testing language affects objective performance but not ultimate diagnosis ofAsian participants within the National Alzheimer鈥檚 Coordinating Center (NACC) dataset

  2:15-2:30 PM: Cassandra Stillman: How the Creative Arts Build Resilience in Youth Who Have Experienced Trauma: A Literature Review

  2:30-2:45 PM: Rachel Soliven: Exploring Barriers and Facilitators to Inclusive Early Childhood Education

  2:45-3:00 PM: DemiDiSepio: Semaglutide's effects on sucrose intake in a rat model of binge eating

  3:00-3:15 PM: Joseph Hopper: How Does the Dominant Industry of a State Affect Inter-state Migration?

• Session 8: MARK 210

  2:00-2:15 PM: Carmen Tyler:When Exposure Becomes Overexposure: Social Media Exposure to Traumatic Content as a Moderator of Daily Social Media Use and Empathy in Emerging Adults

  2:15-2:30 PM: Jasmyn Sorapuru & Karina Marquez: Running from Anxiety: NACHO's role in running and anxiety-like behaviors

  2:30-2:45 PM: Jake Stewart: Can Parasocial Relationships Ease Feelings of Loneliness?

  2:45-3:00 PM: Aryanna Alarcon: Depressive Symptoms Associated with Cannabis Use Disorder among a Two Race Sample of U.S. Young Adults

• Session 9: MARK 306

  2:00-2:15 PM: Dakota Heisel:Exploring Chemical, Structural, and Functional Correlations in Porous Materials

  2:15-2:30 PM: Brendan Murphy: Developing Porous Magnets with Mixed-Valence Fe鈧� Nodes

  2:30-2:45 PM: Christopher Lambert: Synthesis of Pyrene-Based Linker for Porous Magnets

  2:45-3:00 PM: Madison Mower: The Acute Effects of Backpack Load Carriage on Vascular Stiffness, Pinch Strength, and Finger Edema

  3:00-3:15 PM: Juan Levya: The Effects of Neoprene Booties on Foot Skin Temperature and Postural Control Following Cold Water Submersion

• Session 10: MARK 125

  2:00-2:15 PM: Justin Devore & Madison Gill: Investigating the RC Circuit Behavior ofAlumina Colloidal Systems

  2:15-2:30 PM: Max Hyman & Madison Gill: Solving the Quark Flavor Puzzle With Maximum Democracy

  2:30-2:45 PM: Nick Paris: Synthesis of NADES-based Ag Nanoparticles for Estradiol Detection in Water

  2:45-3:00 PM: Callie Steppat: The Very Hungry Caterpillar: Voltage-Gated K+ Channel KCNQ1 Regulates Ion Transport in the Malpighian Tubules of LarvaTrichoplusia

 

• Judge Details

  For judges, we are seeking a commitment to the following: 

  Before the event: Review the participants' papers in your assigned room.

  During the event: Proceed over their oral presentations and choose a finalist and runner-up from your room.

  Students: 糖心少女 graduate students are eligible to serve as judges

  If this sounds right for you, please . 

  Note: Juror's areas of expertise may not necessarily align with the specific disciplinary category they are evaluating.

• Moderator Details

  Primarily responsibilities:

  Timekeeping: Ensuring that each presenter adheres to their allotted time for presentations.

  Room Management: Facilitating smooth transitions between sessions and maintaining order within the presentation rooms.

  Introductions: Welcoming attendees, introducing judges, and presenting each student presenter.

  Students: Undergraduate students may participate as moderators

  If this sounds right for you, please .

Participant Information

• Prep Session

  Prior to the event, we will be hosting a session to help you better prepare with tips on presentation, PowerPoint dos and don鈥檛s, logistics, and event statewide competition guidelines.  

  Date:  February 10, 2026

  Time: 12:00-12:50 pm 

  Location: Mark 103 

  Presenter:  Richard Armenta

• Resources

  Resource Page

  Participation Criteria

• Event Agenda
  • 1:40 pm Student Session Check-In
  • 1:50 pm Romm instructions and introductions
  • 2:00 pm Oral Presentations Begin 
  • 3:15 pm Reception
  • 4:00 pm Awards Ceremony in MARK 125
• 糖心少女 Delegate Coaching Session
  We will offer individual 20-minute coaching sessions to the ten student delegates. We know you will practice with your research mentor, and this would be an additional opportunity to help make your presentation sparkle. Details will be sent to student email. 
• Special Accommodations or 糖心少女
  Individuals with disabilities who would like to attend this event, please reply to this email regarding any special accommodation needs. It is requested that individuals requiring auxiliary aids such as sign language interpreters and alternative format materials notify the event sponsor at least seven working days in advance. Every reasonable effort will be made to provide reasonable accommodations in an effective and timely manner.

 

• Application Process
  • Read the Participation Criteria: Ensure you understand the requirements. 
  • Log intoIf you don't have an account, you'll be prompted to create one. 
  • Complete the Include your written summary. Ensure your submission is the most updated version, as it will be considered final.
  • Use Your School Email: Check it regularly for all correspondence.
  • Group Submissions:
    • Plan for no more than two total presenters.
    • Designate one person to submit. Each group should choose one member to handle the submission process. 
    • Include the names and emails of all group members in the application. Ensure spelling is correct. 
    • Select one person from your group to be the travel representative. Only one representative from the winning group will travel as a 糖心少女 delegate.   
• Written Summary Guidelines

  Haven't written a project summary/abstract before? 

  Different disciplines have different approaches for the organization of the project narrative/description (or "body" of the paper). One common approach is the IMRaD format, but this may not be the format most common in your discipline. 

  • • Introduction 鈥� what is the topic; why study it? (may include a thesis statement and/or research question)
    • Materials & Methods 鈥� how was the research conducted?
    • Results 鈥� what was found in the research?
    • Discussion & Conclusions 鈥� what do the findings mean?

  Note: It is important to communicate your research clearly and effectively to a general audience. 

  Check-out: 

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison:  (includes sample abstracts from the humanities, social sciences, and sciences)
  • SACNAS:  (Webinar) 
  • Published papers in your discipline that have a project summary/abstract
    
• Oral Presentation Guidelines

  Students will present their work orally before a jury and audience. Each student will have ten minutes for an oral presentation of their work and three minutes to listen and respond to judges and audience questions. It is expected that a student will not make a presentation by simply reading directly from the written summary.

  All entrants may use audiovisual materials as appropriate, and presenters are encouraged to use delivery techniques that promote interaction with the audience.

  Entrants in the Creative Arts and Design category may present an audio and/or visual recording of a performance they have given or a work they have created; their oral presentation should focus on the rationale and historical context underlying their interpretation of the material.

  Note: It is important to communicate your research clearly and effectively to a general audience. 

• Faculty Mentor Approval

  Upon submitting your application, your faculty mentor will receive an email notification.

  Faculty mentors must approve submissions within three days by responding to the email.

  Check with your advisor to ensure they receive the confirm your submission.

  Once approved, you will receive a confirmation email with event details.

• Awards, Travel, and Delegate Expectations

  Top presenters in each session will receive a cash award and the chance for one team member to represent their project at the 糖心少女 Student Research Competition. 

  This prestigious event highlights outstanding undergraduate and graduate research across all 23 CSU campuses. 

  Student Delegate Expectations: 

  If your project is selected to advance to the CSU Student Research Competition, are expected to:

  • Attend your full presentation session
  • Support fellow 糖心少女 students by attending at least one additional session
  • Participate in the closing awards ceremony

  Note: If a delegate is unable to meet these expectations an alternative delegate may be assigned.