Fourteen students will represent Cal State San Bernardino at the California State University (CSU) Research Competition, held on April 25-26 at Cal Poly Humboldt. The statewide competition brings together top scholars from the 23 CSU campuses in this prestigious academic showcase.

Each year, more than 200 participants submit written papers and make oral presentations before juries of professional experts. The CSU Student Research Competition showcases research, scholarship and creative works by undergraduate and graduate students, as well as recent alumni from all academic disciplines. Participants compete in 10 categories, ranging from physical and mathematical sciences to education, for top honors and cash prizes.

The 14 CSUSB students were selected from more than 60 participants who presented their research to a panel of judges at the 39th annual CSUSB Student Research Competition in February.

Representing the university at the CSU Research Competition are:

College of Arts and Letters:

Ash Goar, Undergraduate, English Literature
Faculty Mentor: David Marshall
Presentation Title: "Queer Embodiment, Immortality, and Progressivism in The Priory of the Orange Tree"

College of Natural Sciences:

Vishwa Bhatt, Graduate, Computer Science and Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Jennifer Jin
Presentation Title: "Science of Revolutionizing AI with Prompt Engineering"

Calvin Glisson, Graduate, Computer Science and Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Qiuxiao Chen
Presentation Title: "Frequency Robustness for Self-Driving Cars"

Vicky Lopez, Connor Lahm, Mathew Eskola, and Katlyn Koski, Undergraduate, Computer Science and Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Yunfei Hou
Presentation Title: "FireEye"

Rene Toribio and Luis Trejo, Undergraduate, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Nicole Bournias-Vardiabasis
Presentation Title: "Evaluating the Effect of Nicotine Exposure on Drosophila Melanogaster"

Sebastian Zazueta, Undergraduate, Kinesiology
Faculty Mentor: Wagner Do Prado
Presentation Title: "Low-Volume Resistance Training Increases Muscle Strength and Reduces Stress in Older Women"

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences:

Alewa Anaya, Graduate, Psychological Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Nicolas Brunet
Presentation Title: "Eyewear’s Impact on N170 Amplitudes: Exploring Neural Mechanisms of Face Processing"

Luis Gonzalez, Graduate, Behavioral/Cognitive Neuroscience
Faculty Mentor: Leslie Amodeo
Presentation Title: "Changes in Circadian Rhythm and 24h Activity Patterns After Fluoxetine Exposure in Adolescent Rats"

Rachel Kanter, Undergraduate, Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Christina Hassija
Presentation Title: "Moral Injury and Religious and Spiritual Struggles: Pathways to Psychological Distress Among IPSV Survivors"

Michael Rubalcava, Undergraduate, History
Faculty Mentor: Ryan Keating
Presentation Title: "The Binding Lines: Race and Unfree Labor in the Wills of Colonial Virginia"