Digital Commons Network^™

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Disease Made Invisible By Stereotypes, Isabella Tober

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a very complex disease that is often overshadowed by public opinion. Stereotypes within modern-day media have turned this disease into a social joke, leading individuals to suffer in silence and isolate in fear of judgment. Historically, society has allowed this invisibility to be placed upon the disease, but so has the medical industry through misdiagnosis and inaccurate treatment. The reality of OCD is very real and impactful for those living with this condition. Through proper education and exposure to the truth behind OCD, negative discourse will turn positive, ultimately allowing people to feel visible and seek proper …

Self Perceived Vs. Objective Emotion Recognition In Undergraduates Without Autism Spectrum Disorder, Lucy Curtin, Hannah Flynn

Student Research and Creative Activity Expo

In this project, we are examining the performance on a social perception task in people with and without concerns regarding social perception.

When Intensity Becomes Unpleasant: Content-Dependent Effects Of Arousal On Valence, Allison D. Nguyen, Ananya Ranganagoudar, Charvi Koniki

OneUSF Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium

Trait worry is associated with heightened negative interpretation of internal arousal, raising the possibility that individuals higher in worry may evaluate high-arousing experiences less positively. The most unpleasant and pleasant experiences are also the most arousing. However, individuals higher in trait worry may evaluate highly arousing experiences more negatively, depending on the content of the stimulus. This study tested whether trait worry moderates arousal and valence ratings and whether this association depends on image content.

Eighty-seven students passively viewed emotional and neutral images and provided arousal and valence ratings for images. Image content categories were generated by an AI classification …

The Experiences Of Black Student-Athletes Across Different Institutions, Raniya Burkett

Psychology Summer Fellows

Sports, like many social institutions, require athletes to develop social competencies that shape performance, self-presentation, and behavior. Black collegiate athletes frequently experience these pressures and may conform to white supremacist ideals of propriety. Findings from this study will identify barriers to authenticity in athletic spaces and inform strategies to promote greater inclusivity and cultural sensitivity among coaches, teammates, and athletic programs.

The Power Of Physical Activity And Sleep: Sex-Specific Pathways To Cognitive Health In Older Adults, Gabriella K. Waldbauer

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Physical activity (PA) and sleep health are associated with cognition. However, limited research has examined the interactive effects of PA and sleep on domain-specific cognitive function in older adults. Although sex differences exist independently across all factors, sex-specific interactive investigations are limited. This study investigated whether the relationship between PA, sleep and cognition varies by sex in older adults. Older adults (N=119; Mage=68.3±5.6; 73 women) completed measures of insomnia severity (Insomnia Severity Index), physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) and cognition (NIH Toolbox-Cognitive Battery). Multiple regressions examined whether insomnia severity interacted with physical activity in associations with cognition and tested …

The Overestimation Of Minority Group Size, Kennedy Tennant, Kiara Overstreet, Ty Curci

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Politicians and citizens often claim that a problem is "growing" or even "out of control" without providing metrics to support their claim. We wondered if people who fear immigration might be prone to overestimate the percentage of people who they perceive as "foreign" and further, whether that overestimation is moderated by the degree of fear or contempt held towards that group. In Study 1, participants viewed fictitious graduate school applications and then estimated the percentage of applicants that were from the Middle East. In study 2, participants viewed fictitious head shots and estimated the percentage of individuals who were wearing …

Effectiveness Of Mindfulness-Based Interventions In Treating Behavioral Addictions, Arjun Tummala, Eshal Farhan, Tina Zhang, Ayesha Menon, Harshini Janapaty

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Behavioral addictions are non-substance compulsive disorders creating urges to engage with actions such as gambling and internet gaming disorder (IGD). Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) use conscious awareness of the present to improve both mental and physical health. However, their long-term effectiveness remains unclear compared to other therapies. This literature review explores how the use of MBIs, compared to other therapeutic techniques, help adults and adolescents struggling with behavioral addictions. A systematic screening of peer-reviewed articles was conducted using PubMed. Of 135 articles published from 2021-2026, “mindfulness”/“meditation”, “behavioral addiction”/”gambling”/“gaming disorder”/“internet”, and “long-term”/“relapse”, only studies that explored MBIs for behavioral addiction with experimental …

Designing Equity With Ai: Scaffolding, Offloading, And Translation For Students With Learning And Attention Differences, Oksana Hagerty

Teaching & Learning with AI

This session positions AI tools as a mechanism for supporting students with learning and attention differences grounded in theories of distributed cognition. It distinguishes cognitive barriers arising from peripheral demands from those related to conceptual understanding and higher cognitive tasks. Drawing on scaffolding, cognitive offloading, and translation, the session argues for equity through intentional task design rather than individual exception. It concludes by examining the pedagogical trade-offs between AI-supported cognition and the pursuit of tool-independent mastery.

Don't Self-Opt Out Of Career Opportunities: Proceed With Confidence, Valerie Mendoza

Faculty Publications

While reflecting on your career in the past, have you ever stepped back from an opportunity that you wanted because you doubted yourself? In the workplace, confidence often gets mistaken for competence, and that means talented employees can be overlooked simply because they hesitate. The truth is that confidence isn’t something you’re born with. It’s a skill you can build. This session will get you started on building that skill.

We’ll explore practical strategies to strengthen your confidence starting today. We’ll also break down the key differences between how confident individuals act compared to those who aren’t, so you can …

Ai For Mental Health: A Design Science Approach, Amaya Ballard, Ewaoluwa Jaiyesimi

Symposium of Student Scholars

AI-based mental health chatbots are increasingly being introduced to expand access to psychological support, especially where stigma, cost, scheduling constraints, or limited availability make traditional therapy services difficult to use. Many people are beginning to turn to these tools for immediate, low-threshold assistance when experiencing stress or emotional distress. However, we still know relatively little about the situations in which individuals feel comfortable relying on AI for support, or when they would prefer human help instead, creating uncertainty about how such systems should be designed and deployed responsibly. This study examines how users evaluate AI-based mental health support compared with …

Fluency ≠ Literacy: Practical Strategies To Scaffold, Not Offload, Rachel Rupprecht, Heidi Keller, Vanessa Hörmann

Teaching & Learning with AI

This open-access resource kit helps faculty transition students from passive AI outsourcing to critical evaluation and essential skill cultivation. It includes 11 Assignment Templates & Rubrics, a Template Selector Gem, an AI Literacy Coach Gem, a Mindset Shifts & Expert Blind Spots visual guide, and student-facing resources.

Policing Course, Adrian Bordoni

Open Educational Resources

Policng course divided in 8 modules: includes readings, videos, interactive assignments, discussion boards Final ppaer and presentation to support topics

Future Frames: Ai Tools In Music And The Value Of Human Composers, Jeff Wragg

Staff Scholarship - New Zealand

This presentation examines the pros and cons of using AI within a film composition practice. It identifies some of the roles of music in film and provides advice on how to collaborate with human composers and how to engage effectively with AI when a human composer is not an option.

Reframing Intimacy: An Occupation-Based Approach To Pelvic Floor & Sexual Health, Emma Stone

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

Pelvic floor dysfunction is highly prevalent among women in the United States, and sexual health is often underaddressed in healthcare. This capstone project aimed to define the role of occupational therapists (OTs) in pelvic floor therapy and promote integration of sexual health into practice. Completed in an outpatient pelvic floor setting, the project included clinical skill development, program development, and advocacy. Interventions involved continuing education, creation of educational handouts, implementation of home exercise programs, and tracking outcomes using the PFDI-20. Additional initiatives included staff education and student training on OT’s role in pelvic health. All 12 tracked clients progressed toward …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Bilingual Children's Subjective Feelings When Language Brokering, Laritza Leyva, Emely B. Bayas, Jordan S. Perry

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

This study investigates how bilingual child language brokers (CLBs) subjectively feel when language brokering (i.e., translating for family members who are not proficient in a language) and the factors that contribute to their feelings. CLBs (ages 9-12) were interviewed about their brokering experiences, and overall themes were identified using thematic analysis. While the majority of CLBs reported feeling positively when translating, some mentioned feeling “normal,” negative, and/or bewildered. CLBs further explained that their feelings were influenced by their belief that translating is helpful, their vocabulary knowledge, and family values related to language learning and bilingualism, among other reasons.

Models Of Advocacy And Support- A Cross-Organizational Study, Kaylee Allen

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

I will be comparing other organizations to my job. Over the semester, I will look at the similarities and differences between TLH, QC, OM, and REM. Through these companies, I will examine how each advocates and supports disabled individuals in achieving independence, inclusion, and these individuals’ quality of life. The main goal of this study is to understand how these companies advocate for these individuals, what support services are offered, and the community integration efforts that are used by these companies. By analyzing these examples, this research aims to bring a better understanding of how community-based services can promote empowerment …

The Delivery Dilemma: Unintended Consequences Of Cesarean Sections, Cecilia Odegard, Ellie Rose Piette

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Cesarean sections (C-sections) are a major surgical procedure intended to minimize the rate of maternal and infant mortality due to complications during birth. While they were originally intended to only be performed when medically necessary, rates of non-medically indicated C-sections have increased significantly. This poster examines the unintended consequences (UICs) that are associated with C-section delivery, focusing on both short-term and long-term effects. A major focus is how C-sections disrupt early microbial exposure during birth, which plays an important role in the development of the infant gut microbiome and immune system. Research has shown that infants born via C- section …

Hemispheric Processing Of Words And Unfamiliar Symbol Strings, Karoline Curlo

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

This study investigates the role of each cerebral hemisphere in processing word forms to better understand how the brain decodes letter strings. Participants completed a same-different judgment task for four-character word and symbol (Orkhon) pairs presented unilaterally. On different trials, a single character was substituted at the first, second, third, or fourth position in the string. Results showed a sameness advantage in the left hemisphere (LH) and a difference advantage in the right hemisphere (RH) - effects only observed with word stimuli. Performance was best when the substituted character occurred at the beginning or end of words and symbols, rather …

A Bridge Back To The Community, Anna Kemp, Summer Langva, Ulathi Mpofu

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

The Dream Center in St. Cloud, Minnesota, supports adult men aged 18 and older who face challenges such as mental illness, chemical dependency, traumatic brain injury, learning disabilities, and physical disabilities. The center provides stable housing, three daily meals, clothing, and a range of support systems designed to promote rehabilitation and community reintegration. In addition to meeting basic needs, the Dream Center offers faith‑based programming that emphasizes restoration through Christian teachings, including the message of God’s love through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God. As part of our community service‑learning project, we conducted interviews with residents …

Gamification Of Physical Therapy To Promote Adherence, Katie Bennett

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

Rehabilitation and physical therapy are essential components of recovery, yet patient adherence is often limited by low motivation and the repetitive nature of prescribed exercises. Similar challenges are observed in general fitness, where individuals are more likely to engage in physical activity when it is paired with goal-setting, feedback, and enjoyable experiences. Prior work, such as gamified fitness systems (e.g., Wii Fit), has demonstrated the potential of utilizing games to increase user engagement and consistency. In this work, the application of gamification principles to rehabilitation is examined by designing an interactive game that utilizes a balance board as an input …

Peer Cultural Socialization As A Moderator Of Perceived Discrimination And Ethnic-Racial Identity Exploration Among Korean Adoptees, Josie Braun, Majel Baker, Jae-In Kim, Richard Lee, Elisheva Perelman

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

As peers become increasingly salient sources of affirmation and cultural learning across adolescence and emerging adulthood, peer cultural socialization may play a distinct and critical role in moderating Korean adoptees' exploration of their ethnic-racial identity. This study hypothesized that 1) ethnic-racial discrimination experienced in the past year in adulthood (T3) will be unrelated to exploration of Korean ethnic-racial identity in adulthood (T3). However, peer racial socialization in adulthood (T3) will moderate the relationship between ethnic-racial discrimination experienced in adulthood (T3) and exploration of Korean ethnic-racial identity in adulthood (T3), and 2) ethnic-racial discrimination experienced in the past year in adulthood …

Cultivating Home: Nepali Migrants And Gardening As Everyday Rhetoric, Menuka Gurung Lama

Frontera Retórica Symposium

Rhetorical knowledge is often discussed through formal institutions and textual traditions, leaving everyday community practices underexamined. This paper engages the theme “Rhetoric from the Margins” by examining how Nepali migrants’ gardening practices in Hooksett, New Hampshire produce knowledge outside dominant academic and institutional frameworks. I ask: How do Nepali migrants use gardening as a way of making meaning, sustaining memory, and cultivating belonging in unfamiliar environments? In what ways does gardening function as a rhetorical and epistemic practice through which migrants carry and transform land-based knowledge across borders? Rather than treating gardening simply as leisure or subsistence activity, I examine …

Effects Of A Context-Based Intervention On Sidelining Teacher Bias Towards Students With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Marisa Kortright

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

This study aims to investigate the impact of an empathetic intervention on pre-service teachers to minimize bias against students diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Behaviors typically associated with ADHD, such as inattention and hyperactivity, correspond to two primary categories that teachers identify as disruptive in the classroom (Sun & Shek, 2012). Numerous studies have demonstrated evidence of discrimination in the classroom against students diagnosed with ADHD (Cortnett-Ruiz & Hendricks, 1993; Metzger & Hamilton, 2021). Moreover, teachers frequently report feeling unprepared to support these students and experience increased stress levels (Green et al., 2002; Kirchhoff, 2023). Context-based interventions have successfully sidelined …

Exploring Reaction Times In D1 Female Volleyball Players, Lydia Seymour

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

The purpose of this study was to examine reaction time in a group of Division I female volleyball athletes. Data was collected over a consecutive four-week timespan using the Dynavision D2 training system. The Dynavision D2 training system consists of a mounted board with a series of light-up buttons and a screen in the middle, also referred to as the t-scope. In this study, buttons would light up, at random, for one second at a time. Athletes were tasked to press each button as fast as possible before the next button would light up. In addition, the t-scope screen presented …

Language Style Matching (Lsm) And Group Cohesion: Exploring Mechanisms Behind Psychological Wellbeing In Interpersonal Psychotherapy For College Students (Ipt-Cs), Bradley Orzada, Kirby Knapp, Ellie Malone, Colleen Conley

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) has been found to be effective for improving the anxiety and depression symptoms of college students, but little is known about the therapeutic mechanisms behind IPT nor for whom IPT does not work. Language style matching (LSM), given its associations with interpersonal relationships and psychological wellbeing, may further inform IPT mechanisms and serve as a tool to predict intervention outcomes. Using data from an IPT group for college students, the present study explored how participant LSM relates to anxiety, depression, and group cohesion. Group psychotherapy transcripts of participants (N = 9) were analyzed using Linguistic Inquiry and …

The Relation Of Museum Visitors' Idea Framing Approaches And Engineering Engagement During A Community Design Puppet-Making Activity​, Adeline Sauer

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

Engaging in early informal learning opportunities for children provides a unique setting for fostering their engineering learning. Specifically, collaboration (e.g., sharing ideas and helping one another) can support children's learning during tinkering activities. We explore how 39 4- to 10-year-old children (Mean age = 6.63; 19 girls) and their caregivers define and engage in the engineering design process (EDP) during a hands-on puppet making activity at a children’s museum. It is hypothesized that children and caregivers who frame, or communicate, their ideas as group-centered will have the highest engagement in the EDP process over framing ideas as individual-centered and other-centered.

Why Would I Tell?: The Role Of Gender, Identity Centrality, And Responsiveness In African American Romantic Relationships, Angela Okechukwu

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

For African American couples, shared racial identity can help facilitate sharing of experiences of racial microaggressions (Nightingale et al., 2019). High partner responsiveness can help manage stressors (Reis, 2012), and should correlate with increased willingness to share. African American couples answered questions about experiences of microaggressions, ethnic identity centrality, and partner responsiveness. Women shared more regardless of their identity centrality. However, men lower in identity centrality were more willing to share if they perceived their partner as more responsive, while men high in identity centrality shared regardless of how responsive they thought their partner was.

Multi-Omics Systems-Guided Insights Of Withanolide And Other Bioactives Contributions To Anti-Stress And Endurance Outcomes In Withania Somnifera, Deepak Mundkinajeddu

Oxford ICSB

Conventional Ashwagandha standardization is largely focused on total withanolide quantification, without insights on the functional contribution of other phytochemical fractions. In this discovery-driven development program, orthogonal array–based model combined with predictive transcriptomics was used to delineate the relative biological roles of withanolide and other bioactive components within Withania somnifera extracts. Validated animal models showed that withanolide-enriched fractions significantly reduced serum cortisol (p< 0.05), while other bioactive-enriched fractions significantly increased run-time to exhaustion (p< 0.05), confirming anti-stress and endurance mechanisms. By linking the phytochemical profile with predicted biological pathway activity, the composition of the extract is rationally optimized for the development of a standardized extract (Ashwa.30), designed to deliver both anti-stress and endurance benefits at a dose of 30 mg. Clinical evaluation of the Ashwagandha extract demonstrated significant reductions in perceived stress scores and circulating cortisol levels, alongside measurable improvements in endurance parameters compared to placebo (p< 0.05), confirming translational alignment from preclinical discovery to human outcomes. Untargeted metabolomic profiling revealed enrichment of glycine and serine metabolism, methionine metabolism, phenylalanine and tyrosine metabolism, and homocysteine degradation pathways. These integrated metabolic changes worked together to improve energy production, support mitochondrial repair, maintain antioxidant balance, and help reset the body’s stress response system. This work presents a systems-biology–based approach to holistic Ashwagandha standardization, integrating withanolides and complementary bioactivities. It establishes a precision-driven framework for clinically validated adaptogenic efficacy.

Bringing Worlds Together: How Social Studies Teachers Make Content Meaningful, Harley A. Payne

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Secondary educators in social studies classes face the challenge of maintaining the attention of twenty to thirty students while they instruct them about content that often seems irrelevant or unimportant. These educators know, however, that the material these students are disinterested in is useful and crucial for developing adolescents who are learning to interact with the world. Research suggests that bridging the gap between the classroom and the real world has been linked to greater classroom engagement (Cooper 2014, Tagliaferro, 2012). Students who are engaged and exert more effort in class derive academic benefits, such as placement in advanced pathways …

Cheating On Cognitive Dissonance Theory: An Investigation Of Moral Disengagement, Javier Mora, Jana Michelle Hackathorn

Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal

Cognitive dissonance theory (Festinger, 1957) theorizes that when individuals experience discrepancies between attitudes, actions or beliefs, the resulting psychological discomfort leads individuals to use one of many “dissonance reduction strategies” such as justification, attitude change, etc. to feel better (Mcgrath, 2017).

Moral disengagement theory refers to tendency of people to lessen the implications of their perceived immoral actions, through various behaviors such as blaming others, diffusing responsibility, etc. (Bandura et al, 1996).

However, no known research has examined whether moral disengagement is merely a dissonance reduction process.