Florida International University McNair Scholars Research Conference 2026

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Associate Professor of Biochemistry 
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry 
College of Arts, Sciences and Education

2B Abigail Casales Florida International University

Title: Understanding Oral Reading Fluency in Exceptional Students: The Role of Parental and Neighborhood Factors


4B Iris Reyna St. Mary's University,

Title: Texas Evaluation of Prosthetic and Orthotic Technologies Using AI Technology​


6B Adriana Gaulzetti Eastern Kentucky University

Title: Psychological Patterns in Lone-Wolf Terrorism: Analyzing the Unabomber, Oklahoma City Bomber, and Boston Marathon Bombers


8B Tatiana Aristizabal Florida International University

Title: Prevalence of Iron DefiCiency (ID) and Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) in College Students (PICA – College Study)


10B Victoria Steckbauer Florida International University

Title: Latina College Students’ Perspectives on Sex, Sex Education, and Sexual Empowerment


12B Isabella Lopez Florida international university

Title: More than a sunburn: How Miami-Dade Fishers Rely On Experience and Community to Inform Skin Cancer Prevention


14B Brandon Rubio Florida International University

Title: Urinary Tract Infections Alter Nrf2 Pathway in Brains of G2019S-LRRK2 Transgenic Mice


16B Jasmine Gaona Eastern Kentucky University

Title: Barriers in the United States Healthcare System that Affect the Quality of Care Women of‬ Color Receive.


18B Kevin Medina Florida International University

Title: Ultrapower Constructions: A common thread across Logic, Model Theory, and Analysis


20B Jamie Monrroy New Mexico State University

Title: Restoring Biological Truth


22B Jean Rodriguez Garcia Florida International Univesity

Title: LAT1 Inhibition Impairs Metabolism and Proliferation in Colorectal Cancer


24B Herene Saint-Clair Florida International University

Title: DNA Polymerase η Gene Knockout in Human Cancer Cells by a CRISPR/Cas9 System


26B Jay Dakiwas North Carolina State University

Title: The Role of Inflammatory Protein Kinase TAK1 in Alzheimer’s Disease: Visual Analysis of Oligodendrocytes with TAK1 Hyperactivation


28B Lulu Perez Florida International University

Title: Prevalence of Iron Deficiency (ID) and Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) in College Students


30B Armeen Nasir University of Texas at Arlington

Title: Regulation of snRNP Biogenesis and Splicing by U1C Isoforms


32B Thalia Abboud Florida International University

Title: Expression of Human DNA Polymerase η in a Bacterial System


34B Ana Fonseca Florida International University

Title: Pre-clinical assessment of hRXFP1 agonists ML290 and 8394 as therapeutics for vascular calcification


36B Jennifer Sanchez Flores University of Texas at Arlington

Title: Predictors of Adolescent Alcohol Use: The Role of School Experience, Peer Influence, and Parental Support


38B Zoe Rudd Loritz Florida International University

Title: Expression and Purification of Fusion Protein dCas9-KDM4D-Vault


40B Amy Sanchez Lima Florida International University

Title: Investigation of the Impact of a Mathematics Laboratory on Undergraduate College Algebra Student Success


42B Raj Patel FIU

Title: Antiretroviral Drugs Induce Cardiotoxicity Through Dysregulation of Mitochondrial Function


44B Lucas Menendez Florida International University

Title: Role of Minoxidil in Murine Aortic Valve Elastogenesis


46B Lindsey Diaz NC State University

Title: Stress Biomarkers in Bumblebees Across Different Landscapes


48B Linda Zapata University of Georgia

Title: Characterization of Novel Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease"


50B Jibel Mendez University of Texas at San Antonio

Title: Vegetation Influence on Water Quality Indicators in Small Freshwater Ponds


52B Rolando Ramos St. Mary's University

Title: Leveraging MATLAB for Genomic Analysis of Alzheimer’s Disease Risk Genes in GWAS Datasets


54B Ariana Alaniz Florida International University

Title: Analyzing the Student Experience and Anxiety in Calculus 1


56B Houytieng Ung Florida International University

Title: The Effects of Microplastics and Heavy Metas on Nematodes as a Model for Cardiovascular Physiology