CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — From investigating the prevalence of Wolbachia infections in arthropods in eastern Pennsylvania to examining personality and cross-group friendships and the ethical challenges of artificial intelligence in research and governance, students at Penn State Lehigh Valley presented a wide range of research projects at the campus' Undergraduate Research Symposium on April 9.
Held at Penn State Lehigh Valley, the annual event featured 28 student researchers who presented 17 poster projects across several disciplines.
"Penn State Lehigh Valley's Undergraduate Research Symposium provided me with an opportunity to connect with fellow student researchers and faculty from the campus, as well as local professionals in the community," said Cora Eberly, a student in biobehavioral health. "The diversity of individuals that I connected with granted me new perspectives of my own research and sparked ideas of how I could advance it in the future. I will forever value this experience and hold it as a useful stepping stone in my research career."
Todd Retzlaff, associate professor of mathematics and co-chair of the Penn State Lehigh Valley symposium, said the event showcases the intellectual curiosity and dedication of the students and faculty mentors.
"Undergraduate research gives students the opportunity to get involved with real-world questions and to see themselves as contributors to knowledge," Retzlaff said.
Projects were grouped into two categories: science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM); and arts, humanities, business, and social and behavioral sciences. Faculty and staff judges evaluated presentations, noting the high level of rigor and originality across submissions.
In the STEM category, first place was awarded to "A Love Bug Infection: Prevalence and Identification of Wolbachia in Arthropods in Eastern Pennsylvania" by Alvaro Martinez, Daniela Carolina Fernandez and Maryam Latefa, under the mentorship of Will Serson. Second place was a tie between "LENS: A Narrow Governance Framework for Explainable AI in Rights-Sensitive Oversight Contexts" by Talha Cakirbay under the mentorship of Pedro Robles and "Toward Cautious Integration: AI and Epistemic Authority in Transdisciplinary Research" by Cora Oberly and Kiara Padilla, mentored by Andjela Kaur.
In the arts, humanities, business, and social and behavioral sciences category, first place went to "Forecasting Stock Prices in the Age of AI – An Empirical Analysis" by Anthony Abdel Ahad, mentored by Subhadra Ganguli, and second place was awarded to "Does Health Literacy Influence Vaccine Hesitancy? The Role of Education, Religion, and Political Ideology" by Anna Kerns and Ruthanne Troutman, mentored by Jennifer Parker.
In addition to subject awards, the campus symposium includes the University Libraries Undergraduate Research Award for Excellence in Information Literacy. The award is given to entries that demonstrate excellence in information literacy through careful background research and literature review, integration and synthesis of sources, as well as critical reflection on sources. Three posters received this recognition: "Toward Cautious Integration: AI and Epistemic Authority in Transdisciplinary Research" by Cora Oberly and Kiara Padilla; "Does Health Literacy Influence Vaccine Hesitancy? The Role of Education, Religion, and Political Ideology" by Anna Kerns and Ruthanne Troutman; and "Personality and Cross-Group Friendships: A Model Test of Mediation and Moderation Analyses" by Katilin Solt, Anderson Bastien, Erika Brost, Vanessa Guevara and Natalie Mullen.
The symposium also featured a keynote address by Francis Kuklis, special projects manager at Brazil Iron Trading, a London-based firm focused on mining finance and critical minerals. Kuklis is a former marine who served for 11 years before completing his undergraduate degree at Penn State Lehigh Valley. He spoke about the transformative impact of undergraduate research on his academic and professional trajectory, encouraging students to take advantage of research opportunities as a way to expand both their skills and potential.
Following the campus symposium, Penn State Lehigh Valley advanced student projects to the Regional Undergraduate Research Symposium held April 25 at Penn State Abington. While the campus symposium featured two broad categories, the regional competition expanded into four including arts and humanities; biology and health; social sciences and business; and physical sciences, information sciences and engineering. This allowed campuses to send up to two posters per category. As a result, participation extended beyond first- and second-place winners to include additional high-quality projects.
The regional symposium featured 35 posters from five Penn State campuses and provided students with the opportunity to present their work in a larger, more competitive setting.
Penn State Lehigh Valley students earned several top honors. In arts and humanities, "Toward Cautious Integration: AI and Epistemic Authority in Transdisciplinary Research" by Cora Oberly and Kiara Padilla received second place. In biology and health, "Does Health Literacy Influence Vaccine Hesitancy? The Role of Education, Religion, and Political Ideology" by Anna Kerns and Ruthanne Troutman also earned second place, while "A Love Bug Infection: Prevalence and Identification of Wolbachia in Arthropods in Eastern Pennsylvania" by Alvaro Martinez, Daniela Carolina Fernandez and Maryam Latefa was selected to compete.
In social sciences and business, Anthony Abdel Ahad received first place for "Forecasting Stock Prices in the Age of AI – An Empirical Analysis." Additional recognition in this category included a third-place finish for "Physical and Social Oral Health in Relation to Depression" by Jana Elarousy and Melanie Villarreal, mentored by Jennifer Parker, as well as participation by "Personality and Cross-Group Friendships: A Model Test of Mediation and Moderation Analyses" by Kaitlin Solt, Erika Brost and Vanessa Guevara, mentored by David Livert.
In physical sciences, information sciences and engineering, Talha Cakirbay presented "LENS: A Narrow Governance Framework for Explainable AI in Rights-Sensitive Oversight Contexts." Also invited to compete was Mahdi Shah, mentored by Rifat Mansur, for his project on "From Coding to Quitting: Is GenAI Shaping Retention Rates of CS Majors place in STEM."
Students described the regional symposium as both competitive and rewarding.
"My experience at the Eastern Regional Undergraduate Research Symposium at Penn State Abington provided me with an opportunity to meet with fellow students devoted to their research," said Cora Eberly, a student in biobehavioral health. "Moreover, connecting with student researchers from other campuses introduced me to new research ideologies and pathways I had not previously considered. I am grateful to have been provided with this opportunity and will use my experience to further advance in my research endeavors."
Faculty mentors also emphasized the broader impact of these opportunities, stressing how undergraduate research builds confidence and creates pathways for future academic and professional success.
"Undergraduate research symposia give students an opportunity to share what they learned from research with their peers and the greater community without traveling to academic conferences," said Andjela Kaur, assistant teaching professor of biobehavioral health and co-chair of the campus research symposium. "At the same time, if students wish to attend national and international conferences, the symposia adequately prepare them for these events."
"Being part of the organizing committee gave me a front-row seat to the depth and quality of work our students are producing," added Rifat Sabbir Mansur, assistant teaching professor of information sciences and technology. "This was my first year at Penn State Lehigh Valley, and I was genuinely impressed, not only by our campus presentations, but also by the caliber of undergraduate research I saw across campuses at the regional symposium at Penn State Abington. It reinforced for me that undergraduate research is one of the most powerful experiences we can offer students."
These experiences highlight the vital role of undergraduate research at Penn State Lehigh Valley. They offer students the chance to explore questions they are curious about and make meaningful contributions to their fields of study, all while gaining professional and career-advancing skills and connections.