The College of Applied Health Sciences is excited to highlight the impressive research work done by our undergraduate students.

AHS Undergraduate Research Expo—2025
April 23, 2025
2 to 3 p.m.
First floor, Huff Hall

Our AHS students have an opportunity to present their research to AHS faculty, students, and staff. Come support our students as they prepare for the campus-wide Undergraduate Research Symposium the next day.

2025 Undergraduate Research Symposium
April 24, 2025
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Illini Union

A record-breaking 121 AHS students will be presenting at the all-campus symposium this year.

• 12 AHS students will be giving oral presentations
• 109 giving poster presentations
• 7 students presenting on multiple projects

COMMUNITY HEALTH

• Afsar Ali, Afnaan, (CHLH), Poster: Domestic Robot Support for Successful Aging - A Journey through Planning, Design, and Implementation

• Betancourt, Jason, (CHLH), Poster: Connecting People, Animals, and the Environment: The Role of Community Health Workers in One Health
• Childs, Ashli, (CHLH), Poster: The Role of Community Health Workers in Reducing Breast Cancer Among African American Women: A Literature Review
• Coyago, Andrea, (CHLH), Poster: “A Nosotros, Todos Los Latinos, El Baile Nos Gusta”: A Qualitative Analysis of a Remote Latin Dance Program for Older Latinos
• Escobedo, Magali, (IHLT), Poster: The Role of Tattoos in Body Image
• Guzman, Savannah, (CHLH), Poster: Closing the Loop: Communicating Research Findings Back to the Communities that Informed Them
• Ham, Quinn, (CHLH), Poster: A Thematic Analysis of Barriers and Facilitators to Healthcare Accessibility for Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis
• Karwande, Tanya, (CHLH), Poster: Associations between Particulate Matter Oxidative Potential and Its Metal Contents
• Keshav, Diksha, (CHLH), Poster: Multiple Sclerosis Health Literacy from a Socio-Ecological Perspective: A Qualitative Study
• Mensah, Judith, (CHLH), Poster 1: Investigating Social Cohesion Among Older Adults in the Lifetime Fitness Program. Poster 2: Social Cohesion Among Older Adults in the Lifetime Fitness Program: Does Participation Frequency Matter?
• Mkrtychian, Zara, (CHLH), Poster: Gestational Diabetes Management: The Tale of Two Clinics
• Nathan, Nirmal, (CHLH), Poster: Synthetic Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and their Effect on Copulatory Behavior in Mice
• Ong, Kristel, (CHLH), Poster: The Impact of Minimum Required Physical Education Time on Childhood Obesity Prevalence in Selected U.S. States
• Osborn, Claire, (CHLH), Poster: The Writing Process Through Students’ Eyes: Insights for Educators
• Parmar, Baani, (CHLH), Poster: Exploring the Effects of Nature, Mindfulness, and Music on Social-Emotional and Executive Functioning Outcomes in Early Childhood: A Scoping Review
• Rashid, Heba, (CHLH), Poster: Beyond Fitness: PE for Mental Health
• Shah, Ria, (CHLH), Poster: Saving Seconds, Saving Lives: Evaluating AED Availability and Student Readiness at UIUC
• Surendran, Anjali, (CHLH), Poster: Clearing the Air: A Survey-Based Protocol on Examining Public Knowledge, Behavior, and Perceptions of Indoor Air Quality and Airborne Pathogen Mitigation
• Yarza, Anjolie, (CHLH), Poster: Rationalizing Sexual Morality: Medicalizing Homosexuality in Quebec News Media

INTERDISCIPLINARY HEALTH SCIENCES

• Arango, Alex, (IHLT), Poster: The Role of Health Apps in Reducing Healthcare Costs

• Barthel, Lily, (IHLT), Oral presentation: Examining the Effects of a MIND Diet on Cognitive Function: A Randomized Controlled Trial
• Bennaye, Salma, (IHLT), Poster: Insect Vector-Phytoplasma associations in the US: Enhancing Awareness, Data Accessibility and Interoperability
• Chang, En Ci (Grace), (IHLT), Poster: Mapping Current Literature to STARRS Questionnaires for Military Suicide Risk Assessment
• Cho, Kristin, (IHLT), Oral presentation: How Does Visual Impairment Affect Health Literacy and Health Behaviors in Adult Populations?
• Chong, Dona, (IHLT), Poster: Leveling Up Coordination: A Remotely Delivered Grid Game Intervention for Low-Active Adults
• Claudio-Deutsch, Elenna, (IHLT), Poster: Spices and Herbs: Combining Taste, Health, and Cultural Inclusivity
• Coates, Nathan, (IHLT), Poster 1: Diet Quality and Anxiety Symptom Severity among College Students. Poster 2: Nutritional Habits and Depression Status in College Students. Poster 3: Diet Quality and Mental Health Symptom Severity
• Cravens, Makenna, (IHLT), Poster: The Writing Process Through Students’ Eyes: Insights for Educators
• Eastman, Elleora, (IHLT), Poster: Identifying the Cognitive Needs and Preferences of Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment for Designing Assistive Technology: A Literature Review
• Gryc, Gabriela, (IHLT), Poster: Applying User-Experience Strategies to Enhance an Older Adults’ mHealth App
• Hopkins, Katherine, (IHLT), Poster: Community Workers as Navigators: Helping Family Caregivers Access Vital Support and Resources
• Jurzyk, Patricia, (IHLT), Poster: Relationship between Resting State EEG and Behavioral Performance on Prospective Memory Task in Young Adults
• O'Brien, Kaitlyn, (IHLT), Poster: Managing Diabetes in Adults with Food-Insecurity: A Systematic Review of mHealth Nutrition Interventions
• Olaleye, Adeola, (IHLT), Poster: The Interplay Between Sports Participation and Feelings of Sadness, Loneliness, and Stress Among High School Students in Brazil
• Oliva, Alan, (IHLT), Poster: Hidden in Plain Sight: Identifying Characteristics of Rising Compassion Fatigue Among Healthcare Workers
• Olivero, Noah, (IHLT), Poster: Designing Accessible Virtual Reality Applications for Older Adults
• Pantoja Lara, Fatima, (IHLT), Poster: Cultural Considerations for Engaging Hispanic/Latino Populations in Aging and Disability Research
• Patel, Dhriti, (IHLT), Poster: A review of mental health services offered in home-visiting programs located in Indiana and Iowa
• Phan, Jordan, (IHLT), Poster: Factors Behind Community Colleges With the Most Successful Medical School Applicants
• Roan, Carson, (IHLT), Poster: Differences in the Relationship Between PTSD and Hazardous Drinking among Healthcare Workers by Gender
• Salaudeen, Nurudeen, (IHLT), Poster: Taste Perception and Acceptability of Soy-enriched Bread and Tortillas
• Salazar, Ximena, (IHLT), Oral presentation: Changes in Global Cognition during a Latin Dance and MIND Diet Intervention
• Shaha, Aditya, (IHLT), Poster: Saving Seconds, Saving Lives: Evaluating AED Availability and Student Readiness at UIUC
• Shaikh, Sheza, (IHLT), Oral presentation: Analyzing Food Security in College Students Taking Contemporary Nutrition
• Shuaibi, Dana, (IHLT), Poster: Mapping Current Literature to STARRS Questionnaires for Military Suicide Risk Assessment
• Siddique, Mustafa, (IHLT), Poster: Analysis of Free-Text Medical Notes Quality in the Cardiology Department at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital
• Sieczka, Klaudia, (IHLT), Poster: Group Differences in Resting-State EEG in Age-Related Hearing Loss
• Thompson, Jaeda, (IHLT), Poster: Champaign County Profile of Black Americans
• Tulasaku, Aishi, (IHLT), Poster 1: Lack of NELF-B in Sertoli Cells Leads to Impaired Spermatogenesis and Infertility in Mice. Poster 2: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Identify Rural Illinois Towns in Need of Diabetes-Focused Telehealth Services
• Weinshenker, Valerie, (IHLT), Poster: Synthetic Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and their Effect on Copulatory Behavior in Mice
• Zagorski, Max, (IHLT), Poster: Impact of Late Bedtime on Sleep, Physical Activity, and Sedentary Behavior in Older Adults
• Zheng, Yu, (IHLT), Poster 1: Investigating Step Count and Intensity During the Square-Stepping Exercise in Older Adults. Poster 2: The Impact of Real-Time Text Captioning on Speech Perception in Noise

KINESIOLOGY

• Ahmed, Farheen, (KIN), Poster: The Role of Healthy Neuroticism in Physical Activity Participation: Examining the Interaction Between Neuroticism and Conscientiousness
• Arvanetes, Brina, (KIN), Poster: Unlocking Potential: The Day After Physical Therapy Attendance on Movement Behaviors in Children with Cerebral Palsy
• Bemont, Isabel, (KIN), Poster: Physical Activity Behavior on the Relationship Between Predicted and Experienced Affect During Exercise
• Bradshaw, Jesiah, (KIN), Poster: Burger, Lydia, (KIN), Poster: Physical Activity Behavior on the Relationship Between Predicted and Experienced Affect During Exercise
• Cardine, Jada, (KIN), Oral presentation: Narrative Thematic Analysis on Mental Health Outcomes for Aging Athletes
• Cervantes, Aubrey, (KIN), Oral presentation: How Cognitive Appraisal Shapes the Anxiety-Working Memory Link After Exercise
• Chong, Inna, (KIN), Oral presentation: Ergonomic Impact of Chair Recline on Neck Pain, Shoulder Kinematics, and Headache Severity in Females
• Deyhle, Sam, (KIN), Poster: Molecular Adaptations to Recurrent Exercise: Coenzyme Q Lipid Increases in the Heart
• Divan, Rachel, (KIN), Poster: The Role of Physical Therapy in Mediating Movement Behaviors and Body Composition in Children with Cerebral Palsy
• Emil, Joel, (KIN), Poster: Exploring ICT-Based Interventions to Promote Moderate-Intensity Aerobic Exercise in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Literature Review
• Fanning, Jillian, (KIN), Poster: Tools and Strategies to Navigate Health Management and Information Barriers for Older Adults with Traumatic Brain Injury
• Foxgrover-O'Malley, Sandra, (KIN), Poster: Sex Differences in Leg Muscle Performance, Fatigue and Body Composition in Older Adults
• Frey, Lili, (KIN), Poster: Correlation between Muscle Performance Parameters with Functional Performance and Body Composition in Older Adults
• Gentle, Charles, (KIN), Poster: Square-Stepping Exercise in Older Adults: The Impact of Exercise Conditions on Intensity
• Huanca-Camargo, Brandon, (KIN), Poster: The Role of Health Apps in Reducing Healthcare Costs
• Janusz, Collin, (KIN), Poster: The Effects of Meeting Recommended Physical Activity Guidelines on Mental Health and Harmful Substance Intake
• Jun, Ian, (KIN), Poster: Sex-Based Comparison of Functional Test Performance in Older Adults: Preliminary Analysis From the ALERT Project
• Kim, Ashley, (KIN), Poster: The Effects of Lower-Extremity Resistance Training on Mobility, Power, and Walking Speed in Active Older Adults: Preliminary Analysis
• Lee, Amanda, (KIN), Poster: Effect of Additional Leg Resistance Training on Body Composition in Older Adults Engaged in Community-Based Physical Activity Programs: Preliminary Results
• MacDonald, Kendell, (KIN), Poster: Gender Differences in Dominant vs. Non-Dominant Shoulder Range of Motion in Individuals with Disabilities: A Comparative Analysis
• Madula, Shae, (KIN), Poster 1: Investigating Social Cohesion Among Older Adults in the Lifetime Fitness Program. Poster 2: Social Cohesion Among Older Adults in the Lifetime Fitness Program: Does Participation Frequency Matter?
• Martinez, Liz, (KIN), Oral presentation: How Cognitive Appraisal Shapes the Anxiety-Working Memory Link After Exercise
• Mattas, Robert, (KIN), Oral presentation: Video Analysis of Proxemic Interactions Between Older Adults and an Assistive Robot
• Medina, Joshua, (KIN), Poster: Dancing Towards Health: Increasing Physical Activity of Latinos Through Latin Dance
• Navarrete, Sheila, (KIN), Poster: An In Vitro Experimental System for Muscle Formation
• Naveja, Katie, (KIN), Poster: The Influence of Menopause on Glenoid Morphology and Shoulder Pain
• Neudorf-Alshanski, Haley, (KIN), Poster: Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) for Low-Sodium Dietary Education and Grocery Shopping for Hemodialysis Patients
• Palmer, Jackie, (KIN), Poster: A Literature Review on Approaches to Language Sampling in Persons with Mild Cognitive Impairment
• Pearl, Greta, (KIN), Poster: Menopause Status Effects on Coracoid Shape
• Praet, Jackson, (KIN), Poster: Leveling Up Coordination: A Remotely Delivered Grid Game Intervention for Low-Active Adults
• Pule, Daniela, (KIN), Poster: “A Nosotros, Todos Los Latinos, El Baile Nos Gusta”: A Qualitative Analysis of a Remote Latin Dance Program for Older Latinos
• Rudy, Savanna, (KIN), Oral presentation: Ergonomic Impact of Chair Recline on Neck Pain, Shoulder Kinematics, and Headache Severity in Females
• Santiago, Cecilia, (KIN), Poster: Community Survey of Latina Women to Aid in Intervention to Reduce Pain and Prevent Postpartum Depression
• Shannon, Sydney, (KIN), Poster: Fire Readiness for Wheelchair Users (FEW)
• Stelter, Julia, (KIN), Poster: Recruitment and Retention of Disadvantaged Adults for a Community-Based Implementation of Mindfulness-Based Eudaimonic Wellbeing
• Szczepanski, Martha, (KIN), Oral presentation: Exploring the Impacts of High School-Sanctioned Adaptive Sports on Adolescents with Physical Disabilities: Parent and Stakeholder Perspectives
• Taylor, Jack, (KIN), Poster: Adaptations in Shoulder and Upper Trapezius Muscle Elasticity to Manual Wheelchair Use
• Urquizo, Angel, (KIN), Poster: Developing Tip Sheets for Medicare Understanding
• Varela, Bianca, (KIN), Poster: Beyond the Frontlines: Characterizing the Mental Health Symptomatology of Healthcare Workers
• Weldy, Jonathan, (KIN), Oral presentation: Introduction of a Unified Model in Youth Physical Activity
• Yoon, Elliot, (KIN), Poster: Examining Tyrosine Hydroxylase Imprinting in Key Brain Regions Through Cre/Flp and Intracranial Viral Vector Injections
• Zubrickas, Ian, (KIN), Poster: The Role of Mobile Health Technology (mHealth) in Managing Diabetes and Hypertension in Food-Insecure, Low-Income Populations: A Literature Review

SPEECH & HEARING SCIENCE

• Amabile, Ava, (SHS), Poster 1: The Writing Process Through Students’ Eyes: Insights for Educators. Poster 2: Development of Kindergarten and First Grade Informational Writing. Poster 3: Investigating Kindergarten Sentence Structure
• Arlis, Audrey, (SHS), Poster: How are Audiologists Testing People’s Ability to Hear in Noisy Settings?
• Chalcakova, Simona, (SHS), Poster: To Code or Not to Code: The Differences Between Automatic and Manual Coding of Language Transcripts
• Davila, Andrea, (SHS), Poster: Speech Recognition in Monolingual versus Bilingual Spanish and English Speakers: A Behavioral and EEG Study
• Development and Validation of a mHealth Fall Management Program
• Dooley, Mac, (SHS), Poster: To Code or Not to Code: The Differences Between Automatic and Manual Coding of Language Transcripts
• Glowacki, Maddie, (SHS), Poster: The Writing Process Through Students’ Eyes: Insights for Educators
• Gomez, Jocelyn, (SHS), Poster: Speech Recognition in Monolingual versus Bilingual Spanish and English Speakers: A Behavioral and EEG Study
• Hampe, Ava, (SHS), Poster: Developing an Ecological Test: Measuring Children’s Speech Comprehension in the Classroom
• House-Henry, Kaliyah, (SHS), Poster: Feasibility of Virtual Reality for Speech Therapy Services
• Kent, Alexis, (SHS), Poster: Comparing Grammatical Complexity Scores from Structured and Spontaneous Language Samples
• Kinel, Emily, (SHS), Poster: Investigating Kindergarten Sentence Structure
• Lau, Isabella, (SHS), Poster: Impact of Dysphonia on Vowel Recognition in Children: Implications for Speech-in-Noise Perception in Educational Settings
• Llavona, Andrea, (SHS), Poster: Speech Recognition in Monolingual versus Bilingual Spanish and English Speakers: A Behavioral and EEG Study
• Lopez, Bella, (SHS), Poster: Feasibility of Virtual Reality for Speech Therapy Services
• Morrical, Emma, (SHS), Poster: Impact of Dysphonia on Vowel Recognition in Children: Implications for Speech-in-Noise Perception in Educational Settings
• Peters, Nicole, (SHS), Poster: Investigating Kindergarten Sentence Structure
• Pontikes, Stacey, (SHS), Poster: Development of Kindergarten and First Grade Informational Writing
• Quafisheh, Jenna, (SHS), Poster 1: Development of Kindergarten and First Grade Informational Writing. Poster 2: Investigating Kindergarten Sentence Structure
• Redden, Ella, (SHS), Poster: Developing an Ecological Test: Measuring Children’s Speech Comprehension in the Classroom
• Roberts, Carly, (SHS), Poster: Speech Recognition in Monolingual versus Bilingual Spanish and English Speakers: A Behavioral and EEG Study
• Stemm, Megan, (SHS), Poster: Developing an Ecological Test: Measuring Children’s Speech Comprehension in the Classroom
• Walner, Chloe, (SHS), Poster: To Code or Not to Code: The Differences Between Automatic and Manual Coding of Language Transcripts
• Wulw, Dorota, (SHS), Poster: Investigating Kindergarten Sentence Structure

RECREATION, SPORT & TOURISM

• DeNardo, Jack, (RST), Poster: A Review of Literature: Athlete Advocacy Groups and/as Collective Activism