UROP Experience

UROP student projects from previous cohorts

Below are a sample of UROP student projects that were presented at the annual SJSU Celebration of Research event. 

• “You have to do a lot of good deeds in this life, so that you can become a man in your next life” – Gender expansiveness among youth in urban Sri Lanka”  

  • Faculty mentor: Dr. Ruvani Fonseka

    Student mentee(s): Caiden Moreno

    Cohort year: 2021-22

    Abstract: How do gender expansive young adults in Sri Lanka develop their sense of gender and sexual identity? In 2017, Dr. Fonseka conducted 9 months of qualitative interviews, focus groups, and observation with Sri Lankan young adults between the ages of 18 and 30, with the goal of understanding how young adults in Sri Lanka develop their own gender identities and attitudes, and how they respond to and/or challenge community gender norms.

     

• A retrospective literature review on racial disparities pre-COVID-19 and during COVID-19 pandemic  

  • Faculty mentor: Dr. Egbe-Etu Etu

    Student mentee(s): Amara Aladi and Evelyn Tran

    Cohort year: 2021-22

    Abstract: The ongoing public health outbreak (COVID-19) has disproportionately affected minority groups and revealed the significant issue of social and health inequities within underrepresented communities in the United States. Prevailing social and health factors such as poor access to healthcare, comorbid conditions, increased occupational exposure to COVID-19, and low socioeconomic status put underrepresented communities at higher risk of COVID-19 infections. Prior studies have focused on racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 incidence and mortality, but few studies have sought to investigate the utilization of hospital emergency department (ED) services based on the patient demographic region to understand social health inequities before and during the pandemic. Therefore, the aim of this project is to conduct a literature review study to identify past and current articles that discuss social/health inequities related to patient ED visits before and during the pandemic, identify gaps, and opportunities for improvement. The second aim is to identify the most important factors related to social and health inequities from the selected articles. Sixty articles were extracted from multiple databases, such as Scopus, then we indexed relevant keywords such as race, disparity, intensive care unit, etc. Our findings conclude historical events within the healthcare industry perpetuate distrust among minorities. Furthermore, common patterns within social determinants of health consisting of Hispanic, Black patients affected by COVID-19 the most, lower-income, and less accessibility contribute to the severity of COVID-19.

    **Research project was selected as a winner of the 2022 SJSU Student RSCA competition.

     

• “You’re too pretty to farm”: Narratives of resistance, collective mobilization, and food justice among Black women farmers  

  • Faculty mentor: Dr. Andrew Carter

    Student mentee(s): Anthony Garcia and Vanessa Reeves

    Cohort year: 2021-22

    Abstract: Black farming disparities persist in the United States (US). Currently, Black farmers represent only 1.4% of the nation’s farmers, 0.5% of US farmland, and 0.4% of total agricultural sales. For Black women farmers, the current landscape is bleaker–they represent only 1.1% of women farmers nationally. Several factors, including prohibitive policy legislation, structural discrimination, and combined forms of racialized and gendered capitalism have largely erased many Black women farmer contributions and political legacies from the modern agricultural landscape. The exigent need to study this unique subpopulation is reinforced by recent calls to address land ownership and wealth gaps, inclusion of culturally-relevant food and farming techniques, and diverse representation in mainstream agriculture policy conversations. In this project, we draw on Black Feminist Agrarian Ideologies (Tyler, 2020) and Constructivist Grounded Theory (Charmaz, 2006) to privilege the perspectives and lived experiences of chapter leaders at National Women in Agriculture Association, a nationwide, Black women-led farm assistance organization headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (n=9). Three primary themes emerged from the data analysis: (1) enacting resistive agency, (2) navigating barriers, and (3) emic forms of knowledge and education. Drawing on the understanding that large-scale structural and cultural inequities in farming have led to broader social, public health, and economic disparities among the Black community, we argue that Black women farmers political identities, lived experiences, and ancestral memory represent a uniquely innovative and emancipatory approach to “doing” agriculture that many inform new ways to address food access-related disparities and more equitable policy legislation.

    
    **Conference paper based on this research project won Top Paper award at the 108th National Communication Association Annual Convention in the African-American Communication and Culture Division.

     

• Immigration, resistance, and assimilation: Sport and physical activity experience of Viet America

  • Faculty mentor: Dr. Michael Dao

    Student mentee(s): Helen Thai

    Cohort year: 2021-22

    Abstract: This research centers around the narratives of the Vietnamese diaspora and their experience living in America. Asians living in America have a very diverse culture and there are many ways people connect being both Asian and American. Using qualitative methods, we explore how sports and physical activities can relate to the identity of being Vietnamese American

     

• International analysis for the hot stove effect

  • Faculty mentor: Dr. Matthew Faulkner

    Student mentee(s): Nourdean Shraim

    Cohort year: 2022-23

    Abstract: Our research project pertains to the idea of the hot stove effect, specifically towards international business and CEOs. The hot stove effect is an effect where the CEOs of a company would become more conservative with their business practices as a

    result of bad experiences from before. The criteria for exploring the hot stove effect relies on a LOGIT system, which are 1s and 0s, does the hot stove effect exist in this company or not? Through that, we will determine whether a CEO exhibits more conservative or aggressive behavior.

     

•  US renewable innovation: On the right track?  

  • Faculty mentor: Dr. Nathaniel Lupton

    Student mentee(s): Yama Sekander

    Cohort year: 2022-23

    Abstract: This study seeks to look into one of the U.S.’s primary engines for encouraging investment into renewable energy: the Renewable Energy Investment Tax Credit (ITC). Much research has been done pointing out its effectiveness in encouraging investment through providing tax deductions to firms to invest in renewable property. One question that remains however, is whether it is truly effective in creating innovation? In this study, we look at major low-emissions energy sectors as a whole, both eligible and non-eligible for ITC and compare their rates of innovation using patents as a proxy variable. We are currently in the process of further developing the methodology and delivering initial results.

     

• Rural white consciousness

  • Faculty mentor: Dr. Nayoun Lee

    Student mentee(s): Christopher Saint-Carter

    Cohort year: 2022-23

    Abstract: Populism has long been a driving force in U.S. political history despite its lack of visibility. In 2016, it took the national stage and continues to define American political futures with the push for rural white working class representation. Although the results of the 2016 election may have surprised some pundits, others have traced the development of white rural consciousness in ‘fly-over’ states, where the government is

    perceived to privilege its small urban centers at the expense of the larger rural population. While this silent majority festered, group consciousness grew, developing into a distinctive and radical ‘white consciousness’ that has the power to determine the 2024 election and beyond.

     

• The impact of legal status and acculturation on the psychological well-being of Asian-American immigrants  

  • Faculty mentor: Dr. Charles Park

    Student mentee(s): Damian Linares and Madeline Trejo

    Cohort year: 2022-23

    Abstract: When Asian immigrant populations become permanent residents in the United States, they face challenges during their process of checking immigration eligibility, settling in, and adapting to the new cultures. Such a transition also affects the

    adjustment of their identity, making many young immigrants not feel as welcome in the new country. As a result, the challenges experienced while acculturating and changing legal status may have a detrimental effect on the psychological well-being of Asian immigrant populations. The purpose of this study is to understand the psychological effects that may result from challenges during acculturation and a change in legal status among socioeconomically diverse Asian American immigrant young adults in the United States, especially before, during, and after the immigration process.

     

• The relationship between hearing and vision through a visual search task experiment and the modification of a multiple object tracking program  

  • Faculty mentor: Dr. Cary Feria

    Student mentee(s): Huu Duc Vo

    Cohort year: 2022-23

    Abstract: Objects in a natural scene usually come with their distinctive sound, providing information that along with visual information helps facilitate object search when the sound is displayed before the visual image (Mahzouni & Feria, 2020). This experiment tests object search when providing sound and visual stimuli. Sound stimuli are presented before, concurrent, or after the appearance of 4 or 8 objects on the screen. The sound can be congruent, incongruent, or white noise. The experiment shows that in the 8 objects scenario, the image search time of the congruent sound condition is faster than the incongruent sound condition. But the image search time of the white noise condition is faster than the congruent sound condition. This is a different result than our hypothesis, so we propose some explanations in the discussion. Along with that, I also modified another experiment, the Multiple Object Tracking experiment, from the 2017 version to the 2022 version on Microsoft Visual Studio.

• Nurse presence study

  • Faculty mentor: Dr. Marie Haverfield

    Student mentee(s): Sara Nayeem

    Cohort year: 2022-23

    Abstract: We conducted three Nurse Presence Circles, a facilitator led, evidence-based intervention to help nurses cut through the contemporary challenges of clinical care, by learning how to forge meaningful connections with caregivers, thereby promoting caregiver, nurse, and patient well-being. This study aimed to identify ‘presence’ strategies used by nursing students from San Jose State University’s Valley Foundation School of Nursing that help them connect with caregivers during hospital discharge.

     

• How does science influence nuclear weapons policy?: The 2021 National Defence Authorization Act  

  • Faculty mentor: Dr. Curtis Asplund

    Student mentee(s): Emily Foreman

    Cohort year: 2023-24

    Abstract: As a new nuclear arms race is underway, it is important to look at how science impacts nuclear weapons policy. Scientists play a key role in informing the government and advocating reform, helping implement evidence-based policy changes. We look at how scientists in the 1980’s influenced Russia and the United States to significantly reduce their arsenals, and analyze how modern science was taken into account in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. 

     

• Disaster risk and cost of borrowing in California  

  • Faculty mentor: Dr. Salman Tahsin

    Student mentee(s): Vivega Saravana Prabhu

    Cohort year: 2023-24

    Abstract: This study investigates the relationship between mortgage interest rates and county-level disaster declarations, between the year 2018 and 2021, from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). We looked into lending organizations in California specialized in supporting house purchases using data from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA). After comparing the two data we found that in California counties with FEMA declaration exhibit higher mortgage interest rates among minority borrowers. No such correlation was found amongst non-minority borrowers. Asian and Hispanic borrowers and non-jumbo loan applications are the ones that mostly experience these high mortgage interest rates. 

• LLMs for misinformation containment  

  • Faculty mentor: Dr. Vishnu Pendyala

    Student mentee(s): Eliot Hall

    Cohort year: 2023-24

    Abstract: Large language models (LLMs) are known to hallucinate and produce misinformation. Interestingly, the same LLMs can be used to detect misinformation. We compare a number of LLMs with respect to their ability to detect misinformation, while interpreting the results using explainable AI techniques such as LIME, SHAP, and Integrated Gradients, revealing fascinating shortcomings in LLM training data as well as differences between LLMs.

     

• The state of quantum computing  

  • Faculty mentor: Dr. Hilary Hurst

    Student mentee(s): Bhavdeep Randhawa

    Cohort year: 2023-24

    Abstract:

    Introduction: Quantum computing has the potential to transform numerous industries. We are conducting a comprehensive research project to compile data on companies involved in quantum computing.
    Methods: The compiled information includes founding dates, industry sector, and company sizes. Our research analyzes the contributions made by each company to advance quantum computing.
    Results: By synthesizing this data, our project offers a panoramic view of the quantum computing industry landscape.

     

• “I’m like a second mother to my students”: A qualitative study on K-12 Black women administrators   

  • Faculty mentor: Dr. Veneice Guillory-Lacy

    Student mentee(s): Kayla Hamilton

    Cohort year: 2023-24

    Abstract: K-12 school administrators are important to the success of schools and student achievement. However, there are only 4% of Black women principals in the United States. Although there is research on diverse groups of principals and the barriers they face, there is very little research that focuses on the unique and successful aspects of their leadership practices. Drawing from Black feminist thought, this qualitative study explores the leadership experiences of two former and current Black women school administrators. The findings suggests that Black women principals are visionary leaders, overcomers, and display an ethic of caring that makes their leadership style unique.

     

     

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