STEM Students Honored for Excellence in Research and Presentation at the 2025 NDiSTEM Conference

Columbus, OH— SACNAS recognized more than seventy undergraduate and graduate students for their outstanding research and presentation skills at the 2025 NDiSTEM Conference, held in Columbus from October 30 to November 1. Through these presentations, Mentor Judges provide students with valuable opportunities to strengthen their research communication skills, receive personalized feedback, and engage with a network of peers and professionals in the scientific community.

The 2025 NDiSTEM Conference Presentation Awardees are as follows:

GRADUATE ORAL PRESENTATIONS

Analytical, Inorganic, and Physical Chemistry

Patricia Armenta, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Biochemistry and Biology (General)

Queren Apuque Alcantara, University of Utah

Cell/Molecular Biology and Other STEM Education & Learning

Trilotma Sen, The University of Texas at Arlington

Cell/Molecular Biology, Genetics, Microbiology, and Other Life Sciences

Hanbyeol Shin, The Ohio State University

Civil and Other Engineering

Tahira Williams, University of California, Merced

Developmental Biology, Health, and Physiology/Pathology

Ruben Calderon, University of California, San Diego

Ecology & Evolutionary Biology I

Elisset Poveda, University of Nevada, Reno

Ecology & Evolutionary Biology II

Catrina Alberts, Northern Arizona University

Environmental and Earth Science

Irina Polunina-Proulx, University of Massachusetts Boston

General and Other Chemistry

Miguel Campos, Northwestern University

Mathematics, Materials Research, and Physics & Astronomy

Pavel Zhelnin, Harvard University

Microbiology

Kayley Manuel, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Neurosciences and Other Psychology and Social Sciences

Felice Yarbough, Oregon State University

Plant Sciences/Botany

Alice Pierce, University of California, Davis

STEM Education & Traditional Knowledge

Roxana Gonzalez, University at Buffalo

GRADUATE STUDENT POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Chemistry

Boluwatife Dosunmu, University of Kansas

Geosciences

Denise Mondragon, The Ohio State University

Life Sciences

Emily Layton, Indiana University, Bloomington

Christina Pantoja, University of California, Irvine

Angelica Torres, The University of Texas at Arlington

UNDERGRADUATE POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Chemistry

Kai Bruno, University of Utah

Katherine Coffin, Kenyon College

Joyce Liann Diaz Zayas, Inter American University of Puerto Rico at Ponce

Dagoberto Grijalva-Flores, University of Colorado, Denver

Juliana Marston, Columbia University

Kimberly Santiago, Ana G. Mendez University Carolina Campus

Computer & Information Sciences

Jonathan Juarez, California State Poly Technic University Humboldt

Bessie Li, Wellesley College

Engineering

Ossyris Bury, University of Central Florida

Ethan Contreras, University of Oregon

Shreya Ramanan, University of Washington

Geoscience

Janhavi Beley, Simmons University

Health

Samantha Arevalo, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Yasmine Lewis, University of California, Davis

Pedro Reyes Cuello, Cornell University

Life Sciences, Biochemistry

Isaiah Diggs, Pennsylvania State University

Grant Provencio, California State University, Fresno

Life Sciences, Biology (General)

Maria Alejandra Jove, Boston College

Sylvia Lee, University of Utah

Meg Tucker, Parkland College & University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Life Sciences, Cancer Biology

Serena Helewicz, University of New Mexico

Tina Prajapati, University of Houston - Downtown

Life Sciences, Cell/Molecular Biology

Charlson Lee, California State University, Northridge

James Ott, University of California, Santa Cruz

Life Sciences, Developmental Biology

Steve Salinas, Salk Institute for Biological Sciences

Life Sciences, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Abraham Porras-Vargas, California State University, Monterey Bay

Maria Ugaz, California State University, Monterey Bay

Kendall Villalobos, The College of New Jersey

Life Sciences, Environmental Science

Yone Armenta, California State University Channel Islands

Life Sciences, Genetics

Aleisha Martinez Sandoval, Bates College

Life Sciences, Marine Sciences

Amy Deatherage, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Life Sciences, Microbiology

Amber Callaway, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Belle Glaesman, California State University, Sacramento

Cass Speyer, University of Oregon

Life Sciences, Neurosciences

Jeprika Rodriguez, Stony Brook University

Ann Titus, University of Florida

Lilly Zgodic, University of Michigan

Life Sciences, Pharmacology

Diana Vaca, University of California, Los Angeles

Life Sciences, Physiology/Pathology

Sofia Castro, Case Western Reserve University

Life Sciences, Plant Sciences/Botany

Cameron San Agustin, University of Guam

Materials Research

Olivia King, Saint Louis University

Mathematics

Archancel Abellera, University of Guam

Bassit Fijabi, University of Michigan

Bakari Wiltshire, Kean University

Physics & Astronomy

Rasmieh Abdelkarim, University of California, Irvine

Michael Father, University of California, Irvine

Paloma Rodriguez Thorne, Bates College

Psychology

Irma Accius, University of Rhode Island

Alexandra McGowan, University of California, Santa Cruz

Isabella Wynter Mitchell, Central State University

STEM Education & Learning

Joy Gendy, California State University, Channel Islands

Traditional Knowledge

Masen Lapinad-Sorgent, University of Hawaii, Kapiolani Community College

TCU STUDENT RESEARCH AWARD

Materials Research

Drealle Estrada, Navajo Technical University

Registered attendees for the 2025 NDiSTEM Conference can reference the abstract book by logging into the Attendee Service Center here. 

About SACNAS For 52 years, SACNAS has fostered the success of Chicano/Hispanics & Native Americans, from college students to professionals, in attaining advanced degrees, careers, and leadership positions within STEM. Today, the organization serves a growing community of 5,000+ members, and 150 student and professional chapters throughout the United States and territories, including Puerto Rico and Guam. SACNAS influences the advancement of STEM through higher education, outreach, the promotion of STEM leaders, and the SACNAS NDiSTEM Conference.

Learn more about SACNAS at sacnas.org, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube.