McNair Cohort 2021

Zayba Afshar 
Public Health Major, Spanish Minor
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Claire Wheeler
Research Project: The Social Determinants of Human Milk Banking: Impacts of demographic and geographical factors on human milk donor behavior

Roselie Agulto
Public Health Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Bruce Goldberg
Research Project: The role of neighborhood and social determinants of health: investigating health-related social needs among the Portland metropolitan area in Oregon

Safia Ali Noor 
Biochemistry and Mathematics Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Sean Larsen
Research Project: Linear Algebra; Mathematical Education in Science and Technology; learning strategies

Khaleda Aqaei
Biology Major, Community Health Minor
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Brooke Napier
Research Project: Understanding the Metabolic Regulation of Trained Immunity by Palmitic Acid

Thy Bach
Health Science: Health Studies Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Claire Wheeler
Research Project: Measuring the correlation between Adverse Childhood Experience and the Severity of Psoriasis within Portland State University Community
 

Angel Bui
Biochemistry Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Anne Thompson
Research Project: Niche Partitioning and utilization of different nitrogen sources by marine cyanobacteria Synechococcus
 

Red Burkett
Geography Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jola Ajibade
Research Project: Spatial Analysis of African American Residency in Multnomah County according to the 2010 US Census

Charlie Carr
Geology Major, GIS and Geography Minors
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ashley Strieg
Research Project: A Paleoseismic study of the Twin Lakes Fault, Mount Hood fault zone, Oregon
 

Phoebe Cordova
Applied Linguistics Major, Spanish Minor
Faculty Mentor: Dr. John Hellermann
Research Project: Making use of prosodic resources in a new language: Self-repetition in wh-questions in talk-in-interaction

Brenda Escalera Acosta
Psychology Major, Spanish Minor, Chicano/Latino Studies Certificate
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jessica Rodriguez-Jenkins
Research Project: Analyzing The Use of Mental Health Services by Latino Students at Portland State University

Shanthia N. Castro Espinosa
Public Health Studies Major, Child, Youth, and Family Studies Minor
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Alma Trinidad
Research Project: Motivational Factors and Opportunities to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) majors among Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders (NHPI)

Michael Fernando
Biochemistry Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Robert Strongin
Research Project: Examining ∆8-THC Vaping Degradant Toxicant Formation

Tabitha Grow
Biology & Public Health Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Adam Sadowski
Research Project: Efficacy of Curcumin in Asthma: A Systematic Review and Meta Analysis

Julie Ha
Public Health Studies and General Science Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Yves Labisierre
Research Project: Exploring the Impact of Interpersonal Trust on Health Outcomes in Rapidly Gentrifying Neighborhoods in Portland, Oregon

Yuliana Hernandez Paniagua
Health Sciences and Pre-Clinical Health Science Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Cirila Estela Vasquez Guzman
Research Project: A Comparative State Policy Analysis of Sexual Health Bills in the US Concerning Abortion, Maternal Mortality, Postpartum Depression, and Medicaid

Bruce Jenks
History Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Katy Barber
Research Project: American Apartheid in the Walamt Valley: The Creation of Grand Ronde and the struggle to assimilate in a segregated society

Courtney Ledford
Biology Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Angela Ozburn
Research Project: The Effect of Apremilast on Circadian Rhythm in the Ventral Tegmental Area
 

Catherine Lefevre
Anthropology Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Charles Klein
Research Project: A Cyber-Anthropological Interrogation of East Asian Parenting Styles and Kinship Systems

Oliver Lumbad
Applied Health & Fitness Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kerri Winters-Stone
Research Project: Reporting Adherence to Resistance Training in Cancer Survivors and their Partners: A Comparison Between Prescribed and Received Training Dose
 

Benji Mahaffey
Philosophy Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Tom Seppalainen
Research Project: Is Addicted Phenomenology Just Human Phenomenology?

Cassandra Mathieson
Public Health Studies and General Science Major, Biology Minor
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Robert Strongin
Research Project: Nerve Tissue Targeted Fluorophore Synthesis: From Scheme to Administration

Rosol Hatim Mikail
Science and Public Health: Pre-clinical Health Science
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Martin Schreiber
Research Project: Using Blood Biomarkers to Predict Traumatic Brain Injury

Choomno Moos
Mathematics Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Peter Veerman
Research Project: Flocks, Digraphs, and Oscillator Arrays

Alexandria Murphy
Biology Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Marilyn Mackiewicz & Dr. Michael Bartlett
Research Project: Hybrid-lipid Coated Silver Nanoparticles as an Antimicrobial

Queen Revollido
Biochemistry Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Martin Schreiber
Research Project: CD40L and TNF-alpha Levels After Traumatic Injury

Tyler Robin
Chemistry Major
Faculty Mentor:  Dr. Gwynn Johnson & Dr. Olyssa Starry
Research Project: Comparing heavy metal content found in spinach (Spinacia oleracea) grown on the roof and ground sites at Portland State University
 

Brianna Ross
Applied Linguistics Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kimberly Brown
Research Project: Perceptual mismatch between meso and macro policy at Tokyo International University

Zein Sadek
Mechanical Engineering Major, Mathematics Minor
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Raul Cal
Research Project: Mass Consistent, Analytical Near Wake Models for Wind Turbines

Marshall Scheider 
Liberal Studies Major, Philosophy and French Minor
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Adam Culver
Research Project: Liberalism, Settlement, Sacrifice: Towards a Genealogy of Sacrificial Politics
 

Brett Stinson
Mechanical Engineering Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Elliott Gall
Research Project: Determining Airflows and Volatile Organic Compound Source Strengths for an Occupied School
 

Amirali Veshagh
Biology and General Science Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Gary Westbrook
Research Project: The perforant path and activity dependent synaptic plasticity

Ann Wachana
Biology Major (pre-med track)
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Holly Hinson
Research Project: Exploring How Gentrification- related Effects Impact the Health of Older Black Adults
 

Max Wrubel
Biology Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Anne Thompson
Research Project: Description of anti-sinking pilus subunits in picocyanobacteria
 

Adrian Jovany Hernandez
Biology Major, Chemistry Minor
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Erin Shortlidge