Graduate Research Symposium
Event Overview
USF's Annual Graduate Research Symposium
On March 26, 2025, The Office of Graduate Studies and the Graduate and Professional Student Council (GPSC) held their annual USF Graduate Research Symposium.
Event Overview
Annually, The Office of Graduate Studies and the Graduate and Professional Student Council (GPSC) host the Graduate Research Symposium to showcase the research of graduate students in all disciplines and allow them to obtain feedback from faculty and peers.
The event brings together graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, as well as faculty mentors and judges, in an effort to foster further academic collaboration.
All graduate students are encouraged to apply; however, students without previous conference experience will greatly benefit from participating in this event and are highly encouraged to apply. This is an excellent opportunity to practice presenting research in an audience-friendly manner. Being able to communicate science to the public is an important job skill.
| Abstract Deadline | February 10, 2025 |
| Oral Presentation Speakers Announced | March 5, 2025 |
| Poster Submission Deadline View Poster Requirements |
March 14, 2025 |
| Day of Symposium | March 26, 2025 |
| Announcement of Winners | March 31, 2025 |
Day-of-Symposium: March 26, 2025
10:30 AM Morning Presenter Check-In Opens - Outside of MSC Ballrooms
11:00 AM Digital Poster Session / Oral Presentations Begin
MSC 2703 — Arts & Humanities
MSC 2707 — Social & Behavioral Sciences (including Education)
MSC 3704 — Physical Sciences & Engineering
MSC 3711 — Health & Life Sciences
MSC Ballrooms
12:00 PM Afternoon Presenter Check-In and Lunch Opens
12:15 PM Opening Remarks by the Dean of Graduate Studies
12:30 PM Printed Poster Session Begins - Graduate Students (All Categories)
2:00 PM Welcome and Recognition, Postdoctoral Affairs and USF World
2:15 PM Printed Poster Session Begins - Postdoctoral Scholars and USF World Scholars
Poster Review and Awards
The Research Symposium is an event consisting of graduate student poster presentations and judging. Applications that meet submission qualifications will be selected by a faculty committee. Sessions are open to the university community.
All posters will be reviewed by judges who will evaluate various aspects of the poster itself, as well as the scholars' ability to effectively present and discuss their research. Based upon the judges' evaluations, travel awards will be presented to winning participants of the research symposium.
Winners will be notified by e-mail during the week following the symposium.
2025 Graduate Research Symposium Winners
Category: Arts & Humanities
Title: The Manosphere's Reception to the Auteurs Behind Man-Eating Jennifer's Body
(2009) and Man-Hating Barbie (2023)
Presenter: Hilda Sheridan-Hewlett
Major Professor: Scott Ferguson
College: Arts and Sciences
Program: Humanities and Cultural Studies
Title: Uncovering Strategic Sustainability Messaging Towards a Culturally Diverse
Audience: Through the Lens of OATLY
Presenter: Sofia Johansson
Major Professor: Gregory Perreault
College: Arts and Sciences
Program: Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communication
Category: Health & Life Sciences
Title: Development of Chimeric Multi-Epitope Spore Coat Protein Vaccine Candidates
against Clostridioides Difficile Infection
Presenter: Lubem Agbendeh
Major Professor: Xingmin Sun
College: Arts and Sciences
Program: Chemistry
Title: Exploring the Staphylococcus Aureus Host-Pathogen Interface using Degradomic
Technologies
Presenter: Emilee Mustor
Major Professor: Lindsey Shaw
College: Arts and Sciences
Program: Molecular Biosciences
Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering
Title: Modeling Circulating Tumor DNA Dynamics as a Leading Indicating Biomarker for
Time to Progression in HPV-associated Anal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Presenter: Phebe Havor
Major Professor: Renee Brady-Nicholls
College: Arts and Sciences
Program: Integrated Mathematical Oncology (Molecular Biosciences / Moffitt Cancer
Center)
Title: Counting the Stars: Establishment of the Astrocyte Population in the Auditory
Brainstem
Presenter: Emily Amick
Major Professor: George Spirou
College: Engineering
Program: Medical Engineering
Category: Social & Behavioral Sciences (Including Education)
Title: Rest or Risk: Exploring the Sex-Dependent Association Between Napping and Cardiovascular
Function Among Older Adults
Presenter: Susan Rodriguez
Major Professors: Ashley Curtis
College: Nursing
Program: Nursing
Title: Bias on the Stand: Assessing the Influence of Witness Type and Jury Instructions
in a Mock Drug Trial
Presenter: Alaina Helmerichs
Major Professor: Christine Ruva
College: Arts and Sciences
Program: Psychology
People's Choice (audience selection)
Category: Arts & Humanities
Title: Traditional Radicals: Scotland, Communism, and the Quest for Independence
Presenter: Kiley Fuller
Major Professor: Kees Boterbloem
College: Arts and Sciences
Program: History
Category: Health & Life Sciences
Title: Venomous Archipelagos: Integrating Adaptability and Island Biogeography Theory
to Assess Persistence in the Anthropocene
Presenter: Samuel Hirst
Major Professor: Mark Margres
College: Arts and Sciences
Program: Integrative Biology
Category: Physical Sciences and Engineering
Title: Single-Walled and Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Sensors for Volatile Organic
Compound (VOC) Detection
Presenter: Thomas Kalach
Major Professor: Arash Takshi
College: Engineering
Program: Electrical Engineering
Category: Social & Behavioral Sciences (Including Education)
Title: From Flipping Pages to Scrolling Screens: Exploring the Emergent Digital Literacy
Skills of Young Children
Presenter: Amanda Mirabella
Major Professor: Ilene Berson
College: Education
Program: Teaching and Learning
Statewide Graduate Research Symposium
The 2025 Statewide Graduate Research Symposium was held during the Conference of Florida Graduate Schools at the Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida on April 7-8, 2025. Winners of USF's Graduate Research Symposium attend and compete at the state level.
USF 3MT® representative Omotayo Olabisi Osunmakinde received First place in FL!
USF Graduate Studies staff and students after the Statewide Research Symposium and 3MT® Competition.
Pictured left to right: Dr. Ruth Bahr, Sofia Johansson, Omotayo Olabisi Osunmakinde (3MT®), Lubem Agbendeh, Emily Amick, Susan Rodriguez, Dr. Tracy Costello, Dr. Gary Oliver.
The following students from the USF Graduate Student Research Symposium traveled to the 2025 Statewide Research Symposium:
🥇 Omotayo Olabisi Osunmakinde, 3MT®, College of Arts and Sciences, The Hunger Games of Cancer: Nutrient Deprivation-Induced Organelle Exchange in Prostate Cancer Cells
🥇 Lubem Agbendeh, College of Arts and Sciences, Development of Chimeric Multi-Epitope Spore Coat Protein Vaccine Candidates against Clostridioides Difficile Infection
🥇 Emily Amick, College of Engineering, Counting the Stars: Establishment of the Astrocyte Population in the Auditory Brainstem
🥈 Susan Rodriguez, College of Nursing, Rest or Risk: Exploring the Sex-Dependent Association Between Napping and Cardiovascular Function Among Older Adults
Sofia Johansson, College of Arts and Sciences, Uncovering Strategic Sustainability Messaging Towards a Culturally Diverse Audience: Through the Lens of OATLY