SOBL Student-Faculty Research Program

Graduate student Presenting Their Research

Graduate Student Presenting her research

The School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SOBL) offers undergraduate and graduate students opportunities to apply what they learn in the classroom through hands-on research experience. Every year, SOBL allocates special funds to support students and faculty as they team up to investigate various topics within their subject of study.

Students and their supervising faculty members work on their projects from October to April. They, then, have the opportunity to present their research findings at ��Ƶ's annual STARS (Scholarship, Teaching, & Research Symposium) Week.

This page highlights the projects that have been completed, the student researchers and their supervising faculty members.

In Spring 2026, SOBL sponsored twelve faculty-student research projects. The findings were presented by the students at the SOBL Faculty- Student Research Showcase on April 15, 2026.

Student researcher, Trinity Meads, with her supervising faculty Dr. Erin Sappio — **Student:** Trinity Meads
**Supervising Faculty:** Dr. Erin Sappio, Counseling

**Project Title:** *Barriers Preventing Black People’s Access to Mental Health Treatment*

Student researcher, Brooke Melton, with her supervising faculty Dr. Terrilyn Battle — **Student:** Brooke Melton
**Supervising Faculty:** Dr. Terrilyn Battle, Counseling

**Project Title:** *Exploring the Impact of the Transition into College Athletics on Self-Esteem*

Student researcher, Lee Temple, with supervising faculty Dr. Guia Calicdan Apostle — **Student:** Lee Temple
**Supervising Faculty:** Dr. Guia Calicdan Apostle, MSW

**Project Title:** *Social Group Workers’ Perceptions,Skills, and Experiences Facilitating Open Groups for Clients with Substance Use Disorders*

Student researcher, Sadia Mihi, with supervising faculty Dr. Joshua Duntley — **Student:** Sadia Mihi
**Supervising Faculty:** Dr. Joshua Duntley, Criminal Justice

**Project Title:***Homicidal Fantasies*

Student researcher, Anna Wood, with supervising faculty Dr. Joshua Duntley — **Student:** Anna Wood
**Supervising Faculty:** Dr. Joshua Duntley,Criminal Justice (BA)

**Project Title:***Assessing the Prevalence of Stalking Behaviors Among College Students*

Student researcher, Parth Shah, with supervising faculty Dr. Joshua Duntley — **Student:** Parth Shah
**Supervising Faculty:** Dr. Joshua Duntley, Honors Program

**Project Title:***Racism toward Healthcare Providers*

Student researcher, Christine Milnes, with supervising faculty Dr. Ghaidaa Hetou — **Student:** Christine Milnes
**Supervising Faculty:** Dr. Ghaidaa Hetou, Political Science

**Project Title:***Middle Powers' Peace Dividend:Strategic Economic Integration in MENA amid Security Dilemmas*

Student researcher, Sydney Roach, with one of the supervising faculty Dr. Kaite Yang — **Student:** Sydney Roach
**Supervising Faculty:** Drs. Nordia Scott, Zori Kalibatseva,Colleen Kase & Kaite Yang, Psychology

**Project Title:***Understanding the Experience of Students of Color at PWIs: Exploring Perceptions of Racial Campus Climate, Mental Health, and Academic Outcomes*

Student researcher, Stephanie Roque, with supervising faculty Dr. Sunny Mathew — **Student:** Stephanie Roque
**Supervising Faculty:** Dr. Sunny Mathew, Social Work

**Project Title:***Does a Greater Sense of Connectedness among Youth in Intergenerational Programs Foster More Positive Attitudes toward Older Adults?*

Student researcher, Julia Mae Gant, with supervising faculty Dr. Bobbi Hornbeck — **Student:** Julia Mae Gant
**Supervising Faculty:** Dr. Bobbi Hornbeck, Sociology & Anthropology

**Project Title:***Sociocultural Approaches to the American Revolution: Decolonizing through Archival Analyses*

Student researcher, Piero Olazabal, with supervising faculty Dr. Helena Girgis — **Student:** Piero Olazabal
**Supervising Faculty:** Dr. Helana Girgis, Childhood Studies Minor

**Project Title:**Exploring the Relationship of Colorism and Role of Family Support on Childhood Bullying, Self-Esteem, and Peer Judgments in Latin American Emerging Adults

Student researcher, Wendy Martinez, with her supervising professors Dr. Hannah Wolf & Dr. Colleen Kase — **Students:** Wendy Martinez & Emily Fania
**Supervising Faculty:** Drs. Hannah Wolf and Colleen Kase, Gerontology Minor

**Project Title:** *Aging over the Rainbow*

In Spring 2025, SOBL sponsored eleven faculty-student research projects, The findings were presented by the students at the SOBL Faculty- Student Research Showcase on April 16, 2025.

Delaney Bowman, Social Work (MSW)

Supervising Faculty:
Dr. Robin Hernandez-Mekonnen, Professor of Social Work
Student Engaged Learning: Policy and Advocacy

Trinity Meads, Counseling

Supervising Faculty:
Dr. Erin Sappio, Associate Professor of Counseling
Barriers Preventing Black People’s Access to Mental Health Treatment

Kyla Hoinkis, Social Work

Supervising Faculty:
Dr. Sunny Mathew, Assistant Professor of Social Work
Reciprocal Benefits: Bridging Generations through Intergenerational Programs

Sage Rosenberg, Sociology & Anthropology

Supervising Faculty:
Bobbi Hornbeck, Assistant Professor of Anthropology
African American Roots Project: Visualizing 18th & 19th Century Ledger Data

Sadia S. Mihi, Criminal Justice

Supervising Faculty:
Dr. Syeda Hadi, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice
Gendered Impact of Violence on Rohingya Refugees' Repatriation and Local Inegration Decisions

Mikaili Philbert, Psychology

Supervising Faculty:
Dr. Nordia Scott, Assistant Professor of Psychology
Cultural Differences in the Relationship between Learning Disabilities & Academic Resilience

Tatiana Shukovsky, Economics

Supervising Faculty:
Dr. Ramya Vijaya,Professor of Economics
Immigrant Labor Force Data SnapShot II

Payton Eckell, Victim & Victim Services

Supervising Faculty:
Dr. Deeanna Button, Professor of Criminal Justice
Sexual Assualt Help Seeking

Isabella Campione, Political Science

Supervising Faculty:
Dr. Michael Rodriguez, Professor of Political Science
Hispanic Serving Institutions in the US: A Prospect for ��Ƶ?

Katherine Wilkinson, Behavioral Neuroscience

Supervising Faculty:
Dr. Jessica Fleck, Professor of Psychology
Relationship Between Hyperfocus, Emotion Regulation, and Mental Health in Individuals With ADHD

Janiya Redfurn, Childhood Studies

Supervising Faculty:
Dr. Helana Girgis, Associate Professor of Psychology
Self-Talk, Empathy, and Childhood Victimization: Understanding their Impact on Depression, Anxiety, and Aggression

In Spring 2024, SOBL sponsored seven faculty-student research projects, The findings were presented by the students at the SOBL Faculty- Student Research Showcase on April 25, 2024.

Tai Bui, Criminal Justice

Supervising Faculty:
Dr. Syeda Hadi, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice
Perceptions and Attitudes towards Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh

Caitlyn Coffee, Social Work

Supervising Faculty:
Sunny Matthew, Assistant Professor of Social Work
Child Resilience in Connection with Parental Substance Use Disorder

Emma Riley, Psychology

Supervising Faculty:
Dr. Jessica Fleck, Professor of Psychology
Examining the Role of Grit in Perceived Stress and Frontal Alpha Asymmetry

Nikitha Mohan, Psychology

Supervising Faculty:
Dr. Zornitsa Kalibatseva, Associate Professor of Psychology
Immigrant Workplace Wellbeing

Cassandra Destefano, Psychology

Supervising Faculty:
Dr. Connie Tang, Professor of Psychology
Is Mindfulness An Effective Strategy for Improving Delayed Gratification Skills in Young Children?

In Spring 2023, SOBL sponsored nine faculty-student research projects. The findings were presented by the students at the SOBL Faculty- Student Research Showcase on April 19, 2023.

Click the images below for video interviews with the student researches.

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