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At the 2025 OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference, students from the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences (CBCS) showcased a wide range of research that demonstrated the college鈥檚 strong commitment to academic excellence and real-world impact.

Projects covered topics such as neuropsychiatric interventions in memory care, hearing health, and support systems for justice-involved youth. With support from their mentors, undergraduate students investigated complex challenges across behavioral and community sciences.

鈥淭his special event is a celebration of the curiosity, dedication, and hard work of our undergraduate researchers and the incredible faculty mentors who support and guide them,鈥� said Prasant Mohapatra, PhD, USF provost and executive vice president.

Erica Chong, a student in the Department of Criminology was awarded the "Best of 2025 St. Pete Undergraduate Research Conference for her presentation "Evaluating Informal vs. Formal Title IX Resolutions for Sexual Violence and Harassment."

CBCS research presentations at the conference included:

Mentor: Michelle Arnold, PhD, AuD, CCC-A, associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

• "Examining the Influence of Hearing Aid Intervention on Physical Activity and Function: A Mixed-Methods Approach" 鈥� Sarah Bochat
• "Exploring Hearing Health Beliefs in Hispanic/Latine Populations Using the Hearing Beliefs Questionnaire" 鈥� Fiorella Giuliana Wu Cam

Mentor: Caralin Branscum, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Criminology

• "Evaluating Informal vs. Formal Title IX Resolutions for Sexual Violence and Harassment" 鈥� Erica Chong

Mentor: Tiffany Chenneville, PhD, professor in the Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences

• "Examining the Relationship Between Sexual Abuse and Sex Work Perceptions: A Research Protocol" 鈥� Livia Hertel

Mentor: Matthew Foster, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Child and Family Studies

• "The Relationship between Narrative Language and Vocabulary Predicting Math Achievement in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder" 鈥� Caroline Kelley, Carole Wadie, Alyssa Gill
• "Exploring the Longitudinal Predictors of Affect Recognition in Autism: The Influence of Inferencing and Theory of Mind" 鈥� Coral Morley, Emma Barney, Zara Khan, Conner Peltier
• "Evaluating the Effects of a Narrative Language Intervention on Dual Language Learners鈥� Spanish-English Language Skills" 鈥� Isabella Rios, Alys Jimenez, Valeria Gonzalez
• "Low-intensity Summer Implementation of Story Champs-Bilingual Edition with Dual Language Learners" 鈥� Mia Sinclair, Grace Cruzado, Vallerye Rivera Aldea

Mentor: Jessica Grosholz, PhD, associate professor, Sarasota-Manatee campus chair, and Master of Arts in Criminal Justice program director in the Department of Criminology

• "Understanding the Coping Mechanisms Used by Older Formerly Incarcerated Persons During Reentry" 鈥� Sayla Victores

Mentor: C. Jordan Howell, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Criminology

• "Unveiling Gender Biases? An Exploration of Sexism and Gender-Based Cyber Violence" 鈥� Katie N. Smith
• "Turning Points in Cybercrime: Understanding Hacker Desistance for Proactive Cybersecurity" 鈥� Kaylee Eckelman (with Dr. Giti Javidi, Muma College of Business)

Mentor: Micah Johnson, PhD, former assistant professor in the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy

• "Exploring Sex Differences: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Risk Factors and Substance Use Disorder in Sexually Abused Justice-Involved Adolescents" 鈥� Jordan Barringer

Mentor: Manisha Joshi, PhD, MPH, MSW, associate professor in the School of Social Work

• "Voice Past, Future Text: Exploring Student and Faculty Perspectives on Communication Media Choices and their Influence on Interpersonal and Academic Settings" 鈥� Matthew Bernucca

Mentor: Ji-Young Lee, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy

• "The Impact of Culture on Preferences, Attitudes, and Acceptability of Alternative PrEP Modalities: A Mixed-Methods Study Among Sexual Minority Men" 鈥� Yolanda Rotzinger Ballesteros

Mentor: Dr. Hongdao Meng, MPH, PhD, MD, professor and associate director of the PhD program in the School of Aging Studies

• "Curating Playlists for a Group Music Intervention for Dementia: Association Between Customization and Engagement among Memory Care Residents" 鈥� Alaina Chacko, Margarita Pe帽a Ochoa, Gabriela Rivera
• "Evaluating the Impact of Group Music-Based Interventions (MBIs) on Neuropsychiatric Symptoms among Memory Care Residents" 鈥� Amanda Chinea, Aidan Sheehan, Ying Min Tan, Allison Bollow

Mentor: Raymond Miltenberger, PhD, BCBA-D, professor and director, ABA program, associate chair for academic programs in the Department of Child and Family Studies

"Evaluating the Effect of Competition on Adult Physical Activity Using Heart Rate Monitoring" 鈥� Julia De Paula Silva

Mentor: William Arthur Monaco, PhD, OD, MSEd, courtesy professor in the School of Aging Studies

• "Validating A Scientific Algorithm for Visual Acuity Testing" 鈥� Hendranie Henry, Phoebe Almero, Skye Hughes

Mentor: Dasha Rhodes, PhD, LMSW, assistant professor, School of Social Work 

• "A Qualitative Evaluation of Transdisciplinary Co-responder Training" 鈥� Kelsey Greenfield

Mento:  Joseph Walton, PhD, professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

• "L-Ergothioneine Shows Benefits in Reducing Age-Related Hearing Loss: Improved Signal-in-Noise Detection in Mice" 鈥� Evin Roji, Muhammad Hassam Amir
• "Behavioral Validation of Salicylate-Induced Hyperacusis in CBA/CaJ Mice Using an Active Avoidance Paradigm" 鈥� JM Warith Rahman