Annual St. John’s Research Conference Celebrates Student Innovation

Academic innovation took center stage at St. John’s University during the annual Student Research Conference as undergraduate and graduate students from across all Schools and Colleges showcased their efforts in a competition focused on research engagement and scholarly creativity.

Presented by the Office of Grants and Sponsored Research and the Center for Faculty Success and Development, the April 14–15 event featured poster presentations in Taffner Field House and panel presentations in the D’Angelo Center Ballroom. The event, part of the University’s Research Week, brought together students from a variety of majors and offered participants an opportunity to present their work in a collaborative environment.

Students chose their own research topics and were challenged to create a poster summarizing their findings. The event concluded with an awards reception in the D’Angelo Center Ballroom on April 15, where winners were selected in undergraduate and graduate poster divisions, and for the best panel presentation.

Two College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (CPHS) students—Anusheh Barobhuiya and Hoda Elkady—earned a share of first place in the undergraduate competition for demonstrating how the common antioxidant apigenin supports testosterone health in men.

Anusheh and Hoda shared first-place honors with Malcolm Jean-Pierre, Zuzanna Kromczyk, and Amantia Nako, whose research examined the role of power in interpersonal dynamics.

First place in the graduate division went to CPHS students Nidhi Gevariya, Himaxi Patel, and Shashank Reddy, who examined the effectiveness of the antidepressant drug vortioxetine hydrobromide as a treatment for the brain cancer gliobastoma.     

Student winners received certificates from the sponsoring departments and recognition from the audience of nearly 200, which included Simon G. Møller, Ph.D., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.

“Many researchers overlook the male reproductive system and focus on the female system,” Hoda explained. “We found a natural way to protect the cells that produce testosterone.” 

In opening the awards reception, Dr. Møller noted the growth of Research Week. More than 350 students took part, producing 172 projects, both all-time highs for the decade-old conference.

“The research that is happening at St. John’s is truly amazing,” Dr. Møller told the students. “As you have gone through research, I am sure you have experienced frustration. But it is so rewarding when you obtain a result you have not seen before.”

Among the presenters was Argiroula Monioudis, a fourth-year psychology student at St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, who explored short-term memory through modern slang. Her research examined whether the “word length effect” can apply to everyday language.

Participants were asked to recall lists of short and long slang words after a brief delay. Argiroula and her team found participants remembered shorter words at a significantly higher rate than longer ones, helping to prove existing theories of memory retention.

“It was my first time doing research, so it was a really great experience,” Argiroula said. “We found that it is much easier to maintain shorter words in short-term memory, which shows why memory strategies like chunking and rehearsal are so important when trying to remember something.”

Byoungwook David Park, a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology, focused on how social dynamics shape children’s mental health. His research investigated the relationship between perceived popularity, self-competence, and depression in middle childhood and adolescence.

“The research looks at how social power affects children’s emotions and behavior,” Byoungwook explained. “We found that kids’ sense of how popular or competent they are or are not can influence later depression, and depression can also shape how they see their own popularity in a kind of feedback loop.”

Rianna Tharay, a sixth-year Pharmacy student, and a research partner explored burnout in the pharmacy profession. Using online forum discussions as their data source, they analyzed recurring themes in pharmacists’ experiences.

“We wanted to investigate what pharmacists experience, especially in community settings,” Rianna said. “What we found is that many feel overworked and unsupported, and it is not just something you see online. This is happening in real practice, too.”

Rianna’s findings raised concerns about a heavy workload and growing pressure within the profession. It also raised more questions about how working conditions can be improved for future pharmacists.

Elaina Ponde, a fourth-year psychology student, examined potential disparities in emergency medical care. Using a data set of hospital visits, she researched how patients with chest pain are assigned Emergency Severity Index (ESI) scores used to assess the urgency of care.

Her study illustrated the importance of consistency and fairness in clinical decision making, especially in high-stakes environments such as emergency rooms. “What we found suggests there might be some differences, which is important for making sure patients are getting the care they need,” Elaina said.

According to Christina Costello, Director, Office of Grants and Sponsored Research, the Student Research Conference inspires creativity and engages students in research. It also offers them an opportunity to gain insights from St. John’s faculty and academic advisers.

“The conference highlights the exceptional work of our students and celebrates the vital role our faculty mentors play in supporting emerging scholars as they shape the future of research and innovation,” Ms. Costello said. “It is truly amazing to see all that our students are accomplishing.”

The winners were as follows:

Undergraduate Poster Competition (Tie):

• Title: Effect of Apigenin on Cell Viability and Steroid Production in Mouse Leydig Cells

• Student authors: Anusheh Barobhuiya, Hoda Elkady

• Faculty mentor: Pengli Bu, Ph.D.

• Title: The Moderating Role of Power on Meta-Accuracy in Interpersonal Domains

• Student authors: Malcolm Jean-Pierre, Zuzanna Kromczyk, and Amantia Nako

• Faculty mentor: Ernest V. E. Hodges, Ph.D.

First Year Research Opportunity Honorable Mention:

• Title: People Attend More to Ipsative Information When Evaluating Their Dependability and Social Behavior at Work: Using Eye-Tracking to Study Self-Evaluation

• Student author: Alexandra Schnepf

• Faculty mentor: William Chaplin, Ph.D.

Graduate Poster Competition:

• Title: Biosurfactant Stabilized Oral Nanosuspension of Vortioxetine Hydrobromide for Treatment of Glioblastoma

• Student authors: Nidhi Gevariya and Himaxiben Patel

• Faculty mentor: Ketan D. Patel, Ph.D.

Panel Competition:

• Title: Inequality and Intergenerational Persistence Across Developing Regions: An OLS Regression Study

• Student author: Jack Ippolito

• Faculty mentor: Charles M. Clarke, Ph.D.

Award for Research Excellence, Panel Competition:

• Title: Development of Dissolving Microneedles for Delivery of Semaglutide for Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Obesity

• Student authors: Snehal Daware, Yi Guo, Ganming Mao, and Priyanka Panchal

• Faculty mentor: Ketan D. Patel, Ph.D.