Presenters

2022 - About our Student Research Presentations
Azure Bell
Project Description
Biofuels and biodiesel technology is becoming an ever expanding and more popular form of alternative fuel to be devised in recent decades. My presentation focuses on a business I've developed that will produce algae based fuels, as well as delving into algal fuels and how they're produced. I will also delve into the history and environmental impacts of algal fuels and how they can benefit the environment as well. The topic of alternative fuels has been a hot topic of discussion within the STEM fields, and understanding how to properly harness and utilize the natural energy stores around us, as well as how to create our own using the resources and organisms available, is crucial to the discussion of alternative fuels and, ultimately, to the future of energy and the environment.
Allen Bustos
Project Description
My research and efforts are around starting a non-profit organization that aids our underserved communities. The programs will consist of mentorship, civic engagement, advocacy, education, hyper-specialized training, trade, research, charity, and diverse collaborations.
S. Tara Grover
Project Description
'Gezundheit!' Ever wonder where the common phrases we associate with sneezing come from? So did I! That's why I decided to research the differences I noticed between historical Western & Eastern cultures interpretations of sneezes and write a paper about the differences I noticed! Stop by to learn more about the history of Sneezing & the origins of common phrases you hear every day, such as 'Bless You'!
Project Description
My project is from my ENGL-110 class with Dr. Michael Cross. I've worked on understanding how monsters that appear in fairy tales, plays, and poems that are often crafted for children represent our own fears in society. My presentation of Loki is a synthesis of everything I've learned in class and will allow us to better understand the role of the mythological creature in the past and in our modern society. This will be done by analyzing the archetype of the Trickster and comparing old media of the character with its current interpretations.
Gael Lee
Project Description
Is there an association between living alone or with others, and feeling depressed?
Faith Mackriss
Project Description
The Bardi Panel (1245-1250), or St. Francis and Twenty Stories of his Life, is an altarpiece in the basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy. The panel shows twenty narrative apron scenes from the life of St. Francis with a central frieze depicting him as an icon. This presentation will discuss the ways in which this particular depiction simultaneously honors and co-opts the identity of the man born Francesco di Pietro di Bernardone.
Anny Gabrielly Moreira da Silveira
Project Description
In the context of the Myers-Briggs personality assessment tool, this project attempts to answer the question “Are the correlations in Myers-Briggs tests supported by empirical evidence?”. In order to reach a conclusion, a comprehensive literature review was conducted. Considerations inspired by articles on internal and external validity, the history of Myers-Briggs and its association with Carl Jung’s theories, and the many fields in which the assessment tool has been applied, led to the conclusion that the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator needs to be further developed in order for its correlations to be considered supported by empirical evidence.
Steven Orozco
Project Description
Business Model Research Project: The overall goal of this company is to provide individuals with affordable insulin that doesn’t can be comfortably afforded without the insurance.
Julia Rogers
Project Description
Want an easy to use, innovative product that can provide you with fresh mushrooms year round? Look no further than the Mushroom Starter designed and assembled by several students during the Skyline Winter Research Scholars Program. The mushroom harvesting workforce is shrinking with no technological advances to balance it, meaning that you'll be needing to pay higher prices for mushrooms grown across the country. The Mushroom Starter is a self-sufficient terrarium sufficient in growing delicious fungi thanks to its equipped water level sensor, soil moisture monitor, and CO2 level sensor. Simply fill the watering tank and wait for the mushroom magic to happen.
Catherine Stoehr
Project Description
This research project stemmed from Cat’s desire to investigate the root causes of
contemporary opposition to universal public healthcare in America. In understanding
the power of social forces such as media and movements in shaping current cultural
status quo over long periods of time, Cat wanted to dive into that history and discover
which political and cultural movements may have driven America’s failure to implement
a system that places healthcare as an unalienable right rather than as part of a for-profit,
employment based system. This preliminary investigative project allowed her to discover
the connections in American history between historical pressures against social programs
in an individualistic society, media designed to shape public opinion, and corporate
influence on public policy and their respective roles in creating a complex web of
cultural, economic, and politically motivated resistance to public healthcare.
Grace Xu
Project Description
Working under Biology Professor Nick Kapp, I developed and refined my plant tissue culture propagation techniques in order to grow moss over the span of approximately one month. With these moss samples, I was able to perform DNA Extraction and Gel electrophoresis techniques to identify and analyze how DNA segments varied from species to species. This research project aims to investigate the genetic basis of such variations and adaptations, as well as uncovering moss's hidden impacts on their environment and climate.
2021 - About our Student Research Presentations
Elaine Frances Arroyo
I am passionate about science, math, and helping others. Currently, I am involved in the Associated Students of Skyline College as the Commissioner of Activities, work as a Skyline College Campus Outreach Ambassador, and I am a member of the Honors Transfer Program. I attended the Skyline Middle College program to get a head start on my college education and I completed the program in May 2020. In the future, I plan to graduate with my AS-T in biology in May 2021 and transfer to a university where I am hoping to study more about neuroscience & psychology and enjoy a job in the medical field.
Project Description
I worked with my Organic Chemistry Lab I professor and two other classmates on organic chemistry activity reports in Fall 2020. Chemistry and organic chemistry are central to medicine and many other fields, but it can be hard for the general public to conceptualize especially when engaging activities specific to organic chemistry topics are less abundant. We searched for existing organic chemistry specific classroom or hands-on activities, and assessed those activities by analyzing whether they can connect to other relevant disciplines and how they can be implemented in future outreach modules and platforms. These reports allow STEM students and educators to learn new methods for teaching technical science topics to people in science and health fairs, outreach expos or conferences, patient-room visits in hospitals or clinics, and in STEM industries. Even though this project was intended to be focused on STEM concepts, I want to expand my research and connect my findings with the psychological and sociological aspects behind the STEM education system.
Nicole Hong
Hi! My name is Nicole Hong, and I am a Psychology and recent Communications major
at the College of San Mateo. I have only just begun to dabble in the communications
world, but in psychology, I’m interested in researching and learning more about the
relationship between mental and physical health. In school, I conduct research as
an Honors scholar, connect with students in student government, and at Skyline College,
serve as Vice President of the Psychology honors society. In my free time, you’ll
either find me cooking up food for my family, or lost in a good book.
Project Description
Lupus is a rare, chronic autoimmune illness wherein one’s antibodies can attack any part of their body. As stress is widely considered to be a major trigger for lupus, and lupus is proven to create stress, their correlation generates a vicious cycle of both. This project will investigate why and how lupus and stress are related in this vicious manner, but most importantly, will discover how to stop the cycle from continuing. Given the unpredictability of lupus, that a patient can randomly fall severely ill any day, the COVID-19 pandemic, in which everyone is living in uncertainty, makes life especially uncertain for lupus patients. As a lupus patient herself, student researcher Nicole Hong will discuss not only her personal experience with living with lupus, but how having a chronic, or “forever” illness means that even after the pandemic, lupus patients like her will continue to live in uncertainty every day, for the rest of their lives.
Kiana Leong
Kiana Leong is currently in their fourth semester at Skyline College, studying both
English and political science, with the intent of transferring to a University of
California in the fall. Aside from their classes, Kiana has dedicated their time towards
the Supplemental Instructor and Honors Transfer Programs. The Honors Transfer Program
has given them the opportunity to not only academically challenge themselves, but
to finally explore various topics of interest. Their research is devoted to the intersectionality
between their identities, its connection to the larger political and social realm,
and the unlearning of Western imperialism and colonization.
Project Description
Rooted in the ideologies found in Daniel Bell’s political theory novel, The China Model: Political Meritocracy and the Limits of Democracy, my research paper addresses and discusses the nuances that lay within the East Asian political model. The paper examines the history and structures of both China and Singapore’s models of government, challenges the idea that the East Asian political model is morally bad and unstable, and offers remedies to some of the inequities found in Western democracy. This is a topic that has been long debated and discussed by political theorists, leaders, and students such as myself – why do we label the United States as the pinnacle of effective, strong government when it has proven its flaws and incompetence?