2026 Student Writing
L’drina Aldonza
While many only begin to concern themselves for their health in later stages of life or when complications begin to arise, the ideal time to care for one's health is during youth, before any problem begins. This care may take on many forms, but one often overlooked, or more importantly, underemphasized for its grand effects on overall health in the body is maintaining adequate dental health. Touted more often than not to children to avoid cavities or plaque, proper dental health can lessen the likelihood of major health concerns such as health disease and diabetes (Shmerling 2024). Proper dental care can mediate periodontal disease, a risk factor in major health complications...
Pride as the Antithesis to Virtue: More, Spenser, and Milton’s Differing Definitions of Sinful Pride
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Matthew Garner
The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries saw England thrown into religious and political turmoil from the tumultuous reign of King Henry VIII to the chaos of the English Civil War. Because of the deep theological roots of much of the day’s discourse and disagreement, this period of English history (later known as the English Renaissance) is the original historical context of countless transformative and thought-provoking literary works that continue to shape the way theologians think about Christianity and virtue. Many of the most influential writers of the English Renaissance were directly involved with religion through their lives and careers, and as such, they became intrinsically connected to the politicized and often controversial facets of their own belief systems...
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Oluchi Ogbonna
To understand the role of culture in peer-initiated sexual abuse (PISA) perpetrated by adolescents aged 13-18, this study analyzes PISA risk factors identified in research from 8 countries over the past 15 years. Juveniles accounted for approximately 17% of sexual crimes in the U.S. in 2015 - a trend mirrored by rising rates in other nations - making PISA a significant global public health issue. Yet most research is Western-centric and focuses on victimization rather than perpetration. This study employs a socio-ecological framework to analyze research on PISA from 8 countries: the United States, South Korea, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone...
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Abigail Palin
Could individual incentives positively alter the relationship between overall pay dispersion and organizational performance, similar to horizontal pay dispersion? Related to this question, this research explores the interaction between overall pay dispersion and individual incentives on organizational performance. Using manager-reported data from the 2011 Workplace Employment Relations Survey (WERS), 2,231 United Kingdom workplaces were analyzed...
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Emily Salinas
This study explores the influence of Zoroastrianism on the design and function of ceremonial spaces in the Achaemenid Persian Empire between 550 BCE and 330 BCE. While several scholars have analyzed the symbolic significance of fire in Zoroastrianism, few studies examine how its religious ideals are directly integrated into the design of Achaemenid ceremonial sites. An evaluation of sacred Avesta texts dated to the reign of Cyrus the Great reveals how Zoroastrianism was built upon a foundation of fire worship as a symbol of Ahura Mazda and his sacred light, serving as a bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds...
Evaluating the Impact of Dredging on PCB Pollutant Loads in the Hudson River Using Numerical Integration and Exponential Decay
Milagro Salinas
To evaluate the impact of dredging as a remediation effort in the Hudson River, this study applies numerical integration techniques to estimate reductions in Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) loads. Between 1947 and 1977, the industrial company General Electric (GE) discharged an estimated 590,000 kg of toxic PCBs into the Hudson River, where these persistent chemicals accumulated in sediments, causing long-term health effects in both wildlife and humans. In response, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated the Hudson River PCB Dredging Project to remove contaminated sediments...
Milagro Salinas
To evaluate environmental inequities in drinking water quality across demographic groups, this study conducts a time-series analysis of trends and variability in concentrations of three regulated contaminants across seven Texas counties from 2015 to 2025. While prior studies on drinking water contamination in Texas have centered on regulatory exceedances, this study examines how long-term trends in drinking water quality differ across demographically diverse Texas counties. County-level community drinking water system data for HAA5, TTHM, and lead were obtained from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), along with demographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau...