Baruch College Undergraduates Share Their Research Projects at CUNY-Wide Event

June 9, 2025

A record-setting 24 Baruch College students showcased their academic research at the 2025 CUNY Undergraduate Research Celebration Day, held on May 23 at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. This marks Baruch’s largest-ever cohort at the annual event, which has become a key showcase for scholarly excellence across the CUNY system.

In total, 280 undergraduates from 22 CUNY colleges and programs were selected to present their research. The event is organized and sponsored by the CUNY Office of Research in collaboration with the CUNY Undergraduate Research Council, with additional funding from the NYC Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation.

Baruch’s students tackled timely and complex topics across a range of disciplines—from STEM and political science to psychology, marketing, and environmental sustainability.

The Power of Undergraduate Research

“Undergraduate research provides students an opportunity to analyze complex issues, work with mentors asking them meaningful questions, and develop solutions that help transform our society,” said Anthony Maniscalco, PhD, Director of Baruch’s Office of Experiential and Community-Engaged Learning.

He emphasized how these high-impact learning experiences cultivate creativity, critical thinking, and real-world problem-solving—skills that are essential for both graduate study and career success.

“I’m thrilled to see more Baruch students engaging in research at events like this and through our own Creative Inquiry Expo, which this year featured more than 250 student presenters,” Maniscalco added.

Meet Baruch’s Presenters and Projects

• Kaylen Su – “Protein Stability Retention Under Harsh Conditions” (Mentor Dr. Baofu Qiao)
• Isabella Doring, Zilola Ashurboyeva, Michelle Chen, Connie Tai, and Nafisa Tarannum – “Vaccine Apartheid: The Unequal Distribution of Covid-19 Vaccines Among Poor Countries” (Mentor Dr. Yue Zhang)
• Madelyne Dayan – “Investigating the Role of Elongin B in Drosophila melanogaster Embryonic Somatic Muscle Development” (Mentor Dr. Krista Dobi)
• Adriana Lopez Tavares – “Housing as a Human Right: The Impact of Affordable Housing Programs on Low-Income Families in New York City” (Mentor Dr. Babak Somekh)
• David Martinez – “Decomposition of Polysymmetric Functions and Stack Partitions” (Mentor Dr. Ying Anna Pun)
• Anqi Chen – “Cultural Influences on Package Design: A U.S.-China Comparison (Mentor Dr. Amitai Touval)
• Liam Cooper – “Investigating Potential Sugar-Related Uncertainties in a Proxy for Ancient CO2” (Mentor Dr. Ana Gonzalez-Nayeck)
• Zheyi (Rachel) Xie, Santiago Arboleda, and Amanda Flores – “Investigating Potential ‘Hot Spots’ for Litter Accumulation in New York City’s Constructed Living Shorelines” (Mentor Dr. Chester Zarnoch)
• Andrea Feria, Nyla Walbrook, Anisa Turaeva – “Investigating Genetic Regulators of Crystal Cell Development in Drosophila Menogaster” (Mentor Dr. Rebecca Spokony)
• Thomas Kourakos – “A Study of Score Function and Generative Modeling” (Mentor Dr. Yanghui Lui)
• Clamont Mack – “Shifting Alliances: Are Black People Increasingly Identifying as Republican?” (Mentor Dr. David Jones)
• Ming Kong – “When Do States Outsource Repression: Evidence from Hong Kong” (Mentor Dr. Xiaonan Wang)
• Jessica Plepi – “Lobbying Laws and Campaign Finance: Shaping the Trajectory of Post-2008 Financial Reforms” (Mentor Dr. Stephanie Golob)
  • Jessica was among the 21 winners for “Best Poster Award”

Three students also presented through the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation fellowship program:

• Alvi Khan – “A Novel in Silico Model to Investigate Neuronal Ca2+ Uptake and Its Effects on Mitochondrial Function in Alzheimer’s Disease” (Mentor Dr. Pablo Peixoto)
• Ronard Lebron and Michaela Kokkinos – “Mechanism of H2O2 Transport Across the Mitochondrial Inner Membrane” (Mentor Dr. Pablo Peixoto)

Read More: Learn about each Baruch student’s research project in the event’s full program book.

Keynote Spotlight: Dr. David Gruber

The event featured a keynote by Dr. David Gruber, Professor of Biology and Environmental Science at Baruch and the CUNY Graduate Center. Known for his groundbreaking work at the intersection of marine biology, technology, and animal communication, Dr. Gruber spoke about using innovative tools to perceive the underwater world from the perspective of marine life.

Dr. Gruber recently co-authored a law review article that explores how artificial intelligence and bioacoustics could reshape the legal rights of nonhuman animals. Titled, “What If We Understood What Animals Are Saying? The Legal Impact Of AI-assisted Studies Of Animal Communication,” the article is forthcoming in Ecology Law Quarterly and was written in collaboration with researchers from NYU School of Law’s More-Than-Human Life (MOTH) Program and UC Berkeley.

The article has already drawn national media coverage, including a feature in National Geographic, underscoring the broader societal implications of Gruber’s interdisciplinary work.

# # #