Student Achievements
Undergraduate Grants & Awards
Our undergraduate student researchers have received competitive research grants and other awards, including:
- 2025: Ayesh Mulla received a research grant from Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology.
- 2024: Amy Patel received a research grant from Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology.
- 2023: Ola Abozid received several grants from Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology, and a National Eye Institute Early Career Scientist award. Read about her successes here!
- 2023: Stevie Ann Hill received a National Eye Institute Early Career Scientist award.

Student Conference Presentations
- Castro, C., Mahfouz, N. O., Prela, D., Mulla, A., Renu, S., & Alexander, R.G. (2025). “A review of fixational instability in ophthalmic disease.” Poster presented at the Vision Sciences Society annual meeting, May 16-20, 2025, St. Petersburg, FL. Four student co-authors traveled to Florida to co-present this poster.
- Alcindor, B., Patel, A., Ramachandra, L., Toribio, J., Sharkly, M. B., & Alexander, R.G. (2025). “Decreased eye movement is associated with perceived blurring of object boundaries in meditation.” Poster presented at the Vision Sciences Society annual meeting, May 16-20, 2025, St. Petersburg, FL. L. One student author traveled to Florida to present this poster.
- Spiers, J., Patel, A., Alexander, K.E., & Alexander, R. G. (2025). “Burned out but still showing up: the college student experience.” “Unconference” presentation at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology annual meeting, April 2-5, 2025, Denver, CO. Two student co-authors traveled to Denver to present this work.
- Mulla, A., Hill, S. A., Spiers, J.M., Swift, A., Hautsch, J., & Alexander, R.G. (2025). “Fans literally view images differently than non-fans.” Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting, March 6-8, 2025, New York, NY.
- Abozid, A., Renu, S.K., Safonova, E., Spiers, J., Guerras-Solares, E., & Alexander, R.G. (2024). “Microsaccades and ocular drift in ophthalmic and neurologic disease.” Poster presented at the annual Vision Sciences Society annual meeting, May 17-22, 2024, St. Petersburg, FL. Four student presenters traveled to Florida to co-present this poster.
- Hill, S. A., Spiers, J.M., Ramachandra, L., Mulla, A., Hautsch, J., & Alexander, R.G. (2024). “The impact of fandom on image viewing.” Poster presented at the annual Vision Sciences Society annual meeting, May 17-22, 2024, St. Petersburg, FL. Two student co-authors traveled to Florida to co-present this poster.
- Dull, A., Borbon, B., Joseph, J., & Huey, M. (2023). “The Impact of Religiosity as a Buffer to the Adverse Effects of Internet Susceptibility.” Symposium presented at the International Convention of Psychological Science (ICPS), March 9-11, 2023, in Brussels, Belgium. Three undergraduate research assistants travelled to Brussels, Belgium, to present.
- Joseph, J., Borbon, B., Dull, A., & Huey, M. (2023). “How Religious Identity Buffers the Effects of Internet Susceptibility.” Poster presented at the American Psychological Conference, May 25-28, 2023, in Washington, D.C.
- Velez, C., Shumskaya, A. & Huey, M. (2022). “Optimizing the Remote Learning Environment.” Poster presented at the American Psychological Science Convention, May 26-29, 2022, in Chicago, IL.
Student Research News
Promoting Early Engagement in Research
New York Tech recently completed the ninth year of its Mini-Research Grants Awards program to encourage high school students to pursue STEM fields.
Reversing Bone Loss After Spinal Cord Injury
People with spinal cord injury may lose up to 41 percent of their bone mass in the first year. A new study by the College of Arts and Sciences’ Hesham Tawfeek, MBBCh, seeks to repair this damage.
Uncovering the Body’s Fat-Burning Strategy—It’s Math-Driven!
A new study by an NYITCOM-Arkansas researcher finds that the body calculates which fat to burn, choosing those that produce the most usable energy while consuming the least oxygen.
When Rehab Meets Robotics
A study co-authored by John P. Handrakis, D.P.T., Ed.D., and graduates of the physical therapy program finds that a wearable robotic device could help stroke survivors get back on their feet.
NYITCOM-Arkansas Announces Partnership With SOFtoSOM
NYITCOM-Arkansas has formed an official partnership with Special Operations Forces to School of Medicine (SOFtoSOM), an organization that helps military veterans who are interested in pursuing medical education.
Building Bridges
New York Tech students earned first place at the 2026 KEEN Bridge Design Competition for their outstanding bridge design and structural efficiency.