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
Big Investments in Student Entrepreneurs
New York Tech’s new Innovation and Entrepreneurship Academy supports the success of student entrepreneurs.
FRIENDS Sets New Fundraising Record
On October 30, the School of Architecture and Design celebrated its 17th Annual Alumni and FRIENDS Reception, raising a record-breaking $550,000 in support of student scholarships, technology upgrades, lectures, study abroad, and new initiatives.
Student Veteran Spotlight: Dru Arana
Dru Arana joined the U.S. Navy to get field experience in construction and civil engineering. After a successful career, he decided to pursue a lateral shift into energy and sustainability engineering, enrolling in the College of Engineering and Computing Sciences.
Medicine Rooted in Compassion
Medical student Mereena Jolly views becoming a physician as her calling, and her dedication to service has ignited a deep commitment to put compassion into practice.
Intern Insight: Madalina Cupsa
Bioengineering student Madalina Cupsa began interning at The Mount Sinai Hospital in January and is now approaching one year as a research assistant.
Engineering a Cancer Treatment Game Changer
A groundbreaking project co-led by the College of Engineering and Computing Sciences’ Steven Zanganeh, Ph.D., provides the world’s first functional, drug-testable, 3-D-printed human colon model.