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
Her World Through Code
Graduate computer science student Neethu Thalappan Koroth thrives in her field of study while becoming involved in several on-campus projects to deepen her expertise.
Student Entrepreneurs Share Big Ideas
Students gathered at the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Academy’s Startup Tech Central to present their startup companies at the third NESTS FlyOff event.
Intern Insight: Ananya More
When graduate computer science student Ananya More secured an internship with the MTA, she gained the opportunity to work with data for the largest subway system in the United States.
A Collaboration Across Continents
Medical student Dongchan (Alex) Lee participated in an academic study at Dong-A University alongside South Korean researchers as they explored possible links between mineral intake and depression.
Study: VR Helps Children With Autism Participate in Exercise and Sports
A new study by researchers from the School of Health Professions and College of Osteopathic Medicine demonstrates how virtual reality (VR) can help children with autism spectrum disorder participate in exercise.
Boxers Fight Back Against Parkinson’s Disease
A holiday “boxathon” hosted by NYITCOM’s Parkinson’s Center raised awareness for the disease and the importance of exercise in treatment, while bringing members of the Rock Steady Boxing community together at a time when patients may experience loneliness and isolation.