The project is a study of health and well-being in young adults, including how stress and protective factors shape biomarker and health outcomes. In the course of participating in this research, students will attain a greater understanding of the research process, including generating and testing research questions, building on previous research, the IRB process and importance of confidentiality and steps taken to protect confidentiality in human subjects research, safety in the lab, and teamwork. Students will be able to assist in an ongoing project and develop skills in data scoring, analysis, and the collection of biomarker data. They will have opportunities to share their insights into ongoing and new research questions from the study.

The research project is centered around gamification in enhancing science learning. By developing and implementing a science-based game, we will explore how game-based learning can motivate students, increase engagement, and improve learning outcomes.

Questions driving the project:
How can gamification be effectively integrated into science education to enhance student learning and motivation?
What specific game mechanics and design elements can be used to promote the understanding of key scientific concepts?
How does game-based learning impact student attitudes towards science and their overall learning experience?

The project will involve:
Identifying core concepts: Identify key scientific concepts that will be the focus of the game.
Game Design and Development: Design and develop a game that aligns with identified learning objectives, incorporating engaging gameplay mechanics, challenges, and rewards. Consider game genres such as card games, board games, video games, puzzle games, escape rooms, etc. Consider how gameplay mechanics, game art work, etc. can potentially impact players’ experiences.

Game Testing: Conduct game testing to gather feedback on gameplay, mechanics, and learning outcomes.

Analysis: Analyze data (such as pre and/or post-game survey feedback) to assess the impact of the game on student learning, motivation, and engagement.

PI: Kristina Faul

Project Title: Completing a 10-year hydrologic record and sedimentary history of the Leona Creek/Lake Aliso Watershed/Reservoir Pair

Overall Project Description: The Leona Creek watershed, and associated ephemeral Lake Aliso, are affected by climate change, urban pollution pressures, and historical acid mine (AMD) drainage. Urban reservoirs may provide unintentional ecosystem services such as contaminant sequestration. For a 10-year period including a drought cycle, Laura Rademacher (University of the Pacific) and I collected water and sediment samples to research whether the system served as a source or sink for nutrients, carbon, and metals in our local urban watershed.

Proposed Student Project: The Russell student will build on work done by earlier Russell Scholars by collating 10 years of major metal data from collected water samples from the four sites in the watershed. Once this data set of existing analyses is assembled, the student will identify any outstanding samples that need to be analyzed for major metals. Subsequently, there is a possibility of the student being introduced to use of a microwave plasma atomic emission spectrophotometer (MP-AES) in my lab to measure any remaining water samples for a specific major metal. Finally, under my guidance, the student will interpret the assembled 10-year metal concentration record.

We propose to integrate an evaluation model into the emerging activities proposed by the City of Hayward’s general plan. Our team will partner with the City to evaluate local tobacco control and to identify population trends in response to smoke-free multiunit housing policy as directed by their general plan. We will also partner with Eden Youth, a community-based organization that serves a predominantly HispanicLatinx population in South Hayward whose mission focuses on youth racial and health equity. As research partners, these Hayward residents will inform the interpretation of the general plan evaluation through their deep connections to the community, advocacy skills, local expertise and lived experiences. The US Department of Health and Human Services has informed that urban planning and public health have an evidence-based association showing reduced health disparities given a supportive built environment. General plans help guide decisionmaking about the built environment and specify implementation activities to achieve goals for the built environment.

Research on health disparities has shown that multiunit housing is a key location for secondhand smoke exposure, especially in predominantly Hispanic/Latinx and Black communities. The lack of smoke-free housing among low-income and communities of color can be associated with pro-tobacco social norms observed in disadvantaged communities such as Hayward. The ubiquitous tobacco retailer presence and extensive marketing of tobacco products in poorer neighborhoods and in communities of color compound the issue. Such structural barriers add to low agency for these communities to adopt a smoke-free environment.

Our longitudinal, mixed methods, community-based participatory approach will focus on the interconnection between analysis of general plan objectives (smoke-free housing), smoke-free policy adoption and associated health indicators. We will measure whether smoke-free goal language plus policy adoption leads to decreased smoking prevalence in multiunit housing complexes in Hayward, increased quit attempts in this community and population improvement in overall smoking-related morbidity.

Students are welcome to participate in any of the following projects:

Project 1: Skin Tone Emojis and Profile Pictures in Digital Communication

This experimental study examines how skin tone emojis (Yellow vs. Lighter vs. Darker) and profile pictures (White vs. Black vs. Neutral/Landscape) together shape social perceptions—specifically warmth, competence, and perceived relationship quality—in short, WhatsApp-style message exchanges. A central focus is on congruence versus incongruence: whether mismatched emoji–profile combinations (e.g., a darker emoji with a White profile picture) predict different social inferences compared to congruent pairings. Students will assist in setting up experimental materials, building the Qualtrics survey, and conducting data analysis.

Project 2: Social Media and Identity Construction Among Emerging Adults

This project explores how emerging adults from diverse socio-demographic backgrounds in the U.S. use social media as a tool for identity construction. Students will help transcribe interviews, conduct thematic coding and quantitative content analysis, and interpret how online self-presentation relates to developmental and cultural factors that shape identity expression.

Project 3: Ethnic-Racial Identity Development and Mental Health

Grounded in developmental contextualism and the lifespan model of ethnic-racial identity (ERI), this project extends our prior work on developing the Ethnic-Racial Identity Developmental Dynamics Scale (ERIDDS). The next step is to use the ERIDDS to examine how experiences of discrimination are associated with mental health outcomes.