Keystone on Tap 2025

Lauren Bell
Activating Innate Immunity through cGAS-STING Agonist Nanostructures
I am developing DNA nanostructures that activate the cGAS-STING pathway, an important controller of the body’s immune response. By delivering potent, patient-specific immune signals, these nanoscale designs aim to help the body better recognize and attack cancer, offering a new avenue for immunotherapy.

Dylan Gozdziewski
Lola
A short film following a young man who discovers his late uncle was a drag performer during the height of the AIDS epidemic. He is drawn into the world of drag, while forced to confront his mother’s silence, his own identity, and the legacy of queer resilience.

Catherine Knox
19th Century Fiction Revisited: A Deep Dive Into My Manuscript
My project is to revise my manuscript, The Heartbeats We Cannot Hear, a YA historical fiction novel set in 19th century England. During the course of the year, my goal is to finalize the manuscript as the deliverable. This includes condensing my 217,000 word draft into a concise version by strengthening my plot, characters, and historical accuracy of the settings. My future plans would be to seek publication and share my story with a larger audience.

Dylan List
The Potential for an Urban Wind Turbine on Boston University’s Campus
Typical weather conditions in Boston, combined with Boston University’s campus architecture, create a unique wind environment where fast moving air gets funneled into tight corridor, noticeably amplifying its speed. My project explores this potential for extracting energy from this higher-speed wind to generate usable power on campus.

Venessa Odera
What Happens in Texas Shapes the Vote: How State Election Laws Affect Student Voter Engagement
My project examines how Texas election laws and administrative practices shape both the ability and willingness of eligible citizens, specifically university students, to participate in elections. Using a mixed-methods approach that includes interviews, surveys, archival research, and analysis of electoral data, the study investigates not only structural barriers students encounter but also the emotions and perceptions that arise when they try to exercise their voting rights.

Olivia Scappa
Micropollutants, Macroconsequences
My research is an analysis of resistance genes (AMR) in bacteria, studying how microplastics act as mediums that worsen AMR spread, and examining how wastewater treatment plants influence microbial communities and patterns of genetic resistance. All together, it maps how environmental pollution shapes the emergence and movement of resistance pathogens.

Berit Schaus
Advancing Maternal Health: A Portable Diagnostic Device for Malaria, Chlamydia, and Trichomoniasis Detection
Our project aims to detect three common pathogens, Plasmodium falciparum, Chlamydia trachomatis, and Trichomonas vaginalis, that cause poor maternal health outcomes in resource-limited settings. Our device uses a non-invasive sample and sensitive isothermal DNA amplification with a simple visual readout for fast, easy and accurate detection.

Ishtiyaq Shajahan
Reimagining Urban Sustainability Through Community-Led Food Justice
My project examines how resident-led food access initiatives, such as community gardens, co-ops and urban agricultural sites, can reduce food insecurity and advance environmental justice in Boston. Using interviews, spatial data, and participatory research, I analyze existing programs and prototype Community Roots Hub, a model transforming underused urban spaces into neighborhood food, education, and climate resilience centers.

Prerna Shankaar
Personally Motivated Interests Modulate Attention Similarly in Autistic and Nonautistic Children During a Shared Storybook Reading Task
Personally motivated interests (PMIs) shape attention in Autism-Spectrum Disorder, yet findings conflict on how they affect engagement. In naturalistic contexts, this remains unclear. This project examines how PMIs affect attention during shared storybook reading. We predict that embedding PMIs in stories will increase attention to social stimuli and text in autistic and nonautistic children.

Kaylin Torres
Sensory Overload vs. Structured Learning: The Role of Children’s TV in Speech Development
What if I told you that supporting speech development versus overwhelming a child could be as simple as choosing Franklin over Cocomelon? This presentation explores how the sensory design of children’s television shapes speech. I examine how overstimulating media can hinder speech processing, while structured programs can support meaningful learning.

We are happy to offer digital streaming of our event for those family, friends, and advisors who are unable to make the event in person. The event will be hosted on Zoom Webinar. Download the Keystone on Tap program.

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Keystone on Tap Zoom Event
Passcode: 573271