Lowell Overton Undergraduate Research Symposium

Overview

The Lowell Overton Undergraduate Research Symposium is an annual event that showcases undergraduate research through oral and poster presentations. The symposium provides students—particularly those interested in research or graduate study—with an opportunity to practice conference-style presentations in a supportive academic setting.

Participation is open to students in Psychology and in the Sociology program—including the Criminology and Social Work options—as well as program alumni.

Background

The symposium is named in honor of Mr. Lowell Overton, a Cal Poly Pomona alumnus who graduated with a Behavioral Sciences (BHS) degree when Psychology and Sociology were housed within a single department. This shared academic history explains why students from both disciplines present together at the symposium.

Mr. Overton has used the knowledge and skills developed at CPP to build a highly successful career in real estate. In 2008, he was ranked #1 nationally in sales for Coldwell Banker Affiliates and #10 worldwide. He remains a committed supporter of the university and a generous benefactor to the Psychology and Sociology departments, helping sustain and grow the symposium. 

Lowell Overton

Picture: Mr. Lowell Overton, symposium keynote speaker. 

Why Participate?

Participating in the symposium allows students to:
  • Present original research in a professional academic setting
  • Gain experience preparing oral or poster presentations
  • Strengthen graduate school or professional program applications
  • Practice for regional and national academic conferences
  • Engage with faculty and peers across related disciplines

Eligibility

The symposium is open to:
  • Undergraduate students in Psychology, Sociology, and Criminology
  • Alumni of these programs

Students may present research completed through independent studies, courses, honors projects, or other faculty-mentored research experiences.

Contact Information

For questions about the symposium or the application process, please contact the Sociology Symposium Chair: Dr. Gabriele Plickert, gplickert@cpp.edu.  

Annual Event Information

Want to participate in the next symposium?

Student gives poster research presentation

If you’re interested in participating in the next Lowell Overton Research Symposium, review the key deadlines and submit your abstract using the link provided.

Abstract Submission Link: Opens January 2027

Acceptance Notification: Will follow in March 2027

Project Finalization:
Finalize your project with the guidance of a faculty mentor by April 2027.

Spring 2027 Symposium Information TBA in late Fall of 2026

 

Past Symposium Events


For more information about previous presenters click on the corresponding years:

17th Lowell Overton Undergraduate Research Symposium (2026)

  • Audoma, Barbara. "Breaking Cycles Through Education: The Success Stories of Single Mothers in Graduate School." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Haro-Villa. Recipient of the Best Paper Presentation Award.
  • Donohue, Kaithlyn. "Media Exposure and Perceived Safety: Examining the Influence of Crime-Related Content on Public Perceptions." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Wilf. 
  • Esquivias, Jocelyn. "Exploring the Effects of Pets on Victims of Domestic Violence." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Hanink. 
  • Gamboa, Lucy. "Measuring Youth Well-being in a Community Mentorship Program." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Plickert.
  • Johnson, Jordan. "Commodified Selves: Emotional Labor and Identity Performance in Women's Influencer Work." Faculty Mentors: Dr. Plickert and Dr. Robinson.
  • Ko, Seth. "Alienation to Antagonism: A Pilot Application of Simmel's Conflict Theory to Mass Shooter Manifestos." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Duhart. 
  • Martinez, B., M.A. Chavarria, Z.B. Blacklock, and T.K. Valdez. "Weighing Benefits and Concerns: An Evaluation of Students' Mixed Perceptions of AI Usefulness." Faculty Mentors: Dr. Wachs and Dr. Fuchia. 
  • Myint, Samantha. "Media's Impact on Outlook." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Wilf.
  • Orozco, Maria. "Archive Creation, Racial Violence Against Freed Persons During the Reconstruction Era." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Duhart. 
  • Palumbo, Kevin. "Understanding How Colorism Impacts Mexican American Dating Preferences and Experiences in Southern California." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Zermeno. 
  • Quinoz, Samantha. "Political Ideology and Youth Critical Social Analysis of Gender and Sexuality on Social Media." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Wilf. 
  • Quinonez, Pamela. "Analyzing the Educational Implications of Formerly Incarcerated Students and Their Experiences in the Cal Poly Pomona CSU System." 
  • Rios, Evan, Seth Ko, and Doni Baggett**. "Framing Opportunity: Photography as Data in the Study of Violence and Place." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Plickert. Recipients of the Best Poster Presentation Award. **Department of Geography and Anthropology.
  • Skurikhina, Paulina. "How Has Terrorism Affected the UN Counter-Terrorism Policies?" Faculty Mentor: Dr. Duhart.

16th Lowell Overton Undergraduate Research Symposium (2025)

  • Gamboa, Lucy. "Growing up is Tough: Anxiety, Anger, and Confidence in Adolescence." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Plickert.
  • Gillian, Rahsaan. "Tested Kinship: The Generatively Messy and Multidirectional Relationship Between Black Gay Men and Black Women." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Robinson. Recipient of the Best Paper Presentation Award.
  • Guzman, MJ. and Pricilla Ramirez. "What is the connection between race and career choice among women?" Faculty Mentor: Dr. Daniels.
  • Herrera, Nellierose. "Primitive Accumulation and the Genocide of Native Americans." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Duhart.
  • Jesolva, Olivia. "The Unique Experiences of Biological Children of Foster Parents." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Daniels.
  • Johnson, Jordan. "Addicted to Influencing: How Content Creators Negotiate Boundaries and their identities." Mentors: Dr. Robinson and Dr. Hanink.
  • Marquez, Chardonnay. "The Impact of Support Programs on Adolescent Academic Outcomes and Well-Being." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Plickert.
  • Meja, Noelle. "The Intersection of Migration and Sex Trafficking." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Duhart.
  • Nunez, Joseph. "Incarcerated Parents and their effects on the American Youth." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Hanink.
  • Obando, Karen. "Femicide and Hate Crimes." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Duhart. 
  • Polston Rago, Savannah. "Cartels as Terrorists: Redefining the Threat, Reshaping the World." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Duhart.
  • Rios, Evan. "Domestic Terrorism Patterns from 2015-2022." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Duhart.
  • Tanagho, Michael. "The Impact of Parenting Styles and Adverse Stressors on Adolescent Resilience." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Plickert. Recipient of the Best Poster Presentation Award.

15th Lowell Overton Undergraduate Research Symposium (2024)

  • Aguilar, Cabrera Zenith, Lorena Palacios, and Shazia Torres. “Transfer Students: Understanding Experiences and Disparities of the Nontraditional Undergraduate Student." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Haro.
  • Iglesias, Oona. “Sociolegal Analysis of Juvenile Courts.” Faculty Mentor: Dr. Hanink.
  • Johnson, Jordan. “How Social Media Impacts Women.” Faculty Mentor: Dr. Hanink.
  • Johnson, Jordon, Pedro Rosales, and Jerran Sumimoto. “Clickbait or Content? How a Criminology Media Lab Can Combat Disinformation and Create Public-Facing Criminological Scholarship." Poster Presentation. Faculty Mentors: Drs. Hanink and Duhart. Recipients of the Best Poster Presentation Award.
  • Moran, Jackie. “Latino Children in Special Education Programs.” Faculty Mentor: Dr. Robinson. Recipient of the Best Paper Presentation Award.
  • Nino, Araceli. “Bad Bunny Influence in American Culture.” Poster Presentation. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Des-Lauriers.
  • Rivera, Alexis. “Beats vs. Street: A Spatial Snapshot of Violent Crime Concentration in Pomona.” Faculty Mentor: Dr. Plickert.
  • Tanagho, Michael. “Examining the Relationship Between Childhood Trauma and how it Impacts Adulthood.” Faculty Mentor: Dr. Duhart.
  • Torres, Ivan Cesar. “The State of the City: An Examination of City Planning in Conjunction to Public Health.” Faculty Mentor: Dr. Daniels.
  • Vasquez, Celeste. “Understanding Wealth Inequality: Mexican American’s Experiences in Accessing Wealth.” Faculty Mentor: Dr. Morales.
  • White, Crystal. “Sexual Self and Sexual Behaviors.” Faculty Mentor: Dr. Hanink.

14th Lowell Overton Undergraduate Research Symposium (2023)

  • Anih, Brenda, Cynthia Mendoza, and Rocio Jazmin Padilla. “The Relationship Between Student Employment Status and Mental Health.” Faculty Mentor: Dr. Daniels.  
  • Castillo, Alysa and Kamryn Flores. “Trends of Violent Crimes: Aggravated Assaults in Los Angeles from 2018-2022.” Faculty Mentor: Dr. Plickert
  • Chan, Eric. “Post-COVID Pedagogy: A Student's Meditations on Student Engagement in 2023.”
  • Gonzalez Campos, Arisbeb. “Undocumented Students’ Experience in Higher Education.” Faculty Mentor: Dr. Aguilar-Hernandez.
  • Gonzalez Maya, Marisol. “The Relationship between Gender and Confirmation to Traditional Gender Roles.” Poster Presentation. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Daniels.
  • Hua, Samantha. “Addressing the Effects of Parental Incarceration.” Faculty Mentor: Dr. Hanink.
  • Iglesias, Oona. “Effectiveness of the McNair Scholars Program at Cal Poly Pomona.” Faculty Mentor: Dr. Hanink.
  • Johnson, Jordan. “How Social Media Impacts Young Women.” Poster Presentation. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Hanink.
  • Mendieta, Priscila. “First-Generation College Students’ Experiences of Resilience.” Faculty Mentor: Dr. Tellez-Trujillo.
  • Nguyen, Uyen Nghi. “Evaluating the Effectiveness of Existing Solutions on Reducing the Proliferation of Digitized Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).” Faculty Mentor: Dr. Hanink
  • Ortiz, Melissa. “South Korean Sowing the Seeds of a Supportive Community.” Poster Presentation. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Danico.
  • Penate, Jasmine. “What Factors Influence a Shift Away from Indigenous Identities and Cultures to Mainstream Western Culture Among Indigenous Guatemalans.” Faculty Mentor: Dr. Zermeño
  • Ramirez, Dinah Samantha. “The Gender Pay Gap: The Experiences of Women Faculty Members at Cal Poly Pomona.” Poster Presentation. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Narayan. Recipient of the Best Poster Presentation Award.
  • Villanueva, Mandi. “Collegiate Athletics and Perceptions of Depression.” Faculty Mentor: Dr. Collazo. Recipient of the Best Paper Presentation Award.
  • White, Crystal. “Sexual Self and Sexual Behavior.” Poster Presentation. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Hanink.
  • Wolf, Jayce. “Homelessness, a Lifestyle or a Choice?” Faculty Mentor: Dr. Fong.

13th Lowell Overton Undergraduate Research Symposium (virtual) (2022)

  • Chan, Eric. "Ads Want to Sell Something: How Political Corporate Messaging Commodifies Resistance." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Wachs.
  • Herrera, Nicole. "Parental perceptions of their children's social skills and technology use among adolescents." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Daniels.
  • Patterson, Lindsay. "Alcohol Dependency and Meaningful Friendships." 
  • Villanueva, Mandi. "Collegiate Athletics and Perceptions of Anxiety." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Collazo.
  • Whitehouse, Emilie. "An Analysis of the Andrew Cuomo Case: How Does the Media Portray Victims of Sexual Assault?" Faculty Mentor: Dr. Barragan. Recipient of the Best Paper Presentation Award.

12th Lowell Overton Undergraduate Research Symposium (first virtual symposium) (2021)

  • Armas, Rosalia. "We're in this Together: Faculty Advocating for Student Parents?" Faculty Mentor: Dr. Collazo
  • Barrios, Deanna, M., Luisa Soracco, and Kelly Deng (and co-authors: Shihka Gupta, Brooke Jones, Alyssa Jurevics, Harmony Nguyen, Cecilia Nguyen, Krusha Patel, and Natalia Perez). "Effectiveness of a Multidisciplinary Faculty Learning Community (FLC) on Enhancing Pedagogy in Online Learning." Faculty Mentors: Dr. Fuqua, Dr. Wachs, and Dr. Nissenson. 
  • Barrios, Deanna, M., Brooke Jones, Natalia Perez (and co-authors: Cecilia Nguyen, Harmony Nguyen, Luisa Soracco, Kelly Deng, Alyssa Jurkevics, Shikka Gupta, and Krusha Patel). "Evaluating the Effects of an Online Library on Student Performance in a Bottleneck Mechanical Engineering Course." Poster Presentation. Faculty Mentors: Dr. Fuqua, Dr. Wachs, and Dr. Nissenson. 
  • Chan, Eric (and co-authors: Beverly Cotter, Joshua Diaz, Christian Garcia, and Rojelio Munoz). "Analyzing the Response to Nike's Woke Advertising: Does it have a meaning?" Faculty Mentor: Dr. Wachs. 
  • Cooper, Emily. "Mapping Crime in Times of Social Distancing during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Spatial Snapshot of California." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Plickert. Recipient of the Best Paper Presentation Award.
  • Hernandez, Denise. "The Tale of Managerial Status Affecting the Reaction of the Bystanders' Perception on the Female Employee Filing a Sexual Harassment Claim." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Collazo. 
  • Morando, Jizelle. "In the Name of Hate: Exploring Determinants of Hate in California." Poster Presentation. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Plickert.
  • Sakasegawa, Jordan. "The Rise of Political Violence (2019 vs. 2020)." Poster Presentation. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Plickert.
  • Vara Escobar, Andrea and Rosalia Armas. "Parenting Through Higher Education." Faculty Mentors: Dr. Navarro-Cruz & Dr. Dávila 
  • Wilson-Boone, Jennifer. "Socioeconomic Status Matters: Segregation Neighborhood Effects on Education Quality." Poster Presentation. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Daniels. Recipient of the Best Poster Presentation Award.

11th Lowell Overton Undergraduate Research Symposium (2020)

  • Balagula, Helen. "Transnationalism, Diaspora, and Identity: Experiences of Ukrainian Immigrants." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Narayan.
  • Balagula, Helen & Leon, Y. "From Military to Student Life: Experiences of Women Veterans in Higher Education." Faculty Mentors: Dr. Morales & Dr. Narayan.
  • Medrano, Victoria. "When Women Fight Back: Differential Approaches of Intimate Partner Violence and Punishment.” Poster Presentation. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Plickert.
  • Safari. J.  "Latinas in Sociology." Faculty Mentors: Dr. Lopez, Dr. Collazo, Dr. Huerta.
  • Saucedo, L & Barrios, Deanna. M. "Drug Abuse and Its Correlation to Homelessness." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jones

10th Lowell Overton Undergraduate Research Symposium (2019)

  • Arevalo, Brittaney & Branden Escobar. "Deployment and Veteran Status: How do students define their veteran identity." Faculty Mentors: Dr. Morales & Dr. Narayan.
  • Ferrer, Efigenia & Genesis Gonzalez. "The Challenges of Being a School Social Worker." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Narayan.
  • Gutierrez, Olivia & Renee Arroyo. "Investigating Veteran Resource Centers: the key to higher education integration? Comparing community colleges and four-year universities." Faculty Mentors: Dr. Morales & Dr. Narayan.
  • Ponce, Christopher, Desirae Aguirre, & Marisa Aguirre. "The Perception of Black Women in America, Past and Present." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Narayan. Recipients of the Outstanding Presentation Award.

9th Lowell Overton Undergraduate Research Symposium (2018)

  • Aguila, Karen. "The Sex Talk."
  • Aguilar, Veronica, Gwendolyn Wells, Janice Vu, and Anna Watkins. "Millennials Gen I and Gen II: Coming of Age in a Social Media Saturated World." Faculty Mentors: Dr. Danico, Dr. Wachs, & Dr. Ocampo.
  • Khander, Rafif. "Why do We do What We do?" Faculty Mentor: Dr. Fong.
  • Lopez, Lydia. "Presentation of Self in a Police Department: An Ethnographic Study." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Narayan.
  • Luna, Jessica. "The Language Graveyard." Faculty Mentor: Ms. Muniz.
  • Maciel, Elizabeth. "Everything is Getting Better: Resilience in Children of Divorce." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Plickert.
  • Nguyen, Cecilia, Alyssa Marquez, Katrina Tabangcura, Julia Lozano, Evelyn Katchoudorian, Danell Martinez. "Adoption of active learning activity: Barriers to Team Battles’ effectiveness in an engineering course." Poster Presentation. Faculty Mentors: Dr. Fuqua & Dr. Wachs.
  • Pavlinac, Kayla, Evan Greco & Ruby Ramirez. "Promoting Student Parent Success." Poster Presentation. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Dávila.
  • Shaw, Olivia. "A Sociological Perspective on the Relationship between Humans and Animals." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Narayan. Recipient of the Outstanding Presentation Award.
  • Villalobos, Cynthia & Olivia Bosek. "Analyzing Resources Available to Student Parents Within the CSU System." Poster Presentation. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Dávila.

8th Lowell Overton Undergraduate Research Symposium (2017)

  • Atienza, William. "An Examination of Cultural Capital, Silence and Discipline in a High School Environment." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Narayan.
  • Campos, Crystal. "Cyberfriends are Real Friends whether Accepted by Society or Not." Faculty Mentors: Drs. Wachs & Fong.
  • Castillo, Carolina. "Male Sex Work." Faculty Mentors: Dr. Morales & Dr. Fong.
  • Galvon, Diana E. "Digital Panopticon." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Wachs.
  • Hernandez, Priscilla. "Alienation in the Workplace and Methods used to Disrupt the Monotony." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Dávila.
  • Maciel, Elizabeth. "Parental Stressors, Neighborhood Perception and Female Aggression." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Plickert.
  • Matanane, Jared. "Nationality and Sacredness." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Fong.
  • Mendoza, Gabriela. "The Racialization of Minorities in Anime and Cartoons." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Plickert.
  • Ugalde, Maria. "A Look at the 2016 Presidential Election through the Eyes of Political Memes." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Karapetian-Giorgi.
  • Shatikian, Kareen. "Perceptions of the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF)." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Karapetian-Giorgi.
  • Villaijn, Brianna. "Effectiveness of Inner-City Arts." Faculty Mentors: Dr. Narayan, Dr. Morales, & Dr. Ocampo.
  • Ylaya, Chantel & Haley Dunaj. "Insider-Outsider Dilemmas- Doing Research with Student Veterans." Faculty Mentors: Dr. Morales & Dr. Narayan

7th Lowell Overton Undergraduate Research Symposium (2016)

  • Chichester, Zanetta. "A Dissection of Commercials." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Fong.
  • Fuentes, Vincent. "Going Beyond Teaching: A More Humanizing Education." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Narayan & Dr. Fong. Recipient of the Outstanding Presentation Award.
  • Garcia, Aaron. "The Loss of Self Through Technology." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Fong.
  • Green, Josephine. "The Wicca Community of Los Angeles." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Narayan.
  • Munoz, Alejandro. "Imageboards and the Alternative Right." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Fong.
  • Rodarte, Monica & Joanna Delgado. "Veteran Women and Misrepresentation in Media News." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Narayan.
  • Shatikian, Kareen. "A Foucauldian Examination of “Rabiz” Culture." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Fong.
  • Ylaya, Chantel & Haley Dunaj. "Veteran Students: An Investigation." Faculty Mentors: Dr. Morales & Dr. Narayan.
  • Zadoorian, Christeneh. "People Who Made Us Fat Vs. People Who Made Us Thin." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Fong.

6th Lowell Overton Undergraduate Research Symposium (2015)

  • Chichester, Zanetta. "Ethnographic Study on Alcoholic Anonymous Meetings." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Narayan.
  • Daguplo, Jerome. "Hans Morgenthau’s Realism." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Fong. 
  • Glenn, Mara. "Ethnographic Study on Parental Involvement in Youth Soccer." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Narayan
  • Leon, Minerva. "Ethnographic Observations of a Prison Tour." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Narayan, Recipient of the Outstanding Presentation Award. 
  • Macias, Brittany. "Latina Feminism." Faculty Mentor: Dr. Fong