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Hometown: Dripping Springs, TX
Major: International Business and Marketing
Graduation: Spring 2025

"Germany Versus the United States: Comparative Analysis of the Allocation Strategies and Leveraging of Foreign Financial Assistance"

Research directed by Dr. Angela Ju, The Bill Munday School of Business

This study analyzes how donor governments, such as the United States and Germany, have historically leveraged foreign financial assistance by strategically allocating foreign aid. Foreign aid has a track record of having been praised for lending a helping hand to underdeveloped countries and their citizens. However, various international aid case studies demonstrate how, historically and currently, foreign aid has been detrimental to the development and growth of foreign governments. Notably, this research focused directly on a case study comparison between how military aid and developmental aid are leveraged and/or allocated in the United States and Germany. Using a cross-analysis strategy between academic literature and quantitative data from NATO, the Organization of Economic Cooperation Development (OECD), and Foreign Assistance.gov, this research analyzed the underlying intentions of foreign aid donations. As a result, it was concluded that the United States allocates aid with national security interests in mind; however, Germany does not. In fact, the United States in 2022 solely accounted for almost 70% of the total NATO fund, funding more than NATO Europe and Canada combined, while Germany only made up 5.27%. Germany has traditionally only allocated development aid due to its collectivist culture and has typically restrained from donating military aid. Nevertheless, given the current Russian attack, Germany has recently made history by reversing an old foreign aid policy and granting military aid to Ukraine.

Hometown: Round Rock, TX
Major: Psychology
Graduation: Spring 2025

“The Issue of Diversity and Multiculturalism in Undergraduate Psychology Curriculum”

Research directed by Brittney Johnson, Munday Library

A continued lack of diversity in psychology curriculum perpetuates the marginalization of minority groups in society and conveys that the field of psychology places secondary importance on diverse perspectives of psychological issues. There has been consensus regarding increased inclusion of diversity in psychology (Boysen, 2011; Dingel & Sage, 2020; Simoni et al., 1999), but efforts to improve psychology curriculum has remained at the graduate level, despite recommendations and support from the APA to feature diversity in undergraduate curriculum (APA, 2022). Effective methods for how to incorporate these elements remain obscure, and there is a lack of studies outlining empirically tested teaching practices and assignments that have resulted in increased multicultural awareness among students. The objective of this study was to explore the current inclusion of minority sociodemographic factors within undergraduate psychology curriculum at a small, private, liberal arts university and how students and faculty perceive their integration. A mixed-methods survey approach was used to gather data from faculty and student participants in order to identify gaps in diversity and reveal how minority sociodemographic factors were discussed. Visibility and intersectionality theories were used as frameworks to analyze the survey data collected from participants, as well as syllabi collected from faculty, to reveal where minority sociodemographic factors are salient and where there might be gaps. Differences between student and faculty perceptions in undergraduate psychology curriculum revealed the need for effective strategies for teaching diversity that will guide the field towards best practices for educating future psychologists on the important issues of intersectional diversity.

Hometown: Austin, TX
Major: Biochemistry
Graduation: Spring 2025

"Adhesion of Metal-Complex Particle Free Inks Using Low Temperature Cures on Polyolefin Substrates"

Research directed by Dr. Bilal Shebaro, School of Natural Sciences

Metal-complex particle free conductive inks are a new class of conductive inks with applications in printed circuits, displays, and wearables. These particle free inks hold an advantage over the current generation nanoparticle inks since they can achieve conductivities as high as 90% of bulk silver with annealing temperatures as low as 40 C. In this study, the adhesion and resistivity of a screen printable metal complex ink was investigated based on the surface chemistry of the substrate used during printing. A 1.5-micron layer of silver was deposited and cured at temperatures as low as 60 C. Using ASTM Tape test, profilometer, and multimeter, the resistivity and adhesion of the particle free ink on each type of substrate was analyzed. The type of substrate printed on was found to largely affect adhesion and resistivity of the ink with certain polyolefin substrates showing a resistivity of 20 uohm-cm with adhesion at 60 C. This study offers an insight regarding which substrates offer the best adhesion and lowest resistivity values when printing conductive inks. Further studies are needed to evaluate the long-term adhesion and resistance values of the ink prints.

Hometown: Houston, TX
Major: Biology
Graduation: Spring 2025

"Measuring Grassland Ecosystem Productivity: Assessing the Effects of Invasive vs Native Grass and Forb Dominance in the Texas Hill Country"

Research directed by Amy Concilio, School of Behavioral and Social Sciences

Native prairies in Central Texas once harbored a vast diversity of plants and animals, but many have experienced declines due to exotic species invasion and woody encroachment (Naeem 1999). Prescribed fire and seeding treatments are being used on private and public land in the Texas Hill Country to restore grassland communities. Ecosystem services and functions, such as productivity, disturbance regulation, nutrient cycling, and soil erosion control can be improved through restoration efforts (Benayas 2019), but these functional responses have not yet been quantified at many sites. With this research, we wanted to answer the question: how does vegetative cover affect grassland ecosystem productivity?