RELATED ABSTRACTS

• Abortion Related Misinformation and the Resulting Barriers to Abortion Related Care, Cohen-Vigder, Talia, UMass Amherst, Poster Session 1, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM, Auditorium, A22

Protecting students and maintaining safe school environments remains a central concern for educators, policymakers, and communities. In response to fears of school violence, many districts have increased the presence of law enforcement officers stationed on campuses. While campus police are often framed as a strategy to enhance safety, research indicates that their presence can contribute to the criminalization of student behavior, particularly students of color. The over surveillance and policing on campus leaves many students feeling uneasy, monitored, and unprotected. This can affect college experiences and overall wellbeing. Safety looks and feels different to each individual, what comforts one person, can cause another student to feel and be targeted. By sharing stories and giving space for conversation, story telling becomes a tool in looking at surveillance and how it can be combatted to promote community safety without police. It also fosters community, and allows for individuals to learn from others through lived experiences and centering the voices of those directly affected. This project seeks to bring attention to the effects of over-policing, and also give space to inspire discourse about campus and student safety. My classmates and I are collecting individuals' experiences with police on campus, and having them envision what collective safety could look and feel like. It will then be translated to artistic expressions that are displayed on campus, where other students can engage and also participate in conversations about alternative safety methods. Art allows us to navigate through these extremely difficult topics and personal experiences

Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, abortion care is no longer federally protected as a constitutional right, resulting in significant interstate variation in access. In states with restrictive abortion laws, legal ambiguity and the threat of criminal liability have created new pressures for both patients and health care providers. This study examines how legal uncertainty produces a chilling effect on medical decision-making and shapes the treatment of pregnant patients. Specifically, it asks how abortion restrictions alter providers’ clinical decisions and which populations bear the greatest consequences. Drawing on peer-reviewed scholarship and qualitative accounts of patients navigating restrictive environments, this research analyzes the relationship between legal risk, medical practice, and patient outcomes. It argues that legal uncertainty negatively affects maternal health and birth outcomes, with disproportionate consequences for women of color and individuals in rural communities.

Menopause is commonly framed as a universal and biologically determined life stage, governed primarily by hormonal change and managed through individualized medical intervention. This paper challenges that assumption by arguing that menopause is a socially mediated transition structured by race, class, and gender. Drawing on intersectionality, reproductive justice, and medical sociology, the analysis shows menopausal experiences among women of color reveal the cumulative effects of health disparities within U.S. health systems. First, the paper critiques the dominant biomedical model of menopause, showing how clinical norms have historically centered around white, middle-class women and rendered other marginalized populations and their lived experiences as peripheral or invisible. It then examines how chronic stress exposure, environmental inequality, health care access gaps, and implicit bias—contribute to differentiated biological aging and unequal clinical treatment. Class inequality further stratifies menopausal management, shaping access to paid leave, specialist care, hormone therapy, and alternative supports. In clinical interactions, racialized gender stereotypes and underrepresentation in research produce patterns of underdiagnosis, dismissal, and inadequate treatment for women of color. By situating menopause within a life course framework and extending reproductive justice beyond childbirth to aging bodies, the paper argues that midlife health disparities are patterned outcomes of interlocking systems of power rather than individual variation. 

The contraceptive market reveals a striking gender disparity: while a wide range of contraceptive options exist for women, men’s choices remain limited to condoms and vasectomies. This inequity underscores how reproductive responsibility has been disproportionately placed on women, reflecting broader structural imbalances in health research and development. This study examines the biological, economic, and sociocultural barriers that contribute to this disparity, ranging from the difficulty of suppressing sperm production to the industry’s reluctance to invest in less profitable male contraceptives. Drawing on a review of scientific literature, clinical trial reports, and industry analyses, the study explores how these obstacles have slowed progress in developing male contraceptives. It also questions the gendered double standard that has tolerated significant side effects for female contraceptives in clinical trials while halting male trials for comparatively milder reactions. The research argues that the limited development of male contraceptives is not merely a scientific gap but a reflection of systemic inequities in how reproductive labor, risk, and responsibility are distributed.

This research investigates genetic selection technologies and their emergence as a site of stratified reproduction within contemporary healthcare systems. It argues that the current innovations in reproductive healthcare, particularly technologies that allow for the selection of embryos during assisted reproduction, operate within a market-based healthcare system structured to turn genetic health into a commodified resource for those at a socio-economic advantage. Rather than functioning as universally accessible advancements in medicine, these technologies risk creating new forms of biological advancement among existing classes, ethnicities, and genders. Through sociological theories of intersectionality and racial capitalism, this study examines how unequal access to reproductive biotechnology reinforces and deepens the divide in class rather than get rid of disease in an equitable way. It reveals how such innovations are embedded within a system driven by profit from pharmaceutical markets and privatized insurance, which restrict access on a systemic level. Intersectionality shows how race, gender, and class intersect to shape different outcomes of genetic disease and unequal access to emerging gene-editing treatments, while racial capitalism explains how the biotechnology markets profit from innovation in ways to reproduce the longstanding racial and class inequalities. Using both qualitative and quantitative approaches, the study analyzes sociological literature on structural inequality and reproductive governance as well as economic data on healthcare costs, biotech investment, and insurance disparities. The findings suggest that without structural policy reform, genetic selection technologies risk intensifying health stratification and institutionalizing inequality at a biological level. 

Public discourse in the United States increasingly centers on declining birth rates and their implications for population aging, economic stability, and the long-term sustainability of the labor force. At the same time, many economic and healthcare structures continue to make childbearing financially and medically precarious for large segments of the population. Drawing on sociological frameworks of stratified reproduction, structural inequality, and reproductive governance, this study examines the contradiction between growing concern over fertility decline and the uneven institutional support that exists for reproduction. Using a qualitative literature review, the paper analyzes scholarship on fertility discourse, family policy, maternal health disparities, and access to reproductive healthcare in order to assess how reproduction is differentially supported across social groups. The paper argues that while reproduction is frequently framed as a national priority, the policies and institutional structures that sustain it are distributed unevenly, privileging some populations while leaving others to confront significant economic and health-related barriers to family formation.

Hip-Hop has grown from a cultural art form into a significant political force that actively shapes voter behavior in the United States. This paper explores how Hip-Hop lyrics, public influence, and activism affect voters’ political alignment, particularly the increased support for the Democratic Party observed during the November 2024 election. Drawing on cultural and political references, the analysis demonstrates how popular music strengthens awareness and civic engagement among underrepresented communities.

Using qualitative research methods, the study incorporates lyric databases, historical media archives, and interviews to show how Hip-Hop artists address major social and political issues, including racial inequality, social justice, gender identity, and personal expression. These artistic messages frequently resonate with younger and minority voters, reinforcing shared experiences and motivating political participation.

The paper presents case studies of influential figures such as N.W.A., whose protest anthems challenged policing and government authority; Tupac Shakur, whose activism and poetry connected systemic inequality with political empowerment; and modern artists like Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, and Lil Nas X, who use their platforms to discuss voting, representation, and social rights. Their work demonstrates that Hip-Hop continues to serve as a vehicle for democratic discourse.

Overall, the findings indicate that Hip-Hop remains a dynamic and evolving space where culture and politics intersect. Through its storytelling, critique, and activism, Hip-Hop reshapes public consciousness, elevates marginalized perspectives, and broadens political engagement in modern America.

RELATED ABSTRACTS

• Investigating the Gene Expression of CaMKIIα Isoforms, Dorgan, Keller Mark, UMass Amherst, Poster Session 6, 4:15 PM - 5:00 PM, Auditorium, A52
• Developing a Tetracycline-regulated MS2-Tet Aptamer for the Temporal Control of RNA-RBP Interactions, Rosen, Jake William, UMass Amherst, Poster Session 6, 4:15 PM - 5:00 PM, 165, D7
• Investigating the Repressor Sequestration Model of Cilia Length Regulation, Wassouf, Emily Hope, Salem State University, Poster Session 3, 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM, Auditorium, A33

Structural racism within urban environments continues to shape inequitable outcomes for colored communities along health, agency, and climate resiliency. This research explores the relationships between universities and community-based organizations (CBOs) in shaping equitable environments in historically marginalized US city areas, specifically neighborhoods within Boston. It seeks to explore the role of partnerships at the intersections of youth and community engagement, policy advocacy, and ways of strengthening partnerships. To investigate the role of partnerships, qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted of CBOs in Greater Boston. As well, findings were included from participant observations gathered during partnered educational workshops and programs. The interviews and participant observations have the following topics: 1. Community Engagement and Youth, 2. Project Process and Advocacy, and 3. Strengthening Academic Partnerships.  On-going results support a strong role that academic partnerships have in environmental social justice within advocacy areas of environmental decontamination, sustainability, and community stewardship. Additionally, partnerships were important for engagement, with emphasis on educational youth programs that were holistic in design and covered several life areas that impact outcomes and health along the life course. Youth were engaged in a host of social and environmental topics that prepared them to be resilient community leaders. Lastly, modalities of strengthening partnerships emphasize an importance of reciprocity as opposed to one-sided research extraction models to uphold community trust throughout project processes and sustain the longevity of relations. Initiatives at the organization level without partnerships included advocacy for infrastructure improvement and social policy advocacy in governmental assistance programs. However, interviews highlighted the educational and research value that university partnerships can bring.

Black, first-generation female students deserve to feel heard and seen on their campuses.  Word to Us, a student-created and student-centered podcast, discusses many “uncomfortable” or “taboo” topics that Black households often don’t discuss — going to therapy, setting boundaries with family members, and dismantling harmful stereotypes. These topics all contribute to the "Black" experience and are intertwined with one another across generations, gender and perspectives. This podcast serves as a dialogue either between multiple people or one that I’m having with myself.  The purpose of this project is to give Black, first-generation female students — and other students in marginalized groups or similar experiences — a place to feel heard and understood. Understanding that Black women are the least represented and respected in many fields serves as the inspiration for my project. My goal is to create a safe space and community of conversations about the normally unspoken things. By the end of this academic year, I believe that listeners will develop an understanding that Black, first-generation female students look at things through a specific lens and all of their experiences are valid. Life in college is a snapshot of what you could experience in post-grad — finding a work-life balance, navigating new relationships, and adult responsibilities — and Word to Us will lay some of the groundwork that young adults can use to feel less alone as they navigate life.

RELATED ABSTRACTS

• Manipulation of Latin American Labor and Migration in the Era of Globalization, Smith, Adriana Raye, UMass Amherst, Poster Session 1, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM, 165, D1
• Nutritional Influences on Developmental Physiology and Longterm Health, Teague, Meghan Genevieve, Springfield Technical Community College, Poster Session 2, 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM, Auditorium, A26
• From Crib to Cognition: Linking Infant Temperament and Socio-Emotional Development to Sleep Architecture, Gogia, Sehar, UMass Amherst, Poster Session 1, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM, 163, C14
• From Parents to Prisons: A Biopsychosocial Approach to the Link Between Stereotypes in Early Male Development and Later Criminal Outcomes, Beckwith, Emma Lynn, UMass Amherst, Poster Session 6, 4:15 PM - 5:00 PM, Auditorium, A75
• The Dangers of Adolescent Gambling, Ryan, John Patrick, Northern Essex Community College, Poster Session 3, 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM, Auditorium, A70

RELATED ABSTRACTS

• Ghosts in the Genome: AI, CRISPR, and the Illusion of Resurrection, Al-alamy, Malak A., UMass Boston, Poster Session 3, 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM, Concourse, B10
• Insights into Tomorrow’s Newsroom, Today: Making Sense of AI in the Student Newsroom, Chai, Grace, UMass Amherst, Poster Session 5, 3:15 PM - 4:00 PM, Auditorium, A79
• Social Media Platforms Are Failing Emerging Creators, Alves, Matthew B., UMass Boston, Poster Session 2, 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM, Auditorium, A49
• That's Not Art! Artificial Intelligence in the Arts, Horn, Molly Katherine, Bridgewater State University, Poster Session 3, 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM, Auditorium, A20
• Beneath Our Feet: SR-01-25, A Possible Broad Spectrum Antibiotic Producing Soil Bacterium, Ratka, Sarah, UMass Amherst, Poster Session 5, 3:15 PM - 4:00 PM, 163, C17