Everyone eats and participates in the global food system in one way or another. The state of Michigan ranks second to California in U.S. agricultural biodiversity, with its position in the Great Lakes region creating a unique microclimate conducive to an abundance of crop commodities. Given the intersection between climate change and food systems– especially in the Michigan context– there is a need to

promote place-based, food systems education that is oriented toward climate change, underpinned by social equity and racial justice. Place-based education has been shown to engage students and educators more meaningfully in their respective communities, promoting stewardship amidst rising generations who will inherit this changing world.

In a transformative educational partnership, students at the School for Environment and Sustainability worked with the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative (GLSI) and Michigan State University (MSU) Extension's Community Food Systems Team to advance equitable Michigan K-12 curriculum development for educators with specific attention to food systems and agriculture, underscored by

environmental, climate, and racial justice. This project aims to identify and mitigate the barriers to implementing place-based food systems education in Michigan K-12 classrooms. The project’s primary deliverable of a public online resource hub equips educators with the tools and confidence to advance food systems education in their classrooms. The team coordinated a two-day training and focus group

with K-12 Michigan educators to gain valuable feedback, ensuring the project addresses critical needs. This presentation will discuss the importance of place-based food systems education and the development of the resource hub.

Agriculture has a major role in the scientific, cultural, economic, and health of society. The science of agroecology is necessary to support small local farmers in transitioning to more sustainable agriculture. Understanding agroecology is crucial for managing pests, and maintaining yields in agroecosystems. In Puerto Rico, coffee is embedded in the culture of local communities and sustains the livelihoods of many people, from farm workers to farmers to small business owners. Coffee is produced in a variety of systems ranging from monocultures to diverse agroforestry systems. A better understanding of the vegetation structure of coffee farms can provide insights into the distribution of biodiversity and the

ecological interactions that occur within farms. In collaboration with Ivette Perfecto’s lab and Shannon Brines, field data and LiDAR data will be used to quantify the vegetation structure of a coffee farm in Puerto Rico. The output of this project may assist in investigating the interactions between vegetation and the spatial distribution of other species in the agroecosystem, which could be important for its

sustainable management. 

The objective of this project was to display the vegetation structure of the Gran Batey Café Farm in Puerto Rico by exploring LiDAR data collected from an unmanned aerial system (drone) in conjunction with field data, all collected from 2021-2024. A canopy height model (CHM) was generated by taking the quantitative processes from the raw LiDAR data to create geo-referenced data on the coffee farm's structural properties. The field data was composed of a local farm-based coordinate system to record details of specific locations of plants recorded by Ivette Perfecto and John Vandermeer at Gran Batey 2021-2024. Meanwhile, geo-reference coordinates were collected of corresponding Plant IDs. With that data made it possible to overlay with the CHM data to the corresponding Plant IDs, adding more properties of the vegetation to the plant ID database. Overall, this project output has the potential to be utilized as a tool, and as a stepping-stone, for future investigations that seek to examine the ecological interactions and biodiversity within the coffee farm.

It has been estimated that at least 1.1 billion zoological specimens are housed in natural history museums and collections around the world. These specimens comprise the foundation of a plethora of biological and environmental research, including studies on wildlife biology, ecology and conservation, habitat restoration, predictive investigations related to climate change and public health as well as education and public engagement. In the last decades, museum and collections professionals have started important conversations regarding the colonial legacies that have shaped and, in many cases, still inform the practices, access and use (or lack thereof) of collections. Regrettably, these debates are still not as prevalent in the field of natural history collections and museums. Despite the Caribbean being one of the Biodiversity hotspots of the planet (geographic areas that concentrate a large number of species), this diversity is not being fairly represented in Caribbean-based museums and collections. Here, I present preliminary results of an exploratory study on the geopolitical distribution patterns of zoological natural history specimens from the Caribbean in collections around the world, where striking disparities in quantity and quality of collections housed locally, in comparison with those in Global North institutions become evident. In order to address the causes and implications of these biases and open a dialogue that move us towards more inclusive and fairer practices in zoological collecting and curating practices, we must understand the extent and magnitude of the disparities.

The human gut microbiome comprises hundreds of species of microorganisms that inhabit the length of the gastrointestinal tract and modulate a variety of host functions through host-microbe interactions. Previous studies suggest that the presence of Bifidobacteria, a genus of Actinobacteria commonly found in the distal colon, has advantageous effects for their host, but the mechanisms underlying these effects remain poorly elucidated. One mechanism proposed by previous studies is Bifidobacteria's production of indolelactic acid (ILA), a tryptophan catabolite believed to act as an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) ligand and improve host immune response. We hypothesize Bifidobacteria catabolize tryptophan to utilize its amino group as a source of nitrogen in the otherwise nitrogen-limited distal colon. To test this we cultured two species of Bifidobacteria commonly found in healthy human adults, Bifidobacteria adolescentis and Bifidobacteria pseudocatenulatum, in media with or without an abundance of nitrogen in the form of ammonium. We found that so long as the bacteria were provided with the 20 essential amino acids, including tryptophan, the presence or absence of ammonium had no effect on cell growth. However, cultures supplemented with ammonium showed much lower levels of ILA production as compared to those without ammonium.

This evidence suggests that tryptophan does act as a secondary source of nitrogen for Bifidobacteria in the absence of more readily available forms such as ammonium. We are working to determine which growth conditions result in the highest conversion rate of ILA to tryptophan.

Current evaluations of Large Language Models (LLMs have shown increasing performance on commonsense reasoning benchmarks. However, some concerns have been raised that these results may stem from dataset biases instead of genuine reasoning abilities. In an effort to test underlying reasoning capabilities, the Tiered Reasoning for Intuitive Physics (TRIP) dataset has been developed by the SLED

research group. This novel benchmark challenges LLMs to demonstrate coherent reasoning about physical scenarios through a multi-tiered evaluation of the reasoning process. The present research builds on the previous attempts, and it explores a novel approach to enhance the performance of LLMs on physical commonsense reasoning tasks using Answer Set Programming (ASP) prompting. The ASP

prompting strategy was implemented using the Mistral-7B model and compared against zero-shot and few-shot baselines. The investigation revealed that the ASP approach achieved 65% accuracy and 21% consistency on a subset of the TRIP dataset, outperforming zero-shot prompting but falling slightly short of traditional few-shot prompting. While not surpassing the best results from previous methods, the ASP

approach showed promise in promoting logical reasoning with intermediate steps, enhancing the interpretability of the model's decisions. Notably, the ASP strategy demonstrated comparable performance to the best models in the consistency metric without requiring additional training,

suggesting potential efficiency gains. This work contributes to the ongoing research on enhancing LLMs' physical commonsense reasoning abilities and opens new avenues for exploring the integration of formal logical frameworks in natural language processing tasks. The findings suggest that further refinement of the ASP approach could lead to significant improvements in LLMs' performance on complex reasoning tasks.

Transportation is vital for connecting people to jobs, education, healthcare, and other essential services. However, for limited-income residents’ access to comprehensive, quality transportation remains a significant challenge. This study explores the transportation experiences and preferences of residents in two affordable housing complexes in Sonoma County, California, where Latine individuals comprise a significant portion of the population. Through qualitative interviews, this research highlights how transportation decisions are deeply influenced by familial and community responsibilities. Participants described prioritizing safety, reliability, and convenience to meet family needs, often resorting to costly personal vehicles due to the limitations of public transit. Structural barriers, such as inadequate transit routes, high vehicle costs, and insufficient infrastructure, further exacerbated inequities. Despite these challenges, participants demonstrated resilience by forming informal networks, advocating for policy changes, and creatively adapting to mobility constraints. Their lived experiences underscore the importance of centering community voices in transportation planning to ensure inclusive and equitable mobility systems. This presentation connects with Latine Research Week’s theme, Raíces y Presencia: Growing a Legacy Together, by emphasizing the role of lived experiences in shaping policy (presencia) and framing mobility equity as foundational (raíces) to building a thriving community.

Assessing access to critical services is crucial for evaluating resilience, as the literature suggests that individuals with better access to critical services tend to be more resilient. In this study, we build upon the Equitable Access to Essential Services (EAE) method, which redefines resilience as “access to essential services”. Our framework measures access by assessing building-level proximity to discrete point services (DPS), such as hospitals, grocery stores, banks, and gas stations, before and after a hazard. This approach acknowledges the importance of considering the interconnections between services while integrating community insights into the analysis. To understand the functionality of each DPS post-hazard, we simulate the effects of a tropical cyclone on an interconnected system, including power, water, and communications networks. The results of the simulation provide status updates on power, water, and communication at a building level, which are then used to determine whether a DPS remains operational post-hazard. Subsequently, we assessed building-level access to the nearest operational service. This framework helps identify areas with access disparities within the community, guiding decision-makers and emergency management officials to allocate resources more equitably. To demonstrate the application of our framework, we selected Cayey, Puerto Rico, as our case study community. Data for the interconnected system was obtained from publicly available data and fieldwork. The DPS included in this analysis were identified through interviews with community leaders and a survey conducted in Puerto Rico. Furthermore, we evaluated access outcomes for this community by comparing different resilience strategies, such as the impact of integrating backup power generators or water storage systems into DPS. Ultimately, this research establishes a forward-looking simulation model that not only measures community resilience and inequities in accessing essential services at the building level but also enhances our broader understanding of community resilience dynamics.

Methane (CH4) is a potent greenhouse gas. Significant amounts of methane are emitted as waste from various processes like wastewater treatment and landfills. These emissions are frequently addressed by flaring. Alternatively, these waste methane streams could present an opportunity to produce value-added fuels and chemicals. Electrochemical methane oxidation reaction (eMOR) presents a cutting-edge technology to meet this need and is better suited to distributed operations that conventional methane conversion technologies. There is still a significant need to improve eMOR catalytic activity and understand how to scale up and implement these systems. My research plan to address this need has three main objectives:

1. To assess viability of an eMOR system using α-Fe2O3/CuO catalyst and carbonate electrolyte

2. To evaluate the stability of the catalyst and system performance with biogas feeds, identifying potential catalyst poisoning from impurities like H2S and other sulfur compounds.

3. To conduct a techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) to determine the feasibility and environmental benefits of eMOR compared to conventional methane oxidation methods. 

It is expected that the catalyst will show good selectivity and efficiency toward alcohol products like methanol and ethanol. Performance is likely to decline mildly after hundreds of hours of operation and suffer with biogas feed due to sulfur poisoning. Preliminary TEA and LCA on methanol product highlights potential advantages of eMOR over other technologies; however, minimum selling price and carbon intensity remain similar due to challenges with product separation.

As of 2022, estimates show that 55 million individuals live with dementia, and the number is expected to rise as the population grows, according to Alzheimer’s Disease International. Furthermore, Hispanics are 1.5 times more likely to develop dementia than non-Hispanic Whites (Alzheimer’s Association). To address this growing concern, funding from the Department of Defense allows us to implement a group class intervention that targets long-term wellness for individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias (ADRD) and their caregivers, who are often referred to as "hidden patients". The Wellness Study compares the effects of two group treatment arms that address stress management, self-efficacy, and communication skills for individuals with dementia and their caregiver. However, Latines remain underrepresented in dementia-related wellness interventions and clinical trials even despite the higher prevalence of dementia diagnoses and the growing population. Here, we discuss the possible effect of the lack of culturally sensitive interventions that reflect familial culture and clinical education of ADRD within the Latine community. Although Latine support persons view caregiving as an expectation of intergenerational reciprocity, internalized negative feelings, such as guilt and shame, contribute to stress and a lack of self-care. Latine women also primarily take on the caregiving role, which may extend to larger family contexts rather than institutionalizing loved ones. Modifications to existing interventions to better align with Latine cultural expectations and worldviews could help address the disparity in care for Latine caregivers, provide resources for in-home care, and promote enhanced health literacy. I will discuss possible modifications to The Wellness Study's intervention to better incorporate Latine-informed care, while also leaving space for individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultural experiences to contribute to the discussion.

Herpesviruses are a family of DNA viruses (e.g. CMV, HSV-1) that infect more than 50% of the population; however, there is currently no efficient antiviral against them. Upon infection, herpesvirus’ genomes acquire histones and histone-associated proteins to regulate their viral life cycle. How cellular chromatin regulators are involved in viral genome reprogramming is poorly understood. We recently observed that the histone-binding protein PHF21A can suppress gene expression from the CMV promoter in a dose-dependent manner. PHF21A is a host protein that interacts with lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1), which represses gene expression by removing histone H3 lysine K4 mono- or di-methylation. Biochemically, PHF21A binds to unmethylated H3K4 upon LSD1-mediated demethylation, thus maintaining a state of transcriptional repression by preventing the re-methylation of H3K4. Interactors of PHF21A, such as LSD1, are already implicated in the regulation of CMV and HSV-1, yet no study has examined the role of PHF21A in these viruses’ life cycles. We are currently developing a model system using human induced pluripotent stem cells to elucidate the role PHF21A plays in regulating viral genome reprogramming in various cell types. Interestingly, PHF21A protein levels increase upon viral infection, providing evidence of an interplay between PHF21A and virus regulation. Our ongoing work focuses on better understanding the mechanistic connection between PHF21A and viral genome regulation.

Spinocerebellar Ataxias (SCAs) are progressive neurodegenerative disorders caused by mutations in specific genes, primarily driven by CAG repeat expansions leading to polyglutamine proteins. These mutations primarily affect the cerebellum and brainstem, resulting in motor deficits and premature death. Currently, there is no cure for SCAs, and research into potential therapies remains limited. However, growing evidence in humans suggests that cardiovascular exercise may slow neurodegeneration, though the exact parameters for optimal benefit remain under investigation. Identifying the neuronal targets and mechanisms by which exercise exerts these effects could reveal biological pathways that mimic its benefits. Using a transgenic mouse model of SCA2, which is caused by a mutation in the ATXN2 gene, we aim to further define the neuroprotective mechanisms of exercise in ataxia. This model, which exhibits early motor and learning deficits, provides an opportunity to assess the impact of exercise on both peripheral and central nervous system tissues. Our study will compare low- and high-intensity aerobic exercise protocols to determine whether cardiovascular intensity correlates with neuronal benefits. Given the protective effects of cardiovascular exercise on neuronal activity, we hypothesize that exertion triggers the release of peripheral signaling molecules. To identify these, we will conduct proteomic analyses of blood plasma and cerebellar tissue to detect proteins differentially regulated by exercise. Additionally, we will evaluate cerebellar cell loss and protein aggregation, pathological hallmarks of SCAs, to assess whether aerobic exercise specifically modulates disease progression. Although this study focuses on SCA2, the insights gained may have broader implications for other neurodegenerative conditions.

ORAL session Menu

Fried Yucca with Chimichurri Sauce on the Side 

Black Bean Empanada

Beef Empanada

Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pao de Queijo) 

Guava Cheese Pastelitos 

Brigadeiros 

Horchata 

This research focuses on 3 major but quite different migrations of Latin immigrants to the US -- the Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Mexican -- cases that are so different in their causes and the manner in which their immigrant community settled that they serve to give us insights on the different meanings and possibilities for return migration. In this research project I explore the possibilities for these various immigrants to return to their homeland, briefly or permanently. The return depends on their identities (as Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans or Americans), the laws that shape their migration (documented or undocumented, citizen or not), the circumstances of their lives back home (presence or lack of family there), and the difficulty of the return (politically or legally).

This talk is a draft of a chapter in-progress within a dissertation that is invested in the strategies and methods incorporated by the Chicago-based Latina stand-up comedy collective, "Las Locas Comedy." The dissertation argues that comedy allows for (re)interpretations of Latina identity, citizenship, and belonging through its transgressive performance and space-taking as Latina/xs within the collective support one another, build social networks of mentorship, and support a shared identity within a performing subculture. This chapter takes up Muñoz’s “sense of brown” and puts the tensions of racial performativity in conversation with having a sense of humor using the performances of Mexican American Melissa Villaseñor's "Mexican Enough" joke and Cristela Alonzo's "When You're a White Person's 'Token Ethnic Friend'." Throughout this talk, I demonstrate that laughter, joke-making, and vulnerability through humor show that Latina bodies are sites of theory production which allows us to expand on Latina women's critical contributions.

Aryl boronate esters (ArBPin) are common starting materials for copper-mediated radiofluorination (CMRF) reactions. However, the ArBPin of bioactive complexes are not readily available and require synthesis and isolation in order to use them in CMRF. This proves to be challenging because the ArBPin of complex substrates frequently exhibit poor stability towards isolation and storage as highlighted by Wright and co-workers where they showcase bioactive substrates whose late-stage borylation have proven challenging. This issue was observed by Kaur and co-workers with [11C]LY2795050 where they found that the aryl boronate precursor has a stability of less than three months. In this work, a new approach for CMRF will be discussed wherein radiofluorinated (hetero)arenes are generated from aryl boronate intermediates derived from electronically diverse, bench-stable (hetero)aryl halides. Their functionalization proceeds via a two-step, one-pot approach applying compatible borylation methods followed by CMRF to yield a variety of [18F]-(hetero)aryl fluorides.

The present study investigates how Spanish-English heritage bilinguals process scope ambiguities in sentences containing the existential quantifier "a" and the universal quantifier "every." Sentences like "a person bought every book" are syntactically ambiguous in both Spanish and English, allowing for multiple interpretations. Research suggests that one interpretation is often preferred due to its lower cognitive demand, though the degree of preference may vary across languages. Notably, studies show that bilinguals may have distinct interpretation preferences in each language, highlighting the complexity of bilingual processing and the ability to manage multiple linguistic systems. This study focuses on heritage bilinguals, whose language profiles are characterized by high proficiency in both languages, often from an early age. Specifically, it examines how Spanish-English heritage bilinguals process scope ambiguities in both languages. The study compares how interpretations and response times vary depending on which language is activated, exploring whether bilinguals show similar processing outcomes in both languages when one interpretation is preferred due to lower cognitive demand. Sixty Spanish-English heritage bilinguals participated in a timed acceptability judgment task to assess their interpretations of ambiguous sentences and response times. Participants also completed proficiency tests and a language background questionnaire to account for factors such as language proficiency. The results reveal nearly identical preferred interpretations (Spanish: M = 4.19, SD = 0.56; English: M = 4.14, SD = 0.66) and response times (Spanish: M = 6.97s, SD = 2.70; English: M = 6.67s, SD = 1.80) in both languages, with the surface reading consistently favored and associated with faster response times. Notably, language proficiency had no significant impact on these outcomes, highlighting the robustness of these processing patterns. These findings provide new insights into the cognitive mechanisms underlying bilingual interpretation and how bilinguals navigate ambiguities in their two languages.

High-harmonic generation (HHG) is a nonlinear optical process in which an intense laser pulse interacts with a target medium, producing light at frequencies that are integer multiples of the fundamental laser frequency. This phenomenon underpins attosecond science, enables tabletop generation of soft X-ray pulses, and facilitates the study of ultrafast dynamics. In this study, we explore wide-bandgap semiconductors as target media for HHG. Wide-bandgap materials offer advantages such as higher breakdown voltages, faster frequency switching, and increased thermal stability, making them more efficient, compact, and cost-effective for next-generation technologies. Our objective is to identify a material that optimally generates high harmonics when driven by a low repetition rate pulsed laser, advancing the potential of wide-bandgap semiconductors in ultrafast science and technology.

In this talk (intended for a non-scientific audience), I will introduce some of my recent work in theoretical particle physics with my research group at UM. Using pen and paper (and sometimes computers), we study the universe at the smallest scales. These regimes are probed by particle physics colliders like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Geneva. Particles such as protons, electrons, and their exotic cousins are characterized by numbers called mass and spin. Using fundamental physical principles and a bit of math, we prove that the masses and spins must satisfy a set of mathematical constraints. Nature does not allow particles of arbitrary mass and spin! These results yield a testable prediction for the LHC and can be applied to other areas of theoretical physics, such as string theory and condensed matter theory. Our work is part of an approach to theoretical particle physics called the "S-matrix bootstrap," which attempts to map out the space of consistent physical theories using physical principles and numerical techniques. Outside of research, I have worked with a variety of organizations to support under-represented minority groups in STEM. In particular, I mentor other Latinos in STEM, who are often first-generation college students like me.

In Caenorhabditis elegans, the death of both conspecifics and heterospecifics triggers a range of behavioral and physiological responses that influence the survival and behavior of the living organisms. Here we explore how C. elegans perceives the death and how this information is processed within the organism. We focus on the sensory mechanisms that enable C. elegans to detect death cues and examine how these cues on the behavior of surviving worms, including alterations in motility, lifespan, and reproduction. Understanding how C. elegans perceives and responds to the death of can provide valuable insights into the broader biological processes of communication, survival, and adaptation in multicellular organisms.

A transition to cooperative food sharing is thought to be a fundamental shift in human evolution, whereas wild chimpanzees tend to show more competitive behaviors around food and may share more commonly in response to harassment. Here we examine patterns of food transfers in semi-free-ranging chimpanzees living in an African sanctuary to test how relative food abundance impacts patterns of food transfers. This population provides a unique context as these chimpanzees interact in a large social group in a naturalistic forest habitat, but are also provisioned with food thus alleviating ecological constraints that may shape wild chimpanzee behavior. Using two years of data comprising 7057 ten-minute focal follows, we examined food transfers in a group of 50 chimpanzees. We observed more instances of successful or attempted food thefts (n=113) than sharing (n= 33). More than 80% of sharing was passive rather than active, with 30% occurring between a mother-infant pair. In interactions between subadults and adults, thefts were the most common form of food transfer. Males were more likely to be the aggressors and steal from females, a pattern driven by high-ranking males (chisq=10.26, df=4, p<0.05). Conversely, females were more likely to steal from females they socially associated with more frequently (chisq=10.10, df=2, p<0.01). These findings support theoretical views highlighting the importance of kinship, affiliation, and social status in shaping patterns of food transfers in primates, and further show that chimpanzees tend to show agonistic interactions about food even under conditions of relative food abundance.

Click on the dates below to see the detailed event program for Latine Research Week 2025