Honors Transfer Council of California
Supporting honors education and helping California community college students transfer to colleges and universities nationwide.
The University of California, Irvine
presents
Building Bridges. Constructing Futures.
The Twentieth Annual Honors Research Conference for California Community Colleges
with participating honors programs of the
Honors Transfer Council of California
April 4, 2020
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE
Dean Abernathy, Orange Coast College, Conference Chair
Joachin Arias, Los Angeles Harbor College, HTCC President
Erik Ozolins, Mt. San Jacinto College, Conference Program Co-Chair
Alannah Rosenberg, Saddleback College, Conference Program Co-Chair
Judy Cannon, Crafton Hills College, Conference Communication Co-Chair
Siobhan Feeney, Moreno Valley College, Conference Communication Co-Chair
Anthony Blacksher, San Bernardino Valley College, Poster Coordinator
Rachel Williams, El Camino College, Scholarship Chair
Tucker Amidon, Riverside City College, HTCC Treasurer and Webmaster
Kay Ryals, Irvine Valley College, Conference Registration
Tim Adell, Victor Valley College, Editor of Building Bridges
Danielle Muller, Los Angeles City College, Moderator Co-Coordinator
Christina Yamanaka, Mt. San Jacinto College, Moderator Co-Coordinator
Jennifer Fisher, UCI, Event Planner
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Honors Transfer Council of California is grateful to the administration and staff of the University of California, Irvine, for hosting and supporting this annual research conference. The commitment that UC Irvine has made to our organization and this conference is a strong testament of its support of California community colleges and transfer students.
This conference is enhanced significantly by the contributions, in spirit as well as funding, of the Office of Admissions and Relations to Schools. We thank Bianca Leon, Associate Director Transfer Outreach, who has provided patient, good-humored, and resourceful guidance throughout the conference planning. We greatly appreciate, too, the assistance of Jennifer Fisher who was responsible for coordinating the equipment and room set-up as well as all of the coordination with the UCI event staff. The support of May Wilson, UCI Event Coordinator.
The HTCC owes special thanks to Dean Abernathy, Tim Adell, Tucker Amidon, Siobhan Feeney, Yih-Mei Hu, Wendy Koenig, Margot Lovett, Melissa Rifino-Juarez, Kay Ryals, Christopher Sleeper, Julie Song, Brian Waddington, and Jeff Wheeler, for serving as proposal readers for this conference under the guidance of Erik Ozolins and Alannah Rosenberg, our Conference Program Co-Chairs.
Anthony Blacksher, our Poster Session Coordinator, also deserves our gratitude along with his extremely accomplished group of poster judges.
Our Registration Director, Kay Ryals, has done an amazing job with the critical and demanding work of registration.
We are grateful also for Rachel Williams and her team of faculty who served as readers of scholarship and award applications for this conference.
Special thanks are due to Christina Yamanaka and Kathy Patterson, whose expert advice has greatly assisted both registration and the coordination of moderators.
WELCOME
Welcome to the 20th annual conference and to the spectacular UC Irvine campus! The University of California, Irvine is once again hosting the premier conference featuring research produced by California community college students.
As you spend your day at the conference, we would like to draw your attention to some important opportunities. At its foundation, an honors education is meant to be broad-based and holistic. We encourage you to continue to embrace this foundation by seeking out presentations and panels to which you might not initially think you relate. The reality of research as you transfer to your four-year institutions and you prepare for graduate and professional schools is that much of the cutting- edge research is and will continue to be interdisciplinary and even transdisciplinary.
Additionally, take opportunities to enjoy the remarkable beauty and architecture of UC Irvine. And don’t forget to forge connections with your fellow presenters, moderators and attendees. Many of the students you spend time with today will be your colleagues as you transfer and even later in your careers. The relationships you form today may continue to bear fruit well into the future. And finally, make sure that you return to the Pacific Ballroom at the end of the day to participate in the closing plenary session of the conference where prizes will be awarded to student with outstanding abstracts and posters and to students who exemplify the best that our member colleges have to offer.
As an honors student, you represent some of the best qualities of your college, reflecting not only your own hard work and academic excellence, but also the teaching and mentoring of those who have made a difference in your life. Embrace your role as an unofficial ambassador of your school and use this day to represent your college and your community.
On behalf of all the members of the Honors Transfer Council of California, we wish you an educational and enjoyable day.
Joachin Arias
President
Honors Transfer Council of California
Honors Transfer Program Director
Professor of Chemistry
Los Angeles Harbor College
Dean Abernathy
Conference Chair and Vice President
Honors Transfer Council of California
Honors Program Coordinator
Professor of Architecture
Orange Coast College
2020 CONFERENCE FACULTY MENTORS
“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays: First Series, 1841
Dean Abernathy, Orange Coast
Brittany Adams, Irvine Valley
Tim Adell, Victor Valley
Can Aksoy, Los Angeles City
Josh Alley, San Diego Mesa
Bill Alston, Saddleback
Tucker Amidon, Riverside City
Meghen Andrade, College of the Canyons
David Andrus, College of the Canyons
Jared Ashcroft, Pasadena City
Suzie Bailey, MiraCosta
Dana Bassett, Santa Ana
Anthony Berman, MiraCosta
Nadine Bermudez, East Los Angeles
Deepali Bhandari, Long Beach City
Michael Bobo, Norco
Luis Bohon, Chaffey
Robert Bond, MiraCosta
Joline Bourdages, San Diego Mesa
T.L. Brink, Crafton Hills
Stephanie Burnham, El Camino
Bryce Campbell, Victor Valley
Phillip Campbell, Pasadena City
Thatcher Carter, Riverside City
Michael Cassens, Irvine Valley
Claire Cesareo, Saddleback
Barbara Christie, Los Angeles Harbor
Leah Cluff, MiraCosta
Mark Collinson, Irvine Valley
Sébastien Cormier, Groosmont
Vincent Crisostomo, Moorpark
Melissa Dilorenzo, Chaffey
Ian Duckles, San Diego Mesa
Claudio Egalon, Los Angeles Harbor
Kevin Eperjesi, Cypress
Alexis Faust, MiraCosta
Stephen Felder, Irvine Valley
CLS Ferguson, Mt. San Antonio
Randy Firestone, El Camino
Leona Fisher, Chaffey
Patricia Foley, College of the Canyons
Paul Frank, Sacramento City
Nancy Freeman, El Camino
Tricia George, College of the Canyons
Nicholas Geskakis, MiraCosta
Brizset Giles, El Camino
Ed Gomez, San Bernardino
Brian Gonzalez, Pasadena
Lee Gordon, Orange Coast
Carrie Goulding, Saddleback
Sarah Gray, Irvine Valley
Laura Greathouse, Riverside City
Ulrike Green, Orange Coast
Genevieve Griffin, MiraCosta
Kenneth Guttman, Citrus
Thao Ha, MiraCosta
Perry Hacking, El Camino
Nader Haddad, East Los Angeles
Mitch Haeri, Saddleback
Willie Hamilton, Mt. San Jacinto
Richard Hannon, MiraCosta
Michael Harnett, Glendale
Jacob Hartman, Pasadena City
Jennifer Hedgecock, Saddleback
Christina Heisser, Los Angeles City
Karla Hernandez Magallon, Mt. San Antonio
Raul Herrera, Santa Ana
Seth Hochwald, Irvine Valley
Daniel Hogan, Riverside City
Marcia Hollenshead, Mt. San Antonio
Joseph Holliday, El Camino
Lyman Hong, El Camino
Bryant Horowitz, East Los Angeles
Brittney Hubble, Cypress
Phil Hughes, Santa Ana
Tony Huntley, Saddleback
Basil Ibe, Los Angeles Harbor
Jorge Iniguez, Pasadena City
Melanie Jeffrey, Cerro Coso
Tina Jenkins, Saddleback
Gayane Jerome, Pasadena City
Jeff Johnson, Irvine Valley
Aron Kamajaya, Los Angeles Pierce
Tamara Karn, Mt. San Antonio
Joon Kil, Irvine Valley
Melissa King, San Bernardino
Robert Knable, Sacramento City
Misty Kolchakian, Mt. San Antonio
Joel Lamore, San Bernardino
Ho Lee, Orange Coast
Sue Lee, Irvine Valley
Lyndsey Lefebvre, Irvine Valley
Meredith Leonard, Los Angeles Valley
Ailissa Leroy, Santa Ana
Emily Liu, Irvine Valley
Chris Loeffler, Irvine Valley
Chan Loke, Irvine Valley
Lewis Long, Irvine Valley
Daniel Loomis, Chaffey
Brian Lopez, Fullerton
Charis Louie, Mr. San Antonio
Alan Lovegreen, Orange Coast
Margot Lovett, Saddleback
Senya Lubisich, Citrus
Isabelle Luengo, MiraCosta
Gary Luke, Saddleback
Randall Martinez, Cypress
Mora Mattern, El Camino
Darcie McClelland, El Camino
Lynne Miller, MiraCosta
Derek Milne, Pasadena Cty
Benjamin Mis, Irvine Valley
Jon Mochizuki, Orange Coast
Jed Mularski, Saddleback
Danielle Muller, Los Angeles City
Edgar Muniz, Mt. San Antonio
Sarah Muno, Pasadena City
Kelly Nelson-Wright, Fullertono
Maritess Oda, Cypress
Michelle Odlum, Los Angeles Pierce
Guck Ooi, Cerro Coso
Marcos Ortega, Santiago Canyon
Robert Oventile, Pasadena City
Erik Ozolins, Mt. San Jacinto
Jennifer Pakula, Saddleback
Sheri Patton, Sacramento City
Eduardo Perez, Riverside City
Lan Pham, Irvine Valley
Marcelo Pires, Saddleback
Micheal Plotkin, Mt. San Jacinto
Mary Powell, College of the Canyons
Geetha Rajeram, Long Beach City
Robert Randall, Pasadena City
Dan Reade, Norco
Nick Reeves, Mt. San Jacinto
Melissa Rifino Juarez, Rio Hondo
Denise Robb, Los Angeles Pierce
Michael Robertson, Long Beach City
Carlos Rosales, East Los Angeles
James Ross, Irvine Valley
Jerry Rudmann, Irvine Valley
Ronald Ruiz, Riverside City
Timothy Russell, Norco
Kay Ryals, Irvine Valley
Raghvendra Sahai, Pasadena City
Laura Scavuzzo Wheeler, Long Beach City
Andrew Sclafani, Irvine Valley
Stacey Searl-Chapin, Mt. San Jacinto
Marcia Selva, Sacramento City
Gina Shaffer, Saddleback
Parvin Shahrestani, Mt. San Antonio
Virginia Shank, Irvine Valley
Bober Sharon, Pasadena City
Adrienne Sharp, El Camino
Michelle Siao Lin Fabros, Rio Hondo
Pawinder Sidhu, Cypress
Dan Siegal, MiraCosta
Alec Sim, Irvine Valley
Philip Simpkin, Orange Coast
Abby Sirulnik, Saddleback
Christopher Sleeper, MiraCosta
Mark Smith, Santiago Canyon
Lisa Snyder, Orange Coast
Juli Soden, El Camino
William Spinella, Irvine Valley
Michelle Stewart, Mt. San Jacinto
Jensea Storie, Mt. San Jacinto
Ryan Sullivan, Mt. San Jacinto
Cynthia Swift, Santiago Canyon
Natasha Synycia, Irvine Valley
Kyle Thompson, MiraCosta
Stephanie Tran, Cypress
Julio Tsuha, Los Angeles Pierce
Kari Tucker-McCorkhill, Irvine Valley
Alexis Tucker-Sade, MiraCosta
Shane Underwood, Pasadena City
Burlee Vang, Irvine Valley
Karla Villatoro, El Camino
Tuan Vo, Mt. San Antonio
Erica Vogel, Saddleback
Laura Wagner, Orange Coast
Jeff Wheeler, Long Beach City
Karen Whitney, El Camino
Rachel Williams, El Camino
Kassia Wosick, El Camino
Brandy Young, Cypress
CONFERENCE AWARDS
Presentation of all awards will be made during the closing ceremonies at the conference. Checks will be sent after the conference to the Honors directors to be given to the winning student.
Poster Awards
The Honors Transfer Council of California will recognize the top research posters with an award accompanied by a cash prize. Posters will be judged on visual presentation, creativity, originality and reflection of sound scholarship. First, second, and third-place awards will be given for research posters in the categories of “Social Sciences and Humanities” and “Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, and Mathematics.”
Outstanding Abstract Awards
These awards are conferred by the HTCC to four or more students who have submitted top-rated abstracts describing their conference presentation. The abstracts are judged on organization, quality of writing, and originality and importance of the research. The most highly ranked Outstanding Abstract earns the HTCC Director’s Award (see below).
HTCC Exemplary Achievement Scholarships
The Honors Transfer Council of California will give a number of awards (two maximum per college) to students graduating this year who show extraordinary improvement in scholarship, especially related to performance in an honors program. Students must be nominated by their honors director/coordinator. These students display exceptional perseverance in overcoming obstacles to success in college or in an honors program. They have given outstanding service to their college or community or distinguished themselves as leaders in cultural or athletic activities. Finally, their application essays reveal a high quality of thought and expression.
Juan Lara Memorial Scholarship
Dr. Juan Lara created a scholarship in order to give special honor to a student who has overcome great financial, personal, cultural or other obstacles to achieve significant success as an honor student. Candidates for this award have been nominated by their honors directors for the Exemplary Achievement Scholarship. In conferring this award, we also honor the memory of Juan Lara, the former Assistant Vice Chancellor of UC Irvine, who was always a generous supporter of this conference and of our efforts to serve community college honors students. As an energetic and inspirational Director for the UCI Center for Educational Partnerships, Dr. Lara created opportunities for countless non-traditional students, leading them to seek – and attain – the highest success in their academic lives and career.
THE HTCC DIRECTOR’S AWARD
The Honors Transfer Council of California awards its Director’s Award annually to thestudent who has submitted the finest presentation abstract and has been judged as exemplifying the qualities of an outstanding honors student. The Director’s Award is the highest academic honor HTCC bestows on a student.
The Director’s Award, created to recognize and reward student excellence, also honors each year a vital director who is a member of the Honors Transfer Council of California. This person has made an outstanding contribution to the students in his or her honors program as well as to the HTCC – and thus to all the students served by this organization.