RCAC 2026 Posters

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  Driven to Distraction

  Kaylee Martin, Jazlynn Coiscou, and Carlie Cronin

  We are simulating a multitasking driving experience through SuperLab. Different images will be displayed of a road with either red or green lights. When a participant sees the red light they will press the B key for Break, and the G key for Gas when they see the green light. The distraction task is then while they are pressing the G or B depending on the different lights they will be scrolling on Tik Tok on their phone with their other hand. We will measure this distraction on how many short Tik Tok videos they watch.

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  Foundations of Performance

  Cullen McCadden

  My project is a free trial of a strength and conditioning program for high school athletes at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning. I will coach them through a one week program and provide guidance and teach the importance of exercise to athletes that do not typically have access to a strength and conditioning coach or program

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  Redefining Medoxomil Prodrug Synthesis: A Greener Mechanochemical Mitsunobu Approach

  Serena McCarthy

  Medoxomil prodrugs are bioreversible derivatives designed to temporarily mask polar functional groups, such as carboxylic acids, to improve the physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties of therapeutic agents. The ester-linked medoxomil promoiety enhances lipophilicity, membrane permeability, and oral bioavailability, and is rapidly cleaved in vivo via ester hydrolysis to regenerate the active drug form. This strategy has previously been employed across multiple drug classes and has led to several approved pharmaceuticals.

  Esterification of the parent drug candidate with the medoxomil moiety is commonly achieved via the Mitsunobu reaction. The Mitsunobu reaction is a stereospecific transformation that converts alcohols into esters via activation with azodicarboxylates and phosphines, proceeding with inversion of stereochemistry. Its broad functional group tolerance makes it particularly well-suited for medoxomil addition; however, current protocols rely on hazardous reagents, posing sustainability challenges.

  Herein, we report a modified Mitsunobu protocol employing sonication and greener solvent systems, including 2-methyl-tetrahydrofuran (2-MeTHF) and ?-valerolacetone (GVL). Using this approach, we have synthesized multiple medoxomil prodrugs from various drug candidates. Our findings demonstrate that sonication combined with greener solvents provides an efficient and practical method for medoxomil installation and is applicable to drug candidates bearing a free carboxylic acid functionality.

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  Deeper than Discipline: Analyzing the Association between School Discipline and Students’ Mental Health

  Meghan McElaney

  As the field of school counseling continues to evolve, increasing emphasis is being placed on supporting students’ mental health. This study aims to examine the relationship between anxiety and depression levels in middle school students (grades 5–8) and their rates of disciplinary infractions, including both Tier 1 incidents and office referrals. By analyzing the correlation between discipline and students’ mental health, the goal of this research is to improve the implementation of Tier 1 interventions.

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  Employer Attitudes and Organizational Factors Influencing Workplace Wellness Program Implementation and Success: A Systematic Review

  Olivia McGrath

  Workplace wellness programs have become increasingly relevant as organizations seek to improve employee health, enhance productivity, and reduce healthcare costs. Despite widespread implementation, evidence regarding their effectiveness remains mixed, and less attention has been given to the perspectives of employers and organizational leaders who design, implement, and sustain these programs. The purpose of this systematic review is to examine employer perspectives on workplace wellness programs, with a focus on organizational factors influencing implementation, engagement, and perceived value.

  A systematic search was conducted across multiple databases, including Google Scholar, PubMed, and Merrimack library resources. After title screening, duplicate removal, and abstract review, 66 full-text articles were assessed for inclusion.

  Findings suggest that leadership support and organizational culture play a crucial role in the implementation and effectiveness of workplace wellness programs, with stronger cultures of health promotion associated with greater program success and engagement. A significant disconnect also emerged between employer perceptions of existing wellness offerings and the actual effectiveness of these programs. Structural and organizational factors such as resource availability, company size, and competing workplace priorities continue to influence program feasibility and sustainability, often acting as both facilitators and barriers. While many employers recognize the potential value of wellness programs in improving productivity and employee well-being, uncertainty surrounding measurable outcomes and return on investment remains a persistent challenge.

  Overall, this review highlights the importance of employer-centered approaches in the development and evaluation of workplace wellness programs and highlights the need for consistent, long-term evidence to support future success of workplace wellness.

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  How Do Students Perceive Their Self-Management & Relationship Skills Following Participation in a Tier 2 Social Pragmatics Group?

  Kaitlin McGreal

  Social-emotional interventions are widely implemented in middle schools to support students’ development of self-management and relationship skills. However, there is limited research on students’ own perceptions of their skill use following participation in these interventions. This study explores how 8th grade students perceive their use of self-management and relationship skills after participating in a Tier 2 social pragmatic counseling group. Using a mixed-methods approach, data will be gathered through a Likert-scale survey measuring frequency of skill use, along with open-ended questions to capture perspectives.The findings aim to provide insight into how students perceive and apply SEL skills in real-world scenarios. By centering student voice, this study seeks to contribute to existing literature on SEL by offering an understanding of the meaningfulness of Tier 2 interventions in the middle school setting.

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  Heart Rate as a Marker of Metabolic Intensity: Validity, Limitations, and Non-Invasive Alternatives

  Ryan McKinney

  Accurate prescription of exercise intensity is essential for optimizing aerobic adaptation while minimizing the risk of overtraining. Blood lactate (BLa) testing remains the gold standard for identifying metabolic thresholds, yet its practical implementation presents significant logistical challenges in real-world training environments. Heart rate (HR) monitoring is widely used as a non-invasive alternative; however, the physiological mechanisms governing HR and BLa accumulation are distinct, arising from cardiovascular-autonomic and metabolic systems respectively. The purpose of this review was to examine the relationship between HR and BLa during exercise, assess the validity of HR as a surrogate marker of metabolic intensity, and explore alternative non-invasive measures that may more accurately reflect physiological threshold transitions. Current literature demonstrates that HR-derived estimates of the first and second lactate thresholds (LT1, LT2) are subject to significant variability across populations and fitness levels, limiting their utility for threshold-based training prescription. Detrended fluctuation analysis alpha-1 (DFA-a1), a measure of heart rate variability, has emerged as a promising non-invasive alternative, with values of approximately 0.75 and 0.5 corresponding to the first and second ventilatory thresholds respectively. However, significant limitations remain, including reduced validity under conditions of prolonged fatigue and a near-exclusive reliance on male participants in existing research. Until these gaps are addressed, DFA-a1 should be used as a complementary tool rather than a direct replacement for blood lactate testing. Future research should prioritize the inclusion of female athletes, individuals with cardiovascular conditions, and the identification of a temporal threshold beyond which DFA-a1 no longer accurately reflects metabolic intensity.

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  Secure Multiparty Computation for Genetic Disease Testing

  Erin McNulty

  In this work we develop a privacy preserving tool that allows scientists to diagnose and a study genetic disorders without compromising patient privacy.

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  Under Pressure: Chronic Stress and Mental Health in Midlife Women Caregivers

  Colleen Mehalko

  This literature review examines the impact of prolonged stress on women in midlife, ages 40–55, living in the United States. Included subjects maintained caregiving responsibilities while managing overlapping stressors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, economic instability, and social uncertainty. Research published between 2020 and 2026 was analyzed to better understand how sustained stress affects this population.

  Drawing on twenty-one peer-reviewed studies, themes emerging from this demographic indicate that prolonged stress is consistently associated with increased anxiety and depressive symptoms, sleep disruption, emotional exhaustion, and long-term physiological strain. Women with prior trauma histories or high caregiving demands appear especially vulnerable to these effects.

  Findings also indicate variability in stress responses, with social support, coping strategies, access to resources, and family dynamics influencing outcomes. Protective factors such as strong relationships, opportunities for rest, and adaptive coping are associated with better emotional health.

  This systematic literature review suggests that sustained crisis exposure has significant impacts on midlife women, particularly those balancing caregiving roles. However, additional longitudinal research is needed to better understand how repeated stress shapes women’s health over time. Further research can also inform what additional system-level supports should be made available to women living with chronic pressure.

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  Implementing Piezoelectrics to Enhance Injury Detection in Contact Sports

  Lydia Melaschenko, Ava Pepin, and Skye Tucker

  Safety in sports has become an increasingly important topic, and new technologies are constantly being developed to support the goal of keeping athletes safe. Football players are notorious for experiencing concussions during their athletic career, and due to this there have been many helmet variations to protect players from head injuries. The proposed project seeks to use piezoelectrics, materials that produce an electric charge when subjected to mechanical stress, to implement force sensing technology into the helmets to create a visual display of the contact force. This aims to shift from post-event data analysis to immediate feedback. Specifically, a light mounted on the back of the helmet will activate when impacts exceed recommended thresholds, providing a rapid and intuitive indication of potentially dangerous head injuries. This technology will eliminate uncertain judgement calls based on how detrimental the contact appeared and instead give immediate feedback on the force that was sustained. The project will further the use of piezoelectrics in the athletics domain, while also creating new safety equipment that does not interfere with the game itself.

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  How Do Structural Risk Factors and Government Response Gaps Influence Labor, Sexual, and Child Trafficking in the Dominican Republic?

  Maria Celina Mercedes

  This research examines how structural risk factors and government response gaps influence labor, sexual, and child trafficking in the Dominican Republic. While trafficking is often treated primarily as a criminal justice issue, this study argues that it is deeply rooted in socio-economic inequality, institutional weakness, and limited social-service infrastructure. Drawing on interdisciplinary literature, the project situates trafficking within broader systems of poverty, statelessness, gender inequality, migration pressures, and tourism-based economic dependency that shape vulnerability across Dominican communities.

  The study advances three primary hypotheses: (1) higher levels of economic vulnerability are associated with higher prevalence of trafficking; (2) weaker government response capacity is associated with greater persistence of trafficking networks; and (3) limited social-service infrastructure increases child trafficking vulnerability. To test these hypotheses, the research employs a multi-method design combining quantitative content analysis of official and NGO data with semi-structured interviews of stakeholders, including social workers and anti-trafficking practitioners.

  Key independent variables include economic vulnerability, government response capacity, and strength of social-service infrastructure. Dependent variables measure trafficking prevalence, persistence, and child vulnerability using composite indicators derived from publicly available administrative data and documented cases.

  By integrating structural inequality with institutional performance, this study contributes an intersectional framework for understanding trafficking in the Dominican Republic. The findings aim to inform policy reforms that move beyond criminalization toward structural prevention, institutional strengthening, and targeted protection for the country’s most vulnerable populations.

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  Effectiveness of Hatha Yoga on Women in Prison

  Emma Milne

  Many women who are incarcerated have a history of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. According to Jennifer Bronson, women in prison are 66% more likely to report a history of mental health issues than women who are incarcerated (Heimer et al. 2023). Hatha yoga is a style of yoga that emphasizes the balance between the body and mind through body postures, breath work, and meditation. The practice of hatha yoga has been found to improve the quality of life for many individuals (Baklouti et al. 2023). This systematic literature review examines the effectiveness of hatha yoga for women who are incarcerated in prison. Findings suggest that hatha yoga is a low-cost, easily accessible, and effective way to help incarcerated women self-regulate, decrease stress, and obtain positive well-being.

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  Image Processing for Binary Soil Classification

  Ava Minisolo

  In the realm of civil engineering, it is crucial to understand soil mechanics. Soil acts as the backbone of all civil engineering, whether it comes to buildings, bridges, roadways, hydraulic systems, etc. Geotechnical engineers test soils to identify its key classification. The two main soil classifications, fine-grained and coarse-grained, have different behavior and mechanics, therefore will perform differently. For example, coarse-grained soils like gravel and sand are more suitable for building skyscrapers because they are more durable and bearing load friendly. Fine-grained soils, like clay and silts, for instance, are best for a water retention system, because they have higher permeability and retain water more efficiently. With that said, the two soil types behave differently and are driving factors when thinking about what soil is most compatible with the infrastructure type. Soil classification can become very costly and put a damper on time. However, image processing can become a great method for preliminary classification. This image processing model can help to identify soil into the two binary classification: coarse-grained and fine-grained soils. This method would be a good starting point to help further assess soil and determine which geotechnical practices are best to perform on an unknown soil sample.

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  Observing Fluorescent Biomarker Differences in Subjects of Varying Age

  Casey Mitchell and Isabella Piccinato

  Human plasma presents as a complex biological matrix that can serve as a valuable source for biomarkers that can help us study health and wellness.Beginning with the plasma samples, a kit was used to further enhance the specimen. This resulted in having a supernatant which was collected and further investigated in our research. The supernatants were divided up with the control set and a treated set. The treated set had two sets of results. The younger cells were injected with a SDH activator, while the older cells were injected with a SDH inhibitor. Using the data from the PARAFAC to explain the difference between samples and show how much NADPH is present with each result, which helps us see the differences between the controlled and the tested cells. Fluorescence measurements, excitation-emission matrices (EEMs), were collected from various samples. To deconvolute the complex makeup of signals, we then applied Parallel Factor analysis (PARAFAC) to the EEM data. This allowed us to isolate signals of several fluorescent components. Finally, the results and findings are benchmarked against previous studies on supernatants, and some of the calculated components are attributed to chemical species such as Tyrosine and NADH. This dataset was made up of subjects varying in age and our analysis examines differences and trends in the dataset between different types of subjects.

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  Multitasking Activity: Reptile or Mammal?

  Adrienne Moore, Minu Lee, and Rose Franey

  This was a within-subjects experimental design investigating multitasking, specifically, a visual task being done along with a motor task. Participants were asked to indicate if an animal on the screen was a reptile or a mammal. However, in the "distractor condition" participants had to indicate whether an animal was a reptile or a mammal while also moving a finger along with a moving circle.

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  Effects of a 4-Week Tempo-Eccentric Block on Counter-Movement Jump Braking Metrics in NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Players

  Michael A. Nadeau

  The effects of a 4-week tempo-eccentric resistance training block on jumping mechanics in NCAA Division I women’s soccer players were examined. Women’s soccer places high physical demands on athletes, especially during sprinting, stopping, cutting, and landing. These actions require players to absorb force quickly and efficiently, yet the short-term effects of training on these qualities are rarely measured in detail. Rather than focusing only on jump height, this study evaluated how the body controls and absorbs force during the downward phase of the jump before takeoff. An applied repeated-measures design was used with 17 NCAA Division I women’s soccer athletes aged 18 to 24. The monitoring period included a baseline phase from January 12 to January 25, a 4-week tempo-eccentric training block from January 26 to February 20, and a follow-up retention week from February 21 to February 27 after the tempo emphasis was removed. Athletes trained three times per week for approximately 60 minutes per session. Weekly testing consisted of three countermovement jumps, with the average of the three trials used for analysis. Primary measures included force plate data and time-to-peak force metrics, which quantified how much force athletes absorbed, how quickly they absorbed it, and how long the force-absorption phase lasted. It is expected that the training block will improve force absorption during jumping, reduce the time needed to control downward movement, and show some retained benefits after the block ends. These findings may help guide training decisions, athlete monitoring, and readiness strategies in high-performance women’s soccer.

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  Relations between Weekend Bedtime Consistency and Sleep Duration in Preschoolers

  Ashleigh Nagel

  Bedtime routines play an important role in sleep during early childhood. However, not much research has been done to examine if there is a difference in bedtime routines on the weekends in comparison to during the week, and how such routines relate to total sleep time (TST). This study focuses on consistency in weekend bedtime routines and weekend total sleep time in a small sample of preschool children (N=13). Sleep was objectively assessed using actigraphy, and caregivers filled out the Bedtime Routines Questionnaire (BRQ) to assess bedtime routines. Preliminary results revealed that a significant positive correlation between consistency in bedtime routine behavior used during weekend and weekend TST (r = 0.601, p = 0.030), suggesting that children with more consistent behaviors during bedtime routine sleep relate to longer sleep on weekend nights. Interestingly, this relation was not observed for weekday bedtime routines and weekday TST. These results show that consistent bedtime routines may be especially important for increasing TST on the weekends, where inconsistent scheduling may affect sleep duration. In addition, bedtime on the weekends may be later than during the weekdays. Due to the small sample size, the results should be interpreted cautiously. Data collection is ongoing.

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  A Mechanochemical Mitsunobu Strategy for the Greener Synthesis of Methyl Isotopologues

  Syed Muhammad Ali Naqvi

  In medicinal chemistry, a bioisostere is a molecule derived by substituting an atom or functional group with another that shares similar structural or physicochemical characteristics. This strategy enables subtle modifications to the parent compound, aiming to reduce toxicity, optimize pharmacokinetic profiles, and enhance desired biological or physicochemical properties. Our research aims at installing deutero methyl isotopologues which are non-classical bioisosteres, using mechanochemical Mitsunobu reactions with greener solvents.

  The method enables efficient incorporation of fully and partially deuterium-labelled methyl groups (CD3, CH2D, CHD2) on phenolic substrates. Using this strategy, we have prepared isotopologues suitable for ADME studies and isotopic tracing of drug candidates. Representative syntheses using phenolic substrates, analytical characterization, and a comparative green-chemistry assessment using 2-methyl-Tetrahydrofuran and ?-valerolactone (GVL) will be presented. Our research demonstrates that sonication combined with greener solvent systems provides an efficient and practical approach to phenolic ether synthesis and isotopic modification and can be applied to synthesis of deuterated drugs such as Deuterobenazine. Ongoing studies focus on expanding substrate scope, optimizing reaction conditions, improving yields, and evaluating regioselectivity across additional phenolic systems.

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  Family-focused versus Individual-focused Therapy for Single Parent-Adolescent Family Systems

  Andrew S. Neumann

  Domestic violence experienced by a caregiver and their adolescent children represents a specific form of intergenerational trauma. Traditional trauma-focused interventions that focus on the child or adolescent without also providing an intervention for the caregiver may not address the cyclical nature and negative feedback loops that develop between a caregiver and adolescents when they have each experienced trauma due to domestic violence. This systematic literature review looked for evidence of family-based therapies that provided interventions for both traumatized adolescents and traumatized caregivers, with a goal of also searching for differences in reported intervention outcomes.

  The intended focus of the systematic literature review was upon research studies of family systems comprised of a single primary caregiver and one or more adolescents who have experienced trauma due to domestic violence, excluding specific comorbidities such as substance abuse within that family system in order to provide a more generalized picture of intervention outcomes. The choice of family systems with adolescents was selected as adolescents may exhibit stronger desires for independence and control, are typically physically stronger and louder, and may be more of an elopement risk in comparison to children. An additional goal of the review was to identify any research gaps specific to therapeutic outcomes for family systems comprised of single-parents and adolescents.

  The findings of this systematic literature review suggest that family-focused therapies, such as multidimensional family therapy and functional family therapy, may indeed be more effective with respect to improving family functioning in comparison to therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy that focus primarily on the individual (Carr, 2024). The systematic literature review also revealed that additional research specific to families composed of single caregivers and adolescents who have experienced domestic violence, as a specific form of intergenerational violence, may be required to verify that family trauma-focused therapies are indeed more effective in such cases.

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  The Need for Certified Strength and Conditioning Professionals in High School Athletics

  Kaitlyn O'Connell

  My project will be explaining my literature review on the importance of having a strength and conditioning specialist at the high school level. Most high schools do not have a strength and conditioning coach in their department, which can lead to improper information given to young athletes that may cause problems in the future. The purpose of this project is to provide rationale, supported by research, on why it is important to have someone with a strength and conditioning background in high school athletics. Majority of the project will discuss why having a strength and conditioning staff/individual can help with athletic performance, injury prevention, and be able pass down knowledge to younger athletes. High school strength and conditoning does not have to be at the level of intensity as college athletics considering it may be athletes first time experiencing a weight room, so having someone who is knowledgable can allow for proper development of those athletes.

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  Using Firstbeat Data With Division 1 Women’s Ice Hockey to Align Practice and Lift Intensities

  Cole Ondrus

  This project examined the distribution of internal training load across a competitive season in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey, with a focus on how weekly structure influences performance and recovery. Approximately 25 weeks of data were collected using Firstbeat technology, including TRIMP and heart rate–based metrics, to quantify physiological stress during practices and games. Weekly and daily load patterns were analyzed to assess whether training followed an effective undulated structure.

  Results indicated inconsistent weekly load progression, frequent clustering of moderate-intensity days, and insufficient separation of high-intensity stressors. Game demands consistently produced the highest loads, yet surrounding training sessions were not always structured to optimize preparation or recovery. Additionally, strength training intensity was not directly measured, limiting the ability to evaluate total stress exposure fully.

  Based on these findings, this project proposes that training effectiveness can be improved by aligning lift and practice intensities to create a clearly undulated weekly structure. This includes strategically placing high-, moderate-, and low-stress days, building the week around the competition, and ensuring adequate recovery between stressors. Ultimately, this approach emphasizes that performance is not solely dependent on total workload, but on how that workload is organized throughout the week.

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  Student Steel Bridge Competition 2026

  Chesca Pais, Suzanne Collins, Otniel Castanos, Abby Van Kirk, and Junior De Los Santos

  Merrimack students are participating in the 2026 AISC Student Steel Bridge Competition are tasked with designing, analyzing, fabricating, and constructing a steel bridge in accordance with official competition guidelines. The project focuses on creating a structure that meets requirements for strength, stiffness, constructability, efficiency, and overall performance. The selected design includes a cantilever design to effectively span the required distance while minimizing material use and maintaining stability. Throughout the process, students apply concepts from structural engineering to evaluate how the bridge will perform under loading conditions, hopefully being able to hold the assigned weight.

  The design phase includes developing calculations, creating models, and refining member sizes to ensure the bridge meets all criteria while remaining lightweight and practical to build. Fabrication is completed using steel members that follow competition rules for size, materials, and construction limitations. The students themselves weld the parts of the bridge to then assemble parts of the bridge to then connect together. The bridge at competition is then assembled under timed conditions, where teamwork and planning play a critical role in overall performance.

  This project also helps students gain hands-on experience that goes beyond classroom learning. It shows the importance of communication, coordination, and problem-solving within a team setting. It also includes public speaking at conferences, networking with other schools, and presentations with the mandatory poster and paper. Students must adapt quickly and make decisions in real time.

  The overall goal is to produce a well performing bridge and qualify for regional competition.

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  Correct Feminist Sex?

  Parker Parker

  Sex has been a subject of control of hierarchical systems in place for centuries. Specifically, how individuals' sex has been regulated by a branch of feminism known as anti-dildo lesbian feminism. This study explores anti-dildo lesbian feminism and its impact on how pleasure/sex was controlled by feminism. Along with the magazine On Our Back's role in destigmatizing the dildo in seeking pleasure during sex.

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  Whole Plant Phenotyping in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Exposed to Silver Nanoparticles

  Parker Parker

  Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs) are known for their antimicrobial properties, leading to their widespread use in healthcare, food packaging, and agriculture. Understanding the effects of AgNPs on plant development is critical, as they can enter the plant system and disrupt key physiological and molecular processes. This study uses whole-phenotyping analysis to determine the effects of AgNPs on the early and mature stages of two tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) genotypes, Wild-Type (WT) and aquaporin-mutant (AQ). To analyze early development stages of WT and AQ seeds in response to AgNPs, seeds were exposed to varying concentrations of AgNPs on solid Murashige and Skoog (MS) media, and germination rate was measured. Additionally, automated imaging was taken every six hours for five days of WT and AQ seeds treated with either water (control), 30 mg/L silver nitrate (AgNO3), or 30 mg/L AgNPs. To further analyze WT and AQ plants at a later maturity stage, PlantCV and ImageJ were used to measure impacts of AgNPs on leaf development and height, respectively, while PhotosynQ was used to determine effects on photosynthetic rates. To assess effects of AgNP exposure on crop productivity, fruit yield was quantified in WT and AQ plants following fruit maturation. Significant impacts of AgNP exposure were observed during early developmental stages and in photosynthetic activity, indicating that AgNPs influence both physiological and morphological aspects of plant growth. These results are critical for understanding the effects of AgNPs across different developmental stages, providing a broader perspective of AgNPs impact on plant health and productivity.

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  Getting the help they need: A study of high school students’ access to academic support

  Melissa Peduto

  Suburban High School (SHS) has a robust and well-developed Academic Seminar program for students on Individualized Education Plans. However, there isn’t a structured opportunity for other students who may, from time to time, need similar services. This study examines how high school students experience academic support, referred to as “extra help,” within a secondary school setting. Grounded in a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework, academic support includes Tier 2 & 3 interventions such as teacher-provided assistance, tutoring and supplemental instruction beyond core classroom curriculum. The purpose of this study was to explore students’ awareness, use, and perceptions of academic support, as well as the obstacles that may limit access. It is hoped that the findings will allow SHS to identify and address student needs.