S3 Special Sessions
What are Special Sessions?
Special Sessions are a collection of student presentations connected to a particular theme. Presenters can express interest in presenting as part of a Special Session when they register. Presenting at a Special Session may make presenters eligible for additional awards specific to their special session.
2027 Special Sessions
Students are encouraged to register to present in one of 12 special sessions for the 2027 SDSU Student Symposium. The 12 sessions are listed below in alphabetical order.
Advances in Wildfire Research
This session showcases innovative wildfire research driven by the next generation of scientists, engineers, and policymakers. Some topics may include but are not limited to fire ecology, post-fire recovery, remote sensing, predictive tools, fire behavior modeling, public health risks, wildland-urban interface mitigation, and environmental justice. We invite undergraduate and graduate students to submit their work spanning all aspects of wildfire science. One presentation will be awarded a certificate for outstanding student presentation in the special session. Supported presenter formats: poster and oral.
Hosted by Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering
- Brittany Barreto Martinez, Sessions Chair
- Luca Carmignani, Co- Chair
- Fernando De Sales, Co- Chair
AI & Robotics in Autonomy
We invite undergraduate and graduate students to showcase their research at an exciting poster session focused on how artificial intelligence and robotics are shaping the future of autonomous systems. Whether you're working on smart drones, self-driving vehicles, collaborative robots, or intelligent planning algorithms, this is your opportunity to share your work, connect with peers, and contribute to the conversation at the intersection of autonomy, learning, and control. One presentation will be awarded a certificate for outstanding student presentation in the special session. Supported presenter formats: poster and oral.
Hosted by NSF ExpandAI project team
- Jun Chen, Session Chair
- Junfei Xie, Session Co-Chair
APIDA Research & Servingness
This session aims to amplify research and creative works that impact and/or advance Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) communities and initiatives. It will bring together student researchers studying multidisciplinary topics with connections to APIDA narratives, histories, and experiences. One presentation will be awarded a certificate for outstanding student presentation in the special session. Supported presenter formats: poster, oral, and exhibit.
Hosted by Office of AANHPISI Affairs & APIDA Center
- Dr. Virginia Loh-Hagan, Session Chair
- Dr. Jerald Adamos, Co-Chair
Business Across Borders
This session will highlight student research and projects focused on international business, global markets, cross-cultural leadership, trade, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Presentations may explore how businesses navigate global challenges, enter new markets, adapt across cultures, and respond to changes in the international economy. Supported presenter formats: poster and oral.
Hosted by SDSU International Business Association
- Lana Awad, Sessions Chair
- Cassius Ball, Co-Chair
- Heidi Knuff, Co-Chair
Cancer Research Convergence
The session is meant to drive research convergence in cancer by bringing together all cancer researchers at SDSU, spanning multiple disciplines. Contributions addressing fundamental or applied questions in areas including but not limited to cancer etiology, prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship are welcome. Supported presenter formats: poster, oral, and exhibit.
Hosted by SDSU Cancer CoRe
- Parag Katira, Session Chair
- Jill Nery, Session Co-Chair
Drawn to Comics Research
This session, hosted by the Center for Comics Studies, invites undergraduate and graduate students to showcase their comics-related research. Whether you are exploring how the medium projects identity, or how comics' treatment of a certain issue has changed through time (anytime, from the paleolithic to the present), or how comics engage visual literacy and deploy visual rhetoric, this panel is for you! One presentation will be awarded a $250 scholarship for excellence in comics. Supported presenter formats: poster, oral, and exhibit.
Hosted by Center for Comics Studies
- Elizabeth Pollard, Session Chair
- Pamela Jackson, Co-Chair
Educational Equity & Diversity (ONLINE ONLY)
This session is held online and focuses on research, scholarly and creative activity related to equity and diversity in education -- particularly work that amplifies diverse voices and poses critical challenges to existing systems. Supported presenter formats: poster and oral presentations via Zoom.
Hosted by Online Master of Arts in Teaching: Elementary or Secondary Education and the Master of Arts: Dual Language and English Learner Education (Critical Literacy and Social Justice specialization)
- Tamara Collins-Parks, Session Chair
- Eric Ginsberg, Co-Chair
Highlighting Neurodiversity
This session aims to amplify research and creative activities led by neurodivergent students and/or activities that impact or enhance the experiences of neurodivergent people, with a focus on higher education and broader impacts on society. Multidisciplinary presentations will highlight significant research and creative accomplishments representing the impact, value and priorities of the neurodivergent community. Supported presenter formats: poster, oral, and exhibit.
Hosted by Project INCLUDE and SDSU's Department of Special Education
- Jessica Suhrheinrich, Sessions Chair
- Teresa Girolamo, Co-Chair
Information and Accountability
How do organizations build trust, make smart investments, and stay accountable in a rapidly changing world? This session invites undergraduate and graduate students to share research exploring how accounting and financial data, market information, and organizational metrics are produced, analyzed, and leveraged amidst an evolving regulatory, technological, and cultural environment.
We welcome diverse perspectives across all business and policy disciplines. Topics may include but are not limited to: artificial intelligence and automation; federal, state, or local tax policy; audit and assurance services; digital assets, cryptocurrencies, and other emerging financial products; education and professional pathways; sustainability, ESG, and non-GAAP reporting; fraud, forensic accounting, the ethical responsibilities of accountants in serving the public interest, consumer trust, business ethics. Interdisciplinary projects connecting information and accountability to accounting, marketing, finance, economics, information systems, public policy, ethics, or data science are also welcome. All presenters will receive an award certificate and session exclusive giveaways. Supported presenter formats: poster and oral.
Hosted by Center for Accounting in the Public Interest
- Dr. Alex Yao, Co-Chair
- Dr. Yan Luo, Co-Chair
Media in a Changing World
This special session invites undergraduate and graduate students to examine how different communities are represented and engaged across today’s complex media landscape. From journalism and public relations to advertising and digital culture, student researchers are encouraged to explore how identity, culture, and communication intersect amid political tensions, technological change, and the rise of tools like AI. Presentations in this session will be eligible for a $100 award for the top undergraduate and graduate student presentations. Supported presenter formats: poster and oral presentations from students in media studies, communication, journalism, public relations, advertising, sociology, and related fields.
- Lourdes M. Cueva Chacón, Session Chair
- Nathian Rodriguez, Session Co-Chair
One Water
Water is essential for environmental and human health, but this vital liquid is at risk of depletion, pollution, and stress. Undergraduate and graduate students from all majors are invited to share their research and creative projects that address or highlight urgent water challenges and solutions. This session provides a space for students to present on a wide range of topics, including but not limited to: finding new ways to recover and reuse rainwater, stormwater, or wastewater; keeping local water bodies healthy; and addressing and envisioning the unique challenges of sharing water across borders. This session highlights how students and faculty at SDSU are working to protect our water resources and create a more sustainable future for communities in San Diego and around the world. Supported presenter formats: poster, oral, and exhibit.
Hosted by SDSU’s Blue Gold initiative and the new One Water Laboratory at SDSU Mission Valley
- Matthew Verbyla, Sessions Chair
- Natalie Mladenov, Co-Chair
Women in Filmmaking
A celebration of women in filmmaking leadership roles. This session is a screening of short films made in the School of Theatre, Television, and Film. Each of these student films include a woman in a primary leadership production role; Producer, Director, Cinematographer, Production Designer, or Editor. The screening will be followed with a Q/A session with the filmmakers. Supported presenter formats: performance/film.
Hosted by SDSU's Television, Film, and New Media program
- Jessica McGaugh, Sessions Chair
- Jubilate Cox, Co-Chair
Special Sessions at S3 2026
Undergraduate and graduate students showcased their research at poster sessions focused on how artificial intelligence and robotics are shaping the future of autonomous systems. Topics included smart drones, self-driving vehicles, collaborative robots, and intelligent planning algorithms, contributed to the conversation at the intersection of autonomy, learning, and control.
Hosted by NSF ExpandAI project team
Dr. Jun Chen, Session Chair
Dr. Junfei Xie, Session Co-Chair
This session aimed to amplify research that impacts and/or advances Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) communities and initiatives. It brought together student researchers studying multidisciplinary topics with connections to APIDA narratives, histories, and experiences. Presentations of all formats were welcome.
Hosted by SDSU APIDA Center & Office of AANHPISI Affairs
Dr. Virginia Loh-Hagan, Session Chair
Gi Gonzales Vargas, Session Co-Chair
The session was meant to drive research convergence in cancer by bringing together all cancer researchers at SDSU, spanning multiple disciplines. Contributions addressing fundamental or applied questions in areas including but not limited to cancer etiology, prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship were presented.
Hosted by SDSU Cancer CoRe
Dr. Parag Katira, Session Chair
Dr. Jill Nery, Session Co-Chair
This special session, hosted by the Media, Identity, & Communication (MIC) Innovation Research Lab at the School of Journalism and Media Studies, invited students to examine how different communities are represented and engaged across today’s complex media landscape. From journalism and public relations to advertising and digital culture, student researchers are explored how identity, culture, and communication intersect amid political tensions, technological change, and the rise of tools like AI. Oral and poster presentations were invited from students in media studies, communication, journalism, public relations, advertising, sociology, and related fields.
Dr. Lourdes M. Cueva Chacón, Session Chair
Dr. Nathian Rodriguez, Session Co-Chair
This session highlighted the community-based work of students from classes that participated in the Sage Project. The Sage Project collaborates with local communities in the binational region to engage students, through their coursework, in meaningful, real-world projects that address pressing needs in SDSU’s service area. These are high-priority, high-need projects that are identified and prioritized by our community partner and are addressed by classes from diverse disciplines across the campus to provide creative, innovative solutions and recommendations for the community.
Hosted by Center for Regional Sustainability
Dr. Jessica Barlow, Session Chair
Dr. Madison Swayne, Session Co-Chair
Special Sessions at S3 2025
The session was meant to drive research convergence in cancer by bringing together all cancer researchers at SDSU, spanning multiple disciplines. Contributions addressing fundamental or applied questions in areas including but not limited to cancer etiology, prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship were included. Oral and poster presentations were invited.
Hosted by SDSU Cancer CoRe
Parag Katira, Chair
This session was held online and focused on research, scholarly and creative activity related to Dual Language Programs and/or Multilingual Learners -- particularly work that transforms or poses critical challenges to existing systems. Oral and poster presentations were invited.
Hosted by Department of Dual Language and English Learner Education
Tamara Collins-Parks, Chair
This special session, hosted by the Center for Better Food Futures, invited students from diverse majors to explore the field of sustainable agriculture. As global challenges like climate change and food insecurity intensify, the need for innovative, holistic solutions has never been more urgent. This session brought together students from anthropology, biology, chemistry, environmental science, foods and nutrition, geography, marketing, and sustainability majors to discuss and present research projects that focus on creating resilient food systems. Oral and poster presentations were invited.
Hosted by Center for Better Food Futures
Lluvia Flores-Renteria, Pascale Joassart-Marcelli, and Changqi Liu, Session Chairs
SDSU’s 2024-2025 Social Innovation Theme was food insecurity. Food insecurity is defined by the United States Department of Agriculture as “a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.” Households experiencing food insecurity have limited accessibility to or availability of affordable foods necessary to meet basic needs and/or sustain a healthy diet. The latest data suggest that 2.33 billion people worldwide and 44 million people in the United States experience food insecurity. Solutions to food insecurity require multidisciplinary perspectives and innovative solutions. Undergraduate and graduate students across campus are working on course projects related to understanding food insecurity, evaluating existing solutions, and proposing new and innovative approaches to addressing this issue that affects communities, households, and individuals all over the world. Oral and poster presentations were invited from students working on these projects in their courses or as part of their research or community-based efforts.
One award of $250 was given for the best poster from this special session and one award of $250 was given for the best oral presentation from this special session.
Hosted by Division of Research and Innovation and Fowler College of Business
Cathy Pucher and Iana Castro, Chairs