S3 Special Sessions
Special Sessions are a collection of student presentations connected to a particular theme.
2026 Special Sessions
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. Only poster presentations are invited.
Hosted by NSF ExpandAI project team
Dr. Jun Chen, Session Chair
Dr. Junfei Xie, Session Co-Chair
APIDA Research & Servingness
This session aims to amplify research that impacts and/or advances 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. Presentations of all formats are welcome! Oral and poster presentations, exhibits, performance/film presentations are invited.
Hosted by SDSU APIDA Center & Office of AANHPISI Affairs
Dr. Virginia Loh-Hagan, Session Chair
Gi Gonzales Vargas, Session Co-Chair
Media in a Changing World
This special session, hosted by the Media, Identity, & Communication (MIC) Innovation Research Lab at the School of Journalism and Media Studies, invites 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. Oral and poster presentations are welcome from students in media studies, communication, journalism, public relations, advertising, sociology, and related fields. Oral and poster presentations are invited.
Dr. Lourdes M. Cueva Chacón, Session Chair
Dr. Nathian Rodriguez, Session Co-Chair
Sage Project Partnerships
This session highlights 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. Poster and exhibit presenters may also have the opportunity to participate in the 2026 Sustainability Summit. Oral and poster presentations, and exhibits are invited.
Hosted by Center for Regional Sustainability
Dr. Jessica Barlow, Session Chair
Dr. Madison Swayne, Session Co-Chair
2025 Special Sessions
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. Oral and poster presentations are invited.
Hosted by SDSU Cancer CoRe
Parag Katira, Chair
This session is held online and focuses 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 are 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, invites 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 will bring 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 are 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 is 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 are invited from students working on these projects in their courses or as part of their research or community-based efforts.
One award of $250 will be given for the best poster from this special session and one award of $250 will be 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