Program
Event Program
Meet Revolutionaries who are creating a greater world. The GW InnovationFest program will feature research posters, demonstrations, books, inventions, performances and art—all under one roof! Explore the digital program below.
| Time | About the Session, Book, or Presentation |
|---|---|
| 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM |
Plentiful Country: The Great Potato Famine and the Making of Irish New York Meet Professor Tyler Anbinder, author of "Plentiful Country: The Great Potato Famine and the Making of Irish New York." He will sign books and describe the key role that more than two dozen GW undergraduates played in the research that made this book possible.
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| 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM |
Realigners: Partisan Hacks, Political Visionaries, and the Struggle to Rule American Democracy These days it seems that nobody is satisfied with American politics. In Realigners, Timothy Shenk offers a new explanation of how we got here— a biography of American democracy told through the country’s dominant electoral coalitions over more than two centuries. We’ve had majorities that transformed the country before. And if there’s an escape from the doom loop that American politics has become, it’s because we might have one again.
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| 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM |
Shakespeare, Race and the World Alexa Alice Joubin’s book “Race” provides readers with an expansive, global understanding of the term, race, from the classical period onwards. The book is distinguished by its breadth and global coverage. In “Shakespeare and East Asia” (Oxford University Press), Joubin examines Japanese innovations in sound and spectacle, Sinophone uses of Shakespeare for social reparation, South Korean presentations of gender, and multilingual performances in Asian America, Singapore, and the UK.
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| 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM |
This Is Rhythm: Ella Jenkins, Children's Music, and the Long Civil Rights Movement "This Is Rhythm" is a biography of Ella Jenkins, the most significant and prolific U.S. children's musician of the 20th century. The multiple award-winning Jenkins recorded 40 albums and left an enduring imprint on the musical childhoods of untold Americans. "This Is Rhythm" focuses on the radicalism of Jenkins' work, which put Black musical aesthetics and Black history at the center of American children's music.
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| 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM | Poster Presentation
Analyzing Electricity Tariff Reforms and Social Equity in Uganda Using Econometric Models and Machine Learning Uganda’s 2017–2018 tariff reforms raised electricity prices by 18% to boost utility cost recovery but disproportionately burdened low-income households. Using data from the Uganda National Panel Survey and ERA financial records, this study applies econometric and machine learning models to assess distributional impacts. Findings show rising energy burdens and reduced use among the poor, underscoring the need for targeted subsidies and tiered pricing to ensure equity and sustainability.
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| 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM | Poster Presentation
Breast Density and Me Nearly half of women aged 40 and above have dense breasts. While this risk affects all women, Black women are disproportionately impacted mostly due to systemic disparities in healthcare access, information dissemination, and follow-up care. This pilot project aims to enhance understanding of mammographic breast density (MBD) as a key factor in breast cancer risk, particularly among underserved Black women in DC communities. Findings will contribute to the evidence base on breast cancer risk.
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| 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM | Poster Presentation
Ensemble-based LLM Classifier for Automated NLG-Evaluation Evaluating NLG tasks is challenging due to subtle semantic differences. Traditional metrics and LLM-based evaluators face biases and instability. This research proposes ensemble methods—Inter-LLM, Intra-LLM, and Hybrid—combining outputs from diverse models to improve reliability. Across five NLG tasks, ensembles consistently outperform standalone models, with the Hybrid approach achieving strong accuracy and cost efficiency.
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| 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM | Poster Presentation
Extreme Weather, Toxic Legacy: A Scoping Review of Climate Change Driven Chemical Exposures This scoping review explores how extreme climate events impact chemical exposure pathways, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations. A multilingual search strategy was developed across 9 WHO languages. Findings support strengthening regulations for cumulative exposures and integrating real-time environmental sensors and disaster response systems into chemical risk policies.
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| 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM | Poster Presentation
Female Partners' Influence on Adult Mens Engagement on Healthy Food and Physical Activity Behaviors to Maintain a Healthy Weight A Scoping Review
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| 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM | Poster Presentation
Leveraging AI for Skills Extraction and Research LAiSER is an open-source AI tool bridging communication gaps between learners, educators, and employers. It extracts and aligns skills from texts like job descriptions using advanced language models and GPU computing, visualizes skills in 3D, enhances curricula, supports talent matching, and aims for flexible agent-based functionality.
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| 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM | Poster Presentation
Loneliness, Depression, and Hypertension in Black Women Who Participated in Wave 13 of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) Relationships among loneliness, depression, and hypertension are understudied in black women. This study describes individual, relationship, and psychosocial factors in black women from Wave 13 of the HRS Rand Longitudinal File merged with the 2016 Venous Blood Study Data. The sample included 641 black women [mean age was 63 years (±9.536)] with complete loneliness (UCLA-11) and depression (CES-D) data. ).
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| 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM | Poster Presentation
Machine Learning Improves Prediction of Visceral Adipose Tissue Area Using Only Clinical and Anthropometric Variables Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is associated with increased chronic disease risk but is difficult to measure. Because existing prediction equations are inaccurate, we developed machine learning models to better predict VAT. Our models significantly improved VAT prediction, even using only non-invasive, easy-to-measure variables. Prediction did not improve further with invasive blood or molecular markers. This suggests only simple variables and machine learning can predict VAT.
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| 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM | Poster Presentation
Resilient Megacities: Confronting Climate Vulnerabilities with Adaptive Strategies Our study analyzes 43 global megacity climate reports to assess climate resilience across five dimensions: infrastructure, climate risks, disasters, financial sources, and stakeholder roles. Findings reveal links between infrastructure types and funding/stakeholders, but limited alignment with actual hazards faced. The research highlights the need for integrated, inclusive adaptation planning to address vulnerabilities and enhance sustainability in rapidly growing megacities.
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| 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM | Poster Presentation
Scaling, fouling and chlorine resistant rinse-free molecular Layer-by-Layer (mLbL) Polyamide Reverse Osmosis Membranes The molecular layer-by-layer (mLbL) technique enables ultra-smooth (~<1 nm), ~20 nm-thick polyamide RO membranes. Traditionally limited by rinse steps, we eliminate rinsing by tuning monomer concentrations, maintaining membrane quality while improving fabrication speed and reagent efficiency. With tailored surface chemistries, these membranes offer outstanding fouling, scaling, and chlorine resistance with 99.9% salt rejection.
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| 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM | Poster Presentation
School-Based Asthma Telehealth (SAT) Intervention: A Case Study Using a quality improvement approach, we identified barriers, designed and implemented SAT intervention at IMPACT DC. Post-intervention data of our case show reduced emergency visits and missed school days, and improved caregiver confidence. The SAT Intervention may reduce health disparities and improve access; contributing to better asthma management and reduced ED visits post-intervention. This study was funded by the Knapp Fellowship for Entrepreneurial Service-Learning and the SURE Award.
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| 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM | Poster Presentation
scSNViz: a user-friendly R package for visualization and analysis of cell-specific expressed Mutations We present scSNViz, a user-friendly R package for quantitative visualization, statistical analysis, and graphical depiction of the expression patterns of sceSNVs within individual cells on cell-barcoded scRNA-seq data (e.g.10xGenomics). scSNViz enables 2D- and 3D-visualization of individual and sets of sceSNVs' expression and cell distribution across diverse cell types and pseudotime stages and is compatible with popular tools for scRNA-seq data processing and analysis even with integrated data.
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| 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM | Poster Presentation
Simulating the Swift XRT Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) Population to Probe Electron Acceleration Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are among the most energetic and explosive phenomena in the universe. The electrons accelerated during a burst are typically assumed to follow a simple power-law energy distribution. However, observational evidence suggests this model may be too simplistic, prompting questions about the underlying physics. In this study, we developed a computer simulation to test whether the observed GRB population could be reproduced under the assumptions of this basic model.
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| 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM | Poster Presentation
Storytelling as a catalyst: Teaching cases bridging antiracism theory and clinical practice Amid national rollbacks of diversity efforts, some medical institutions are adopting antiracism training. We created three student-authored teaching cases to help learners confront racism in healthcare. Using two antiracism frameworks and real-world scenarios, students developed cases tailored to different experience levels. The cases support practical application and self-reflection, and will be included in an upcoming health equity textbook.
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| 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM | Poster Presentation
The Choreography of Confinement: Intergenerational Trauma of Movement and Stillness in Japanese Americans In 1942, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, forcing 122,000 Japanese-Americans into internment camps during WWII. This article examines how Japanese-Americans reclaimed agency through cultural practices, including social dance and performance, as acts of resilience and resistance. Focusing on works like Cindy Mochizuki’s Sue Sada Was Here and Yayoi Kambara’s IKKAI Means Once, it explores how movement served as a method of survival and collective healing.
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| 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM | Poster Presentation
The Implementation of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System to Standardize Symptom Assessment This project aims to implement the Edmonton System Assessment System (ESAS) in an inpatient oncology service and evaluate the acceptability (AIM), appropriateness (IAM), and feasibility (FIM) of the assessment by nurses and palliative care providers.
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| 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM | Poster Presentation
Transcriptomic Signatures and Functional Pathways in HBV and HCV Infections: A Comparative RNA-seq Analysis Using Dual Quantification Strategies Chronic HBV and HCV infections are leading causes of liver disease worldwide. We analyzed RNA-seq data from blood samples of HBV, HCV, and healthy individuals using Salmon and STAR + featureCounts. This dual approach enabled robust identification of DEGs. PCA revealed distinct clustering, with HBV samples separating clearly. Enrichment analyses showed immune responses in HBV and metabolic stress in HCV. Our results highlight distinct transcriptomic profiles and support multi-method validation.
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| 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM | Poster Presentation
Ultrasound Beyond Imaging: Blood Pressure Estimation and Drug Release Ultrasound has been widely used for diagnostic purposes. The introduction of contrast agents expanded ultrasound’s scope to include blood pressure estimation and drug delivery. Our research explores new directions in blood pressure estimation using subharmonic responses from ultrasound contrast agents, as well as ultrasound-mediated drug release from doxorubicin-filled polymersomes.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Demonstration Booth
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) AAAS is one of the world's largest multidisciplinary scientific society and a leading publisher of cutting-edge research through its Science family of journals. Their mission is to advance science, engineering, and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all. |
| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Art x Science Gallery
Art of Science: 2021 Winner Membrane and nucleus stain of two-year-old wild-type mouse quadricep.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Art x Science Gallery
Art of Science: 2021 Winner A tiled 10x immunofluorescence image of murine skin, resembling a landscape. Stained for DAPI (nuclei) in blue, Perilipin1 (adipocytes) in red, and GFP in green, and embellished with a night sky.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Art x Science Gallery
Art of Science: 2021 Winner 3D reconstruction of astrocyte morphology insubfornical organ of a mouse brain that underwent optical tissue clearing.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Art x Science Gallery
Art of Science: 2023 Winner A radial distribution across chromosomes of key transcripts in Alzheimer's Disease is shown. The overall figure highlights the complex network of expression and regulation of genomic elements that are associated with the progression of Alzheimer's Disease. In the central ring, links are drawn between genomic loci of endogenous retroviruses that have correlated expression and the length and expression levels of these elements are shown in the second and third rings, respectively.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Art x Science Gallery
Art of Science: 2024 Winner Distal tips of the anterior prostate lobe of a mouse at postnatal day 14 expressing transgenic Csf1r-EGFP (macrophages) in green. Tissue was immunolabeled wholemount for TUBB3 (neurons) in red and stained for DAPI (nuclei) in blue. A maximum intensity projection is shown of the 3D airyscan image.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Art x Science Gallery
Art of Science: 2025 Grand Prize Winner 3T3-L1 fibroblasts that have been differentiated into adipocytes over a 14-day period with serum starvation and a cocktail of insulin, dexamethasone, and IBMX. The newly formed adipocytes have been stained with Oil Red O for analysis of lipid droplet formation within the adipocyte, and rate of differentiation.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Art x Science Gallery
Art of Science: 2025 Winner A 20X immunohistochemistry of murine small intestine embedded in paraffin, which highlights cell nuclei stained with DAPI (cyan), the silhouette of enterocytes, goblet cells, and other cells of epithelial origin stained with E-Cadherin (magenta) and the cytoskeletal protein villin which reveals the intestinal brush border (white). The staining is meant to optimize a murine pseudotyped HIV model to study and target mechanisms of viral reservoir establishment.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Art x Science Gallery
Art of Science: 2025 Winner “Sea Creatures.” Dimensionality-reduced visualizations of six single-cell long-read RNA-seq cancer samples generated using scSNViz.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Demonstration Booth
Assistive Robotics and Tele-Medicine (ART-Med) Lab Socially assistive robotics and machine learning / AI demos, including: (1) humanoid Pepper with multimodal interaction with empathetic conversational capabilities, (2) a robotic dog Go2 toward at-home interaction with activity monitoring and animal-like interactions and (3) a poster on AI system with audio-visual understanding of clinical perception on children's behaviors
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| 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM | Demonstration Booth
Climate and Health Institute Building on the work of the GW Climate and Health Institute, the newly funded Research and Engagement for Action on Climate and Health (REACH) Center is a multi-institutional partnership that aims to bridge big data with climate solutions that advance health and environmental justice. Our interactive data dashboard explores urban air quality and health outcomes in cities worldwide, giving attendees the chance to explore questions related to air pollution trends and attributable health effects.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Demonstration Table
Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence The Center For Entrepreneurial Excellence (CFEE) strives to empower entrepreneurs by integrating academic objectives within GW’s business community. CFEE engages in research and other scholarly activities that make significant contributions to the fields of entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurial leadership, women’s entrepreneurial leadership, and new venture development.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Demonstration Booth
Dell Technologies [Event Sponsor] Dell Technologies helps organizations and individuals build their digital future and transform how they work, live and play. The company provides customers with the industry’s broadest and most innovative technology and services portfolio for the AI era. GW students and postdocs can tap in at the Dell Booth for a chance to win a Dell Pro 16 laptop and accessories kit or a Dell Ultrasharp 27 Thunderbolt Hub Monitor! |
| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Demonstration Table
Digital Science [Event Sponsor] Working in partnership with the academic community, Digital Science creates pioneering AI-enabled technology to inform your strategic direction and make open, collaborative and inclusive research possible. Learn more about GW's institutional access to Dimensions, a linked research database of publications, grants, databases, patents and more. And explore Symplectic Elements which has been selected by GW to manage its faculty information and annual reviews process cycle. |
| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Inventor Marketplace
Ellexco LLC Ellexco LLC provides chemical-free lithium extraction technologies from various brine sources. It develops electro-driven processes to include pretreatment, extraction, refinement, and conversion to battery grade lithium products. Its systems could be implemented with salars, geothermal brine, oil/gas produced water, and battery recycling leachate. The integrated electrochemical process has won the U.S. Department of Energy Geothermal Lithium Extraction Prize and GW New Venture Competition.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Inventor Marketplace
Engineers Philanthropic Society An after school STEM program created and ran by GW Students and Volunteers.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Art x Science Gallery
Gallery of Fluid Motion The Gallery of Fluid Motion is intended to be a visual record of the aesthetic and science of contemporary fluid mechanics like liquids and gases, to be shared both with fellow researchers and the general public.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Demonstration Booth
George Hacks George Hacks is a student organization at GW focused on driving healthcare innovation for social impact. The organizations hosts two annual events (Kogan Makerspace and Innovation Hackathon) that engage the GW and greater DMV community. George Hacks is excited to showcase a selection of projects from winners of the recent 2025 Innovation Hackathon.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Inventor Marketplace
GuideGuard GuideGuard is a novel safety device designed to prevent a deadly, preventable complication during central line placement: guidewire retention. Occurring ~2,500 times annually with up to 20% mortality, this “never event” poses serious risks. GuideGuard’s patent-pending design prevents embolization, reduces cognitive load, and fits seamlessly into existing kits—enhancing safety without extra steps or equipment, while reducing risk for hospitals and improving clinical workflows.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Demonstration Booth
GW Alliance for a Sustainable Future This booth will present the activities of the GW Alliance for a Sustainable Future and the Sustainability Research Institute. Please come to meet our faculty and learn about the various projects under way. We would be happy to discuss opportunities for new collaborations during this time.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Demonstration Booth
GW Brain-Computer Interface Challenge Try a hands-free racing game powered by your brainwaves. This interactive demo showcases a brain-computer interface (BCI) that lets players control movement using only their thoughts. Learn how EEG signals are decoded in real time to drive gameplay, and explore the science behind this emerging technology at the intersection of neuroscience, machine learning, and interactive design.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Demonstration Table
GW History with the University Archives GW has a strong history of innovation which can be traced back to the early days of Columbian College and our start in 1821. From establishing the school, to always innovating in science and medicine, and GW students innovating and finding their place in the world. The table will have examples from the University Archives and be there all day (10am-3pm).
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Demonstration Table
GW IT Research Technology Services Pegasus Dashboard Demo
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Demonstration Table
GW Mind-Brain Institute We will have different demonstrations of how human and non-human brains are studied on campus.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Inventor Marketplace
GW Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship The Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (OIE) provides programming around innovation, education, venture creation, and making connections to support GW entrepreneurs and the Mid-Atlantic startup community.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Demonstration Booth
GW Physics: The Universe at All Scales Demonstrations by students and faculty of the GW Physics Department, highlighting the research done in Nuclear Physics, Physics of Living Systems, and Astrophysics, from elementary particles to microscopic worms to the most energetic forms of light.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Demonstration Table
Healthy Corner Store Initiative Our focus will be on the partnership between the Global Food Institute (GFI), DC Central Kitchen (DCCK), and the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA). The partnership is piloting a study to explore how to build on DCCK's Healthy Corners Initiative in Indianapolis and the Mississippi Delta. Our efforts utilize a novel system of social network analysis and group model building to identify novel strategies to increase access to healthy foods in underserved communities.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Demonstration Booth
Innovations in Mental Health: Using Play to Drive Discovery Play is the oldest and most important tool for human growth and creativity. It is often treated like a way to distract children or an opportunity to burn off energy, but it has its roots in brain development and is our primary learning mechanism. Playful mindsets are the most creative and productive in our human resilience repertoire. Play Therapy and Sand Tray Therapy are two innovative and often dismissed approaches that build creativity and shift your brain toward a discovery-based life.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Demonstration Table
Milken Institute School of Public Health Display of engagement contents from Milken Institute School of Public Health which will showcase some work and research conducted by our faculty, staff, and students
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Inventor Marketplace
NextBase NextBase connects high school athletes with current college athletes for personalized mentorship, recruiting guidance, and real talk about college sports. We’re making the athletic journey more relatable—athletes helping athletes succeed.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Inventor Marketplace
Oncovana Each year, 2 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer—nearly 500,000 are of reproductive age. Despite rising survival rates, treatment often compromises fertility. Oncovana offers an AI-assisted oncofertility platform that supports oncology teams, fertility clinics, and cancer centers. Our solution combines AI-powered care coordination, personalized digital education, and expert navigators to guide patients and providers through fertility preservation care.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Inventor Marketplace
PurePrevent LLC Hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) harm thousands annually and cost billions—yet many are preventable. Traditional tools like the Braden scale lack real-time data, and tech like mats or wearables often fail. Our solution: a wireless, mattress-attached motion sensor that tracks body shifts and alerts staff to prolonged immobility. Simple, low-cost, and effective, it gives immobility a clock, a voice, and a solution—empowering smarter, proactive HAPI prevention.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Inventor Marketplace
Seamless Transition Seamless Transition has developed Endura Knee, a revolutionary high-mobility prosthetic designed to enhance natural movement, reduce secondary injuries, and improve accessibility. It adapts to various activities without manual adjustments, eliminating the need for multiple prosthetics. Our full-scale prototype proves its durability, biomechanical efficiency, and user-focused design—bridging the gap between affordability and functionality.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Demonstration Table
Service and Social Innovation Join the Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service at GW on turning ideas into impactful, community-driven projects through social innovation. Learn about the various grants, fellowships and funding opportunities we have for both graduate and undergraduate students to make real change happen in DC and beyond. We will talk about how to write strong proposals, engage communities in co-creating solutions, and build sustainable projects that create lasting change.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Demonstration Booth
Slave Wrecks Project The Slave Wrecks Project (SWP) is an international network of researchers and institutions that provides a unique approach to studying the history of the international slave trade. Using collaborative methods of maritime exploration and investigation, archeology, and historical research, SWP has been able to build and share new knowledge about the global slave trade and its enduring legacies. SWP works on archaeological sites, and we are present in museums, classrooms, and the digital space.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Demonstration Table
Technology Commercialization Office GW’s Technology Commercialization Office helps our experts move their inventions and ideas from the lab or classroom to the marketplace by supporting them throughout the commercialization journey. We also help companies and entrepreneurs find and access the GW technologies they need to grow their business and be successful. In this way, GW research can have an even greater impact on the world.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Demonstration Table
The GW Museum and The Textile Museum Learn how students use objects in the The GW Museum and The Textile Museum collections to build their object-based learning skills and do their own investigative research.
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| 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Demonstration Table
Zoom Communications/Neat [Event Sponsor] Zoom’s mission is to provide an AI-first work platform for human connection. Reimagine teamwork with Zoom Workplace — Zoom’s open collaboration platform with AI Companion empowers teams to be more productive. Neat designs state-of-the-art video conferencing equipment for seamless hybrid work. |
| 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM | Festival Stage
Panel: Innovations in A.I. and the Humanities An exploration of artificial intelligence's impact on society, ethics, and the human experience, as well as using AI to enhance research and teaching.
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| 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM |
Leading Outside Your Comfort Zone Leading is inevitably frustrating and emotionally demanding, yet leaders get little training in how to deal with painful emotions. Since the global pandemic, stresses on leaders have only grown. To lead effectively in an age of anxiety, leaders must build the capacity to act in spite of unpleasant emotions, and bring a learning mindset to challenges that can otherwise feel overwhelming. Leading Outside Your Comfort Zone draws on a wide body of research to show how well-being and resilience emerg
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| 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM |
Ugly Freedoms In Ugly Freedoms Elisabeth R. Anker reckons with the complex legacy of freedom in America, showing how individual liberty has upheld economic injustice, misogyny, white supremacy, and climate destruction. These “ugly freedoms” harm and oppress others. At the same time, Anker shows an unexpected, second type of ugly freedom in actions often dismissed as small, weird, and ineffectual, but that provide exciting sources of emancipatory potential for living free in an unjust world.
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| 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM | Festival Stage
Panel: Harnessing the Immune System Against Cancer: From Shots to Stem Cells GW Cancer Center experts explain how researchers have advanced new treatments that empower the body's natural immune system to fight cancer.
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| 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM |
25 Concepts in Modern Architecture: A Guide for Visual Learners Designed to appeal to visual thinkers, 25 Concepts in Modern Architecture explores the fundamental ideas behind architectural design, through easy-to-follow sketches, drawings and succinct explanations. Twenty-five concepts - each of which are key to architectural design thinking - are accessibly explained by examining twenty-five different masterworks of modern architecture.
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| 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM |
Cyber Intelligence: Actors, Policies, Practices This book offers a comprehensive examination of cyber intelligence, highlighting its strategic importance, the key actors involved, and the techniques and practices that define the field.
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| 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM |
Writing Blackgirls’ and Women’s Health Science This field of Black girls’ and women’s health (BGWH) science is both transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary. As such, the contributors to this edited collection offer a unique lens to BGWH science, expanding our collective scientific worldviews. The contributing authors draw upon their ontological and epistemological knowledge to formulate pathways and inform methodologies for doing research and praxis to address BGWH.
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| 12:30 PM - 12:45 PM | Festival Stage
Performance: GW Saxophone Quartet "Mishima" is a movement from Phillip Glass's "String Quartet #3." The piece fits Glass's signature minimalist sound. Our arrangement is by our instructor, Jeremy Koch. "Introduction et variations sur une ronde populaire" is one of the most standard pieces in the saxophone quartet repertoire. Composed by Gabriel Pierné in 1938, just over 100 years after the invention of the saxophone, it puts the technical and lyrical versatility of the instrument on full display.
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| 1:00 PM - 1:15 PM | Festival Stage
Performance: Brooke Shapiro on the Alto Saxophone "Billie" is a piece composed by Dutch composer Jacob Ter Veldhuis in 2003. The saxophone part is accompanied by a backtrack that splices together clips of Billie Holliday speaking in radio interviews. At times, the saxophone part mimics Holliday's voice to harmonize, but at other times, the saxophone part goes against Holliday's voice, creating a cacophony of sound.
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| 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM |
The Consumer Citizen In The Consumer Citizen, Ethan Porter investigates how the techniques of everyday consumer experiences can shape political behavior. Drawing on more than a dozen original studies, he shows that the casual conflation of consumer and political decisions has profound implications for how Americans think about politics. Porter explains that consumer habits can affect citizens' attitudes about their government, their taxes, their politicians, and even whether they purchase government insurance.
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| 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM |
The Presidency and Domestic Policy: Comparing Leadership Styles FDR to Biden This book systematically examines the first terms of every president from FDR to Joe Biden and assesses the leadership style and policy agenda of each. Success in bringing about policy change is shown to hinge on the leadership style and skill in managing a variety of institutional and public relationships. Presidents are evaluated based on the level of opportunity they faced.
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| 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM |
The Young Black Leader's Guide to a Successful Career in International Affairs The Young Black Leader’s Guide draws on the experiences of Black American giants in the field to provide systematic, practical advice. From getting started to learning to lead, from overcoming imposter syndrome to acing performance reviews, from dealing with racism to knowing when to say no, this book provides an essential guide for young people of color seeking to play a much-needed role in the global arena.
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| 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM |
We Hold These "Truths": How to Spot the Myths that are Holding America Back In this clear-eyed guide, America’s political experts cut through the spin and expose the myths holding our democracy back. Our political system is bogged down by convenient falsehoods, fueled by those who benefit from the chaos. These myths distort our view of government and prevent us from solving real problems, leaving many Americans feeling frustrated and hopeless.
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| 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Poster Presentation
A Societal Standoff: Vietnam’s Female Street Vendors in HCM City and Hanoi The female street vendors of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi expose the dialectic relationship, a metaphorical standoff, between regulators and working-class people, resulting in a society of people who have to teeter the line between Western "progression" and existing generational practices. My research is an extensive study of class and gender in Vietnam, mentored by Shweta Krishnan.
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| 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Poster Presentation
Advancing Equity in Autism Care: A Concept Analysis of Cultural Humility This concept analysis explores cultural humility in autism care, highlighting its role in reducing disparities and improving outcomes for children with ASD. Using the Walker and Avant framework, it defines cultural humility as an ongoing, reflective process that fosters trust, respects cultural differences, and promotes equitable care. Findings support integrating cultural humility into practice to enhance engagement and outcomes for culturally diverse families navigating autism services.
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| 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Poster Presentation
Another Firm’s Treasure: Privatization and Market Concentration in the US Waste Disposal Industry, 2001-2024 The purpose of this study is to examine patterns in privatization and market concentration in this industry since 2001, using the EPA’s Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) database for 2,637 landfills. Using landfill design capacity, opening and planned/actual closure dates, we calculated remaining landfill capacity for each landfill each year, as an estimate of each firm’s market share in the disposal industry, and used measures of industry concentration to examine consolidation patterns.
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| 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Poster Presentation
AV-FOS: Transformer-Based Audio-Visual Multimodal Interaction Style Recognition for Children with Autism Using the Revised Family Observation Schedule 3rd Edition (FOS-R-III) Challenging behaviors in autistic children can lead to aggression or self-injury. The FOS-R-III is a detailed clinical scale for assessing autism severity. We propose AV-FOS, a transformer-based, self-supervised deep learning model that uses audio-visual data to automatically recognize Interaction Styles (IS) based on FOS-R-III. Compared to vision-based models and GPT-4V baselines, AV-FOS achieves clinically meaningful IS predictions, advancing autism research and digital health.
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| 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Poster Presentation
Belonging in the Senegal River Valley: A West African Perspective on Kinship and Integration As part of the Elliott School Dean's Scholar Program, Zoe Carver researched how Western Integration Frameworks react in non-Western environments, based on understandings of kinship and integration. This study follows thirteen interviews conducted in Dakar, Senegal, in 2024, with refugees and migrants of Mauritanian origin. The unique situation of these migrants reveals the inadequacies of the Western presumptions in integration studies.
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| 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Poster Presentation
Data-Driven Natural Behavior Model Design with Large Language Models for Robotic-Animal Assisted Interventions (RAAI) Animal-assisted intervention is an effective therapy, especially for individuals with autism. To enhance accessibility and reduce the burden on real animals, Robotic-Animal Assisted Interventions (RAAI) have been proposed. This study builds natural behavior models using data-driven approaches and large language models (LLMs). A key limitation is the lack of temporal continuity from static frame images, which future work could address via 3D-pose analysis for better realism and context.
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| 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Poster Presentation
Enhancing Readability of Clinical Text through AI Translation: A Quantitative Evaluation This presentation evaluated ChatGPT-4’s ability to translate clinical notes to improve readability while maintaining accuracy. Among 318 survey responses, AI translations showed significantly higher readability scores compared to originals. Improvements were consistent across age, gender, race, and education levels. AI-driven translation may enhance clinical communication and patient understanding across diverse groups.
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| 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Poster Presentation
Evaluating the Potential Impacts of Congestion Pricing in Washington, D.C. Cordon-based congestion pricing has emerged as a key policy tool for managing traffic with benefits such as reducing congestion, raising funds for public transit, etc. In this study, we employ traffic simulation to evaluate the impacts of implementing congestion pricing in Greater Washington metropolitan area. 5 different scenarios are analyzed using the latest COG/TPB Gen 2 Travel Demand Model. Results show that nearly 4% of travelers can adapt to transit mode from other places to central D.C.
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| 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Poster Presentation
Exploring disparities and drivers of contraceptive use among Syrian refugee youth: evidence from a mixed-methods study in Jordan Access to sexual and reproductive health services is an explicit element of the Sustainable Development Goals, and is critical for achieving family planning goals. Youth (15–24 years) face many barriers to accessible, quality services, and refugees often experience additional barriers. This study explored these barriers in the context of Jordan by examining utilization of contraceptives by Syrian refugee status and residence, exploring predictive factors of contraceptive use.
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| 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Poster Presentation
How two global superpowers (U.S. and China) differ in compliance and quality of life? There has been an undeniable presence of democratic backsliding worldwide. These shifts have called democracy into question, especially regarding its sustainability and effectiveness. The most stark shift has been visible in the US-China discourse. Although the overall quality of life has comparatively evened out between the two nation-states, China’s quality of life has increased over time due to economic development and the United States’ has decreased because of democratic backsliding.
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| 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Poster Presentation
Identity, Culture, and Social Positionality Among GW Puerto Rican College Students This project examines the adaptation process that Puerto Rican college students experience when they migrate to Washington, DC, to study at the George Washington University. The research explores the intersection of the population’s identity, culture, and adaptation processes through semi-structured interviews. The study focused on 12 students who lived most of their lives in Puerto Rico before moving to the United States to complete their undergraduate education.
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| 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Poster Presentation
Impact of a Workflow Innovation Using Blood Conservation Strategies to Reduce Hospital Acquired Anemia: A Quality Improvement Project The purpose of this QI project was to increase nurses’ knowledge about hospital-acquired anemia and blood conservation strategies, increase perceived self-efficacy in implementing evidence-based practice, and implement a new workflow using pretest/posttest design and retrospective chart review. Implementation of the workflow did not disrupt lab processing, and the training provided met all outcome goals. This workflow would be beneficial on nursing units where serial phlebotomy is required.
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| 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Poster Presentation
Lifetime Extension - Micro Cathode Arc Thruster This research focuses on the axi-symmetric micro cathode arc thruster (micro-CAT), designed for improved lifetime and performance characteristics. The axi-symmetric micro-CAT is a feeding-based thruster with multiple radially mounted cathodes, (propellant consumed per pulse) powered by a traditional inductive power processing unit (PPU) circuit, allowing it to generate thrust in all directions. The lifetime of 13M+ pulses is achieved demonstrating the effectiveness of this feeding mechanism.
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| 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Poster Presentation
Microbial CoA Biosynthesis: Developing P-Pan-CMP Analogs for PPCS Inhibition Antibiotic resistance is a burgeoning public health threat as pathogens evolve to evade existing therapeutics. In recent years, the coenzyme A (CoA) pathway emerged as a target for drug discovery. A universal CoA biosynthetic pathway exists, but differences between the bacterial and human pathways prompt the investigation of a selective inhibitor. We have synthesized several inhibitors to examine how the linker length and electronic properties of the inhibitors affect microbial survivability.
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| 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Poster Presentation
Multigoal Strategies: A Holistic Approach to Pro-Environmental Adaptation Strategies Against Climate Change Businesses face multiple challenges which lead them to take a decision about which of them will they prioritize. However, some strategies can address multiple challenges at the same time. This study analyzes the adoption of technologies that aim to both reduce vulnerability against climate change and increase environmental performance. Results show more intense climatic adversities lead to more adoption of multigoal strategies, with varying effects between developed and developing.
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| 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Poster Presentation
Sustainable Development of AI Data Centers in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and China: Compliance with SDGs 7 and 9 AI’s rapid growth raises concerns about data centers' energy use and environmental impact. This study explores sustainability in the U.S., Germany, the UK, and China through SDG 7 and 9. While AI can boost efficiency and renewables, regulatory gaps and economic hurdles persist. In a tense geopolitical climate, firms like Digital Realty and Equinix can lead with cross-border influence, showing how sustainable AI infrastructure can align innovation with global responsibility.
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| 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Poster Presentation
The Impact of Group Art Therapy on Compassion Fatigue in Anti-Human Trafficking Advocates: A Case Study Anti-human trafficking advocates face exposure to secondary trauma, risking burnout and compassion fatigue. This study explores group art therapy’s role in easing emotional strain and boosting resilience. Using mixed methods over five sessions, participants reported reduced stress, increased self-awareness, and greater collegial support. Findings suggest art therapy fosters healing, validation, and collective resilience, offering a valuable support tool for professionals in trauma-exposed roles.
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| 1:45 PM - 2:15 PM | Festival Stage
New Venture and Tech Commercialization Showcase GW New Venture Competition teams will present their winning pitches. Inventors at various stages along the technology commercialization path will present their inventions. Presented by the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Technology Commercialization Office.
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| 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM |
Nobody’s Normal: How Culture Created the Stigma of Mental Illness A compassionate and captivating examination of evolving attitudes toward mental illness throughout history and the fight to end the stigma. For centuries, scientists and society cast moral judgments on anyone deemed mentally ill, confining many to asylums. In Nobody’s Normal, anthropologist Roy Richard Grinker chronicles the progress and setbacks in the struggle against mental-illness stigma—from the eighteenth century, through America’s major wars, and into today’s high-tech economy.
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| 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM |
The Multiracial Promise: Harold Washington's Chicago and the Democratic Struggle in Reagan's America Professor Gordon Mantler's most recent book, The Multiracial Promise: Harold Washington’s Chicago and the Democratic Struggle in Reagan’s America, examines the multiracial movement that elected Harold Washington as the first Black mayor of Chicago and offers a window in the complex relationship between social movements and electoral politics in the 1980s. It has won awards from the Organization of American Historians, the Illinois State Historical Society, and the Union League Club of Chicago.
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| 2:15 PM - 2:45 PM | Festival Stage
Accelerating Innovation: GW’s 3 Minute Thesis Showcase 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) challenges graduate students to present their research clearly and concisely to a non-specialist audience—in just three minutes and with one static PowerPoint slide. This fast-paced competition cultivates skills in public speaking, knowledge translation, and engaging storytelling. Hear from GW’s top 3MT winners as they demonstrate how complex ideas can be made accessible across disciplines through the power of concise communication.
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