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  Transferred-learning Intrusion Detection System for Internet of Vehicles

  Tan Nguyen

  The growing connectivity of modern vehicles, particularly within the Internet of Vehicles (IoV), has significantly increased the need for robust cybersecurity solutions. Building upon the work of Yang and Shami (2022), who proposed a transfer learning and optimized convolutional neural network (CNN)-based Intrusion Detection System (IDS) for IoV, this research seeks to validate their results and explore potential enhancements. The original IDS demonstrated exceptional performance, with detection rates surpassing 99.25% on benchmark datasets. In this study, we first replicate their experiments using the Car-Hacking dataset to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed model and then evaluate its ability to detect a new type of attack. Furthermore, we introduce several improvements, including the synthesis of balanced training data and the integration of new state-of-the-art CNN models, aiming to further enhance the IDS's detection capabilities.

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  Pathway-based Polygenic Risk Score Analysis of Brain Glial Indicates Cell-type-specific Roles in Alzheimer's Disease

  Tyrell Pratt, Alice Lee, Jennifer Zheng, Faria Tavacoli, Hayley Ho, Tingwei Liu, and Jingchun Chen

  Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive cognitive decline and extensive brain pathology, including amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and neuroinflammation. This study aims to identify any glial cell type-specific pathways associated with AD.

  Methods: We first investigated the correlation between AD and the genetic risk of glia-specific pathways using pathway-based polygenic risk score (PRS) with PRSet software in the discovery data (ADc1234ADA) adjusted by the top two principal components (PC1, PC2) (Model 1), followed by additional adjustment with sex, age, and APOE ε4 count in Model 2. Further PRSet analyses were replicated in independent data (ADNI) if a nominal association (p < 0.05) was found in the discovery data. Tentative associations were determined via meta-analyses of both discovery and replication datasets with Bonferroni correction. Finally, a competitive p-value test was used to determine the significance of each pathway within each glial cell type.

  Results: In model 1, we identified six pathways significantly associated with astrocytes with the immune system on the top, six pathways associated with microglia with antigen processing on the top, and five pathways associated with oligodendrocytes with transport & trafficking on the top. In model 2, five pathways in astrocytes and four pathways in oligodendrocytes were found to be significant. However, none of the pathways in microglia remained significant.

  Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate a glia-specific polygenic contribution to AD risk, especially in the immune system, highlighting the significance of PRSet analysis in uncovering cell-type specific and pathway-specific biological mechanisms for diseases.

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  Investigation of the Influence of Body Weight Support and Listening to Different Beats of Music

  Natalia Pravica, Kenji Masumoto, Alina Swafford, Kate Afanasyeva, and John Mercer

  Music has been an important part of human expression throughout history. With recent technological advancements, it has never been easier for individuals to listen to music while they train. Previous studies have indicated there is a relationship between music and physical activity. The goal of our research project is to examine the relationship between the physiological effects of listening to music while running at different body weight support (BWS). A lower body positive pressure treadmill (Boost) was used to provide BWS. Phase one measured preferred stride frequency and self selected speed. Phase two measured VO2, heart rate, stride frequency, and EMG. In phase two, participants ran three music conditions (fast music, slow music, no music) at each of three BWS (0% BWS, 20% BWS, 50% BWS). Data were collected from a single subject (F, 42, 5’06.0”, 84.6 kg). SF displayed a negative linear relationship with BWS for each music condition. Qualitatively, at 50% BWS, SF was higher for Fast Music (FM) (1.35 strides/min) and No Music (NM) (1.35 strides/min) compared to Slow Music (SM) (1.31 strides/min). These results could imply that lower tempos can influence the rhythm we run at. In regards to Fast Music, the data may indicate some individuals naturally run faster.

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  Development and Migration: A Case Study of Agricultural Households in Northern Ghana

  Otoniel Ramos

  This study explores the intricate relationship between economic development and migration patterns in Northern Ghana's agricultural communities. Utilizing data from the EGC-ISSER Ghana Socioeconomic Panel Survey, the analysis focuses on the economic motivations driving migration, considering factors such as urbanization and economic growth. The findings reveal that while urbanization and economic prosperity individually decrease migration, in line with the assumptions of the human capital models of migration, their interaction significantly increases it, suggesting that growing wealthy urban centers; the emergence of new; or the growth of smaller urban centers (made possible due to economic growth) offer enhanced opportunities that attract migrants despite potential saturation. These findings shed light on the complex dynamics between economic development and migration and help make sense of economic development's short-term effects (namely, increased migrations). The results provide a mechanism for understanding the changing levels of migrations (primarily domestic) over the course of economic development. The study offers valuable insights for policymakers seeking to align development strategies with migration management in low-income countries.

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  The Utilization of String Pulling to Determine Female Rats' Dual Cognitive Motor Task Performance Following Space Flight Stressor Exposure

  Doc-Haden Rodgers, Nicole M. Atttallah, Teresa L. Garcia, Nuhamine A. Moges, N. A. Moges, K. D. Omengan, J. F. Cortez, K. S. Dhede, and A. A. Blackwell

  During deep space exploration, astronauts depend on mission-essential performance in Dual Cognitive Motor Tasks (DCMT), such as receiving information from ground control to assemble and configure wires during a spacewalk. DCMT relies upon processing cognitive and motor information simultaneously. Previous research on rodent models has shown various impairments in cognition and motor function in separate tasks after exposure to deep space radiation and sleep fragmentation (SF). However, an assessment of DCMT performance in rodents has not been established. Rats and humans use similar hand-over-hand movements to pull a string, and task demands may be varied to assess cognition and motor function simultaneously using this behavior. Therefore, string-pulling behavior was used to develop DCMT to assess performance in female outbred Wistar, retired breeder, rats exposed to 10 centi-grays of 250 MeV/n Helium (n=9) and sham (n=8) with pre-/post-SF conditions. During DCMT, rats had to discriminate between string pairings that varied in cues and order presentations. Rats were given up to 30 trials/day to fulfill criterion (four consecutive correct string pairing selections) before undergoing one 12h session of SF in a chamber containing a bar that swept horizontally every two minutes. Results thus far show that rats engaged in increased test and trial quantities following SF regardless of irradiation status. Additional analyses are ongoing, and the results will be delivered at the poster presentation. DCMT in SF irradiated rats may provide translational insights into how spaceflight stressors impact mission-critical performance.

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  Detection of Methane Leaks by the Use of Mid-range Infrared Camera

  Jared Rosario and Oscar Salcido

  Timely detection of methane leaks from natural gas infrastructure, like pipelines and valves, is essential for mitigating environmental and safety risks. This research focuses on using mid-wave infrared (MwIR) cameras on unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to detect leaks. By leveraging machine learning, the study aims to develop an efficient, real-time methane inspection system that operates directly on embedded processors on UAS platforms.

  This project employs the FLIR G300a OGI camera for remote gas inspection, utilizing video preprocessing and optical flow to mask gas plumes in footage. The YOLOv8 deep learning model is used to detect gas pixels and segment the plume area, with the analytics deployed onboard an NVIDIA Jetson Nano.

  Indoor experiments demonstrated that the FLIR G300a camera can effectively detect low methane flow rates (3-5 SCFH) at a 30 ft distance, highlighting its strong performance under controlled conditions. In outdoor settings, detection proved more challenging due to factors like wind, temperature, and complex backgrounds. However, preprocessing videos and applying optical flow significantly improved gas pixel identification, enhancing labeling and training for the YOLOv8 model, and demonstrating the system’s adaptability to real-world environments.

  The developed methodology automates the previously labor-intensive and hazardous task of detecting methane leaks with handheld sensors, which require close proximity to the leak source. This remote, automated approach enhances efficiency, enabling fast response and timely mitigation of environmental, safety, and property risks. Additionally, the technology can be adapted to detect other gasses around chemical and industrial facilities.

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  The Effect of Encoding Strategies on Recognition Memory

  Camila Schettini, Cole Kaneshiro, Kevin Mohawk, and Colleen Parks

  Successful memory decisions require distinguishing between true and false memories. VariouS strategies can be used to avoid false memories such as the Recall-To-Reject (R-R) strategy and the Distinctiveness Heuristic (DH). R-R involves rejecting false information by recalling correct information (I know this person is not Bob, because Bob has brown hair); while DH involves the rejection of false information due to failure to recollect expected information (I know I never met this person because I would remember if I had). The purpose of this study is to examine how these strategies affect recognition memory. In the present study participants were presented with a series of unrelated words at study, which were paired with either the word spoken out loud (word+spoken condition) or a colored image of the word (word+picture condition). The study task was completed under either Full-Attention (FA) or Divided-Attention (DA), the latter included completing an n-back task during encoding. At test participants completed a recognition memory test which required participants to determine if a word was old (studied) or new (unstudied). New items were either unrelated to the studied words or were very similar to previously studied items but differ in plurality. We expect the R-R strategy will be used more in the word+spoken condition under FA, and that DH will be used more in the words+pictures condition under DA. This study contributes to the understanding of how DH and R-R affect memory, and can provide more insight on which strategies aid in avoiding false memories.

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  Assessing Ectomycorrhizal Advantage on Tree Species Within Differing Soil Materials in Spring Mountains, Nevada

  Kirsten Soriano, Riley Jones, and Daniel Thompson

  Ectomycorrhizal fungi (ECM) form symbiotic relationships with their partner plant, creating root systems which allow for the exchange of nutrients among connected plants. The Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (NRA) in Southern Nevada is the study site for examining ECMs due to its diverse ecosystem with numerous inhabiting species. To assess the effects of ECMs on the tree composition, literature review was conducted to outline previous methods. Through data analysis and observations of the sample sites, it is concluded that ECMs are highly likely to have an effect on tree composition of the Spring Mountains NRA. The purpose of this research is to assess the presence of the ECM community in the Spring Mountains and determine a data collection process for future exploration. Due to research limitations, sampling for DNA extraction was not conducted, but future instructions were listed for further study.

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  Immigration: Ancient Counterparts and Processes

  Monica Souza Sue

  This project sought to inspect parallels between modern and ancient societies, and the commonality of certain events and political markers. This project makes mentions of power dynamics, the position of immigrants as a source of labor, and their commodification as a force. Research used a 'compilation of materials' method. In which, is performed the examination and studying of different materials in relation to the question, compiling findings, and crafting commentary based on the discoveries of the medias. The experiences of immigrants in the United States are strongly comparable to the experiences of metic (immigrant) women in ancient Athens. A small link is also drawn on the commodification of immigrants as a laboring force. In this sense, the convenience of migrant labor and the emphasis of their role in society greatly impacted the manner in which native residents felt about their existence. Modern immigrants from the Global South to the US share a commonality to male metics. Public opinion on metics changed when their labor became necessary (such as in war, or in a shortage of labor). The difference of this historical incident to modern times in the United States is that migrant labor already makes up 18.6% of all labor; 4.6% above 2004's (first year statistic was measured and recorded) 14% total foreign-born workers to the general labor force. Most of this labor is concentrated in industries of great importance to the American economy. Analyzing the difference in economical and political atmospheres will reveal more about this.

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  The Effects of Divides Attention on Long-term Memory for Natualistic Stimuli

  Gaia Steinberg, Jackson S. Pelzner, Rhiannon N. Soriano Smith, and Colleen M. Parks

  The ability to identify previously experienced events is a fundamental aspect of memory. This study investigates recognition memory using naturalistic stimuli, specifically news headlines, to explore both controlled (recollection) and automatic (familiarity) memory processes. Most recognition memory experiments rely on simplistic stimuli like words or pictures, but we aim to extend these theories by using more complex, naturalistic materials (news headlines). Participants completed recognition tasks with both headlines and pictures to establish baseline differences between these stimuli types. The order of presentation between stimulus types was randomized between pictures or headlines first. They were assigned to either full or divided attention conditions during study, with the divided attention group completing an n-back task while encoding headlines. After encoding, participants listened to a podcast and answered questions about it to introduce a delay between taking an old/new recognition memory test. Recollection and familiarity estimates were calculated using the Dual Process Signal Detection model. Previous research has found that dividing attention has been shown to have large effects on estimates of recollection, whereas familiarity typically shows smaller or no effects. Preliminary results indicate that estimates of both recollection and familiarity were higher for headlines compared to pictures across both attention conditions. These findings highlight the need for further research on naturalistic stimuli, including long-form media such as music, podcasts, movies.

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  The Motherhood Wage Penalty: Estimation Across Various Factors

  Mario Velazquez

  Maternity and family leave policies are implemented in the workplace and sometimes even mandated by governments to allow first-time mothers to provide care for their newborns and recover from childbirth. However, these policies vary by country, and previous research publications have found that women face a “motherhood penalty” when they take a leave from work, leading to reduced earnings compared to women who do not have children. The main purpose of this paper is to validate whether new mothers do in fact face a decrease in their earnings over time, to compare this penalty across numerous variables, and to explore if the implementation and generosity of maternity and family leave policies influence women’s employment and earnings. The variables considered include wages, years of work experience, level of education attained, if the worker holds at least a bachelor’s degree, marital status, union membership, and the existence of maternity and family leave programs. The methodology of this study comes down to compiling publicly available data to yield the descriptive and empirical results of women’s earnings and explore the effect of having a child. Additionally, I compare the maternity and family leave policies of the United States and other countries. I predict that the data will prove the existence of a motherhood penalty on wages and that the previously mentioned factors will be statistically significant. The findings will be essential for policymakers in federal and state governments as they consider the expansion of these programs and how they can be financed.

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  Exploring Modality Differences in Recognition Memory: Repetition Effects on Recollection and Familiarity

  Ivanesa Velikova, Kevin Mohawk, and Colleen Parks

  Research has shown that memory for visual objects tends to be superior compared to memory for auditory objects. The present study aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms of why recognition memory tends to be better for visual information. Recognition memory relies on two processes, recollection and familiarity. Recollection involves retrieving contextual details of a memory while familiarity is simply a feeling that something has been encountered before. We investigated recollection and familiarity in the two modalities by having participants lean a list of auditory objects (e.g., dog barking) and visual objects (e.g., picture of a lion) under full attention (FA) or divided attention (DA) conditions. Specifically, during divided attention participants needed to memorize auditory or visual objects, while identifying whether an interleaved number matched the same number seen 2 numbers before. We aimed to equate visual and auditory memory by decreasing visual performance and increasing auditory performance. This was achieved by showing visual images in gray scale repeating auditory objects 2 times at study. Visual memory was equal to auditory memory in both FA and DA conditions. We also found that recollection was greater for visual than auditory objects. Dividing attention reduced both visual recollection and familiarity. Dividing attention also reduced auditory familiarity, but had no effect on auditory recollection. This suggests that attention is particularly important for the formation of visual recollection. Overall, we concluded that visual memory is superior to auditory memory.

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  Effect of Macronutrients on a Rat Model of Clostridioides Difficile Infection

  Stephanie Yang, Maria Niamba, Rose Jiang, Ashton Wippel, Efren Heredia, Liliko Watanabe, Katrina Valadez, Erica Bacab, and Ernesto Abel-Santos

  Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) is an anaerobic, spore forming, gram-positive bacteria. C. diff is the causative agent of C. difficile infections (CDIs) and is recognized as the leading cause of nosocomial infective diarrhea worldwide. CDI is associated with the use of antibiotics that alter the gut microbiome and C. diff resides in the large intestine where onset of the disease then occurs. Having observed the impacts of CDI on mice models, the Abel-Santos lab now shifts to observing this infectious disease in rat models. Establishing the infectious dosage at 109 spores, this study aims to identify the correlation between diet composition and CDI sign severity. To determine the interplay between diet and CDI, the hypervirulent strain C. difficile R20291 (RT027) was used in a rat model of antibiotic-induced CDI. 8 rats were placed in three different diet groups (high protein, high carbohydrate, and high fat) and given a mixture of antibiotics. After the spore challenge on Day 0, disease outcome was assessed using modified scoring procedures different from the ones used in mouse models. Microbial community dynamics will also be assessed later in the study through fecal sample collections. From preliminary findings, high protein diets resulted in the exacerbation of CDI, whereas diets higher in fat and carbohydrates were found to protect rats from developing severe CDI symptoms. The animals are still undergoing scoring and will be scored for at least two weeks to observe any changes in symptoms if there are potential relapses in symptoms.

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  Glial-Specific Genes Are Strongly Associated With Alzheimer's Disease by Gene-based Polygenic Risk Score Analysis

  Jennifer Zheng, Faria Tavacoli, Tyrell Pratt, Alice Lee, Tingwei Liu, and Jingchun Chen

  Methods: Gene-based PRSs were constructed in AD cases and controls within each gene of the glial cells, according to the GWAS summary statistics of European ancestry. In detail, gene-based PRSs were first calculated for each glial cell type-specific gene for AD cases and controls in the discovery dataset (ADc1234ADA) using PRSet software. A meta-analysis with a fixed model was performed when the signal in both datasets was in the same direction. Bonferroni corrections for multiple testing (at α = .05) were used to determine significance within each of the three glial groups. Forest plots were used to visualize the results of meta-analyses.

  Results: Two genes (Bcl-3 and RelB) from microglia were identified to be significantly associated with AD when adjusted with PC1 and PC2. However, when we adjusted with additional covariates age, sex, and APOE ε4 count, the association between BCL-3 and AD turned out to be non-significant. Similarly, the association between RelB and AD was also statistically non-significant.One gene (BIN1) from oligodendrocyte was significant in PC1 and PC2 and also significant when we included the sex, age, APOE ε4 count covariates. None of the genes from astrocytes were significantly associated with AD.

  Conclusion: Our findings emphasize the importance of considering cell-type-specific genetic contributions to AD, providing novel insights into the disease's complex biological mechanisms for the disease. In this study, we identified two genes (Bcl-3 and RelB) from microglia and one gene (BIN1) from oligodendrocytes that might play an important role in the development of AD.

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  Musical Chills: The Effect of Age and Musical Ability

  Isabella Aceituno, Erin Hannon, and Solena Mednicoff

  Musical chills mark a peak emotional response to music, characterized by goosebumps, tingling sensations down the back, and raised hair on the skin. Previous research has connected musical chills to changes in music such as crescendos, the entrance of new voices or instruments, unexpected harmonies, or changes in acoustic features. Knowledge of musical structures, such as key and harmony, develop from infancy to adulthood. If children’s musical expectations change with age, so too might their emotional musical experiences.

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  The Effect of Sleep and Emotion on Pattern Separation

  Sarah Al-Shimary and Alanna Osmanski

  The relationship between sleep and memory has been a topic of interest in psychology for decades. Prior research demonstrates that the sleep state is an optimal time for memory consolidation to occur, most commonly through a model known as active systems consolidation. A widely accepted view of emotion is that sleep preferentially consolidations emotional over neutral material. Recent meta-analyses of sleep, emotion, and memory have suggested that this effect may not be as robust as we once thought. A new way to investigate the relationship between sleep and memory consolidation of emotional stimuli is with a pattern separation task known as the Mnemonic Familiarity Task (MST).

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  Synthesis of Novel Disulfide Triazole Organophosphate Containing Fire Retardants

  Parsa Asaei and Jun Yong Kang

  Fire Retardants (FR) play a pivotal role in reducing smoke plume generation in wildland fires, which coincides with one of NSF EPSCoR’s HDRFS project objectives: investigating smoke plume dynamics. With the San Antonio Statement from 2010 banning halogenated FRs, there has been a push in research towards safer and better alternatives. The synthesis of a novel disulfide triazole organophosphate fire retardant (DSTP) would aid in NSF EPSCoR’s HDRFS research as a greener and better alternative. Therefore, our research aimed to i) develop a novel FR that harnesses the synergistic effects of phosphate-, disulfide-, and triazole-functionality that can be applied to mitigate wildland fires and ii) to study the effect of these FRs on the reduction of smoke plumes.

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  Positive and Negative Attitudes Towards Skincare Products

  Jordan Rachelle Barcenas and Jessica Herrera

  Understanding consumer attitudes about skincare products. Rise in skincare products from COVID. More demand for higher quality products. Examine price sensitivity, brand exclusivity, positive results, and clean ingredient preferences.

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  A Study on the Development of a Self-Motivation App to Increase Motivation in College Students

  Paige Barker, Nathan Guerrero, and Kyla Sannadan sannadan@unlv.nevada.edu

  In 2021, the Healthy Mind Network published data which found a consistent decline in the mental health of college students. Mental health struggles is a major factor in lack of motivation in college students. Motivational smart phone applications are prevalent, but there is a lack of applications offering motivation to college students specifically. We hypothesized that a smartphone app geared toward motivating students could positively influence student motivation. To test this hypothesis, we designed and prototyped a new app we call “ Groove”, inspired by the phrase “getting into the groove” which ties in with the notion of productivity or getting started in doing a task.

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  How Method and Usage of Coffee Relate to Consumer Attitudes

  Vince Benedetto, Jocelyn Perez, and James Iwatsubo iwatsj1@unlv.nevada.edu

  Coffee is a staple in many American’s daily routines, with popularity growing globally ever year. User's consume coffee for a multitude of reasons including, health benefits, increasing productivity, social and cultural rituals, and pleasure. Regular coffee users prefer specific methods of sourcing their beverages. Consumer attitudes affect purchasing behavior and provide valuable insights for marketers.

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  Municipal Waste in Southern Nevada: Understanding the Obsession with Garbage

  Zachary Billot

  Southern Nevada’s reliance on inexpensive disposal of waste results in lack of support for sustainable investment in waste diversion programs. Clark County lags significantly behind the US in terms of its municipal waste diversion due to problems related to the collection of materials and incentive for collection, limited institutionalized food waste collection programs, monopolization of waste management, as well as substantial rates of contamination of recyclable materials compared nationally. This proposal recommends a multifactor approach.

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  A Genetic Screen for Metabolic Modulators in Drosophila melanogaster

  Victoria Campos, Logan Kazimer, Brandon Polimeni, Katelyn Niswonger, and Matthew Meiselman

  When environments become unfavorable, to preserve energy, animals will attenuate reproduction and limit growth. This evolutionary strategy requires perceiving and assessing a complex environment, a long-standing role of the nervous system. However, the nervous system’s control over endocrine states remains a monumental challenge. Here, we propose to exploit the genetic accessibility and cellular resolution readily found in Drosophila melanogaster, to fully explore how the brain controls metabolic and reproductive states. This project relies on the Meiselman Lab’s established unbiased neural activation screen, which located new neural circuits that participate in metabolic control. The project proposes the use of the split Gal-4 UAS system, which will isolate both the activation domain (AD) and DNA-binding domain (DBD) of two separate genetic lines in Drosophila melanogaster. When two lines are bred, the temperature-sensitive cation channel known as TrpA1 is expressed ectopically only within neurons labeled by both lines. The TrpA1 channel opens when specimens are incubated at a temperature beyond 25 Celsius. The activation of the TrpA1 channel depolarizes neurons and stimulates synaptic release (Karashima 2009). It is expected that following a 48-hour incubation period in which females reach sexual maturity, a reduction of the number of eggs produced inside ovaries will be observed if the activated neurons are responsible for arresting metabolism. To visualize the newly identified, restricted set of neurons, immunohistochemistry was used. Utilizing this methodology, we aim to find new neurons that are responsible for controlling both metabolic and reproductive states.

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  Comparing Measures of Discourse Deficits in Individuals with TBI and CVA

  Amanda Carper and André Lindsey

  Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and cerebrovascular accidents (CVA), otherwise known as strokes, can both result in discourse deficits. The present study compares the narrative discourse of individuals with CVA to individuals with TBI. This study aims to (1) determine potential diagnostic differences and (2) identify any consistent symptoms that may best guide treatment.

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  The Possible Neurobiological Mechanisms Influencing PTSD According to Previous Research: A Review

  Tiria Carr and Collen M. Parks

  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is a mental health condition that's triggered by either experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. According to the National Center for PTSD, approximately six out of one hundred people (six percent) in the United States report to have suffered PTSD either currently or. This experiment aimed to: Explore the different behavior and brain measures used to evaluate the extent of neurological change that brains with PTSD suffer; Review different experimental procedures; Aims to express a theoretical experiment from the data collected; Hypothesize an effective experimental procedure for measuring neurological change in subjects suffering from PTSD.

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  Sense of Relatedness from Racial Groups within Maltreated Youth

  Jessica Castillo and Jaelin Isquith

  Sense of relatedness is a crucial factor in the development of meaningful interpersonal relationships (Datu, 2017). Interpersonal relationships have demonstrated a significant impact on how individuals cope with their environment (Yulina et al., 2021). Youth in low socioeconomic environments are at higher risk of being exposed to unstable relationships which further increases this vulnerable population to learning ineffective interpersonal skills throughout their lifespan (Colman & Wisdom, 2004). Youth from marginalized groups have higher risk at experiencing negative life experiences, for example economic inequalities, heightened distress, systemic oppression, and economic inequalities (Hatch & Dohrenwend, 2007). Previous research has suggested African-American individuals experience a higher rate of stressors than whites, regardless of socioeconomic status due to systemic oppression and racism (Hatch & Dohrenwend, 2007). Increased traumatic experiences including racism and discrimination may place BIPOC individuals at increased risk for interpersonal difficulties (Umberman et al., 2016).