University of Houston physics majors earned top awards for their research presentations at the Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma Section of the American Physical Society (APS) conference, held Oct. 9–11 at Texas Christian University.
Senior Maggie Fuller and sophomore Rafael Estrada were recognized for outstanding presentations, while recent graduate Jonathan Parra received the prestigious Robert S. Hyer Research Award, one of the highest undergraduate honors in the region.
The conference brought together students and faculty from across three states to showcase research and exchange ideas in the physical sciences.
Maggie Fuller: Exploring Fusion Proteins Through Computational Modeling
Senior physics major Maggie Fuller earned the Outstanding Undergraduate Poster Presentation Award for her project, “Assessing Domain Interactions in Fusion Proteins Through Structural Modeling.”
Her poster, based on her honors thesis, explored how chimeric fusion proteins fold and interact differently from their wild-type counterparts—work that could illuminate how genetic fusions contribute to cancer development.
“Preparing for the presentation meant condensing months of computational modeling into a clear visual story that highlighted both the biology and the physics driving the project,” Fuller said.
Under the mentorship of Dr. Greg Morrison and Dr. Preethi Gunaratne, Fuller bridges the disciplines of physics and biology in her research. Morrison’s guidance emphasized structure and accountability, while Gunaratne encouraged creative, critical thinking about the biological implications.
“They’ve both challenged me in ways that push me forward without ever punishing or shaming mistakes—something I’ve come to appreciate deeply, since failure is part of the process,” Fuller said.
Fuller said she enjoyed connecting with other researchers at the conference, including a peer who sparked a potential collaboration on protein imaging.
“Knowing the right people and making the right impression can be just as valuable as talent and intellect,” she said. “My favorite part about conferences is the networking.”
For Fuller, the experience reinforced her goal of pursuing a Ph.D. in biophysics, focusing on cancer immunology and protein engineering. She plans to expand her thesis research to experimentally validate predicted peptide-MHC interactions and further analyze fusion protein structures.
“Ultimately, I hope to continue bridging physics and biology to design more personalized, data-driven approaches to cancer treatment while inspiring others to see the beauty in interdisciplinary science,” she said.
Rafael Estrada: Mapping the Cosmos with Fractals
Sophomore Rafael Estrada earned the Outstanding Undergraduate Oral Presentation Award for his talk, “Unveiling Cosmic Structure Through a Fractal Approach.”
His research applied tools from nonlinear dynamics and chaos theory, fields that have strong representation at UH, to model the structure of the local universe.
“I used fractals, which are a mathematical and physical tool, to model structure of our local universe,” Estrada explained. “I’ve always wanted to study cosmology, but only recently developed the mathematical maturity and physical insights to pursue it.”
Working under Dr. Gemunu Gunaratne and Dr. William Ott, Estrada practiced extensively to prepare for his first major conference presentation.
“Gemunu was very patient with me, but he also knew when we had to step on the gas,” Estrada said. “He and Dr. Ott made sure I had adequate practice, and even my mother and girlfriend helped me rehearse my talk.”
Despite initial nerves, Estrada’s preparation paid off.
“I honestly went in just hoping to get over my fear of public speaking,” he said. “When I won, it was a sign that maybe I can manage conferences and talks as a graduate student in the future.”
He described the APS meeting as a highlight of his time at UH, praising the astrophysics community for its warmth and encouragement.
“I met so many nice people—from undergraduates to emeritus professors—and it was a very positive experience,” he said.
Estrada plans to present his completed research at the APS Meeting next semester.
“The award and the positive experience are definitely giving me momentum for this bigger event,” he said. “I hope this is just the first step in many more amazing research experiences.”
Jonathan Parra: Probing the Earlies Moments of the Universe
Jonathan Parra received the Robert S. Hyer Research Award from the Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma Section of the American Physical Society. The honor recognizes one undergraduate student annually for outstanding research and potential impact in the field of physics.
Parra was recognized for his research on charge fluctuations in heavy-ion collisions, which provide measurable signals of quark-gluon plasma (QGP) formation, an extreme state of matter that existed just microseconds after the Big Bang.
“I study correlations and fluctuations of conserved charges in heavy-ion collisions,” Parra explained. “Fluctuations of electric charges can provide a distinct signal for the formation of quark-gluon plasma. We developed a quantitative way to calculate these fluctuations by accounting for experimental effects, and successfully applied our formalism to Large Hadron Collider data from the ALICE Collaboration at CERN.”
Parra said his fascination with the origins of the universe drew him to high-energy nuclear physics. His research journey began through the NuSTEAM nuclear physics traineeship, a UH summer program led by Professor Claudia Ratti, which introduced him to the High Energy Theory Group in the Department of Physics.
“That program is what introduced me to this research community and made all of this possible,” Parra said.
Under the mentorship of Dr. Volodymyr Vovchenko, Parra’s work advanced to international attention, leading to presentations at major conferences, including Quark Matter 2025 in Frankfurt, Germany — the most prominent event in his field.
“It was such a wonderful experience,” he said. “I never would have thought I’d have the opportunity to present my research at that level, much less as an undergraduate.”
Parra credits his mentors — Dr. Vovchenko, Dr. Ratti, and Dr. Roman Poberezhniuk, a postdoctoral researcher and co-author — for their guidance, encouragement and collaboration.
“Professor Vovchenko is the main reason I had all these amazing opportunities,” Parra said. “He was always available for questions, provided clear guidance, and helped me prepare for my conference talks. I feel extremely lucky to have worked with these amazing people.”
The Robert S. Hyer Research Award, which includes a $1,000 prize and plaque, represents both a personal milestone and professional validation for Parra.
“Personally, this award represents a comeback story,” he said. “There was a time when I was struggling immensely with coursework and life in general. This recognition symbolizes all the perseverance and hard work it took to turn things around.”
Parra said the award has strengthened his confidence as he prepares Ph.D. and fellowship applications.
“Professionally, it’s validation that I’m capable of performing high-impact research,” he said. “It’s a sign that I should keep up the momentum and go even further.”
He explained that studying quark-gluon plasma offers profound insights into the universe’s earliest moments.
“QGP is a super-hot, dense, fluid-like state of matter that can only be created in heavy-ion collisions,” Parra said. “It’s the phase of matter believed to have existed right after the Big Bang. Understanding it helps us learn how all the matter in our universe formed.”
Parra credits his success in part to UH’s supportive academic environment.
“NSM provided many useful resources that were an immense help in my undergraduate studies,” he said. “Programs like the Scholar Enrichment Program and faculty who truly care about their students made a huge difference.”
The achievements of Parra, Fuller and Estrada reflect the strength of undergraduate research and mentorship within the University of Houston’s Department of Physics. Their accomplishments underscore the college’s commitment to advancing discovery, innovation and student success across the physical sciences.