2026 Candidates—Z

MAXINE ZALEWSKI — Public Policy   

General Studies & Departmental Honors 

College Choice and State-Level Policy Study at UMass Amherst 

Brenda Bushouse, School of Public Policy 

ISABELLA MARIETT ZAMBRANO VILLARROEL — Operations & Information Management   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

JOUD OMAR H ZAMZAMI — Computer Science, Mathematics   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Optimal Best-of-Both-Worlds Multi-Agent Multi-Armed Bandit Algorithm 

Mohammadhassan Hajiesmaili, Information & Computer Science 

SHAWN ZHAI — Communication, Individual Concentration: Consumer Behavior   

Advanced Scholarship - Multidisciplinary Honors 

ELLA Y. ZHANG — Biochemistry and Molecular Biology   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Bacteriocins as a Novel Antimicrobial Treatment for Acne Vulgaris 

Margaret Ann Riley, Biology 

JUSTIN L. ZHAO — Electrical Engineering   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Synthetic SAR as a Data Catalyst for Marine Oil Spill Prediction Models 

Sandip Kundu, Electrical & Computer Engineering 

XI ZHENG — Mathematics   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

YUE ZHU — Math, Physics   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Study of Entropic Surface Anchoring for Lyotropic Liquid Crystals 

Shuang Zhou, Physics 

CARLA A. ZOQUIER-URBAEZ — Music, Psychology  

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

(meta)morphosis: How Can Emotional Pain Be Turned Into Art? 

Catrina Kim, Music & Dance 

CAROLIN ZORRILLA FRIAS — Political Science, Operations & Information Management   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Performative Justice: The Cries of Empty Promises in Land Acknowledgments 

Deborah M. Keisch, Civic Engagement & Service Learning 

YASMEEN D. ZUREIQI — Psychology   

Advanced Scholarship - Departmental Honors 

How Does Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence in Early Childhood (Ages 0–5) Influence the Development of Insecure and Specifically Disorganized Attachment? 

Maria M. Galano, Psychological & Brain Sciences 

GUY R. ZWIEBEL — Philosophy, Communication   

Advanced Scholarship - Multidisciplinary Honors 

Spinning the Magic Circle: The Ritual of Creating Art in Tabletop Role-Playing Games 

Mari Castañeda, Commonwealth Honors College 

NELLIE T. ZYGIEL — Education, Psychology   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Empowering Patients to Find Living Kidney Donors Through Digital Outreach 

Ellen Correa, Civic Engagement & Service Learning