College of AI, Cyber and Computing (CAICC)
Ilkay Nehir Tanyel, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Information Systems and Cybersecurity
The Effect of Content on Social Media-Induced Political Polarization
Abstract:
The vast and high-choice social media platforms present complex challenges for understanding political polarization. This project investigates how content modality and exposure type on social media influence political polarization. Social media users encounter political content incidentally or consciously, in formats ranging from lean media (e.g., text) to rich media (e.g., video). However, existing research often fails to differentiate between these varying content modalities among platforms. Additionally, research lacks a standardized tool for measuring Social Media-Induced Political Polarization (SMIP). Therefore, this study has two primary objectives: (1) to examine how media richness (video vs. text) and exposure type (incidental vs. conscious) interact with political content alignment (pro- vs. counter-attitudinal) to shape users’ political polarization; and (2) to develop and validate a new scale to measure SMIP that captures both behavioral and emotional responses. To achieve these aims, an online experiment with 806 U.S. participants will test a 2×2×2 factorial design manipulating content modality, exposure type, and content alignment. The study will assess pre- and post-exposure political polarization and user responses such as selective exposure or avoidance. The findings aim to advance the theoretical understanding of how social media characteristics influence political polarization and provide researchers with a psychometric tool for future SMIP studies. This project supports the PI’s broader research agenda on the societal impacts of digital technologies and contributes to UTSA’s mission to foster high-impact, socially relevant research.
Kleese College of Engineering and Integrated Design
Ryun Jung Lee, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Architecture and Planning
Digital Mapping of Urban Imageability: A GIS-Based Assessment of Urban Image and Its Link to Gentrification in San Antonio, Texas
Abstract:
The image of a city and the characters of its communities are fundamental to social and economic vitality, enhancing livability and attracting residents and visitors. However, market-driven urban sprawl and suburbanization have weakened the character of many urban areas. While communities with a strong character can attract new investments and younger, professional populations, such changes may sometimes disrupt the established community fabric triggering gentrification. This study aims to suggest a new methodology to quantitatively measure urban imageability as a community diagnostic tool and evaluate its relationship with local economic performance and investment patterns through socioeconomic and gentrification measures. A GIS-based assessment of urban image will be developed, creating an imageability index using San Antonio, Texas as a testbed. The imageability scores will then be compared with socioeconomic and gentrification measures – changes in property values, shifts in demographics (e.g., income and race), and new development patterns. Multivariate regression models will be tested to see if certain socioeconomic characteristics, economic status, and gentrification will predict Urban Imageability Index scores (1-10). This study anticipates that historic downtown and tourist destinations will yield higher imageability scores, whereas areas with newer constructions will exhibit weaker scores. Additionally, neighborhoods with high imageability but low socioeconomic status may be more vulnerable to gentrification. The findings will identify underlying drivers that erode the imageability, providing a basis for targeted interventions to enhance community identity. This study offers a robust, replicable mapping methodology to visually and quantitatively measure urban imageability—a tool that can be applied to diagnose issues such as gentrification, economic viability, and social capital.
Álvarez College of Business (ACOB)
Hu Harrison Liu, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Accounting
Free Money? An Analysis of the Paycheck Protection Program
Co-PI:
Zhongxia Ye, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Accountingn
Christianity and Audit Committee and Board Characteristics
Polaritonic Properties of High-Pressure-Synthesized New 2D Materials
Abstract:
To better understand the contributors to effective corporate governance, we examine the relation of Christianity with audit committee and board characteristics. We consider Christianity measures related to both the firm headquarters geographic location and the members of the board of directors. We find that Christianity in firms’ headquarters location and board of directors is positively related to audit committee size and financial expertise, and board independence. These relations are most pronounced when the CEO is not the board chair and when the firm is large. Also,Christianity related to nominating and governance committee members and audit committee members is positively related to certain audit committee and board characteristics. Moreover, we find that Christianity at the headquarters location level is negatively related to female involvement in governance, but Christianity at the board level is positively related to it.
Our study is important as our understanding of the factors that contribute to effective boards of directors and audit committees remains incomplete, and evidence on the relation between Christianity and corporate governance mechanisms is mixed.
Krishnamurthy (K.K.) Raman, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Accounting
DO AUDITORS PRICE CUSTOMER PROTECTION DISCLOSURE MANDATES ?
Abstract:
Between 2002 and 2018, the 50 U.S. states enacted laws requiring companies to inform their customers in a timely manner of cyberbreaches resulting in unauthorized access by outside parties of their private information. These laws were intended to protect customers by alerting them to the potential for identity theft following a data breach. Whether these state-level laws resulted in meaningful improvements in cybersecurity or merely public relations actions (such as promoting an IT executive to senior management) remains a pertinent public policy question. Prior research has focused on how these mandates are perceived by investors with conflicting findings. Unlike investors who have limited access to company information, external auditors are in a position to acquire companies’ private information during the months-long audit process. Auditors are also in a position to encourage, assess and evaluate actual improvements in a company’s information security. Understandably, auditors price their private information in audit fees. By focusing on auditors and by using a staggered difference-in-differences (DID) approach, the proposed study will present novel evidence of potential spillover benefits from state laws including possibly lower audit fees, improved internal controls over financial reporting (ICFR), and reduced likelihood of earnings restatements. The proposed study will provide evidence of whether there were actual improvements in firms’ information security following the passage of the disclosure laws. Such evidence is important because it would shed light on the actual, rather than the perceived, consequences of the state-level disclosure mandates.
Hayri Arslan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Economics Data-Driven Procurement Design and Optimization: Scheduling Texas Road Construction Projects’ Auctions
Abstract: Public and private entities commonly use auctions to procure goods and services, awarding multiple contracts during scheduled letting periods through low-bid auctions. Bidders often compete for multiple contracts within and across periods, yet cost interdependencies—due to shared resources, economies of scale, material overlap, and project proximity—cause the total cost of fulfilling multiple contracts to deviate from the sum of individual costs. These interdependencies shape strategic bidding behavior and present opportunities to reduce procurement costs through optimized auction scheduling.
This project develops a data-driven optimization framework that accounts for cross-contract cost interdependencies and models strategic bidder behavior in multi-contract procurement settings. Using rich data from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), we analyze how factors like material overlap, timing conflicts, and geographic proximity influence bidding patterns. The project builds a structural model to simulate bidder responses under alternative procurement designs and explores auction timing and contract bundling strategies to enhance efficiency.
The study aims to provide actionable insights for procurement agencies, with potential savings reaching up to $1 billion in Texas alone. Findings will inform both academic literature on auction design and practical policy implementation. By addressing underexplored complexities in procurement auctions, this research contributes to improving public spending efficiency, supports long-term career growth in market design and analytics, and offers scalable methods for other state and federal procurement systems.
College of Education and Human Development (COEHD)
Janet Solis-Rodriguez, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Leadership and PolicyUsing Social Network Analysis to Study How Collegial Interactions Can Shape Teacher Learning and Implementation of AI Technologies
Hyejeong Lee, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching
Decode, Discover, Design: Advancing Equitable AI and Big Data in K-12 Education
Abstract:
This project, Decode, Discover, Design (D3), aims to advance foundational knowledge in computer science education, AI and data literacy, and culturally responsive pedagogy by designing and studying an innovative, equity-centered curriculum for middle school students. Addressing a critical gap in AI education, which often excludes underserved and younger learners, the D3 project introduces a culturally relevant, AI-integrated curriculum that fosters students’ competencies in data analysis, critical thinking, and ethical reasoning. Implemented over 12 sessions, the curriculum follows three phases: Decode (building foundational data skills), Discover (identifying insights from data analysis), and Design (creating AI-assisted digital artifacts). Using San Antonio’s Fiesta festival as a culturally relevant context, students will explore authentic questions using tools like Tableau, Google Data Studio, and Teachable Machine. Guided by a design-based research approach, the project will examine how students interpret data, generate insights, engage with AI tools, and reflect on ethical implications. Expected outcomes include improved student knowledge in AI and data literacy, increased motivation, and enhanced capacity to make real-world decisions with data. The project also supports teachers through adaptable instructional resources and contributes to broader educational innovation by sharing findings via open-access platforms and professional development. In the long term, D3 will serve as a scalable model for inclusive AI learning and position underrepresented students to thrive in data- and AI-driven futures.
Jennifer Cook, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Counseling
The correlation between models of addiction, models of disability, and stigmatized attitudes and beliefs
Abstract:
Broadly, stigmatized attitudes and beliefs can have deleterious effects on individuals who are members of nondominant groups, yet they can be particularly harmful when they manifest in mental and physical healthcare environments (e.g., limits to care, internalized stigma, attrition). Two such groups, both protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990), are people with disabilities (PWD) and people with addictions (PWA). While initial addiction research has found a correlation between some models of addiction and stigmatized attitudes/beliefs (e.g., Rundle et al., 2021; Rundle et al.2024), no researchers have examined models of disability and stigmatized attitudes/beliefs, nor have researchers examined stigmatized attitudes/beliefs grounded in conceptual models about PWD who have addictions. The purpose of this cross-sectional, national survey research study is to determine whether the models used to conceptualize disabilities (e.g., medical model, moral model, functional/environmental model) and addictions (e.g., disease model, moral model, biopsychosocial model) result in stigmatized attitudes/beliefs about PWD, PWA, and/or people with disabilities who have addictions. The results of this study will lay the foundation for future studies in which we examine and analyze common mental healthcare practices with PWA and PWD; the models in which these practices are grounded and whether they are reinforce stigma; avenues to increase client-centered practices; and public policy implications.
College of Liberal and Fine Arts (COLFA)
James Mcdonald, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Communication
Narratives of Former Federal Civil Service Workers: Making Sense of Career and Organizational Exit
Abstract:
Following the second inauguration of President Donald J. Trump in the early months of 2025, the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) ordered mass layoffs federal civil service workers, including nearly all workers who were in their probationary period. Tens of thousands of these workers also accepted a deferred resignation offer, which enabled them to resign from their positions with a promise of continuing to get paid for an additional eight months. As such, the federal civil service has seen a large number of both involuntary and voluntary exits during this tumultuous time. This project adopts an interpretive perspective and a qualitative methodology to better understand the stories and experiences of federal workers who either left the civil service after the creation of DOGE in early 2025. Specifically, the project aims to understand how former federal civil service workers make sense of their exit from the civil service through in-depth qualitative interviews.
Miles Friday, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Music
Acoustics Extended: Artistic Residency with Tacet(i) Ensemble and Preliminary Research
Abstract:
This INTRA funding request seeks support for commissioning a new musical work by Miles Friday, Assistant Professor of Digital Music at UTSA, to be performed by the Tacet(i) Ensemble during their Spring 2026 U.S. tour. The Bangkok-based Tacet(i) Ensemble is a leading experimental contemporary music collective dedicated to commissioning and premiering innovative works that integrate music technology, improvisation, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
The ensemble's upcoming U.S. tour includes performances at prestigious institutions such as Bowling Green State University, Cornell University, the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins, University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Texas at San Antonio. At each venue, the Tacet(i) Ensemble will perform newly commissioned works by composers from the host institutions, including the project PI.
The proposed composition aligns with the PI's research agenda, exploring music technologies and sound studies. It will investigate auditory reception, re-conceptualize musical instruments, and propose more dynamic and equitable sound-based practices. The project aims to cultivate collaborative networks, enhance the PI's research profile, and elevate UTSA's reputation through associations with prestigious institutions.
INTRA funds will cover commissioning fees and the PI's travel expenses. Moreover, this project will generate critical groundwork to support future applications to prominent funding sources like the Fromm Music Foundation and Koussevitzky Music Foundation commissioning programs.
Tracy Cowden, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Music
Evaluating the Impact of a Music Outreach Program for Veterans
Abstract:
This pilot study evaluates the impact of On-Corps, the nation's first beginning concert band program for veterans, on veteran health and wellbeing. Founded in 2022 at UTSA as a free music outreach initiative, On-Corps has grown from 22 to over 75 participants across three ensembles. Veteran psychosocial wellbeing remains a national priority, with over 450,000 service members diagnosed with TBI between 2000-2022 and approximately 17 veteran suicides daily. While anecdotal evidence and preliminary studies suggest music participation improves veterans' wellbeing through social connectedness and structured learning, On-Corps lacks formal outcome evaluation.
This mixed methods program evaluation employs a pre-post design using validated psychological measures of loneliness, personality, and mood states alongside ethnographic methodologies. The study will recruit new Fall 2025 On-Corps members through convenience sampling, conduct key informant interviews with 10 participants, engage in participant observation during weekly rehearsals, and facilitate focus groups to identify variables influencing how band participation shapes wellbeing. Research participation remains voluntary with no impact on program involvement.
Expected outcomes include improved self-perceived psychosocial and physical health, enhanced quality of life, and increased social connectedness. Results will inform a larger National Endowment for the Arts Research Grant proposal to assess impact mechanisms across veteran bands nationally, while establishing a standardized evaluation approach. The project integrates student researchers through community-engaged research opportunities, supporting UTSA's strategic priorities for R1 reaccreditation and career-engaged learning. Findings will be disseminated through interdisciplinary conferences and peer-reviewed journals in social science research on health, arts and health, and veterans' health.
College of Health, Community and Policy (HCAP)
Tansu Demir, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration
ETHICS INFRASTRUCTURE IN US LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND ITS IMPACT ON ETHICAL OUTCOMES
Abstract:
This research examines the relationship between ethics infrastructure in U.S. local governments and ethical outcomes, including ethical climate, culture, leadership, and ethical misconduct. Despite extensive ethics legislation and training, misconduct remains a persistent issue due to reactive approaches, legalistic focus, and inconsistency across governments. Drawing from Jones’ (1991) four-stage model of ethical behavior and Social Learning Theory (SLT), the study argues that ethics infrastructure—comprising ethics training, codes, oversight bodies, and reporting mechanisms—shapes ethical behavior through role modeling, incentives, and enforcement. However, its effectiveness depends on contextual factors like government demographics, form, and political environment.
The study aims to clarify the impact of ethics infrastructure components such as monitoring, reporting, policies on ethical outcomes. A national survey of 3,000 local government managers, conducted in collaboration with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), will generate empirical data. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the research will assess theoretical models while controlling for measurement errors, making it particularly suited for analyzing complex relationships and mediational effects.
This study fills a gap in public administration literature by empirically testing the impact of ethics infrastructure on ethical behavior in local governments using a comprehensive dataset. The findings will contribute to the development of effective ethics programs, fostering ethical cultures and improving public trust. By integrating awareness, enforcement, incentives, and policy support, this research aims to offer actionable insights for building ethical organizations in the public sector.
Zhiyong Lin, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Demography
Social Isolation and Cognitive Decline from Mid- to Late-Life in Four High and Middle-Income Countries
Abstract:
This study aims to examine the effects of social isolation on cognitive functioning among older adults in four distinct sociocultural contexts: the U.S., England, China, and Mexico. While social isolation is widely recognized as a significant risk factor for cognitive decline, the relationship between social isolation and cognitive health remains complex and is shaped by cultural, social, and economic factors. This project will adopt a cross-national comparative approach to explore how different dimensions of social isolation - such as marital status, contact with children and friends, and social participation - affect cognitive functioning across diverse social contexts. Using longitudinal data from the Gateway to Global Aging Data (2010-2018), this study will employ growth curve models to examine cognitive trajectories from midlife to later life, distinguishing between within-individual and between-individual variations. The study will provide insights into how social isolation influences cognitive aging across different countries, contributing to a deeper understanding of global aging processes and the role of social relationships in cognitive health. The results of this research will have significant implications for the development of aging policies, especially in the context of the U.S., and will inform interventions aimed at reducing social isolation and promoting cognitive health in aging populations. By comparing high-income and middle-income countries, this project will highlight the importance of sociocultural contexts in shaping the impact of social isolation on cognitive functioning, providing valuable knowledge for both policymakers and researchers.
