Engaged Scholar Symposium Highlights Student Research, Recognizes Community Engagement

by Cheryl Taylor

BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS – The annual Engaged Scholar Symposium that recognizes undergraduate student research and community engagement opened its first day on the Brownsville Campus of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday, April 18.

Hosted by the Office of Engaged Scholarship & Learning, the event gives undergraduate students an opportunity to display their research efforts and compete for prizes. Posters were on display in the PlainsCapital Bank El Gran Salón, and oral presentations were given in the adjacent Life & Health Sciences Building. The symposium continued at the UTRGV Edinburg Campus on Wednesday, April 19.

Research subjects covered the gamut from “Effects of Machining Process on the Failure of Tensile Test Specimens” to “Gene Discovery for Epilepsy in the Latino Population by Whole Exome Sequencing” to “Thermal Dose Dissipation Appriach for Escherichia coli.”

The full day started with a keynote address by Dr. Teresa Feria Arroyo, UTRGV associate professor of biology, about her research related to endangered, invasive, and vector-borne disease species.

Feria talked about the excitement of working in research, and encouraged students to develop their intellectual curiosity. She promoted study abroad, and urged students to search for scholarships. Another area she touched upon was the importance of developing a good work/personal life balance.

In the morning, students delivered oral presentations on their research. Throughout the afternoon, students stood proudly aside their posters, explaining their research and answering questions from visitors and judges.

In late afternoon, as the judges were compiling their tallies, Dr. Kristin Croyle, vice president for Student Success, spoke briefly to the students about the importance of undergraduate research and service learning.

“Service learning allows you to apply what you are learning in the classroom with a community partner in a way that expands your knowledge and awareness,” Croyle said. “Thank you to our community partners. We know service learning can be rewarding to both parties, and we are grateful for their collaboration.”

Distinguished Community Engagement Partner Award

Chris Trejo, assistant vice president for Community Engagement and Assessment, reminded the audience of an event that took place at the 2016 Engaged Scholars Symposium awards ceremony one year ago – the launch of the UTRGV Engagement Zone (EZ).

“UTRGV is truly committed to be an engaged university, fostering opportunities for students to apply their learning beyond the classroom while addressing critical issues in our community,” Trejo said. “Partnerships with the community are vital, and we had the vision to create a user-friendly path that would enable nonprofits to engage with our students – a way for students to become aware of service learning opportunities, while assisting the mission of the nonprofit organization.”

Trejo recalled the challenges of synchronizing the use of an electronic volunteer recruitment platform that connected the community and UTRGV, but said the partners involved were as committed as UTRGV’s leadership.

“This year’s Distinguished Community Engagement Partner Award goes to two remarkable partners, United Way of Southern Cameron County and United Way of Northern Cameron County,” Trejo announced. “United Way has been a vital partner in engaging students in the act of strengthening our community and in helping those in need.”

The platform has proven to be a tremendous tool, Trejo said, with over 4,700 volunteer/service hours logged through the EZ by students in the fall 2016 semester.

Traci Wickett, president and CEO of United Way of Southern Cameron County, accepted the award for both entities.

“We are grateful of this recognition, and I must thank everyone who has enabled this collaboration between United Way and UTRGV to flourish,” Wickett said. “As we go forward, I would like to share these few words that say so much, and embody the spirit of United Way – from an African proverb that I saw posted at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.’”

Also representing United Way were Jessica Belschner, executive director, and Kathy Preddy, resource development director, for United Way of Northern Cameron County; and Amanda Sampayo, board chair for United Way of Southern Cameron County.

And the Engaged Scholars Symposium winners are:

Oral Presentations

Business

Title: Benchmark Pulmonary Center

Authors: Ruby Resendez, Alejandra M. Garcia, Justine Rodriguez, Luis Fonseca, Nicole Montiel

Engineering/Computer Science

Title: A Vertical Axis Rotor for Wave Energy Conversion

Authors: Francisco Salazar Jr, Joab Soto-Flores

Health

Title: UTRGV’s Running Man

Authors: Julio Hernandez, Esmirna Cantu, Paige Loughlin, Michelle Rivera, Bianca Jasso

Liberal Arts

Title: On Assuming Identities: Comparing Views of Guy de Maupassant and Jennie Livingston

Authors: Soren Johanns Bugtong

Sciences

Title: Quantum Chemical Calculations of the Monomer and Monohydrate of 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-(trifluoromethyl)propanal

Authors: Michael J. Carrillo, Wei Lin

 

Poster Presentations

Engineering/Computer Science

Title: Why Do Car Windshields Get Broken So Easily by Stone Impacts?

Authors: Xavier Castaneda, Darien Iracheta, Jesus Gonzalez, Immanuel Edinbarough, Antonio Suarez

Health

Title: An Investigation of the Attachment and Proliferation of Cells on PCL scaffolds with Different Porogen Volume Percent and Sizes for Bone Tissue Engineering

Authors: Carolina Leynes, Marco Arriaga, Sue Ann Chew

Interdisciplinary/Liberal Arts

Title: Evaluation of The Early Clinical Experiences in the A-PRIME TIME Brownsville Campus Program

Authors: Alejandra Torres, Sachin George, Paul Alexander Shane, Muhammad Siddiqui, Hugo Rodriguez, Maria Teresa Castaneda, Manuel Saldivar, Erich Wittmer

Sciences (x2), in no particular order

Title: Primary Culture of Dopaminergic Neurons from the Midbrain of the Monodelphis domestica

Authors: Hector Filizola, Alejandra C. Camacho, Mario Gil, Gabriel A. de Erausquin

Sciences

Title: Thermal Dose Dissipation Approach for Escherichia coli

Authors: Daniela Butanda, Ivan Davila, Karen Martirosyan

Community Research

Title: Analysis of Medical and Social Barriers to Optimal Diabetes Care in Patients Attending a Community Health Center

Authors: Lakshman Vigneswaran

Service Learning

Title: Brain Day at The Children’s Museum of Brownsville

Authors: Deanna A. Sanchez

Exhibition

Title: Writers and Artwork

Authors: Zugay Treviño

For more information about Engaged Scholarship & Learning, Office of Student Academic Success, contact Dr. Amy A. Weimer, associate dean of Student Academic Development, at 956-665-2442 or via email at [email protected].