UTEP Summer Symposium Showcases Emerging Researchers, Scholars and Artists

Staff Report August 5, 2018 Comments Off on UTEP Summer Symposium Showcases Emerging Researchers, Scholars and Artists

Projects in art, philosophy, science and engineering were just some of the research work students from UTEP and beyond presented during the 2018 Campus Office of Undergraduate Research Initiatives (COURI) Summer Symposium.

“The symposium is a great opportunity to witness the excitement and professionalism of our students,” said Laura Diaz-Martinez, Ph.D., associate director for COURI. “They are conducting outstanding research, scholarly and creative projects. Talking with the student presenters and learning more about their projects was a truly rewarding experience.”

On August 4, more than 150 undergraduate researchers from a variety of disciplines gathered at the Undergraduate Learning Center on the UTEP campus to present and discuss their work with faculty, peers and the community.

Students from UTEP, other mainland U.S. institutions, Puerto Rico, Colombia and China also presented their projects at the symposium.

“It is this experience of presenting their work that makes a research experience complete and relevant,” said COURI Director Lourdes Echegoyen, Ph.D. “For many of the students, it was the first time they presented, and you could sense their excitement and anticipation. To me it is always thrilling to witness this part of their training.”

The event included a panel discussion with three UTEP alumni who participated in research or scholarly projects as undergraduates, and who are now excelling as graduate students or postdoctoral researchers at different institutions.

Attendees were also invited to offer feedback to the research projects on display. Student presenters received awards in the following categories:

Engineering, Computer & Applied Sciences

Best Poster Sebastián E Torres Pacheco (Mentor Jose Banuelos)

Honorable Mention Samuel E Hall (Mentor Yirong Lin)

Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Best Poster David Esparza (Mentor Erin L Dolan)

Life Science

Best Poster Brandon F De La Rosa (Mentor Charlotte Vines)

Honorable Mention Nataly M Delgado (Mentor Kyung-An Han)

Honorable Mention Haley R Rhodes (Mentor Bruce Cushing)

Physical Sciences

Best Poster Ran Yang (Mentor Chuan Xiao)

Honorable Mention Oscar A Hernandez (Mentor Dino Villagran)

COURI seeks to enrich the undergraduate experience of students by facilitating, enhancing and showcasing their research training. The goal of the office is to prepare students to become leaders in their fields of study.