Ninety UTSA students participate in SACNAS conference

Top: From left are UTSA winners Claudio Macias (formerly with MARC-U*STAR), Justin Garcia (MBRS RISE Ph.D.), Viridiana Estrada (MBRS RISE undergraduate), Damon Cardenas (MBRS RISE Ph.D.), Audrey Ynginez-Gutierrez (MARC -U*STAR) and Willie Hale (MBRS RISE Ph.D.)
Bottom: SACNAS participants

By Kris Rodriguez
Public Affairs Specialist

(Oct. 9, 2013) -- The Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) annual conference commemorating the organization's 40th anniversary wrapped up over the weekend at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

Nearly 4,000 participants from around the country attended sessions at the four-day event tailored to support undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and career professionals at each stage of their careers as they move toward leadership positions in the sciences. The activities included oral and poster presentations by 900 students representing universities throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.

Ninety students from the UTSA College of Sciences, College of Engineering and College of Liberal and Fine Arts made presentations, and 43 students represented the College of Sciences Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS-RISE) program, Minority Access to Research Careers - Undergraduate Student Training for Academic Research (MARC-U*STAR), Work Study Research Training Program (WSRTP) and the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Bridge to the Doctorate Program (LSAMP-BD). The winning entries received an official certificate and monetary award.

Competition winners are:

UNDERGRADUATE POSTERS

Chemistry
Audrey Ynigez-Gutierrez
"Synthesis of guanidylated amphiphiles and bolaamphiphiles for siRNA encapsulation in gene-silencing therapy"
Major: Chemistry
Mentor: George Negrete 

Linguistics
Viridiana Estrada
"Do we predict as we age? An event-related potential study of sentence processing in Spanish-speaking older adults"
Major: Psychology
Mentor: Nicole Wicha 

Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering
Claudio Macias
"Modifying mechanical and bioactive properties of hydroxyapatite scaffolds via collagen coatings"
Majors: Biology and Physics
Mentor: Joo Ong

GRADUATE ORALS

Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering
Damon Cardenas
"Determination of the effects of hyperbaric conditions on CMRO2 in rats during forepaw stimulation using fMRI"
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Mentor: Timothy Duong (UTHSCSA)

Justin Garcia
"A structural analysis of twisted veins"
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Mentor: Hai-Chao Han

Experimental Psychology
Willie Hale Jr.
"That'll take them down a peg: Perceiving hypocrisy when threatened by others"
Major: Psychology
Mentor: David Pillow

Events

Friday, January 28, 9:30 a.m.

Developing Outreach & Broader Impacts Components for NSF Proposals

Session for faculty on how to develop strong outreach and education components to meet NSF’s broader impacts requirements. (Note that the emphasis will not be on education components for NSF CAREER proposals, which are covered in an on-demand NSF CAREER webinar also available to UTSA faculty.)

Virtual Event

February 1-24

Academic Innovation Graduate Adobe Institute

This institute is for Graduate Students. It will consist of eight 45-minute sessions. Participants will be introduced to applications included in Adobe Creative Cloud, a tool that is free for all UTSA students. Attendees will be able to complete short projects that will give them the opportunity to produce artifacts that they can use to improve their digital literacy skills and prepare them for their life after they finish their UTSA journey.

Virtual Event

Thursday, February 3, 1:00 p.m.

Dia en la Sombrilla Informational Meeting

Any organization wishing to participate in Dia en la Sombrilla must have two representatives from their org attend an official Informational Meeting. Our Informational Meetings will be held on two days: Tuesday, February 1st from 1-3 pm virtually and Thursday, February 3rd from 1-5 pm in the Bexar Room.

Bexar Room, 1.102, H-E-B Student Union, Main Campus

Thursday, February 10, 9:00 a.m.

On-Campus COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic

For those who are eligible, booster vaccines are available at our on-campus clinics. Please bring your COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card to your appointment.

Denman Ballroom, SU 2.01.28, Main Campus

Monday, February 21, 7:30 p.m.

UTSA Orchestra 2021-22 Concert Season

The string ensemble conducted by Troy Peters will perform in the Recital Hall. The concerts will also be live-streamed on the Department of Music's Facebook page and housed on our YouTube channel.

Recital Hall, Main Campus

Wednesday, February 23, 11:00 a.m.

Health Nest

Our Wellbeing Peer Educators will be playing games and doing activities to help teach you about relevant health topics! Come stop by, play a game, learn a little bit, and win a prize.

Central Plaza, Main Campus

Saturday, February 26, 9:00 a.m.

UTSA Day

Future Roadrunners will see what Roadrunner life is all about at UTSA Day. All of Main Campus transforms into our UTSA Day open house for Future Roadrunners and their families to explore the university experience.

UTSA Main Campus, 1 UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249

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Spotlight

UTSA’s Mission

The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.

UTSA’s Vision

To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.

UTSA’s Core Values

We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.

UTSA’S Destinations

UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education.

Our Commitment to Inclusivity

The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to ending generations of discrimination and inequity. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.