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

March 16-20

Early Voting for Primary Runoffs

UTSA students, faculty, staff and community members are encouraged to raise their voices and participate in the upcoming joint primary runoff election. Any registered Bexar County voter may vote at the H-E-B Student Union Bexar Room (HSU 1.102).

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

Friday, May 20, 8:00 a.m.

Kathleen R. Keil Memorial Golf Tournament

Join fellow UTSA accounting alumni for this fun-filled event that includes breakfast, a round of golf, an awards luncheon and great prizes. All proceeds from the tournament benefit student scholarships.

Canyon Springs Golf Club, 24405 Wilderness Oak, San Antonio, TX 78260

Tuesday, May 24, 7:00 a.m.

Election Day

UTSA students, faculty, staff and community members are encouraged to raise their voices and participate in the upcoming joint primary runoff election. Election day is Tuesday, May 24. Any registered Bexar County voter may vote at the H-E-B Student Union Bexar Room (HSU 1.102).

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

Wednesday, May 25, 5:00 p.m.

REDKE: Identifying Strengths to Increase Opportunities with Department of Defense Funding

Please join us Wednesday, May 25, 2022 for a discussion with Colonel (ret) Michael Davis, MD, FACS, FRCS (Hon), former Director of the U.S. Combat Casualty Care Research Program. Dr. Davis will discuss how to best identify strengths at UTSA that can be effectively leveraged for funding proposals to the Department of Defense.

UTSA Business Building University Room (2.06.04), Main Campus

Tuesday, May 31, 12:00 p.m.

Orientation to RowdyFlex: Explore Flexible Teaching & Learning Spaces

UTSA is excited to introduce new flexible learning spaces available to the Roadrunner community. During this orientation, interested faculty will be guided through examples of innovative learning activities supported by these spaces and provided with an overview of relevant technical features.

Virtual Event

Wednesday, June 1, 11:00 a.m.

Compassion Fatigue Training

Do you find yourself more worried than usual about our students? Would you like to feel more confident in your ability to provide support or assistance to them? We are pleased to announce this new brownbag professional development opportunity for you, Compassion Fatigue Training, that will be offered June 1, 2022.

Faculty Center Large Conference Room (JPL 4.04.12C), Main Campus

Wednesday, June 1, 3:00 p.m.

Faculty Coffee Hour

The Faculty Coffee Chat is designed to provide faculty members the space to discuss current issues they are facing in an inclusive and supportive environment.

Virtual Event

Submit an Event

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.