(Feb. 9, 2018) -- Two University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) faculty members, four UTSA alumni and an undergraduate have been honored for their excellence in academics and research, and for their community contributions.
Marina Suarez, UTSA associate professor of geology, and Larissa Mercado-López ’03, ’08, ’11, who earned three degrees from the university, have been named 2018 Emerging Scholars by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. They are among just 15 U.S. scholars under the age of 40 to be recognized by the publication for academic and research excellence.
Suarez, a native San Antonian, has been passionate about dinosaurs since she was a child. The UTSA faculty member is currently conducting research in paleoclimatology with the support of a $478,000 grant through a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award. At UTSA, she teaches courses in stable isotope geochemistry, earth history and paleontology.
Notably, in 2011, a new species of dinosaur, Geminiraptor suarezarum, was named after Suarez and her twin sister/fellow paleontologist, Celina Suarez, after the sisters discovered the dinosaur at a site in Utah. The animal lived 100 million years ago during the Cretaceous period, a critical time in Earth’s history.
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education emerging scholar Mercado-López earned her bachelor of arts in Mexican American studies from UTSA in 2003, her master’s in English literature in 2008 and her Ph.D. in English literature from UTSA in 2011. Today, the UTSA alumna is an associate professor of women’s studies at California State University, Fresno. She examines the visual and environmental notions of fitness, investigating ways popular fitness conflicts with working-class Latinas’ constructions of womanhood. Over her career, she has sought inspiration for her research from her personal experience as a mother attending college.
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education received hundreds of nominations in this 17th year of recognizing minority scholars under 40 years old.
Additionally, a UTSA faculty member, four alumni and an undergraduate are among 2018’s selection of San Antonio Business Journal’s 40 Under 40, which honors young and ambitious rising stars in San Antonio who are leading in their industries while giving back to the community. A record-setting 250 nominations were submitted for this year’s 40 Under 40 class, which will be honored at an event on February 22.
Kelly Nash ’09, associate professor of physics, earned her Ph.D. in physics from UTSA, becoming one of fewer than 100 female, African-American physicists in the U.S. with a doctoral degree. Last year, Nash received a $65,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a nanomaterial that can do the work of a water treatment plant.
UTSA alumni named among the 40 under 40 include Andrew Casillas ’07, director of contracting and legal compliance at InGenesis Inc, Joshua Cude ’02, CEO of Cude Engineers, Ryan Parker ’05, San Antonio market CEO of BBVA Compass, and Michael Sindon ’07, ’10, assistant director of the City of San Antonio’s economic development department.
Undergraduate communications major Emma Faye Rudkin, CEO of Aid the Silent, also made the list.
“Congratulations to all our faculty, alumni and student honorees,” said Mauli Agrawal, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. “These recognitions are a testament to the strength and breadth of UTSA community of scholars and how Roadrunners in diverse industries and disciplines are effecting change for the betterment of our world.”
Read more about Marina Suarez and Kelly Nash.
Learn more about the UTSA Department of Geological Sciences and the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
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Join Dr. Rachel Yvonne Cruz, Assistant Professor of Mexican American Studies, for an interactive discussion on how music can challenge patriarchy, sexism, and colonialism through a guided discussion and live acoustic performance.
Assembly Room, 4th Floor (4.04.22), John Peace Library, Main CampusIn this hands-on workshop, participants will learn to setup an EndNote library, save references and PDFs, and automatically create and edit a bibliography. Attendees are encouraged, but not required, to have EndNote already installed on a personal computer.
Virtual EventAre you required to use LaTeX for writing your research papers? This workshop is divided into two parts: an introduction to Zotero, a citation management tool, and a demonstration of the features of Overleaf, a free online LaTeX editor.
Virtual EventCome listen to the UTSA Jazz Ensemble at a free event.
UTSA Recital HallLiterature reviews are a key element of evidence synthesis and scholarly inquiry. In this workshop, attendees will learn the differences between systematic, scoping, narrative, and other literature review types. The session will also detail the guidelines and components of various literature reviews, as well as resources to best support each.
Virtual EventFinalist candidates for the dean of the College of the Sciences will discuss their vision for the college.
Regents Room, MB 3.106, Main CampusAre you required to use LaTeX for writing your research papers? This workshop is divided into two parts: an introduction to Zotero, a citation management tool, and a demonstration of the features of Overleaf, a free online LaTeX editor.
Virtual EventThe 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.
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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 promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.