Academic Research

St. Mary’s University promotes transformational learning through its support of research, creative and scholarly activities for faculty and students at the graduate and undergraduate level.

Research enhances critical thinking skills and provides hands-on experience for students entering the job market or advanced degree programs. When involved in research, creative and scholarly activities, students enjoy positive, life-changing relationships with faculty mentors.

Students at St. Mary’s have an opportunity to participate in undergraduate research and impact the world through purposeful academic research. St. Mary’s University undergraduates are conducting cutting-edge research and using critically emerging technology in bioengineering and biology, as well as other science, engineering and technology fields. The University also offers the chance to work with faculty scholars in business, humanities, and social science.

Our Institutional Review Board ensures that research participants’ rights and welfare are protected.

Institutional Review Board

Annual Research Symposium and Creative Activities Exhibition

Each spring semester, St. Mary’s University hosts its annual Research Symposium and Creative Activities Exhibition, which fosters scholarly dialogue among students and faculty. Presenters at the exhibition display an assortment of projects including scientific investigations, analytical reviews or projects, innovations/inventions, honors theses, senior projects and original works of art, media, poetry or writing. The event is open to undergraduate, graduate and law students

This event is an opportunity for St. Mary’s faculty and students to enhance our heritage of academic excellence and encourage innovation in education by presenting various forms of scholarship. Participants design posters or exhibits that provide an overview of their study or project and the resulting data and conclusions, just as researchers do at professional conferences.

• 2018 Presentations

  2018 Presentations

  Magnetotelluric Investigations of the Yellowstone Caldera: Understanding the Emplacement of Crustal Magma Bodies
  Rebeca Gurrola, McNair Scholar, Department of Physics and Department of Mathematics
  
  The Effects of Summer Camp on Participants’ Affective Views of Science
  Iliana De La Cruz, Depaartment of Physics and Department of Mathematics
  
  The Jubilees Palimpsest Project: The Role of Digital Humanities in Recovering Palimpsests
  Anthony Selvanathan, graduate student, Department of Theology
  
  Chatty Men and Slutty Women: Biased Gender Portrayals in Adult Cartoons
  Shawnee Pelletier, Department of Psychology
  
  The Mouth Game: A Social Developmental Milestone in Beluga Calves?
  Magdalena Banda, Department of Biology
  
  Engineering of a Putative Zinc Binding Site in SOD5 from Candida Albicans
  Claudia Moreno Romero, Department of Biology
  
  NAD+ Bound N-terminal Domain of CARDS Toxin Increases IL-1B Secretion
  Allison Woods, Department of Biology
  
  Color-blindness Deconstructed: An Assessment of CoBRAS Over Time
  Jacqueline Lucero, McNair Scholar, Department of Psychology
  
  Live Oak, Very Dead Fish: an Anatomical Description of a Legacy Collection
  of Miocene Fish Fossils from Live Oak County, TX
  Tatiana Marrone, Department of Physics and Department of Environmental Science
  
  Identification of Novel Microtubule Targeting Agents from a Unique Chemical Compound Library
  Allison Woods, Department of Biology
  
  Isolation and Injustice: The Story of German American Internment in Texas
  Nicole Johnson, Department of History
  
  Finessing Privilege: A Characterization of Passing through Latina Experiences
  Gisela Reyes, McNair Scholar, Department of Philosophy

• 2018 Winners

  Oral Presentation Winners

  First Place
  Rebeca Gurrola, Magnetotelluric Investigations of the Yellowstone Caldera: Understanding the Emplacement of Crustal Magma Bodies

  Second Place
  Allison Woods, NAD+ Bound N-terminal Domain of CARDS Toxin Increases IL-1B Secretion

  Third Place
  Iliana De La Cruz, The Effects of Summer Camp on Participants’ Affective Views of Science

  Graduate Poster Presentation Winners

  First Place
  Laura Sepeda and Dalia Mohamed, Exploring Sustainable Development Initiatives through Digital Scholarship

  Second Place
  Cristian Avila and Pisinee Dangwung, Post-Separation Shared Parenting Among Women With A History Of Intimate Partner Violence

  Third Place
  Camille Clausse Pujo, The Potential Value of Sport in the Promotion of Ideals of Peace and Sustainable Development

  Science, Engineering and Technology Poster Presentation Winners

  First Place
  Lauren Garcia, PELP1 as a Novel Therapeutic Target for Glioblastoma

  Second Place
  Deandra Gonzalez, The effect of Wolbachia pipientis on the expression of Dme miR-281-1-5p and miR-4986 in male and female aub heterozygotes, and wild-type Drosophila melanogaster

  Third Place
  Harun Khan, Determining Feral Pig (Sus scrofa) Bait Selection in Order to Improve Eradication Programs

  Humanities Poster Presentation Winners

  First Place
  Michelle Michimani Leyva, Lexical Variation in Spanish Speakers

  Second Place
  Victoria Sanchez, Symbol of Sacrifice: Master Sgt. Cleto Rodriguez, Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient

  Third Place
  Amanda Bustos, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and his grandparents

  Social Sciences Poster Presentation Winners

  First Place
  Karina Davis and Layane Atarji, Communication Development in a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Relation to Mother-Prompting

  Second Place
  Mariana Reyes and Tashina VanderWoude, Effects of Childhood Households With and Without Parental Alcohol Use on Young Adults’ Later Coping Strategies

  Third Place
  Kimberly Salazar and Kassandra Guillen, Is it Worth it? The Effects of Public versus Private Secondary Education on Self-Esteem and Overall Collegiate Performance

  High School Poster Presentation Winners

  First Place
  Josue Hernandez and Nayab Nobahar, Bacteria as The New Synthetic

  Second Place
  Crystal Redfield, Friends with Different Abilities: The Effectiveness of an Educational Computer Game

  Third Place
  Sophia Zabul, The Identification of a Novel Drug for Treating Ovarian Cancer

  300 Years: Hispanic San Antonio Poster Presentation Winners

  First Place
  Zonia Huerta and Juana Contreras, Altars, Shrines, and Statuaries: A Synthesis of Traditional Religious Expression

  Second Place
  Chris Repka, EL MUTUALISTA: Labor, Politics and Civic Mobilization in San Antonio, 1880-1900

  Third Place
  John Anthony Hernandez, Alexander Barrera, Alexis Soto and Jacqueline Molina Maldonado, Mariachi and San Antonio

  Fourth Place
  Reagan Gately, The easiest way to destroy a social justice movement in the 1940’s

  Fifth Place
  Edgar Ramon, Grayson Ginder and Mario Sosa, Stereotypes of Eating out: Demographics of Tex-Mex Restaurants in San Antonio

2019 Symposium Dates and Times

April 10
2 to 6 p.m.
Alumni Athletics & Convocation Center

The poster presentations will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. in the AA&CC, with concurrent oral presentations taking place in the Hospitality Suite in the AA&CC. The awards ceremony will begin at 5:30 p.m.

Apply to participate here

The deadline for applications is Monday, March 25, at 5 p.m.

High School Participation

St. Mary’s University invites high school students to participate in the annual Research Symposium and Creative Activities Exhibition alongside undergraduate, graduate and law students to present original research and creative products. In past years, we have showcased works from virtually every major and discipline. This is an excellent opportunity for high school students to display their work and see what academic conferences offer. There are also cash prizes for students who choose to compete, and the opportunity for students to meet University faculty.

A total of 12 high school students will be accepted to display their posters.

Apply to Participate

The application is now open. Please click the button above to participate.

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF)

The Office of Undergraduate Research awards fellowships to students interested in pursuing their research and creative activity through the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) Program. The fellowships are available to students from all three undergraduate schools — the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Greehey School of Business and the School of Science, Engineering and Technology. Proposals from all academic disciplines are welcome and strongly encouraged.

The fellowships provide funds for undergraduate students to participate with faculty mentors in an intensive eight-week, scholarly activity, as well as travel grants for students to present their research academic or professional conference. Current undergraduate students can find more about applying for these fellowships and grants by visiting the Undergraduate Research page on the Gateway portal.

Contact

Melissa Karlin, Ph.D.
Director of the Undergraduate Research Office
Garni Science Hall, Room 203
210-436-3233
uro@stmarytx.edu