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.
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.
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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
Implementation of RPL
Pablo Ruiz, Department of Computer Science
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
What is the relative influence of attachment upon marital satisfaction as perceived by soldiers
and their spouses of the U.S. Army?
Leo Mora, graduate student, Department of Marriage and Family Therapy
St. Mary’s University Guidebook
Zihan Zhang, Department of Computer Science
Finessing Privilege: A Characterization of Passing through Latina Experiences
Gisela Reyes, McNair Scholar, Department of Philosophy
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2018 Winners
Oral Presentation Winners
First Place
Rebeca Gurrola, Magnetotelluric Investigations of the Yellowstone Caldera: Understanding the Emplacement of Crustal Magma BodiesSecond Place
Allison Woods, NAD+ Bound N-terminal Domain of CARDS Toxin Increases IL-1B SecretionThird Place
Iliana De La Cruz, The Effects of Summer Camp on Participants’ Affective Views of ScienceGraduate Poster Presentation Winners
First Place
Laura Sepeda and Dalia Mohamed, Exploring Sustainable Development Initiatives through Digital ScholarshipSecond Place
Cristian Avila and Pisinee Dangwung, Post-Separation Shared Parenting Among Women With A History Of Intimate Partner ViolenceThird Place
Camille Clausse Pujo, The Potential Value of Sport in the Promotion of Ideals of Peace and Sustainable DevelopmentScience, Engineering and Technology Poster Presentation Winners
First Place
Lauren Garcia, PELP1 as a Novel Therapeutic Target for GlioblastomaSecond 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 melanogasterThird Place
Harun Khan, Determining Feral Pig (Sus scrofa) Bait Selection in Order to Improve Eradication ProgramsHumanities Poster Presentation Winners
First Place
Michelle Michimani Leyva, Lexical Variation in Spanish SpeakersSecond Place
Victoria Sanchez, Symbol of Sacrifice: Master Sgt. Cleto Rodriguez, Congressional Medal of Honor RecipientThird Place
Amanda Bustos, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and his grandparentsSocial Sciences Poster Presentation Winners
First Place
Karina Davis and Layane Atarji, Communication Development in a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Relation to Mother-PromptingSecond Place
Mariana Reyes and Tashina VanderWoude, Effects of Childhood Households With and Without Parental Alcohol Use on Young Adults’ Later Coping StrategiesThird Place
Kimberly Salazar and Kassandra Guillen, Is it Worth it? The Effects of Public versus Private Secondary Education on Self-Esteem and Overall Collegiate PerformanceHigh School Poster Presentation Winners
First Place
Josue Hernandez and Nayab Nobahar, Bacteria as The New SyntheticSecond Place
Crystal Redfield, Friends with Different Abilities: The Effectiveness of an Educational Computer GameThird Place
Sophia Zabul, The Identification of a Novel Drug for Treating Ovarian Cancer300 Years: Hispanic San Antonio Poster Presentation Winners
First Place
Zonia Huerta and Juana Contreras, Altars, Shrines, and Statuaries: A Synthesis of Traditional Religious ExpressionSecond Place
Chris Repka, EL MUTUALISTA: Labor, Politics and Civic Mobilization in San Antonio, 1880-1900Third Place
John Anthony Hernandez, Alexander Barrera, Alexis Soto and Jacqueline Molina Maldonado, Mariachi and San AntonioFourth Place
Reagan Gately, The easiest way to destroy a social justice movement in the 1940’sFifth 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
Coming soon.
High School Participation
St. Mary’s University invites high school students to participate in the 19th 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
Registration is currently closed.
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