By Syed Tawseef Ali
A diverse group of students spanning majors in education, business and arts and sciences will present their research at the 10th annual TAMUS Pathways Student Research Symposium Nov. 9 and 10 at Texas A&M-Galveston. This is the first time university students from this institution have participated in the symposium.
The Pathways Symposium is hosted by different A&M university system schools annually, and is an opportunity for students of all levels to present their research and network with other students and professionals, said Nicole Wilkins, graduate administrative coordinator at A&M-Galveston.
Nine students from this university will present their research: Laura Guajardo, Hilda Rodriguez, Javier Morales and Carmen Gauna from the School of Education; John Carrola, Benjamin Rubio, Megan Pena and Marissa Cisneros from the School of Arts and Sciences; and Pauline Rubio from the School of Business.
Students will be accompanied by Provost Brent Snow, education lecturer Pamela Massey and Josephine Sosa-Fey, director of graduate studies and research.
While at the symposium, students will have the opportunity to meet students, administrators, faculty and staff from across The Texas A&M System.
Over 500 undergraduate, masters and doctoral students are expected to present their research with both poster and oral presentations, according to the conference website.
Sosa-Fey said students’ participation in the symposium is partially funded by Snow, university provost and vice president for academic affairs. Registration fees for the symposium are listed at $50 per student.
A&M-San Antonio graduate student Javier Morales said the Pathways Symposium is an opportunity for students from A&M-San Antonio to network and receive grants for research studies.
“TAMUSA is a new school and is focusing on academics. Research opportunities are open and it is up to the students to set the standards for the future generation, Morales said.
Graduate student Pauline Rubio’s research will present ways in which corporations can advocate more arts education for the labor force, and how business leaders can help train the artistic side of employees. Rubio’s faculty sponsor is Sosa-Fey.
A student in the School of Education, Morales said he will present his research ideas on how head-start programs affect migrant children.
Morales has worked in the field for 16 years and hopes to bring awareness to the cause. His research will show the achievement gap between migrant children who get head-start programs and those who do not. Morales’s faculty sponsor is assistant education Professor Edith Young.
“It (the Symposium) is a key opportunity for all to take part in research and capitalize on grants,” Morales said.
Presenters from the social sciences and humanities discipline have the option of presenting orally. They will receive 12 minutes for the presentation and three minutes for questions and answers.
Presenters from other disciplines are required to prepare posters with text visible from a three feet distance. The posters will also require a title, author’s name, department, university name and the faculty mentor’s name.
Judges will assess student research by comparing presentations to the abstracts submitted by the students. Judges will check for original work and if primary questions are answered in the results and findings. Judges will also assess the quality and eligibility of the presentation and the presenter.
Rubio, representing the School of Business, will present her research on new “Corporate Responsibilities” in a poster format. Rubio said her research is inspired by her passion for lobbying in support of the arts and creativity. Rubio’s own research is based on the findings of the Americans for the Arts, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., and New York. Rubio said she interned with the organization in Washington, D.C.
Her research suggests more use of the right side of the brain increases creativity, and more public funding for the arts can help the labor force to train more innovative employees, who can “think outside the box.”
“Arts are the first programs cut,” said Rubio in reference to public funding of schools and higher education.
Presenters from the School of Education had the advance opportunity to present their research at the Celebrating the Bilingual Child Conference on Oct. 27 in the library at Main Campus Building.
Morales was among those who had the opportunity to present his research at the event. In a video that captured the audience, Morales had adolescents describing their experience as young children working in the fields.
The audience could relate to the children from the video and a few people shared their own stories of travelling to work and picking cotton and onions in the fields.
Through the video and the effort of Morales, attendees agreed that there is a better life for migrant children through education.
Morales said he is optimistic and is looking forward to presenting his research at the Pathways Symposium in Galveston.
Ava Bustos contributed to this story.
