Rolando Morales
Assistant Editor
JAGRISE 2026, a week that spotlights the research of faculty, undergraduates and graduate students at Texas A&M University-San Antonio, is April 13-17.
“It is a celebration of research across campus,” said Davida Smyth, the university’s interim research director. “It’s a great thing to do. Almost every university runs these kinds of symposiums.”
The week will feature panels by faculty who received research council awards in the past year. That event will be 10 a.m.-noon and 2-4 p.m. April 13-14 in the Multipurpose Room of Business Library Hall and the Ceremony Room of Patriots’ Casa.
Graduate students will meet and greet new collaborators and learn about their peers’ research projects in the Three Minute Thesis, where students share the first three minutes of their thesis at 3:30-5:30 p.m. on April 15 in the Auditorium.
There’s a prize for the Three Minute Thesis. Last year, there was prize money of $1,000 for the grand prize winner, and $500 for the runner-up, and judge’s choice.
According to A&M-San Antonio’s website, the Three Minute Thesis competition was developed by the University of Queensland, where it’s conducted by the Ph.D. students. UQ held the first 3MT in 2008. Enthusiasm for the 3MT concept grew, and its adoption by numerous universities led to the development of an international competition.
A&M-San Antonio’s 3MT competition is held once per year. There’s a preliminary competition and a university-wide final, with 15 people competing for cash prizes. A&M-San Antonio winners will represent the university in regional 3MT competitions.
Anyone wishing to participate in the 3MT can contact Matt Watson, Biology Program Coordinator, at 210-784-2473 or Charles.Watson@tamusa.edu to ask questions.
The Student Research Symposium will be from 1:15.-3:45 p.m. on April 16-17, in Business Library Hall, where students describe their work in poster form.
The oral talks will be in the afternoon, followed by the poster session. The awards ceremony will be from 1-1:30 p.m. in the Vista Room on April 17.
According to JagSync, the Student Research Symposium allows participants to gain experience and confidence for careers and to pursue advanced degrees.
Over 300 students have represented the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business and Education in the past three years.
A keynote speaker, Gary Guerra, will address the students’ work from 11 a.m.- noon on April 16 in the Auditorium, with lunch served. Guerra graduated from A&M-San Antonio in 2009 with a BS in kinesiology, and in 2012 with an MS in Kinesiology. He has worked as a clinical prosthetist, researcher and professor in Thailand at Mahidol University and is currently an Assistant Professor of Exercise and Sport Science at St. Mary’s University.
He has taught and mentored numerous graduate and doctoral students from countries around the world and is a member of Exceed Research Network, a volunteer organization focused on prosthetic and orthotic research in lower-resource settings.
The best posters and talks will receive a prize. The first prize is a plaque, and the second and third prize winners get a certificate.
The email is srs@tamusa.edu if anyone wishes to volunteer. The organizers are always looking for more students to get involved.
Smyth will coordinate the event.
“The purpose of the event is to promote all of the research, scholarly and creative endeavors that are happening on campus,” Smyth said in an interview. “So, the idea being is that many of us don’t know what each of us is doing. So, it provides a mechanism by which we can get the word out.”
Smyth says it’s a great first opportunity for students to present their posters. It also gives them a chance to go back and tweak or change it for the next one.
Smyth has been at A&M-San Antonio for five years, and the SRS has happened every year she’s been here, though she thinks the event dates further back than that. The event has also been adapting as the university continues to grow. The organizers are also looking to get sponsorship.
She said she hopes students learn the value of effective communication and being able to talk about what they’re doing in front of others.
“So, when you’re speaking to people who are in your field, that’s easy. It’s not always easy speaking to folks who aren’t in your field; that’s hard. So, this gives you an opportunity to speak with anyone.”
