HESTEC Science Symposium

Now that the madness of HESTEC is over, I can share a few pictures from our visiting mentor's visit.

The audience at the Science Symposium, quivering with anticipation.

Zuleyma at the lectern.

Zuleyma describing her early experiences with animal behaviour, which included a close encounter with a deadly Venezuelan snake.

Lunch break! I'm to the right of Zuleyma, then Dean Ed LeMaster is barely visible to my right, then Hashim Mahdi, John Villareal, Jo Rampersad, Mircea Chipara, Lawrence William, Robin Fuchs Young, Irma Jimenez Conti, and Jon Lieman.

Zuleyma and students listening to a roundtable discussion hosted by M.D. Anderson Science Park faculty Robin Fuchs Young and Irma Jimenez Conti.

Student profile: Mike Torres

What is your project about?

Well, I am going to be using in-situ hybridization to note the expression of Hox, Distal-less and Engrailed genes specifically at the abdominal region where these spring appendages in Collembola are located.

What have you learned or enjoyed about research so far?

Learning is a constant occurrence for me in the lab, whether it's learning a completely new protocol or learning how to do something more efficiently as well as becoming familiar with the snags that we hit along the way. I pretty much enjoy all of it, especially when my reactions work well!

What are you looking forward to most as you go through the program?

I'm looking forward to seeing the in-situs when they're done and also the RNAi which is later on in the project.

Supervisor: Matt Terry

HESTEC Science Symposium is nearly here

The REU program is mentioned in this news release.

Student profile: Tracy Muniz

What is your project about?

I am going to determine if Couch's Spadefoot Toad has a subterranean thermal and soil moisture preference.

What have you learned or enjoyed about research so far?

By being a part of the REU program I have enjoyed constructing my own research project.

What are you looking forward to most as you go through the program?

I look forward to seeing the end result of my project.

Supervisor: Dr. Fred Zaidan III

Our inaugural visiting mentor

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Zuleyma Tang Martinez will be our REU program's first visiting mentor, and will be a featured speaker at the HESTEC Science Symposium, and participate in Latinas' Day.

Zuleyma studies animal behavior, particularly social behavior and communication. She was born in Venezuela and has been affiliated with the University of Missouri-St. Louis since 1976, where she has published over 20 journal articles, edited several symposium proceedings, given over 75 conference presentations, and over a dozen invited presentations.

Zuleyma served as President of the Animal Behavior Society in 1993-1994, and founded the society’s Latin American Affairs Committee in 1996. This year, she was given the society’s Distinguished Service Award (pictured) for her efforts to diversify the Animal Behavior Society and increase participation of Central and South Americans.

Dr. Martinez’s other awards include being named O'Neil Ray Collins Distinguished Minority Scientist, at University of California, Berkeley in 1995, and receiving the Educational Equity Teaching Award for Higher Education, 1995 from the St. Louis Educational Equity Coalition.

Zuleyma is an outstanding scientist, and will be a fantastic guest for HESTEC. I couldn't be happier with having her as the first person to visit UTPA as part of our REU program.

We will, we will, doc you

Brian May of Queen, international rock star, defended his Ph.D. in astronomy yesterday. 37 years after he started.

Congratulations!

Note to students in our program: You are expected to graduate with your graduate degrees on a significantly shorter timeline.

Confirmed, plausible, or busted?

Dude! The MythBusters are slated to come to HESTEC. These guys are doing some of the best television – never mind science television or education television – on American screens right now.

It's going to be a challenge to make our REU program's contribution to HESTEC top that. But we'll try!