Send off seminar

Yesterday we held an undergraduate research symposium featuring both the veteran REU students and the students in the HHMI program. The REU students had a chance to pull together their research from the last year, and give a short talk about what they had found.


Jess Valdez with her title slide.


Amery Yang, following her talk, waiting for lunch.


Ashley Longoria with her supervisor, Brian Fredensborg, looking every so slightly concerned about something.

Texas Academy of Science meeting 2009

The Texas Academy of Science meeting was held last Friday, 6 March, and both UTPA and the REU program was well represented.


The obligatory REU cohort shot. L to R: Ammie Ortiz, Amery Yang, Stephanie Castellanos, Ashley Longoria, Stephanie Jimenez, Jess Valdez.

And now... posters!






Pop quiz! One of the two students above is not an REU student. Which one?

In addition to these posters, current REU student Stephanie Jimenez gave an oral presentation, as did former REU student Natali Mejia.

Pictures by Hudson DeYoe.

REU at SICB 2009 in Boston: Science in the snow

Two UTPA students in the REU program traveled out to Boston to the annual Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology meeting to present their REU research.


On the bus to do a little sightseeing and shopping before the meeting. You normally don't see southern Texas women this bundled up... L to R: HHMI student Sakshi Puri, REU student Stephanie Jimenez, and REU student Ashley Longoria.


Shopping accomplished (note bags), now on to the sightseeing. Visiting Harvard University. L to R: Ashley, Sakshi, REU overlord Zen Faulkes, and Stephanie.


Ashley talking to a customer in front of her poster at the Monday poster session.


Stephanie explaining her crayfish to an visitor on Monday.


At the airport, ready to head back home after a successful and fun conference. L to R: Sakshi, Ashley, and Stephanie.


Stephanie's had enough!

Botanical 2008 Conference!

Hey everybody. Below are a few photos and words from my trip to the Botanical 2008 Conference in Vancouver Canada!!! I hope you enjoy, cheers.

So I began the trip pictures aboard the Dallas skytrain. With a 4 hour layover and a student budget I could not exactly stay at the airport lounge for more than an hour so I rode the various airport amusement rides. The moving sidewalk and 3 story eslcalators are great, but the train is definately my favorite. So out of sheer bordem I calculated a 20 minute roundtrip from Gate D and approximately 30 people boarded the skytrain in a single trip.

Bon Voyage Dallas. Canada here I come.

SICB 2008

L to R: Maria Calagui, Tracy Muniz, Natali Meijia, Cassie Rivas, Mike Torres. Absent: Claudia Tamez.

And a good time was had by all!

REU at SICB

Myself and all the students in UTPA REU program will be attending the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology meeting in San Antonio next month. See you then!