The Student Union ballrooms were filled with insightful research conducted by 125 Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) students.
TAMUK invited graduate and undergraduate students to present their original scholarly work during the 13th Annual Javelina Research Symposium held on April 10. Students from various colleges were able to showcase their research and receive feedback.
For many students presenting can be nerve-wracking and a bit intimidating. However, students braced themselves as they showcased their research to a panel of judges who were critiquing and examining their work.
“I think one of the best thing about research, is the opportunity to present your work. Students start to see value in their work, and it boosts their confidence, they stand a little taller. Twenty-three of my students were able to participate in this year’s symposium…I’ve seen how students get offered jobs or are asked to pro-long their research, and it’s just wonderful that TAMUK offers this platform for students,” said Dr. Lana McDonnell, professor of communications.
Participants were able to choose a topic of their choice, and mesh their creativity to generate their research topic. Topics ranged from the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) presentations to the impact of fertilizers in plants. There was diversity amongst peers, nevertheless students displayed their research exceptionally.
“I believe this is a great opportunity for students to find a passionate topic, and use research to have fun with it. Through my research I’ve grown a real passion in trying to create awareness of how fast-food affects children…This is also a great way to help develop skills that will help in whatever career we decided to pursue,” said Madison Lakers, Communication major.
While the Javelina Research Symposium is a place to showcase diverse perspectives in research, it also acknowledges the hard work of students. The work of students was categorized by three categories: undergrad, masters and doctoral.
In the undergrad category, first place was awarded to Francheska Garcia, second to Cristian Toren, and third to Jessica Gonzalez.
For the master’s category, Nnana Edmund earned first place. Jemilade Longe was awarded second place and Kaitlyn Garcia was recognized with third place.
The doctoral winners were Srikanth Bashetty in first place, Aramide Akintude in second place and Abdullah Al Hadi earned a third place.
The work of student is celebrated and encouraged to enable students to develop skills and habits that will help them excel in the professional world.
“Research, I think is very important in any industry, it promotes growth and just seeing that a lot of people are curious and want to use their creativity is absolutely important. The amount of people here, also blows my mind it just shows how much interest people are taking in using what they have to get something better,” said Itohan Agbonkina, Engineer major.