A&M International Math Students Present Research in Washington, D.C.

Three Texas A&M International University students presented mathematical research in Washington, D.C. at the Silver Anniversary Conference of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS).

The students, Maribel Mitsui, Anali Novoa-Barraza, and Juan Sauceda, conducted the research teamed with 27 students from throughout the country during the 1998 Summer Institute in Mathematics for Undergraduates, a prestigious six-week academic and research program conducted at the University of Puerto Rico - Humacao.

Mitsui, Novoa-Barraza, and Sauceda are all seniors majoring in mathematics. Mitsui, a graduate of Cigarroa High School, is minoring in psychology and computer information systems and will graduate in May 1999. She plans to pursue a masters degree in mathematics and a career in higher education or cryptography. She and husband Carlos Mitsui have a 3-year-old daughter, Tiffani.

Novoa-Barraza, a graduate of Nixon High School, is minoring in biology and will graduate in December 1998. She plans to pursue both masters and doctoral degrees in mathematics. After completing her studies, she hopes to become a professor of mathematics at A&M International. A member of the University's Math Club, she is the daughter of Minerva N. Gonzalez and Evaristo Barraza.

Sauceda, a graduate of the Laredo Christian Center, will graduate in May 1999 with a double major in mathematics and English. He will pursue masters and doctoral degrees in mathematics and hopes to teach mathematics at the University level. He is the son of Juan and Lilia Sauceda.

Mitsui, Novoa-Barraza, and Sauceda were among over 1,500 individuals who participated in the SACNAS Conference. In addition to student presentations, the conference featured an array of workshops and scientific symposia, an informal round-table forum for scientists and students called "Conversations with Scientists," and presentations by two Nobel Laureates.

SACNAS is a national organization founded in 1973 by Chicano, Latino, and Native American scientists who recognized the need for collective efforts to increase minority representation in the sciences.

For more information on A&M International's participation in the SACNAS Conference, please contact Dr. Robert Robertson, Assistant Professor of Mathematics at A&M International, 326-2590. University office hours are from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu