TAMIU Student Research Excellence Showcased At Academic Conference

The research skills of TAMIU undergraduate and graduate students will be showcased at the Third Annual College of Arts and Sciences Academic Conference Thursday and Friday, April 7 - 8 at the Western Hemispheric Trade Center, room 103.

Keynote speaker for the event will be Dr. Lorri Glover, associate professor of history at the University of Tennessee and author of "All Our Relations: Blood Ties and Emotional Bonds Among the Early South Carolina Gentry."

Conference organizer Dr. Deborah Blackwell, TAMIU associate professor of history, said the effort will feature over 30 presentations by students who will compete for awards for top presentations.

"The Conference offers a remarkable opportunity for our University community and the community at large to see the rich range of research that is being conducted by our undergraduate and graduate students.  We encourage anyone who has an interest in the topic areas to attend," Dr. Blackwell said.

Among panel topics that will be discussed are: Ideas and Ideals, Case Studies in Urban Development, Questions of Morals and Morality, Developing the Workforce:  Case Studies of Laredo, Cultural Diversity in the Humanities, Musical Performance, Gender Politics, Chemical, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Biological Explorations and Variations of Ordinary Differential Equations.

The Conference will begin Thursday, April 7 at 1:30 p.m. with panels scheduled through 7:15 p.m.

The keynote address by Dr. Glover will be preceded by a short music performance at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Both presentations will be held in the Student Center Auditorium, room 236.

Glover's topic is "Boys Will Be Boys: Southern Students in the New Nation," looking at masculine identity among late 18th and early 19th century college students. Glover's lecture appearance is made possible in part by a grant from Humanities Texas, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Conference will resume Friday at 12:30 with panel sessions continuing to 7:30 p.m.

A Friday evening reception for students, faculty and presenters will be held and Dr. Nasser Momayezi, dean of the TAMIU College of Arts and Sciences, will present prizes to the two top undergraduate papers and the two top graduate papers.

For additional information, contact Dr. Blackwell at dblackwell@tamiu.edu

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