TAMIU Spring 2026 LEARN Expo, Undergraduate Research Week Winners Named
Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) students recently garnered top prizes at the second annual LEARN Expo, held April 15, 2026.
During the Expo, students shared their experiences when taking part in an EL opportunity such as undergraduate research projects, internship opportunities, and service-learning classes among others.
A total of 74 student groups presented during two distinct Expo sessions. This year’s winners were:
1st Place and Student Favorite Winner:
Sanjeep Niraula - Mentoring: Inspiring Today’s Readers, Tomorrow’s Leaders
2nd Place (tie):
Jema Rebeles - Construction of Multifunctional MXene-Composites for Robust Three-Dimensional Aerosol Jet Printing and Julia Flores - Water in the Field, Water in My Meal
3rd Place (tie):
Jema Rebeles - Exploring MXenes for Drug Delivery and Therapeutic Applications: A Review of Current Advances and Minelly Camargo - Tiny Molecules. Mighty Fungus: How Polyamines Shape Candida Albicans Growth
In addition, LEARN celebrated National Undergraduate Research Week, in which both graduate and undergraduate students presented their research work. A Lighting Talk Competition in which students presented their work in 5 under minutes, and the Graduate Research Showcase, a partnership with Graduate School and the COAS Graduate Student Association, in which graduate students their research through a poster presentation. The Undergraduate Research Week winners included:
Lightning Talk Winner - Minelly Camargo
Graduate Research Showcase 3rd Place Poster Presentation - Lizeth Gómez “Polyamine deficiency impairs the growth of Candida albicans under pH stress”
Graduate Research Showcase 2nd Place Poster Presentation - Diana Tarver Ramos – “Rio Grande Irrigation Waters on Antimicrobial Resistance of Cilantro-Associated Bacteria”
Graduate School Showcase 1st Place Poster Presentation - Elisa Saldivar – “Phytochemical properties of Netulma glandulosa ethanolic flower extract”
In the days leading up to Undergraduate Research Week, @txamiu social media followers also took part in a photo contest celebrating undergraduate student research. This year’s winner was Cintya Xiomara Media Rangel.
Winners were recognized during the Undergraduate Research Week Celebration Luncheon and were recognized for their work, noted Cihtlalli G. Pérez, QEP director.
“Through the LEARN Expo and Undergraduate Research Week events, we celebrate and showcase the extraordinary work of students, faculty, and staff engaging in hands-on learning at TAMIU,” said Pérez.
The initiative was part of TAMIU’s expansive 10-year QEP, or Quality Enhancement Plan, which focuses on enhancing student learning as part of an institution-wide effort. The QEP, known as LEARN (Learning Experientially: Active Real-world Navigation), focuses on experiential learning.
Find out more by visiting https://www.tamiu.edu/learnqep/expo.shtml
For more information on the QEP, contact Pérez at CihtlalliG.Perez@tamiu.edu, call 956.326.2714 or visit https://go.tamiu.edu/qep.
First Place and Student Favorite Poster Winner Sanjeep Niraula (center), stands alongside Cihtlalli G. Pérez, QEP director (left) and Dr. Claudia San Miguel, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs (right).
Second and Third Place winner Jema Rebeles.
Second place winner Julia Flores.
Third place winner Minelly Camargo (center), stands alongside Cihtlalli G. Pérez, QEP director (left) and Dr. Claudia San Miguel, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs (right).
