Axe ’Em, Jacks!
Poster presentation winners
- First Place: Khena Minor and Rebel Bonnette, MSW in Social Work, College of Liberal and Applied Arts
"How Older Adults Experiencing Homelessness Find Long-term Care Placement Through Hospitalization"
Advisor: Ms. Christy Collins, School of Social Work
- Second Place: Chase Nimee, MS in Biology, College of Sciences and Mathematics
"Life History Strategies Predict Species Responses to Environmental Gradients in the Upper Brazos River, Texas"
Advisor: Dr. Carmen Montana-Schalk, Department of Biology
- Third Place: Rylee Gabbert, MS in Environmental Science, Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture
"Water Quality Assessment in Relation to Land Cover Change within the La Nana Bayou Watershed in East Texas"
Advisor: Dr. I-Kuai Hung, Dr. Dan Unger, Forestry
Paper presentation winners
- First Place: Callie Lynn, MS in Biology, College of Sciences and Mathematics
"Development and Flight Testing of a Blow-Collecting Uncrewed Aircraft System for Small Cetacean Health Assessment"
Advisor: Dr. Jason Bruck, Department of Biology
- Second Place: Olabisi Ogunlewe, MS in Chemistry, College of Sciences and Mathematics
"Using Microbial Biofilm To Assess the Water Quality of Treated Wastewater from Deep East Texas Wastewater Treatment Plants"
Advisor: Dr. Bidisha Sengupta, Department of Chemistry
- Third Place: Victoria Hoover, MA in English, College of Liberal and Applied Arts
"How Much is a Woman Worth?: Agency and the Commodification of Women in Plays by Centlivre and Gay"
Advisor: Dr. Elizabeth Tasker, Department of English and Creative Writing
About the conference
The Graduate Research Conference is a skill building opportunity for SFA graduate students in presenting data, public speaking, and communicating with others about theory and innovative research strategies. This year's conference was held on April 22, 2025 in the Baker Pattillo Student Center. Over 100 students presented their research to the SFA and Nacogdoches community.
Download the 2025 Graduate Research Conference program.
The conference includes:
10- to 12-minute paper presentations
Paper presenters can expect to develop their ideas from a class assignment, paper or research project into an interactive presentation. If desired, presenters may incorporate slides with graphs, pictures, text, etc., using tools like PowerPoint. Each presentation should last 10 to 12 minutes. There will be a question-and-answer period at the end of the paper presentation session.
Poster presentations
Poster presenters will be asked to display their ideas from a class assignment, paper or research project in poster form and will stand next to their posters to explain their project to passersby. The poster session will last an hour and thirty minutes.
See Poster Instructions for preparation and submission details.
Conference participants
Participants should dress in business casual attire (no jeans, t-shirts and flip-flops).
Students presenting posters should refer to Poster Instructions for information about poster preparation and submission.
Awards
Dean's Research Awards will be presented for top papers and top posters.
Submissions to the 2025 Graduate Research Conference are currently under review. The results for the top papers and posters will be announced soon.
Apply to GRC
Graduate students are encouraged to submit any work that represents academic/scholarly activity that is appropriate for the graduate program from which they are submitting. Work does not have to be research-based or empirically based.
- Submissions will be open to papers or projects completed up to a year prior.
- Submissions can include completed works or projects currently underway with preliminary findings (e.g. a proposal for a community outreach program or pilot study data). Submissions can also include a selected portion of a thesis project, enabling the student to refine a chapter and/or prepare for thesis defense.
The 2025 Graduate Research Conference has concluded. Check back for more information about the next conference and how to apply.
Any questions can be addressed to the Graduate Research Conference Committee via email.