outreach – Symbiommunity Lab

Anabel (a young woman)and Jaime (a young man) stand in front of their summer research program poster which they are presenting at the summer research showcase. A group of four students (two women and two men) stand on a small boat with a bridge and open water in the background. The boat is in motion, as evidenced by a small wake beside the boat.

In the Symbiommunity lab we are committed to increasing and improving opportunities and experiences in STEM fields. As a research group at a Federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution, which also serves over 40% first generation students, our primary focus is serving the multi-faceted needs of our local student body. This includes aligning ourselves with TXST’s stated commitment to expand and enhance academic opportunities. One of our Universities greatest struggles is meeting the demand from our student body for undergraduate research experiences. Consequently, we are focused on improving and increasing research experiences for all undergraduates through a various means. As part of our NSF BRC-BIO grant we run a summer research program for students who, due to any circumstance, would not otherwise engage in research. These students engage in collaborative research with partners at Roger Williams University, our co-PI’s institution. Additionally, as part of our CREST planning grant (collaborative with the GASP lab @ TXST) we are working to develop an improved bioinformatics training program which will feature new Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) in many departments across the university. Finally, we partner with TXST initiatives such as URISE, the IDEA Center, and Texas Doctoral Bridge Program to recruit and retain students.

Beyond efforts to engage undergraduates at TXST, we also work to engage local K-12 students through various events and partnerships with like-minded organizations, including TX Society for Women in Marine Science (SWiMS). With SWiMS, we hosted an outreach table at UT’s Girls in STEM day which was visited by thousands of local K-12 students. In summer 2024, our BRC-BIO students engaged in outreach events with Roger Williams University in Rhode Island (local elementary school), and Symbiommunity Lab students, led by PhD student Isabella Changust, hosted a Girl Scout STEM exploration day. Moving forward we look forward to more opportunities to engage the communities surrounding TXST.