Students present biology research at state conference

Elena Yang, a Tompkins High School student from Katy, and Franchesca Quezon Calero, a Texas A&M University-Victoria student, stand together after their presentation Saturday during the Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium at the University of Texas at Austin. The conference showcased research in biological and chemical sciences by undergraduate students from across the state. The students presented their summer research project conducted with Hashimul Ehsan, associate professor of biology. Their research was titled, “Heat Shock Protein 70 (HSP70) In The Rotifer Adineta Vaga: Genome-Wide Screening, Phylogenetic Annotation, And Expression In Response To Heat Stress.”

Texas A&M University-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the colleges of Business, Education & Health Professions, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, and Natural & Applied Science. A&M-Victoria provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as online classes that students can take from anywhere. The university supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.