WBU Students Make the Grade at Science Academy Meeting

HOUSTON – Wayland Baptist University students continue to earn recognition for their achievements and research in mathematics and sciences, bringing home four awards from the 125^th Annual Texas Academy of Sciences meeting in Houston Feb. 25-27.

Four Wayland students presented at the conference, and each won awards for their presentations. Bruna Moureira and Emily Franklin each earned first-place awards for their work in ecology and mathematics, respectively. While Paxton Patterson brought home a second-place award in biochemistry and Allison Alvarez-Garcia placed third in biochemistry.

Moureira’s poster presentation covered her research on climate sensitivity and its effects on growth rings of Douglas Fir trees. WBU biology professor Dr. Matthew Allen supervised her research. Franklin tied for first place with her oral presentation in mathematics and computer sciences for her work on arithmagic squares. Advised by mathematics professor Dr. Chris Thornhill, Franklin’s work deals with determining relationships between numbers and why they work together the way they do.

Under the advisement of WBU chemistry professor Dr. Robert Moore, Patterson and Alvarez-Garcia conducted research into the role of a specific enzyme and how it relates to tuberculosis drug resistance. Each presented informational posters at the conference. Their research is part of an on-going project and was funded by the Welch Foundation.

The Kenneth L. Mattox School of Mathematics and Sciences has long been a successful training ground for students pursuing careers in the sciences. Wayland undergraduate students regularly present research alongside graduate students from other universities and are highly respected and awarded for the contributions.

In addition to the four students who presented research, five others attended the meeting, including Jared Rodriguez, who won last year for his research in cell and molecular biology, Sidney Perez, Araceli Torres, TeJay Lozano and Joshua Smedema. Torres, Lozano and Smedema have been selected to take part in the Welch research program this summer.

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Pictured above: Wayland Baptist University student participated in the 125^th Annual Texas Academy of Science meeting in Houston last weekend. Pictured are: Matthew Allen, Bruna Moureira (1^st place poster, Terrestrial Ecology), Emily Franklin (1^stplace presentation, Mathematics and Computer Science), Allison Alvarez-Garcia (3^rd place poster, Biochemistry), Joshua Smedema, Sidney Perez, Paxton Patterson (2^nd place poster, Biochemistry), Araceli Torres, Jared Rodriguez, TeJay Lozano, Dr. Robert Moore.