Sol Garcia | THE RIDER
Scholars in all fields will showcase their research, artwork and more during this year’s virtual Engaged Scholar Symposium at UTRGV.
“The Engaged Scholar Symposium was designed to help students or scholars by providing a platform for them to engage with the peers of our university and our community,” said Roman Sanchez Martinez, program coordinator for the Engaged Scholar Award in the Office of Engaged Scholarship and Learning.
The yearly symposium focuses on research, literary and visual arts, service learning, community engagement, performance and sustainability.
“It’s one of the largest multidisciplinary symposiums that we have within a university,” Martinez said. “A lot of people don’t know that we’re also open to art students, media students, drama students, every single student.”
The Office of Engaged Scholarship and Learning has adjusted the symposium to online platforms due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will take place April 19 through 23, according to a UTRGV webpage.
In an email sent to The Rider, Estela De La Garza, program coordinator for the department, said the times will depend on student availability between 9 to 5 p.m., and Zoom, Artsteps and YouTube will be used.
To present at the event, students, staff and other community members had to submit an abstract about their work. About 250 abstracts were submitted this year before the deadline this month, Martinez said.
“I definitely feel very happy that students, despite the circumstances that we’re going through right now, they’re still taking every opportunity out there for them to develop their professionalism and grow as students within the university,” he said.
Scholars who submitted work last year but were not able to present due to the pandemic were allowed to resubmit their abstracts, Martinez said.
“We took everything in consideration, and we allowed them to resubmit their proposals for this year,” he said.
Asked when scholars will be notified their work was selected for presentation, De La Garza wrote, “Students will receive notification of acceptance by March 3.”
Scholars will earn certificates and title awards, such as an honorable mention, based on their presentations, Martinez said.
“We still provide them with a title, [and] we provide them with a certificate award for them to keep pride,” he said.
As a biochemistry and molecular biology graduate student, Martinez encourages students who will present in the symposium to feel proud and confident in their work and enjoy the opportunity.
“It’s a really, really great deal towards their professional development,” he said. “I definitely feel that they must enjoy it. They should feel proud of the work.”
Martinez has presented in the symposium previously, and he was once awarded with an honorable mention.
“I was able to professionally develop some skills, network with other students and faculty within our university, so it’s really interesting,” he said.
Volunteer opportunities have previously been available during the Engaged Scholar Symposium, but Martinez is unsure how they will continue virtually this year.
“We’re hoping that we can potentially offer volunteer services in Zoom,” he said. “A student can be there to help us, maybe [as a] moderator, even if it’s virtual.”
Keynote speakers are yet to be announced, De La Garza wrote in the email.
Presentation templates are available on the webpage. During the semester, presenters can attend the office’s workshops for guidance, Martinez said.
“Some of them don’t know how to present or how to build a poster, so our office hosts a lot of workshops throughout the semester, where we can help or guide them and try to train them in how to do that,” he said.
For more information about the symposium, click here.
