2022 International Research Conference

The Graduate College at Texas State University hosted the 2022 International Research Conference for Graduate Students on April 5–8, 2022, during Graduate Student Appreciation Week. The conference was held virtually through ForagerOne’s Symposium platform.

More than 70 graduate students from various disciplines at Texas State and from other institutions, including the University of Mississippi Medical Center, University of Texas Science Center at San Antonio, and University of California Santa Barbara, presented original research findings through electronic poster, or e-poster, presentations. 

The conference opened on Tuesday, April 5 with the virtual keynote event. Dr. Andrea Golato, Dean of The Graduate College, provided opening remarks, and Dr. Jennifer Irvin, the recipient of the 2021–2022 Graduate College Outstanding Mentor Award and professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, presented the keynote address, "The Secrets to Success in Graduate Research: Compassionate Practices to Foster Research Productivity," which focused on this year's Common Experience theme, Compassion. 

The virtual conference was then open for all Texas State students, faculty, and staff and external institutions participating in the conference to view on ForagerOne's Symposium platform. There were three main parts to each research presentation: electronic poster (e-poster), video introduction to the e-poster, and written abstract.  

On Friday, April 8, the following presentations were awarded: 

Doctoral Degree Category 

• Top Presentation:
  Gemini Creason-Parker
  Rape Myths in Numbers: Do Stereotypical Case Characteristics Correlate with Arrest?
  Criminal Justice
• Honorable Mention:
  Micah Swartz & Royce Olarte
  Intersecting Professional Identities and Social Interaction
  Mathematics Education

Master’s Degree Category 

• Top Presentation:
  Chin May Teoh, Karisa Renteria, Analynn Cooper, Dr. Jie Zhu, Dr. Michelle Lane, & Dr. Gar Yee Koh
  Effects of Methyl-donor Nutrients Supplemented to A High-fat Diet during Pregnancy and Lactation on Colonic Vitamin D Signaling and Inflammation
  Human Nutrition
• Honorable Mention:
  Michael Price, Dr. Julie Niziurski, Dr. Krista Howard, & Dr. Carmen Westerberg
  Changes in Dream Intensity and Nightmare Frequency during the COVID-19 Pandemic are Influenced by Personality
  Psychological Research

Along with the top presentation awards, we featured a new award at the 2022 IRC in partnership with the Common Experience, the Compassionate Research Award. This award highlighted the significance of the 2021-2022 Common Experience theme of Compassion. Students were encouraged to think about how their research or project demonstrated compassion by explaining how it "affects change for the better" and/or allows for a "deeper connection" between entities such as humans, countries, communities, places, animals, and environments.

This award was optional for presenters to compete for at the 2022 IRC.

Compassionate Research Award Recipient
Gemini Creason-Parker
Rape Myths in Numbers: Do Stereotypical Case Characteristics Correlate with Arrest?
Criminal Justice

The Graduate College thanks all faculty and staff members who served as judges and faculty respondents, as well as those who supported the graduate students in their research.

A special thanks to the Common Experience and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs for co-sponsoring this year’s conference.