Undergraduate Research Conference at UTPA

Ana L. Cavazos presenting at the Undergraduate Research Conference at UTPA in 2013. Ana was a key person in developing models for Ixodes scapularis tick in Texas and northern Mexico. This tick carries Lyme disease. This paper was published in 2014 (see cover of the paper on the next page) and has been cited already in at least 16 other publications and has been rated as a highly accessed paper in the journal Parasites and Vectors. Ana also collaborated on different projects in the lab and traveled to a variety of scientific conferences such as those sponsored by the Ecological Society of America. She also participated in international research funded by Conabio, in Mexico.

2023 College of Sciences Annual Research Conference

April 28, 2023

Students from the EFAS program presented their research finidings in this conference organized by the College of Sciences at UTRGV. Joshwa Gandy, Sofia Ayala, and Ruth Galan were awarded by their outstanding presentations. Elizabeth Gonzalez and Gisel Garza were present at the conference to encourage students to participate in research opportunities. 

2024 78^th Subtropical Agriculture and Environments Society Meeting

February 8-9, 2024

Students from the EFAS program attended the Annual SAES Meeting, and presented their research projects. Five of our current students presented during the meeting, and three of them were awarded for their presentations! Andrea Quezada, Arturo Espana, and Isaias Hernandez were awarded due to their outstanding presentations. Andrea Quezada was awarded 3rd place for Best Oral Presentation, Isaias Hernandez won 2nd place for Best Oral Presentation, and Arturo Espana was awarded second place for Best Poster Presentation. Congratulations for your outstanding achievements! Thank you to the mentors for their great work!

2024 College of Sciences Annual Research Conference

April 26, 2024

During the 2024 Annual Research Conference, students from the EFAS program were able to present their research. Three students presented their research supported by the program, Andrea Quezada, Ira Narang, and Ramya Kunta. Ira Narang was awarded "Best Undergraduate Oral Presentation" under the category of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences. Congratulations Ira! We are so proud of all of our students achievements, and we recognize their outstanding mentors who have an enormous contribution on their students' success!

18^th Get it D.O.N.E! conference

October 6th, 2024 

On Sunday, October 6th, the FloDisMod team met at the 18th Annual “Get it D.O.N.E.” Conference, organized by the South Texas Promotores Association. At this conference, Dr. Teresa Feria gave an excellent presentation, in which she shared with us more information about vector-borne diseases and why it is so important to prevent them. Thanks to the organizers of this conference for inviting us! It is an honor to be able to participate in events like these, which help us in our efforts to raise awareness about vector-borne diseases. 

79th Subtropical Agriculture and Environments Society Meeting

February 28-29, 2025

Students from the EFAS program presented during the 79th Subtropical Agriculture and Environments Society Meeting in Mission, TX. Three of our students got awarded for their oral presentations: Romel Hinojosa with 1st place, Audrey Rodriguez with 2nd place, and Dhairya Barot in 3rd place. Jasmin Cañas was awarded second place for her poster presentation. Congratulations to everyone! We could not be more proud to finish our program strong, thank you to our amazing mentors who have done a great job in collaboration with our students!

Meeting with CENAPRECE

April 25, 2025

Dr. Feria reunited with people from CENAPRECE in Mexico City during Friday, April 25 to talk about Vector-borne diseases. From right to left: Eduardo Romero Becerril, Deputy Director of Vectors, CENAPRECE; Dra. María Elena Rivera Montiel, Chagas Disease Program Coordinator, Vectors-CENAPRECE; DCE. Marco Gil Robledo,Chagas Disease Program Coordinator, Vectors- CENAPRECE; Dra. Teresa Patricia Feria Arroyo, UTRGV; Mto. René Santos Luna, Deputy Director of Medical Geography and Geomatics, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública.

Dr. Feria also had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Guadalupe Gordillo-Pérez, who currently works at the Unidad de Investigación Médica en Enfermedades Infecciosas y Parasitarias, Mexican Institute of Social Security. Guadalupe does research in Infectious Diseases, Neurology and Public Health. The meeting took place on Thursday, April 24th, 2025.