Celebration of Scholarship Symposium

Ella Ritter
Bachelor of Arts in Business (English Minor)
College of Arts and Humanities

Unlovable: The Tragedy of Shakespeare’s Queen Gertrude

Queen Gertrude may seem like a relatively passive character in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. She appears in only half of its scenes and speaks only sixty-nine times. However, many scholars have studied the importance of Gertrude’s active role in the play, her care for those around her, and her reaction to Ophelia’s death. Such scholarship tends to depict Queen Gertrude negatively as a lustful adulteress, if not as an accomplice to the elder Hamlet’s murder. Nonetheless, as I argue, Queen Gertrude shows herself noble as she persists in loving and protecting those around her, even as her husband’s failure to love her in return leads to her tragic death. She actively attributes to Ophelia the grace of an accidental death, and she attempts to save her son from her husband Claudius with her final words. This presentation will advance a coherent reading of the play that emphasizes the goodness of Gertrude. In particular, while it is a sorrowful thing for Gertrude to love people who do not return that love in a similar strength, but it is also a noble for her to love in the face of these difficulties. Gertrude is thus more active, and more virtuous, than is commonly supposed.

Claire Wilkerson
Bachelor of Arts in Theological Studies
College of Arts and Humanities

Beyond Time, Place, and Condition: The Trinity and Reading O’Connor’s “Revelation”

Reading Flannery O’Connor demands interaction with larger questions about faith, God, and what it means to be human. With topics as weighty as these interpretive and creative questions arise like what it means to write a Christian story or to read one. A typical reading of a Christian story traces how the story follows the biblical narrative pattern of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. However, a different Christian framework can be created by combining three prevailing critical perspectives, new criticism, reader response criticism, and biographical criticism. These three models create a type of trinity where the reader, author, and text commune to create meaning. Although this proposed framework seems odd, it is useful because it transcends what prevailing perspectives can accomplish alone. This model, though limited by worldly constraints, points to the eternal Trinity. In fact, there is precedent for using the Trinity to understand a human relationship. John Paul II compares the family as a communion of persons to the Trinity in his Familiaris Consortio, arguing that the Trinity is the highest familial relationship, and married couples participate in a lower unity of persons mirroring the triune God. In order to illustrate a trinitarian critical approach I will examine O’Connor’s “Revelation.” A trinitarian reading of “Revelation” effectively describes the relationship between author, reader, and text as an image of the Trinity to explain the creation of and participation in art.

Stephanie Duer
Doctor of Education in Mental Health and Human Services
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences

Potential Barriers to Building Capacity for School-Based Mental Health in Rural Texas Schools

The growing need for school-based mental health services exposes potential barriers to hiring qualified mental health professionals in rural communities. This study examined the challenges rural Texas school districts face in building capacity for school-based mental health services and explored the strategies currently in place to support student well-being. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand the barriers, if any, preventing rural schools from hiring dedicated mental health personnel and to identify effective strategies for overcoming these obstacles. The research employed a qualitative design using semi-structured interviews with rural school administrators, supplemented by analysis of archived survey data from the Texas Education Agency Mental Health Task Force. Participants included administrators from school districts classified as rural based on enrollment size. The study investigated four key research questions addressing recruitment strategies, funding structures, the role of government support, and community partnerships in sustaining school-based mental health services. Data analysis included thematic coding to identify major themes and insights into the state of school-based mental health in rural schools, administrative decision-making and resource allocation. Findings indicated that administrators often equate school-based mental health with crisis response, limiting efforts to establish proactive support systems. Some districts rely on assigning dual roles to existing staff rather than hiring specialized personnel. Additionally, administrators emphasized the need for increased funding and clearer legislative guidance, particularly rural-specific resources. The study concluded that enhancing administrator training in mental health, streamlining funding access, and fostering stronger community collaborations are critical steps in strengthening school-based mental health services. These findings inform policy recommendations and future research aimed at improving mental health support in rural schools.

Michelle Luster, Oral Presentation
Doctor of Education in Executive Educational Leadership
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences

Analyzing Factors Driving Improvement in African American Student Test Scores in Grades 3 to 5 Mathematics across Texas School Districts

Education serves as a cornerstone for personal and professional development, with mathematics playing a vital role in building logical reasoning, problem-solving, and analytical skills. However, significant performance disparities exist, particularly for African American students, who often underperform in standardized assessments compared to their peers. This study investigates the perspectives of district curriculum leaders on factors contributing to the improvement of mathematics STAAR scores for African American students in Grades 3 to 5 across several large Texas public school districts.

Using Equity Theory as the guiding framework, this research explores key influences such as socio-economic status, access to quality education, and culturally responsive teaching, which have historically affected African American students’ mathematics achievement. It further examines instructional strategies, including culturally relevant pedagogy, targeted tutoring, teacher professional development, and community engagement initiatives, perceived by curriculum leaders as instrumental in promoting mathematics success.

The study uses a mixed methods design to provide a comprehensive analysis. The quantitative component includes a survey to identify trends and commonalities across districts, while the qualitative component consists of in-depth interviews with district curriculum leaders to gather detailed insights into the implementation and perceived effectiveness of specific strategies. The data are then integrated during the analysis to present a holistic understanding of the factors contributing to improved performance.

Districts selected for the study demonstrate at least a 3% average increase in the Approaches level or maintained 20% above the state average in the Approaches level of mathematics scores for Grade 3-5 African American students between 2022-2024, ensuring that only districts with notable progress or success are included. The findings are expected to offer practical recommendations for educators and policymakers on replicating successful practices, closing achievement gaps, and promoting educational equity. By understanding the long-term support structures and resources necessary to sustain and enhance these improvements, the research aims to provide a roadmap for improving African American students’ mathematics achievement.

Khang Quach
Bachelor of Science in Chemistry
College of Science and Engineering

Nutritional Effects of Nano/Ionic Zinc Amendment to NPK-Fertilized Corn Plants Grown in Natural Soil from New Mexico

Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) fertilization is a common agricultural practice used to ensure plant growth and efficient production. Nanomaterials (NMs) have been explored in agriculture to enhance fertilization efficiency. This study evaluated the effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles (nano-Zn, particle size 18 nm) and zinc sulfate (ionic-Zn) amendment on corn’s (Zea Mays) nutrition and yield while grown under low and high NPK fertilization. Plants were grown in natural soil with low Zn content (loamy sand, pH 7.8) until corn production. Plants were soil amended with nano-Zn or ionic-Zn at 30 mg/kg, under low (90:60:60 mg/kg) and high (180:120:120 mg/kg) NPK fertilization, and grown for a full-life cycle. Results showed that a high NPK dose produced a higher yield (124% more) than low NPK fertilization, with no effect or interaction arising from adding Zn in any form. Similarly, corn micronutrients were impacted by NPK fertilization, not by the Zn addition. B, Si, and Zn contents were higher (41, 76, and 51%, respectively) in corn fertilized with low NPK compared to low NPK. Macronutrient analysis is currently being conducted, and the results will be shared during the event.

Madison Coward
Bachelor of Science in Chemistry
College of Science and Engineering

Comparative Color Analysis of Strawberry Anthocyanins and Beet Betacyanins as Potential Replacements for Synthetic Red Dye #3

Red dye #3 (C20H6I4Na2O5 ), a synthetic dye was prominently used in food products in the United States. Studies reported red dye #3 to cause thyroid cancer in male rats, leading to its ban in the food industry in 2025. This study proposed two safer alternatives to red dye #3. Natural pigments, anthocyanin (C15H11O+ ) from strawberries and betalains (C24H26N2O13) from beets, were extracted using solvent-based methods and used as the principal component for water-based dyes, as alternatives to red dye #3. Liquid dyes were prepared, and their color strength was quantified using Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopy. A visual evaluation was conducted by dying edible icing and dye-free baby snacks using the extracted dyes and assigning RGB color codes as a reference. The characterizations are still being conducted, and the results will be discussed and shared at the symposium.

Giovanni Santillan
Bachelor of Science in Chemistry
College of Science and Engineering

Comparing Chemical Pollution Levels in Beaches around the Galveston Bay

Seawater in Galveston Bay has a characteristic brown color, usually associated to pollution. This research project’s goal was to compare the chemical pollution levels of seawater on three beaches in Galveston Bay. Seawater samples included the Galveston, Sylvan, and Surfside beaches. Measured indicators of pollution included heavy metal content (Nickel, Arsenic, Copper), salts (Sodium, Magnesium), ammonia, pH, salinity, and the presence of plastics. Nickel, Arsenic, and Copper were detected in a healthy amount, while Lead, Silver, and Zinc were not. Sodium and Magnesium concentrations were below the healthy thresholds in all samples (<10,561 ppm Na+ and <1,272 ppm Mg2+). Ammonia levels in all samples exceeded the threshold of zero. The pH of seawater varied, with Sylvan Beach having the lowest (6.98), but all still below the threshold of a pH of 8. Salinity was lowest at Sylvan (233.63 mMol/L), while Surfside had the lowest sodium (7.40 ppm) and Magnesium (1.58 ppm) concentrations. No plastics were detected using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). In conclusion, high concentrations of ammonia and low pH could be linked to municipal effluent discharge, but microbiological tests must be conducted. Furthermore, low salinity in seawater can negatively affect certain forms of sea life.