H-LSAMP at Texas State University

Day 1 of Boko Hacks was a huge success! From groundbreaking ideas to dynamic collaborations, the energy was unmatched. A huge thank you to our sponsors for their support, our board members for their dedication, and our incredible participants for bringing their A-game! Let’s keep the momentum going for an even more exciting Day 2! #TexasStateUniversity #BokoHacks

It is exciting to be back supporting Texas State University students with Boko Hacks. As an alumnus, I am thrilled to return to the team as Associate Director of Sponsorships for Boko Hacks 2025! This student-led hackathon is organized in collaboration with some of our most impactful student organizations at Texas State University, including TXST IEEE, Girls Who Code TXST, ΣΧΣ Computer Science Club, Texas State University NSBE, and SHPE TXST. Launched just two months after the success of Boko Hacks 2024, our team has been working diligently to make this upcoming event more impactful and to establish a strong foundation for it to become an annual event. Building on that momentum, our mission for Boko Hacks 2025 remains the same: to provide a platform for innovation, collaboration, and inclusion while fostering talent from all backgrounds, with a special focus on underrepresented demographics and women in tech. We are committed to empowering students, driving positive change in our community, and inspiring the next generation of technology leaders through opportunities for growth and development. We are excited to partner with companies including Google, UFCU, Dell Technologies and Cloudflare that share our vision and invite you to be part of this journey. An additional shoutout to our university partners, College of Science and Engineering, Texas State University, Texas State University Center for Analytics and Data Science (TXST CADS), Texas State University Computer Science, and the Texas State University Department of Information Technology. Other partnering organizations include include IEEE and KC7: The Cyber Detective Game, with speakers joining us from Microsoft, BrainTrust Partners, Southwest Research Institute, and SKG Texas, Inc.. Follow our Boko Hacks 2025 LinkedIn page for updates on the event, speaker highlights, and recognition of our incredible sponsors for their invaluable support. Sponsorship opportunities are available, and we greatly appreciate any contributions that enable us to make a meaningful impact on students' lives. For confirmed details, our hackathon will be held in the Texas State University - LBJ Student Center Grand Ballroom on February 27th and 28th. Check-in and same-day registration will open at 9 AM. Registration opens in January, but you can secure your spot early! Simply scan the QR code on the flyer to join our waitlist, and we’ll notify you as soon as registration goes live. For more information check out our website: https://bokohacks.com/ #bokohacks #hackathon #txst #txstnext #bokohacks2025

Congratulations, Michala Gradner! Michala is an outstanding student, researcher, and leader. She completed her BS Applied Mathematics and Psychology degree from Texas State University graduating summa cum laude. Michala served as a STEM tutor in the Collaborative Learning Center assisting students in advanced math courses. She was the Director and Co-Founder of the Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival (JRMF) and President and Co-Founder of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics at Texas State University. Michala is an outstanding researcher who participated in Data Science for Social Good research program at Southern Methodist University and the Directed Research for Undergraduates in Mathematics and Statistics (DRUMS) research program at North Carolina State University. Her research focus included analyzing eviction data, spread of biological diseases, the psychology of propaganda, and speaker diarization machine learning. Her poster presentation under Dr. Iván Ojeda-Ruiz, Ph.D., Comparative Analysis of Speaker Diarization Techniques using different clustering methods on CNN-Based speaker segmentation for Enhanced Precision and Recognition, won first place at the Texas State STEM Conference and second place at the Undergraduate Research Conference at Texas State, and will be publishing with the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) Undergraduate Research Online journal. She is planning to pursue a graduate degree in applied mathematics.

Congratulations, Saad Rafiq! Saad is an outstanding student, researcher, and leader. He has completed his B.S. Computer Science and Applied Mathematics degree from Texas State University graduating magna cum laude. He was actively involved in the Society for Hispanic Engineers (SHPE) and served as a STEM tutor in the Collaborative Learning Center assisting students with math and computer science courses. Saad is an outstanding researcher who was involved in multiple projects including motion capture applications, developing firefighting drones, machine learning to detect human screams in burning structures, autonomous movement algorithms to deploy drones, and LiDAR and depth camera based obstacle avoidance for drone operation in intense fire conditions. He won First Place in the New Ventures Start Up Funding competition. Additionally he worked as an software engineering intern and has accepted a position as software engineer with Dell Technologies in Boston, MA.

Congratulations, Timothy M. Maraj! Tim is an outstanding student, leader, and mentor. He graduated with a BS degree with a double major in electrical engineering and computer science. He worked as a software engineering intern with Chevron, engineering intern with Fibertek, Inc. and worked as an associate software engineer with Q2 Financial Services. He has been president and an active member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) student chapter at Texas State University. He organized and hosted a cybersecurity conference on the Texas State campus. Tim won the silver medal at the 2023-2024 ICPC TXST Texas-Mexico Invitational Programming Contest. ?Additionally, he worked as a tutor in The Collaborative Learning Center helping students with engineering, computer science, and math courses. He has accepted a position as software engineer with Chevron, Houston, TX.

This past week, our Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) chapter had the incredible opportunity to tour the Southwest Research Institute's Space Science Division! We were honored to meet inspiring scientists and researchers, including Dr. Guy Grubbs and Dr. Roman Gomez, a proud Texas State University alum! Our visit included learning about cutting-edge techniques in space travel and experiencing chambers designed to test extreme space temperatures. It was an unforgettable experience that blended research, mathematics, and space exploration. Our members were very excited to hear about the journey to getting into the space sciences field and are excited to pursue careers at SwRI. A huge thank you to Rachel Pelayo, for organizing this amazing tour and creating an environment where our members could engage deeply with these exciting topics. Also a huge thank you to our President, Michala Gradner, for coordinating this amazing opportunity for our organization. Your efforts made it possible for us to gain valuable insights into the intersection of space science and mathematics. Here’s to continued exploration, innovation, and learning! ??? #siam #siamtxst #spacescience #mathematics #engineering #research #TexasStateUniversity #STEM #Collaboration #Innovation

?? Exclusive Space Sciences Facility Tour Alert! We're thrilled to announce our inaugural partnership with Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), offering a rare behind-the-scenes look at their cutting-edge Space Sciences facility in San Antonio! ?? Mark your calendars: Date: Friday, November 15th Time: 10:00 AM Location: SwRI San Antonio facility ?? Important note: Due to the facility's government contracts, this opportunity is open to US citizens only. Ready to explore the frontiers of space science? Secure your spot by completing our registration form. Don't miss this unique opportunity to witness groundbreaking space research up close! Limited spots available. #spacescience #innovation #research #stem #spaceexploration #sanantonio #swri

Always great to see our current and past scholars collaborating on events! We at H-LSAMP Texas State University always love to see our scholars succeed ??

Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) is excited to announce this week's event with the esteemed Dr. Christopher Reyes, PhD, Texas State University alumnus, former H-LSAMP at Texas State University scholar, and CTO and Co-Founder of Material! Dr. Reyes, a former TXST Math student just like a lot of our members, will be talking about his career, research, and academic accomplishments. Notable Accomplishments: - CTO at Material Hybrid Manufacturing (2023–Present) - Sr. Product Scientist at X-Celeprint (2020–2024) - Postdoctoral Researcher at The Additive Lab (Rice University), focusing on hybrid manufacturing of ultra-hard materials (2020) - PhD in Chemistry with a focus on 3D printable lithium-ion batteries from Duke University (2018) - BS in Applied Mathematics from Texas State University (2014) A Brief Talk Abstract: Dr. Christopher Reyes will discuss how his mathematical foundation has been crucial at every stage of his career—from pursuing a PhD in Chemistry at Duke University, where he worked on 3D printable lithium-ion batteries, to his postdoctoral research in advanced materials. He will highlight how mathematical concepts such as optimization, modeling, and statistical analysis have informed his innovations in material science and product development. Through his experiences, attendees will gain insights into the importance of applied mathematics in shaping the future of industrial technologies. Event Info: Date: ?TODAY?, September 18, 2024 Location: Ingram 3103 Time: 6:30 - 8:00 PM We appreciate the time given by Dr. Reyes for our organization and we are excited to learn more about the field of #manufacturing and how math applies to it. We hope to see everyone there! #siamtxst #math #optimization #modeling #3dprinting #materialhybridmanufacturing #txst #txstnext #rice #duke #chemistry #research #entrepreneurship #career #lithiumionbatteries

Shayla Johnson?– graduated with a BS degree in microbiology and a minor in chemistry and plans to apply for graduate programs. She worked as a STEM tutor in the Collaborative Learning Center. Shayla was a member of the Honors College and an associate in the Partnership for Research and Education and Materials Center for Intelligent Materials Assembly (PREM CIMA). Shayla is an active researcher and participated in the Cornell University Food Science Summer Scholars Program and the National Summer Undergraduate Research Project.?Additionally, Shayla worked as a researcher at the US Department of Agriculture ARS Environmental Microbial and Food Safety Laboratory.?Her research focus included The valorization of spoiled apple juice in value-added kombucha, Howler Monkey energy balance in the gut microbiome, pathogens in water, and reduction of Salmonella infans in artificial agricultural water under various pH and turbidity levels using a commercial Salmonella bacteriophage treatment.