TAMIU Students Present at International Conference on Mind and Brain Research
Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) graduate students from the Bilingual Learning, Education, and Neural Development (BLEND) Lab presented their ongoing research projects at the international Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS) meeting in Vancouver, Canada.
The international conference brings together leading experts in mind and brain research who investigate the psychological, computational, and neuroscientific bases of cognition.
Sarah A. Martínez, a student in the Master of Science in Psychology program, presented preliminary data for her master’s thesis project, “Math Among the Stars: An ERP Study of Narrative Framing Effects on Children’s Arithmetic Processing.”
The thesis project focused on whether children show increased neural attention to simple arithmetic when it is presented within a fun, interactive space-race narrative. She recruited 3rd-5th-grade children from the Laredo community to participate in her research and recorded brain activity using electroencephalography (EEG), which measures attention as children play different math games.
Graduate students in the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology (MACP) program, Maria Becca Diaz, Cara Nina Parker, and Sissy De Los Reyes, presented a poster on their ongoing research on the neural basis of simple arithmetic processing in bilingual adults. Their research focused on whether bilingual brains process simple arithmetic differently across their languages.
The students work under the guidance of Dr. Vanessa R. Cerda, assistant professor of Psychology.
“In addition to presenting their posters, students attended research talks given by a wide range of international researchers covering a myriad of topics in cognition, neuroscience, and psychology. They also had a wonderful opportunity to network with other scholars. Presenting at CNS is a wonderful opportunity for BLEND Lab students to engage with the broader research community, sharpen their presentation skills, and get expert feedback on their work. This is especially beneficial for students who will be moving on to research-based PhD programs,” Cerda affirmed.
For Martínez, the opportunity to present her research was an important milestone in her development as a researcher.
“CNS was my first ever conference, and I am incredibly grateful to TAMIU, and especially Dr. Cerda, for giving me the opportunity to present my thesis proposal. I gained insights that I will carry throughout my academic career, while also being able to grow from new experiences that you only get from exploring new places,” said Martínez.
Martínez plans to continue her studies in the doctoral program in Developmental Psychology at the University of Houston this Fall 2026.
The BLEND Lab at TAMIU is directed by Cerda. The BLEND Lab is dedicated to conducting research on the brain basis of bilingual cognition and learning. The focus of the lab is on investigating the developmental trajectory of how bilingual brains learn and use educational concepts, including simple arithmetic, in both of their languages.
Recently, the BLEND Lab has also expanded this work to address broader questions on attention and the effects of narrative framing on arithmetic processing. The research team currently comprises six graduate students and four undergraduate students.
The BLEND Lab and travel opportunities for these students were made possible through TAMIU Graduate School, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the University’s Center for Earth and Environmental Studies, which provided students with high-quality poster prints for their presentation.
For more information, contact Cerda at vanessa.cerda@tamiu.edu.
Registration for Summer and Fall 2026 classes at TAMIU is underway online via Uconnect.To learn more about TAMIU’s Registration processes, visit the dedicated Registration Hub at https://go.tamiu.edu/registration.
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