Texas A&M University College of Performance,
Visualization & Fine Arts
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University College of Performance,
Visualization & Fine Arts
February 9, 2026

Research & Creative Works Day

The annual Research and Creative Works Day brings together faculty and students to showcase bold ideas, innovative projects and interdisciplinary collaborations. This year’s event is expanded to include student presenters alongside faculty, along with a keynote and a dynamic mix of lightning talks, panels, interactive workshops, book discussions, performances, demos and poster presentations. Attendees can explore cutting-edge projects in immersive media, AI-driven art, virtual production, design, dance, music and environmental research, highlighting both scholarly inquiry and hands-on creative practice.

Register Here
A man stands by a podium, giving an presentation to a group of university faculty members.

Schedule of Events for Feb. 9

Registration opens at 8:15 a.m.

Portrait image of Deborah Cullinan.
Deborah Cullinan

Keynote Speaker

Stanford University

Deborah Cullinan is a seasoned arts and culture leader who has spent years mobilizing communities through arts and culture. She joined Stanford University in early 2022 as the first full-time vice president for the arts. Previously, she was CEO of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA), where she launched several bold new programs, engagement strategies and civic coalitions. Prior to joining YBCA in 2013, she was the executive director of San Francisco’s Intersection for the Arts.

Graduate Student Presentation Posters

 

Natalia Cortez Performance Studies MA A Look at Non-Western Identity: The Lived Experience of Muxes
Mia Tatum Dance MFA “How it sticks with me:” A Phenomenological Investigation into how Black Dancers Embody Feedback
Sophie Jordan Dance MFA Integrating Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) into Collegiate Dance Education: Exploring Dance Epistemology, Self-Perception and Embodied Knowledge
Grant McGee Dance MFA Contemporary Adaptations: Practice-based Exploration of Phenology, Soundscapes and Ecological Interdependence in the Texas Piney Woods
Carolyn Hua VIZA MFA Assembling Home: Reconstructing Family History Through Objects and Interviews
Alex Garza VIZA MFA Capturing the Ephemeral Image: Using Rear Projection and Fog to Photograph a Representation of the Ephemeral Properties of Memory
Robert Rutherford Performance Studies MA Koto Chaos: Musical Instruments and Construction as Global Performance
Tessa De La Fuente VIZA MFA Re-Imagining the Western Narrative through Mythology: Integrating Eastern Archetypes with Southwestern Landscape and Texas Lore in Visual Storytelling
Sarah Marek VIZA MFA Depersonalization and Self-Alienation in the Female Body: Insights from Feminist Body Horror
Sierra Fuentes VIZA MFA Abstracting Through Documentation: Applying Reconstructive Memory Frameworks to Material Translation
Seogene Lee VIZA MFA Shifting Landscapes: Visualization of Memory and Nostalgic Space
Annamarie Alvarez Jackson VIZA MFA Echoes in Form: Navigating the Generational Impact of Mental Illness Through Childlike Processing
Grace Rogers Dance MFA Raising the Standard: Teacher Qualification Practices and Professional Development in Texas Dance Studios
Karizma Francis VIZA MFA Loud Silence: A Visual and Aural Portrayal of Fragmented Memories
Carlos Lopez Performance Studies MA The Affect Power of Shark Cinematography
Justin Hopson VIZA MFA Building Fantasy Worlds Through a Black Lens: RPGs, Community and Representation
Nik Aberle VIZA MFA Embodied Threshold Phenomena: Translating Scientific Anomalies into Perceptual Experience
Kennedy Patterson VIZA MFA Echoes of Tragedy: Adapting Historical Atrocity Into Interactive Level Design
Anabella Gonzalez VIZA MFA Lingering Weight: The Phases of Grief Through a Narrative Lens
Bhasura Gunawardhana VCIM PhD Shared Mixed Reality Workspaces forAsynchronous and Synchronous Collaboration Across Virtual Film Production Pipeline
Beatriz Tozo VIZA MS Analysis of Stylized Shaders for Artistic Control and Efficiency
Lauren Waters VIZA MS Analysis of Stylized Shaders for Artistic Control and Efficiency
Beatrix Tozo VIZA MS Home Is Where the Chaos Is
Raquel T. Cabrera-Araya VCIM PhD VReach: Reachability Analysis in a Virtual Reality Environment Based on User’s Anthropometry
Erik Priest VCIM PhD NSF ACED: A Digital Twin for an Intelligent Electromagnetic Sensor (iEM-SoC)
MD Raziuzzaman Khan VIZA MS Digital Human Aesthetics: Bridging Artistic Perception and Computational Anatomy to Overcome the Uncanny Valley of 3D Avatar
Chudi Nwokoma VCIM PhD An Exploration of AI Driven Digital Twins in Virtual Production.
Uğur Önal VCIM PhD An Experimental Analysis of Gaze-Only Microactions in Extended Reality Environments
Tiansu Chen VCIM PhD Bridging the Asymmetry: AI-Driven Avatars for Desktop User Awareness
Bryn Shellenback VIZA MS Automatic UV Unwrapping: Improving the User Experience
Pawan Subedi VIZA MS An Experimental Analysis of Gaze-Only Microactions in Extended Reality Environments
Sina Alidoust Salimi VCIM PhD Stadium Digital Twin: enhancing attendee experience via real-time visualization
Alex Wijayanto VCIM PhD Does VR Need Photorealism? Exploring Size Perception Across Visual Rendering Styles