A-State News
Coral Research in Dominica Wins A-State Student First Place at Regional SWAAG Conference
Jessica Harvey, a senior environmental science major and Honors College student at Arkansas State University, won first place in the undergraduate paper category at the annual Southwestern Division of the American Association of Geographers (SWAAG) conference — the regional meeting for geographers from Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma and Mexico.
Her presentation, “Mapping the Coral-Algae Transition Along Coconut Beach, Dominica”, came from research she carried out over the summer in Dominica with four other students.
“I think it is a tremendous achievement to have our students see their projects through the entire research process, from research design to fieldwork in Dominica, and finally the analysis and presentation upon return.” — Dr. Jason Post, assistant research professor of geography
A first for A-State
Dr. Post said the Dominica research trip was the first of its kind at A-State, and it is now a new study abroad program. Another student from the trip, an animal science major, presented a poster at the same conference — the first academic conference for both students.
“I learned a lot of valuable things about myself, which helped me gain a lot of confidence as both a student and researcher.” — Jessica Harvey
The takeaway
At American universities, undergraduates do real research — fieldwork, papers, professional conferences and awards — without waiting for a master’s degree. It is a strong advantage when applying for graduate study or jobs.
Source: Arkansas State University news release, 19 October 2026 — astate.edu.
