Since 1996, the Ecological Integration Student Research Symposium, hosted by Texas A&M University's Department of Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences, has been attracting graduate and undergraduate students from across the region to share cutting edge ideas and research in a professional forum. In 2005, the Student Research Symposium changed its name to the Conservation, Ecology, & Evolutionary Biology Student Research Symposium. The name change succeeded in broadening the scope of the Symposium and attracting students from a more diverse background of research and interest areas.

While this event allows students the opportunity to present their research in a professional forum of their peers, it also provides them an opportunity to interact with leading scientists in ecology. Past keynote speakers have included Dee Boersma, former President of the Society for Conservation Biology and Jim Reichman, Director of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis. Students participating in the Symposium also have the opportunity to win prizes through competitions in a number of categories including Best Graduate Paper and Best Undergraduate Paper.

Finally, the Symposium is completely organized by graduate students for graduate and undergraduate students, with the objective of stimulating interest and discussion in conservation, ecology, and evolutionary biology. We encourage students from all backgrounds in biological and environmental sciences to participate. Students may present research proposals and other papers for which they would like constructive input. In the past, presentations have ranged from thesis proposal talks to chapters of student dissertations to independent research conducted outside of the university setting.