ACE Signature Undergraduate Research Experience

Welcome

At San Antonio College, we believe every student deserves the opportunity to explore their dreams, question new ideas, and discover their interests– from any discipline. The ACE Program, for Academic Research, Curiosity, and Engagement invites students from all disciplines to participate in meaningful undergraduate research that builds critical thinking, creativity, and professional confidence. Whether you're pursuing a STEM project, an artistic investigation, a community-based study, or an honors capstone, the ACE Signature Experience connects you with mentors, resources, and real-world opportunities. Join us as we create a culture of inquiry that reflects SAC’s national excellence and prepares students for what’s next.

Mission Statement

• To increase access to undergraduate research for underserved students.
• Build strong, experiential learning, and, and interdisciplinary research pathways at San Antonio College.

The ACE Signature Undergraduate Research Experience at San Antonio College coordinates and promotes inclusive research experiences that encourage critical thinking, collaboration, innovation, and academic growth. Through partnerships with faculty, community organizations, and four-year universities, the office will help students engage in meaningful inquiry and build the skills needed for successful transfer and employment.

The ACE Signature Experience aligns closely with the values that have earned San Antonio College national recognition, including being named a two-time winner of the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. By expanding access to undergraduate research, this initiative supports the college’s mission to promote fairness in access, student success, and high-impact learning. It builds on the strengths that helped SAC earn distinctions such as the Leah Meyer Austin Award for institutional transformation and the Seal of Excelencia for serving Latino students with intentionality and impact. As a First-Gen Forward institution and a recognized Achieving the Dream Leader College, SAC continues to lead with innovation, empowering students through meaningful academic inquiry and preparing them for success beyond the classroom.

Academic Research Academic Research at SAC is the core component of the ACE Signature Experience. It is student-driven inquiry guided by the methods of a discipline, (whether scientific, creative, or humanities-based) where the outcome is not predetermined. Students engage in original research or scholarship under the mentorship of expert faculty, and they explore questions, solve problems, and contribute new knowledge or perspectives to their field-- knowledge they then present or publish (along with their faculty mentors). Through this process, students gain valuable skills in analysis, communication, critical thinking, and workplace literacy, all while preparing for transfer opportunities, graduate study, or the workforce.
Curiousity Curiosity is the driving force behind sustained inquiry at SAC. In the ACE Signature Experience, curiosity means moving beyond the one-and-done assignment model to engage in ongoing exploration, revision, and reflection. Rather than writing a single essay or completing an isolated project, students are encouraged to ask deeper questions, follow their interests across semesters, and connect ideas across disciplines, which is the way scholars across all fields truly work. Through scaffolded coursework, collaborative research, or multi-phase creative projects, curiosity fuels a richer academic journey, one that values process as much as product and prepares students to participate in complex, real-world conversations.
Engagement Engagement in the ACE Signature Experience means showing up fully, in the classroom, on campus, and in the wider community. At San Antonio College  many students are first-generation or early college learners supported by the Alamo Promise, research is not just an academic exercise but a way to connect with real-world issues and lived experiences. As a proud Hispanic-Serving Institution, SAC empowers students to share their voices and make meaningful change both locally and beyond. Through presentations, partnerships, and public scholarship, students engage deeply with their fields of study while building a legacy of impact within the SAC community and across the region and the world.

Program Goals

• Ensure student learning
• Scale up existing projects
• Increase enrollment, retention, completion, transferability
• Encourage curiosity, active learning, multi-semester engagement, career readiness, and marketable skills
• Support Alamo Colleges Moonshot

Program Features

• Every student/every semester
• Conferences and publication
• Mulitiple entry points
• Mentorship and cooperation
• Microcredentials
• Campus community builder
• Workplace readiness
  
  

Events & Research Week

Upcoming Events Calendar