Last week, UTRGV celebrated its 17th annual Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology Week (HESTEC).
The event consists of interactive activities for the community centered on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.
Sponsors, nonprofit organizations, students and university departments come together to bring an immersive experience of STEM for local elementary, middle and high school students.
Karen Dorado, director of Special Programs and Community Relations, said it also helps the university create a relationship with the community as it is involved in many aspects of the week.
“It’s a way for us to highlight our university, the programs that we have,” Dorado said. “We have faculty, we have student organizations who are providing activities at the different events that are taking place.”
Robotics Day
The event kicked off at the Pharr Events Center on Oct. 1, with students across the Rio Grande Valley gathered to compete in the field of robotics.
Each district sent in its own team to showcase self-built and programmed robots. The designs of the toylike robots are built to withstand the obstacles placed by the event coordinators.
The machines were judged by their completion and success of passing the obstacle courses that were built integrating STEM concepts.
However, before entering the obstacle ring, the robots were examined by inspectors Dorance Cuba, a business outreach specialist for UTRGV, and Juan Santos, director of UTRGV Veterans Business Outreach Center.
Anthony Ortiz, a high school student at IDEA North Mission who was among the participants, said he believes the event will broaden opportunities and the mindset that children have.
“Children can, like, see all the opportunities in this engineering field and they can really get interested and it gives you the opportunity to work with, like, robots and stuff,” Ortiz said.
Latina Day
On Wednesday, special guest Kate Biberdorf, also known as Kate the Chemist, an associate professor in the chemistry department at the University of Texas at Austin, spoke about women in the STEM field.
Biberdorf is a well-known scientist, popular for her hands-on approach and energetic attitude.
Five hundred girls from middle schools in Brownsville, Edinburg and La Joya were entertained and inspired by Biberdorf’s words and experiments in the Fieldhouse on the Edinburg campus.
In one experiment, she demonstrated how to make dry ice bubbles using dish-washing liquid soap. A student who volunteered held and popped the bubbles, which released smoke.
Biberdorf advises women pursuing STEM careers to never give up on their dreams.
“The biggest advice I have for anybody, especially women or minorities going into the STEM field is you have to persevere,” she said. “… Go after your dream, and no matter what anybody says just … don’t ever pay any attention, just move right on.”
Earlier in the day, women leaders from UTRGV and the community shared words of wisdom. Denisce Palacios, Student Government Association president, and Linda Tovar, master of ceremonies for Latina Day and Public Affairs senior manager for H-E-B, encouraged the girls to celebrate and be proud of their heritage.
Student Leadership Day
On Student Leadership Day, Navy Recruiting District Cmdr. Jeffrey Michael Reynolds spoke to over 400 students about his struggles in his career path.
Reynolds said leadership is often used by its definition, but it is more than someone with a title.
“When you think of a leader, you tend to think of somebody in a position of authority,” he said.
Reynolds stressed to the middle schoolers that the leaders did a lot to be where they are now and that it will take a lot of work to get there.
“It’s not just a position,” he said. “For every one of those leaders, for every leader you see, there’s a long string of failures, and a long string of challenges, and a long string of things that led up to the point where they did what they did.”
Later that day, Derek Greenfield, a consultant and motivational speaker, provided the students with laughter and entertainment as he spoke about the importance of teamwork, confidence and believing in yourself.
In an interview with The Rider, he said he hopes his speeches give the students an idea of how to find their inner strength.
“I hope they have an even greater sense that they are incredible and amazing,” Greenfield said, “and that they have all the gifts and talents inside of them to accomplish whatever dreams they set for themselves.”
He said young people are sometimes surrounded by negativity and it is important to remind them of what they can accomplish.
“They’re not the future, they’re the present,” Greenfield said. “Right now, they have all the gifts and talents inside of them and when they can come together, realize their greatness, get the support of the community, indeed, everything is possible for them.”
HESTEC STEM + ME Expo
Elementary and middle school students across the Rio Grande Valley attended the first HESTEC STEM + ME Expo on the Brownsville campus as part of HESTEC Week at UTRGV.
Milton Hernandez, program coordinator for the Division of Governmental and Community Relations, said the purpose of the event is to raise awareness of the science fields through exhibits.
Exhibitors on the Brownsville campus last Tuesday included Estero Llano Grande State Park, Resaca de la Palma State Park, Gladys Porter Zoo, Texas Wildlife Association, Brownsville Public Utilities Board, Workforce Solutions, Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park and the UTRGV STEMS Mentor Club.
On the Edinburg campus, organizations such as Wells Fargo, International Business Machines Corp., H-E-B and the colleges of the university exhibited throughout the week.
–Jessica Mendez, Aaliyah Garza and Ana Trujillo contributed to this report.
