This semester, the Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology (HESTEC) program will have different events throughout the semester.
Patrick Gonzales, associate vice president for University Marketing and Communications, said the reason for HESTEC no longer being one week is because it allows them to reach out to more people and include more of the university.
“We really wanted to try to partner with university departments and colleges to put together these events,” Gonzales said. “And spreading it throughout the semester allows us to do more and to let a lot of students in the community participate.”
Dean for the College of Engineering and Computer Science Ala Qubbaj said this is better for the students because they can have one-on-one sessions with colleges and professors.
“When we bring 120 students, we are able to work with them,” Qubbaj said. “They’re able to interact with the professors. Before we used to bring 2,000 students in one week, so, really, they didn’t have the chance to get that deep experience.”
Qubbaj said the College of Engineering and Computer Science will focus on inspiring the next generation of engineers.
HESTEC’s mission is to introduce grade school students to the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, according to Gonzales.
“Whether it’s through a competition or visiting campus and having a day with each of our colleges, I mean that [is] exactly what we’re doing,” he said. “They’re learning not only how they can apply what they’re learning to college or to their careers and they’re learning first hand from students and professors who were in the same situation they were when they were going to school.”
HESTEC began its new structure of events with the SeaPerch Challenge Jan. 17 in Brownsville. The event is an underwater robotics competition in partnership with the U.S. Navy.
On Tuesday they will host GEAR UP, a three-day hands-on experience with ninth grade students.
“March 4 through the 6 we will be having another Region One GEAR UP event, this time we’ll be with eighth-grade students,” Gonzales said. “Three hundred sixty eighth-grade students will go through the same type of event that we plan to have on January 28.”
He said students will be in Brownsville for two days and one day in Edinburg.
“I don’t know when each will be at each location but it’s a rotation,” Gonzales said.
On Feb. 8 they will host the Regional Science Bolt on the Edinburg campus. The event is a Jeopardy-style competition that will test 20 South Texas high school teams in the science and mathematics fields. The first-place winning team will advance to the National Science Bowl in Washington, DC.
The Electric Car Competition will take place April 3-4 on the Brownsville campus, with teams from middle and high schools. Students will build an electric car in which they will race to compete the longest distance in a predetermined amount of time.
The final event will be Robotics Day April 24 on the Edinburg campus. High school students will design a robot to complete different tasks.
Gonzales said they are going to have a college or department volunteer in events that complement the activities.
“The GEAR UP event, we’re going to have College of Engineering and Computer Science, College of Sciences and College of Health Professions and School of Medicine,” he said. “The Regional Science Bolt, we’ll have our College of Sciences out there. Electric Car Competition [and] Robotics Day, College of Engineering. And then, again, we’re staying true to the HESTEC mission of introducing students to the STEM field.”
