A robot going through a LEGO maze, an underwater obstacle course for robots and a lecture by a UT Austin professor who is “breaking stereotypes” are among the events UTRGV has scheduled for HESTEC Week, which begins today.
The events happening during the 17th annual celebration aim to promote the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields to students of all ages.
“There’s a need to try to, you know, to help improve the diversity of students, of people actually, going into those careers,” said Velinda Reyes, assistant vice president for community programs and operations for the UTRGV Office of Community Relations. “It’s a way for us to introduce those types of opportunities for students in this region.”
According to the university website, the following are among events scheduled for Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology Week:
Robotics Day takes place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today in the Pharr Events Center. Teams will compete in obstacle courses that integrate STEM concepts. Competitions include a speed challenge, a programming challenge in which the participants’ robots have to meet criteria on tracing a line through an obstacle course, a contest in which participants use teamwork skills to maneuver a robot through a 15-foot LEGO maze and a search-and-rescue mission inside the maze.
During Latina Day, scheduled from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday in the Fieldhouse on the Edinburg campus, female students and mothers throughout South Texas will participate in hands-on workshops and listen to stories of prominent minority women. Kate Biberdorf, an associate professor in chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin, will speak at the event. Biberdorf is known for “breaking down the image of the stereotypical scientist,” according to information provided on HESTEC Week.
Student Leadership Day, scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at Health & Physical Education II on the Edinburg campus, will introduce a range of career opportunities in the STEM fields through motivational speakers and breakout sessions to secondary-level students.
Both Educator Day and the SeaPerch Challenge are on Friday.
Educator Day will take place from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Ballroom on the Edinburg campus. Educators, administrators, and superintendents will visit the campus to participate in workshops centered on presenting best practices and successful strategies to encourage Hispanic students to pursue STEM fields of study.
The SeaPerch Challenge is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center in Brownsville. Participants will compete in an underwater obstacle course race using robots and answer questions about their robots.
Throughout the week, there will be expo events for elementary, middle and high school students.
HESTEC Week closes with Community Day on Saturday, set from 4 to 9 p.m. on the Edinburg campus. It is a festival of science, engineering, and technology that features artists including Grupo Solido, a Tejano award-winning band, educational presentations, a 3-D interactive experience titled “Augmented Reality Exhibit” hosted by the UTRGV Office of Public Art, and a performance of “Peter & The Wolf” presented by the Dance Theater of Edinburg and UTRGV School of Music Faculty Wind Quintet.
Milton Hernandez, program coordinator for the Office of Community Relations, said the events will help attendees learn about jobs in the STEM fields.
“We try to just provide [the students] with as much information as we can, especially with our sponsors,” Hernandez said. “We try to provide them with, you know, what they’re looking for for the future. We try to provide them the spark of wanting to pursue it and attend our university.”
Para la versión en español de este artículo, oprima aquí.
