5 Years of Making a Difference Latino Science Magazine

Paul
Rodriguez
Actor/Comic
John
Katzman
Princeton
Review
Magda
Yrizarry
Verizon
John
Hofmeister
Shell Oil
Linda
Gooden
Lockheed
Martin
Steven
Hinchman
Marathon Oil
Adalio T.
Sanchez
IBM
Henry
Cuellar
U.S. Rep.
HESTEC
Solomón
Ortiz
U.S. Rep.
Latino Science Magazine
5 Years of Making a Difference
September 2006
TABLE OF CONTENTS
HESTEC
September 2006
HESTEC Latino Science
Magazine is produced for
Hispanic Engineering,
Science and Technology
Week by The University of
Texas-Pan American,
Division of External Affairs,
ITT Building, 1201 W.
University Drive,
Edinburg, Texas 785412999.
Dr. Blandina Cárdenas
FEATURES
3
Welcome to the Celebration
Dr. Blandina Cárdenas talks about the impact of HESTEC
at UTPA and its students.
5
HESTEC: Challenge and Opportunity
Congressman Rubén Hinojosa discusses the challenges
that still remain in getting more Hispanics into math,
science, engineering and technology fields.
7
The Mars Generation
Dr. Roland S. Arriola addresses the needs of the “Mars
Generation” – students who have barely entered prekindergarten.
UTPA President
Dr. Roland S. Arriola
UTPA Vice President for
External Affairs
9
The Commerce of Research
The University Science Symposium targets “From the
Laboratory to the Marketplace.”
All photographs are copyrighted to UTPA
unless otherwise noted.
Individuals with disabilities wishing to
acquire this publication in an alternative
format, or needing assistance or reasonable accommodations to attend any event
listed here, contact the ADA coordinator at
956/381-2127 at least one week prior to the
event or publication distribution date.
11
HESTEC Participants Enter University Life
The students who attended HESTEC 2002 are now entering
univesity life. What do they have to look forward to?
14
Rubén Hinojosa
Read about the congressman who has been the spark behind
HESTEC and the development of increased educational
opportunities for South Texas.
18
The History of HESTEC
Take a look at the past four years and see what has been
achieved.
1
@JK?<I<8=L<CDFI<<==@:@<EKK?8EK<8DNFIB6
=CP@E>JFCFD8P?FC;8:<IK8@E8CCLI<#YlkpflXcnXpjle[\ijkff[k_\mXcl\f]k\Xdnfib%Jf[f\j9f\`e^%
?\i\#k\XdjZfdgfj\[f]XZZfdgc`j_\[gif]\jj`feXcjn`k_[`]]\i`e^YXZb^ifle[j#`[\XjXe[g\ijg\Zk`m\jXi\
[\m\cfg`e^XeXdXq`e^XiiXpf]jfg_`jk`ZXk\[k\Z_efcf^`\j%K_\afYZXk\^fi`\jY\cfn`eZcl[\jfd\f]k_\b\pjb`ccj
n\Xi\j\\b`e^]fifg\egfj`k`fej`e8cXYXdX#8i`qfeX#:Xc`]fie`X#:fcfiX[f#=cfi`[X#BXejXj#DXipcXe[#D`jjfli`#
FbcX_fdX#G\eejpcmXe`X#K\oXj#M`i^`e`XXe[NXj_`e^kfe%Kfm`\n[\kX`c\[afY[\jZi`gk`fejXe[Xggcp]fik_\j\Xe[
Yf\`e^%Zfd&ZXi\\ij
fk_\ij`d`cXigfj`k`fej#gc\Xj\m`j`k1Yf\`e^%Zfd&ZXi\\ij
›8\ifjgXZ\<e^`e\\i`e^
›8m`fe`Zj
›<c\Zki`ZXc<e^`e\\i`e^
›<dY\[[\[Jf]knXi\<e^`e\\i`e^
›=`eXeZ\
›@e[ljki`Xc<e^`e\\i`e^
›@e]fidXk`feK\Z_efcf^p
›DXel]XZkli`e^<e^`e\\i`e^
›D\Z_Xe`ZXc<e^`e\\i`e^
›HlXc`kp8jjliXeZ\
›J\Zli`kpXe[=`i\Gifk\Zk`fe
›Kffc<e^`e\\i`e^
:fe^iXklcXk`fejfeXjlZZ\jj]lc,k_XeelXc?<JK<:]ifd9f\`e^#
pfli]fle[`e^ZfigfiXk\jgfejfi%
Kfm`\nXZfdgi\_\ej`m\c`jk`e^f]XccXmX`cXYc\gfj`k`fej#gc\Xj\m`j`k1Yf\`e^%Zfd&\dgcfpd\ek%
J\Zli`kpZc\XiXeZ\i\hl`i\d\ekjXi\`e[`ZXk\[`ek_\gfj`k`fec`jk`e^j%L%J%Z`k`q\ej_`g`je\Z\jjXip]fiXccgfj`k`fej
i\hl`i`e^Xj\Zli`kpZc\XiXeZ\%
9f\`e^`jXe\hlXcfggfikle`kp\dgcfp\ijlggfik`e^[`m\ij`kp`ek_\nfibgcXZ\%
8ggcpXk1WdZ^c\#Xdb$XVgZZgh
8ggcpXk1
WdZ^c\#Xdb$XVgZZgh
:fgpi`^_kŸ)''-9f\`e^%8cci`^_kji\j\im\[%
2
Welcome to the fifth anniverary
celebration of HESTEC
On behalf of the students, faculty and staff of The University of
Texas-Pan American, I want to welcome you to this fifth celebration of
HESTEC. I especially want to welcome and extend my heartfelt
appreciation to those sponsors who have been with us from the very
beginning – national companies like Texas Instruments, Ford Motor
Company, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Time Warner Cable, as well as
local supporters such as the city of Edinburg, the Edinburg Economic
Development Corporation, The Monitor and other local media.
Together we forged an event that is more than an event. Itʼs a
movement. Itʼs a force. Itʼs an effort to unleash the imagination of the
young people and the families of the Rio Grande Valley, an effort to
connect them to the great possibilities in science and technology and the
role these will play in their lives, in their careers and, indeed, in the way
they shape the world.
Each year, HESTEC attracts thousands of young students,
teachers, parents, as well as corporate and government leaders to the
UTPA campus. The goal is to increase awareness and stress the
importance of science, engineering and math literacy. The week of
HESTEC activities will include presentations by world-class leaders,
innovative technology exhibits and challenging student competitions.
This annual initiative has proven successful because it not only targets
high school and university students, but encourages the active
involvement of their parents and teachers.
I canʼt tell you how excited I am about this yearʼs program. This year
weʼll have extraordinary exhibits by NASA, the U.S. Department of
Education, and by many of the companies I have already mentioned.
We will also have as our very special guest our own McAllen astronaut,
Michael Fossum, as well as extraordinary entertainers like Paul
Rodriguez and great music.
Since we had our first HESTEC, our enrollments in the College of
Science and Engineering and College of Health Sciences and Human
Services have skyrocketed. We are making a difference in the minds,
hearts, and aspirations of the students of this beautiful Rio Grande Valley.
We look forward to seeing you at HESTEC as we partner with
corporate leaders and government agencies to inspire and prepare a new
generation of scientists and engineers. Come meet our students and
faculty, visit us in South Texas and be part of HESTEC!
Regards,
Blandina Cárdenas
President
The University of Texas-Pan American
3
We welcome everyone who’s ready
to tackle the toughest challenges.
And dream the biggest dreams.
When you join Lockheed Martin, you become part of a team that’s dedicated to providing everyone with
the opportunity to succeed. This spirit of inclusion is the foundation of our success. We believe in an
environment that welcomes, respects, and leverages our differences into one competitive strength. It’s
all about giving our best every day. And eliminating the barriers that might stand in the way of innovative
solutions. Lockheed Martin. One company. One team. Where diversity contributes to mission success.
Congressman
Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15)
www.lockheedmartin.com
44
HESTEC: challenge and opportunity
I am very pleased to join Dr. Blandina Cárdenas, president of The
University of Texas-Pan American, and Dr. Roland S. Arriola, UTPA vice
president for External Affairs, to get our community ready for the Fifth Annual
Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology Week, or as we call it,
HESTEC.
It hardly seems possible that five years have gone by since we announced
our first HESTEC lineup. In that short time, we have built an impressive
record of accomplishment.
HESTEC is preparing our young people to shape the future. HESTEC
has changed our views on what is possible and made us all believers. We
believe that the next generation of leading scientists, engineers, inventors,
and innovators are right here in South Texas.
HESTEC has done more than change our outlook; it has given us real
tools to make our vision a reality. HESTEC is helping our teachers prepare
that next generation of scientists and engineers. HESTEC is raising
scholarship funds so that our students can pursue their dreams. Most
importantly, it is opening the eyes of the business community, our research
institutions, and our leading science agencies to see that the talent pool they
are looking for is here.
I am convinced that there is no place on earth loaded with more talent and
potential as our region. We are fortunate to live in one of the most dynamic
regions in the nation – on the front lines of the global economy, a place of
rapid change. We are grounded in the family values and sense of pride in our
bilingual, bicultural border region. Our population is young, smart, strong,
and growing. An investment in this community will pay huge dividends.
HESTEC is possible because of the commitment that The University of
Texas-Pan American has to our community. This is an institution that fully
embodies what it means to be a Hispanic-Serving Institution. It is a model
for the nation.
HESTEC has been successful because it is a true partnership.
Government, educators, and business leaders have coalesced around a
common goal.
I would like to encourage everyone to join us for HESTEC 2006. Our
fifth HESTEC will be our best yet. The mission for HESTEC is
“Embracing the Past, Inventing the Future.” You won’t want to miss it.
Sincerely
Rubén Hinojosa
Member of Congress (TX-15)
5
HOW CAN TI HELP YOU
INCREASE ACADEMIC
SUCCESS FOR STUDENTS?
A. Educational Technology
B. Professional Development
C. Curricular Materials
D. All of the above from Texas Instruments
Create a more engaging learning environment. Give students every advantage
to achieve academic success in math and science with TI technology.
■
Educational Tools – New ways to get your students thinking, interacting and connecting
■
Professional Development – Systemic, Accessible, Customizable, Affordable
■
Curricular Materials – Activities and resources created by teachers for teachers
Contact your Educational Technology Consultant, Sal Martinez,
at [email protected] or call 972-917-1355 for more information.
tools | training | curricular materials
education.ti.com
E-MAIL: [email protected] CALL: 1.800.TI.CARES
© 2005 Texas Instruments
6
AD6115
The Mars Generation:
The next generation of explorers
“
Thanks to the
innovative ideas of
Congressman Rubén
Hinojosa, HESTEC
is really a part of
that preparation for
manned expeditions
to Mars.
Dr. Roland S. Arriola,
Vice President for External Affairs,
The University of Texas-Pan American
very important role in HESTEC. They will
take up almost an entire building with their
six exhibits, including models of the new
Phoenix Mars Rover.
While the Mars Generation may still be
learning their ABCs, they will eventually
learn to navigate the stars. They will become
the new generation of explorers. Each year,
HESTEC will again return to inspire the
next generation of explorers until they return
from Mars itself.
“
Five years ago when we were first thinking
about HESTEC, some of the most important people we were targeting were not even
born yet. While we were certainly thinking
of the high school students who were soon
to graduate and considering the pursuit of a
university education, we were also thinking
of the next generation of students who were
about to be born.
In 25 or 30 years, those students will
have to be prepared and ready to take on
the responsibilities of the next generation of
explorers. They will be the Mars Generation.
That’s what one NASA official called the students who are just now entering elementary
school. They will likely be the generation
that finally lands a human on Mars. That’s
their future, to walk on the surface of Mars,
to see the reddish horizon of that planet with
their own eyes.
Mars is the next great destination for the
human race. Whether it is an American
mission or a multi-national endeavor, humans will likely explore Mars within a few
decades. The Mars Rovers are moving about
the surface already, setting the stage for future
missions for a new generation of explorers.
Thanks to the innovative ideas of Congressman Rubén Hinojosa, HESTEC is
really a part of that preparation for manned
expeditions to Mars. It takes a tremendous
effort from many people and entities to get
students interested and excited about the
math and science knowledge they will need
to be ready for Mars.
As we celebrate our fifth anniversary, we
see HESTEC as a long-term mission, with
many stages and components. It is much
like the effort to get a human into space
that took decades to realize and a national
will to implement. HESTEC will also be a
long-term commitment involving partnerships between The University of Texas-Pan
American and government agencies, corporations, schools and Congressman Hinojosa.
Particularly important has been the leadership and support of our university president,
Dr. Blandina Cárdenas.
With the theme of “Embracing the past,
inventing the future,” HESTEC 2006 will
exceed what we have done in the past. Each
day has been expanded to serve more teachers and students. This year, NASA plays a
Dr. Roland S. Arriola is vice
president for External Affairs at The
University of Texas-Pan American.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications and a Master of Public
Policy Administration from Baylor
University. He also earned a Master
of Public Administration from Harvard University and a Doctorate in
Higher Education Management from
The University of Pennsylvania.
7
Our most promising natural resource.
As an industry that relies on advanced math and science, we are acutely
aware of the important role education plays – both locally and globally.
And we understand the importance of inspiring young people to reach
their full potential. That is why we support Hispanic Engineering, Science
and Technology. Because cultivating our most promising natural resource
is imperative to progress in the future.
8
exxonmobil.com
University Symposium pushes students to
think about commercialization of research
said. “You take the intellectual properties
you’re developing in the
laboratory
and take that
to the market
and see what
companies
might be interested.”
LeMaster
said today’s
students are
Dr. Mary Good
not just interested in basic research so they can better
understand a concept.
“They are more interested in finding out,
‘What good is it? How is anyone going to
benefit from my efforts?’” LeMaster said.
“We are bringing in speakers who can talk
about how they’ve done it. It will motivate
our students
to take scientific theory and do
something
that will benefit humankind.”
Although
t h e U T PA
engineering
Dr. Gabriel
program is
Lopez-Berenstein
only 11 years
old and has not had enough time to produce significant research that might be
profitable, the University is already developing a support system to take advantage
of marketable research
opportunities. Jackie
Michel, director of Innovation and
Intellectual
Property, has
been working with facMichael Van Hoye
ulty to secure
patents and retain rights to intellectual
“
By some estimates,
the University of
Florida has earned
more than $80
million in royalties
over the years from
Gatorade®.
“
Every time you buy a bottle of Gatorade®
or shower a coach with a cooler of Gatorade® after a big game, the University of
Florida benefits. Twenty percent of Gatorade’s® sales profits goes to the university,
where the sport drink’s original formula
was developed by a research team.
That entrepreneurial spirit is the focus
the College of Science and Engineering at
The University of Texas-Pan American is
putting on this year’s University Science
Symposium held at HESTEC. With the
theme of “From the Laboratory to the
Marketplace,” the symposium will bring
speakers to UTPA who will discuss the
commercialization of research done at the
University.
According to Dr. Edwin LeMaster, dean
of the UTPA College of Science and Engineering, the University Science Symposium
takes advantage of HESTEC to focus some
of the resources on the University students
in science and engineering to motivate
them to move toward research careers.
The University Science Symposium will
bring three guest speakers who will present
on “The Role of Science and Engineering
in the Competitive Arena of the Global
Economy.” The speakers include Dr. Mary
Good, dean of the Donaghey College of Information Science and Systems Engineering at the University of Arkansas at Little
Rock and Donaghey Professor; Dr. Gabriel
Lopez-Berenstein, professor of medicine,
Department of Clinical Immunology
and Biological Therapy, The University
of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center;
and Michael Van Hoye, executive director,
Thermion Energy.
After the presentations, there will be
a panel discussion with a question and
answer session for students and faculty.
UTPA students and students from some
of the region’s magnet schools have been
invited to take part in the Symposium.
A student poster contest will also be part
of the day’s agenda, with eight winners to
be honored by UTPA President Dr. Blandina Cárdenas.
“We chose the theme to focus on both the
laboratory and the marketplace,” LeMaster
properties developed at UTPA.
LeMaster said the University’s research
capabilities in the science and engineering
fields are in an emerging state but expects
students and faculty to start capitalizing
on their ideas and research within a few
years.
According to LeMaster, students who
participate in research are more valuable
to universities and the companies that
eventually hire them.
“We have highly motivated students developing really fantastic things,” LeMaster
said. “Other universities with older, welldeveloped engineering and science programs have profited. The universities and
the students and faculty benefit financially
from marketable research since they own
the patents jointly. This means that any
profits from commercialization of research
would be split between the researchers and
the school.”
By some estimates, the University of
Florida has earned more than $80 million
in royalties over the years from Gatorade®.
Thanks to today’s efforts to encourage
more South Texas students into math, science and technlogy, and research careers,
benefits such as this may one day come to
UTPA and the community.
9
."9*.*;&:063&/&3(:
5.
#SJEHFUIF1SFTFOUUPUIF'VUVSF
"U.BSBUIPO0JM$PSQPSBUJPOXFEPUIJOHTEJGGFSFOUMZ$PNCJO
JOHPVSFYQBOEJOHLOPXMFEHFCBTFDPNNFSDJBMTUSFOHUIBOE
JOUFSOBUJPOBMQSFTFODF.BSBUIPOTUSJWFTUPCFDPNFBQBDFTFU
UFSJOUIFPJMBOEOBUVSBMHBTJOEVTUSZUISPVHIJOOPWBUJWFFOFSHZ
TPMVUJPOTBOEVOJRVFQBSUOFSTIJQT8FXFMDPNFZPVUPFYQMPSF
KPC PQQPSUVOJUJFT GPS &YQFSJFODFE 1SPGFTTJPOBMT BOE $PMMFHF
4UVEFOUT&OUSZ-FWFM
10
10
.BSBUIPOPGGFSTFYDJUJOHJOUFSOTIJQTBOEFOUSZMFWFMQPTJUJPOTBU
NBOZPGPVS64PGmDFTGPSIJHITDIPPMBOEDPMMFHFTUVEFOUTBOE
SFDFOU DPMMFHF HSBEVBUFT XIP BSF JOUFSFTUFE JO XPSLJOH PO
NFBOJOHGVMQSPKFDUTBUBUPQUJFSPJMBOEHBTDPNQBOZ.BSBUIPO
XFMDPNFTTUVEFOUTQVSTVJOHWBMVBCMFFNQMPZNFOUFYQFSJFODF
BU.BSBUIPOMPDBUJPOTOBUJPOXJEF
XXXNBSBUIPODPN
HESTEC participants enter university life
“
University programs like HESTEC help students
get more exposure to big companies, and
give them an opportunity to show their
potential. That’s how I got the exposure.
“
Four years ago, during the first Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology
(HESTEC) Week at The University of TexasPan American, more than 15,000 cheering,
screaming high school freshmen filled the
University’s baseball stadium. This past August, that first class of HESTEC participants
enrolled at UTPA and numerous colleges and
universities across the country.
“Those freshmen were the first to experience HESTEC,” said Dr. Roland S. Arriola,
UTPA vice president for External Affairs.
“They were bright, enthusiastic and eager
to learn. They absorbed everything we could
throw at them. They proved that the idea of
HESTEC – to target students early enough
– would eventually pay off when they entered
college.”
In addition to UTPA, high school students
who participated in HESTEC and GEAR UP
(Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for
Undergraduate Programs) have been accepted
into Harvard University, the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, California Technical
University, the University of California at Los
Angeles, The University of Texas at Austin,
Texas A&M University and a host of other
nationally-ranked universities.
Arriola added the success of the program
rested with the partnerships the University
forged with the GEAR UP programs at the
Region One Education Service Center and
UTPA and the high schools.
“The University, the GEAR UP programs
and the high schools worked to get those
students interested in a college education.
They also convinced them that it was important to take the more advanced high school
curriculum with more challenging courses in
math, science and writing. Getting students
to apply and get accepted to these colleges
and universities is an important step for
HESTEC,” Arriola said.
In celebration of that milestone, UTPA
held Journey to College, a pre-HESTEC
event for recent high school graduates ready
to enter college as freshmen at UTPA or other
universities.
The Aug. 14 event was a reunion of sorts
for the first crop of HESTEC participants.
More than 150 GEAR UP scholarship
recipients were in attendance to get some
further advice from UTPA students and
graduates on what to expect and how to
succeed during their first year of university
studies.
“For many of the students, this is not their
–Roberto Carreon, TI engineer and UTPA graduate
Robert Carreon, a Texas Instruments engineer and 2005 UTPA graduate, speaks to students
during the pre-HESTEC Journey to College for entering university freshmen Aug. 14.
first time taking university classes. Many of
them had actually taken part in concurrent
enrollment while they were still in high
school. That gave them a good start and experience on developing the discipline needed
to be successful,” Arriola said.
Among the speakers was Robert Carreon, a
Texas Instruments engineer and 2005 UTPA
electrical engineering graduate. Carreon, a
South Texas native, talked about his experiences at UTPA and his participation at HESTEC as a Society of Hispanic Professional
Engineers (SHPE) student member.
“University programs like HESTEC help
students get more exposure to big companies,
and give them an opportunity to show their
potential. That’s how I got the exposure,”
Carreon told students.
Carreon said thanks to UTPA and
HESTEC, he was able to attend career expos and other career awareness opportunities
to allow him to meet representatives from
a variety of companies in a wide spectrum
of fields.
Carreon added he has been able to transition easily into his duties at Texas Instru-
ments because of the excellent preparation he
received from the UTPA College of Science
and Engineering.
The entering university freshmen also
heard from Camilo Pardo, chief designer in
Ford’s Living Legends Studio and the creator
of the 2005 Ford GT, through a teleconference call. Pardo talked about his experiences
in design school and the work he did in
preparation to enter the field of automotive
design. Students were able to ask Pardo questions about his experiences working at Ford
design studios in the United States, Europe,
Brazil and South East Asia.
Pardo previously attended HESTEC
events in 2004 and 2005. He returns this year
to take part in HESTEC Student Leadership
Day Sept. 26 when he will address more than
1,000 middle school students.
Freddy Solis Jr., a Pharr native and UTPA
freshman, credits his experience in the GEAR
UP program and HESTEC for encouraging
him to select UTPA as his choice for a university education.
A GEAR UP participant from middle
Continued on pg 13.
11
Graduarse de la universidad es un logro importante.
Por eso cuando obtengas tu diploma entrarás al
Navy como Oficial en la carrera que selecciones.
Además, podrías recibir hasta $135 mil dólares
mientras estás en la universidad para pagar tus
estudios, libros, gastos de vivienda, lo que necesites.
Puedes recibir el más alto nivel de educación en
la universidad que elijas y graduarte sin deudas.
Llama al 1-800-USA-NAVY o entra en ELNAVY.com.
12
Continued from pg 11.
school through high school, Solis said the
GEAR UP staff constantly focused on the
importance of applying to a university after
high school.
“They always talked about college, that
it’s never too early or too late to attend.
They gave us a lot of information about
scholarships and applying for financial aid,”
Solis said.
In addition to a field trip to UTPA,
Solis and other GEAR UP students were
able to visit Trinity University, The University of Texas at San Antonio and other
universities.
“GEAR UP really helped me in high school
with the tutoring sessions before class and
after school. They also helped in the application process to UTPA,” Solis said.
Solis also competed in the HESTEC
student solar race car competitions in 2003
and 2004.
“The solar car competitions were a lot of
fun and they were a challenge. Our team
worked hard on the car. The competition
at HESTEC was very interesting and it was
a lot of fun. I met a lot of different people
from different schools and got to talk to
them,” he said.
Solis said he’s still getting used to life as a
university student.
“I didn’t have a clue to what the University
was going to be like, so I was very curious to
find out what it was really going to be like.
So far it’s fun. I like it. It’s very different
from high school, but I think I can handle
it,” Solis said.
His biggest surpise so far?
“There’s a lot of walking!” Solis said.
Freddy Solis Jr., above, then a junior at PSJA North High School, competed in the 2004
HESTEC solar panel car races. Now a UTPA freshman below, Solis listens during his
math class.
“
The competition at
HESTEC was very interesting and it was a lot
of fun. I met a lot of
different people from
different schools and
got to talk to them.
“
–Freddy Solis Jr.,
UTPA freshman
13
From
dream
to
reality
Congressman Rubén Hinojosa champions
HESTEC, other educational innovations
“
Truly one of the
most effective
Congressmen on
education that the
House of
Representatives
has seen.
“
Throughout Congressman Rubén Hinojosa’s tenure in Congress, he has advocated
for the development of educational and career opportunities for the students of South
Texas.
“I went to Washington with one goal in
mind – to make a brighter future a tangible
reality for our children and our community
as a whole,” Hinojosa said.
A major component of Hinojosa’s “For A
Better Tomorrow Agenda” has been forging
innovative educational programs that feed
into developing industries.
In speaking with school, university, and
employment sector officials, Hinojosa was
insistent that schools and businesses should
come together and work to build one another’s resources in a symbiotic fashion.
“I was convinced that if we looked at the
developing industries in South Texas and
worked to train our students in those fields,
we could reduce our unemployment and
give the residents of the 15th Congressional
District long-term careers that paid high-end
wages and finally break the cycle of poverty,”
Hinojosa said.
During 2001, in a meeting with Dr. Rita
Colwell, former director of the National
Science Foundation, Hinojosa became aware
that the greatest need in the country was the
development of students in the fields of math,
engineering, science, and technology. In
response to Colwell’s information, Hinojosa
joined former president of The University of
Texas-Pan American Dr. Miguel A. Nevárez
and Dr. Roland Arriola, UTPA vice president
for External Affairs, to formulate strategies to
solve this emerging crisis and prepare future
students.
Having identified the same problem as
well, UTPA was already working on some
solutions and one of those solutions was to
create marquee events that would stimulate
student interest in math and science.
“You tell me what you need to make it
happen, and I will work to get it,” Hinojosa
told University representatives.
Over the years, as all the elements and
investment began to fall into place, it was
14
–Raúl Yzaguirre, former CEO,
National Council of La Raza
Congressman Rubén Hinojosa
clear that more was still to be done. In addition to programs like GEAR UP, Tech Prep,
and intensive undergraduate educational
programs, an event bringing together government, universities, the private sector, parents,
and students was needed.
“We needed to reach out to students and
show them what was possible, stimulate their
minds with new ideas, and help start planning for a successful future,” Hinojosa said.
During this time, the University, in conjunction with Hinojosa, began working on
plans for the first Hispanic Engineering, Science, and Technology (HESTEC) Week.
“The goal of this weeklong educational
festival was to bring government, education,
policy, and industry leaders and celebrities together in one place at one time to
demonstrate to students across South Texas
and America that higher education and the
realization of all dreams was possible,” Hinojosa said.
In 2002, the first HESTEC Week took
place on the UT Pan American campus. It
was an overwhelming success. More than
15,000 students and 1,000 teachers came to
hear from astronauts, scientists, elected officials, and industry leaders. They heard the
message – you too can succeed and the future
is yours for the taking. As a champion of
Hispanic-Serving Institutions and a member
of the House Education and the Workforce
Committee, Hinojosa became resolute in
making this event a national model.
Particularly telling of Hinojosa’s commitment to education are the comments of
Raúl Yzaguirre , former CEO of the National
Council of La Raza, who said that Hinojosa is
“truly one of the most effective Congressmen
on education that the House of Representatives has seen.”
First elected to Congress in 1996, he is currently serving his fifth term as the representative of the 15th District of Texas. Though
education continues to be his top priority in
Congress, Hinojosa has a diverse agenda that
reflects the district he serves.
From the rich Mexican heritage and tradition of South Texas to the distinct multicultural influences of the German, French
and Polish immigrants in northern counties
like Goliad and Bee, the 15th Congressional
District is a culturally diverse district. Much
of the region is rural; however Hidalgo
County is part of the fourth fastest growing
metropolitan statistical area in the country,
Congressman Rubén Hinojosa answers
a question from the moderator, ABC
News anchor John Quiñones during the
HESTEC 2005 Congressional Roundtable
on Hispanic Science Literacy, which
Hinojosa hosted. The roundtable annually
draws members of Congress, corporate
CEOs, federal agency heads and university
leaders. The Roundtable focuses national
attention on the issue of Hispanics moving
into mathematics, science and engineering
fields.
according to the 2000 Census.
An advocate for the underserved, and economically and educationally disadvantaged,
Hinojosa has made working for those in his
community a primary goal. When he was
first elected to Congress, he pledged to reduce
the chronic unemployment rate in regions of
the district. In 2004, this was accomplished,
and the district finally reached single-digit
unemployment rate figures. Through a
collaborative effort, and by focusing on
developing a highly educated, well-trained
workforce, modernizing the local infrastructure including roads and highways, and
creating new job opportunities, his pledge
became a reality.
Hinojosa serves on the House Committee
on Financial Services and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
On the House Financial Services Committee, Hinojosa is widely recognized as a
leader on issues affecting the underserved,
from banking to housing. The Financial
Services Committee was recently designated
as an exclusive committee for Democratic
members – one of only five exclusive committees – and is one of the most powerful
committees in the House, having jurisdiction over the entire financial services sector.
Members of exclusive committees may not
sit on any other committee, but Hinojosa
was “grandfathered” into the Education and
Workforce Committee, and was able to retain
his seat and standing.
To address the plight of families in his
district and across rural America, Hinojosa
formed the Congressional Rural Housing
Caucus to bring national attention to the
scarcity of housing in rural areas. He introduced legislation to improve the situation by
developing affordable housing and rehabilitation of existing housing. This past year,
he co-founded and co-chairs the Financial
and Economic Literacy Caucus to improve
financial literacy for his constituents during
all stages of their lives.
As a member of the Education and the
Workforce Committee and Ranking Member
on the Subcommittee on Select Education,
Hinojosa is widely recognized as a champion for investing in human capital through
education. He is a powerful voice for the
aspirations of communities traditionally left
behind in America’s education system – low-
income families, minorities, students with
disabilities, English language learners and
the children of migrant and seasonal farm
workers. He has fought to include amendments to key education legislation such as
the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act and Head Start to improve programs
and services for English language learners
and migrant children. In the No Child Left
Behind Act, he was successful in establishing a national system for transferring school
records for migrant children. He has led the
charge to focus national attention on improving high school graduation rates, introducing
The Graduation for All Act.
Prior to his election, Hinojosa served 20
years as president and chief financial officer
of a family-owned food processing company,
H&H Foods. He earned a bachelor’s in
business administration from UTPA and a
master’s in business administration from The
University of Texas at Austin. He is married
to Martha Lopez Hinojosa and has one son,
Rubén Jr., and four daughters Laura, Ileana,
Kaitlin, and Karén.
15
HESTEC 5th Anniversary
HESTEC celebrates fifth anniversary,
more events, speakers exhibits added
With the theme of “Embracing the Past,
Inventing the Future,” HESTEC 2006 is
celebrating its fifth-year anniversary as the
premier event in South Texas. Exciting new
events, more speakers providing inspiration
and motivation, and an even bigger
and better Community Day with
exhibits never seen in South Texas
and spirited family entertainment
mark this
year’s
c o n ference.
HESTEC will take place
Sept. 25-Sept. 30 at The
University of Texas-Pan American.
“This year, HESTEC will certainly be
bigger than in previous years,” Dr. Roland
S. Arriola, UTPA vice president for External
Affairs, said. “Every year, we’ve worked hard
to expand it. With the help of Congressman
Rubén Hinojosa, we have more events, more
international corporations and top scientists
and researchers. Since we are celebrating the
fifth anniversary, we expect quite a lot more
to happen.”
On Monday, Sept. 25, HESTEC 2006
will start off the week with Educator Day and
the Congressional Roundtable on Hispanic
Science Literacy.
“We expect to have
several Congressmen
and numerous corporate CEOs at the
roundtable. These
are key policymakers
who have a direct
impact on programs
and funding for eduRubén Hinojosa, cation at all levels,”
Congressman
Arriola said.
Congressman
Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15) again serves as
host for this year’s Congressional Roundtable on Hispanic Science Literacy. José
Díaz-Balart, news anchor for Telemundo
Network’s “Cada día,” will serve as moderator for the panel.
Panelists include members of Congress
Henry Cuellar (TX-28) and Solomon P. Ortiz
(TX-27). Representing universities and the
16
federal government are Dr. Blandina Cárdenas, president, UTPA; David Dunn, acting
under secretary and chief of staff to the U.S.
Secretary of Education, U.S. Department
of Education; and John M. Hairston Jr.,
acting assistant administrator for the
Office of Education, NASA.
Representatives from the private sector include John
Hofmeister, president, Shell
Oil Company; Jean E. Spence,
executive vice president of
Global Technology and Quality for Kraft Foods Inc.; Steven B.
Hinchman, senior vice president of
Worldwide Production, Marathon Oil
Corporation; Alicia Fernandez-Campfield,
vice president of Lean Six Sigma, Xerox
Corp.; Adalio T. Sanchez, general manager,
eServer pSeries, IBM; Melendy Lovett, president of Worldwide Educational Productivity,
Texas Instruments; Trinidad Aguirre, general
manager-Texas region, Verizon Telecom;
Linda Gooden, president of Lockheed
Martin Information Technology, Lockheed
Martin Corporation; and Tony Reinhart,
regional manager of Governmental Affairs,
Ford Motor Company.
At another Monday event – Educator
Day – more than 1,000 middle and high
school educators will participate in a series of
workshops and training sessions focusing on
hands-on activities in mathematics, science
and technology. Teachers will practice cutting-edge techniques that can immediately be
implemented in their classrooms. They will
be able to choose
from more than 40
different Educator
Day sessions.
Roundtable participants Spence
and Hofmeister
will be the morning and luncheon
keynote speakers,
respectively.
John Hofmeister,
The University
Shell Oil
Science Symposium,
also planned for Monday, Sept. 25 will
feature top researchers and scientists presenting to University students about their
current and past research efforts. With the
theme “From the Laboratory to the Marketplace,” symposium speakers will discuss
the commercialization of research done at
the University.
Presenting on “The Role of Science and
Engineering in the Competitive Arena of
the Global Economy,” the symposium guest
speakers include Dr. Mary Good, dean and
University Professor of the Donaghey College of Information Science and Systems
Engineering at the University of Arkansas
at Little Rock; Dr.
Gabriel Lopez-Berenstein, professor
of Medicine, Department of Clinical
Immunology and
Biological Therapy,
The University of
Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center;
Camilo Pardo
and
Michael Van
Ford car designer
Hoye, executive director, Thermion Energy.
Student Leadership Day will kick off on
Tuesday, Sept. 26 with more than 1,000
middle school students and teachers learning from presentations by top executives,
engineers and designers from a variety of
companies. Albert M. Gaydos, vice president
for Intelligence and Information Systems
at Raytheon Company, will be the
morning keynote
speaker, followed
by four breakout
sessions for the students.
During lunch,
keynote speaker
Camilo Pardo will
Magda N. Yzizarry,
talk to the students
Verizon
about his experience
designing some of Ford’s most remarkable
cars in the last few years. Pardo has won
worldwide recognition for his redesign of
the Ford GT, one of the fastest production
HESTEC 2006
cars ever manufactured. As chief designer, he
took on the daunting challenge of re-imagining the classic 1960s-era car.
On Wednesday, Sept. 27 Latinas in Science, Math, Engineering and Technology
Day will bring more than 1,000 female
middle school students and their mothers to
UTPA to hear from numerous female corporate executives. During panel sessions, the
speakers will highlight the important roles
women play in these fields and also speak
about their own experiences and challenges
in achieving success in predominantly maledominated career fields.
The morning keynote speaker is Carmen
Medina, deputy director for Intelligence,
Directorate of Intelligence at the CIA. The
luncheon keynote speaker is Magda N.
Yrizarry, vice president, Workplace Culture,
Diversity and Compliance, Verizon Communications.
On Thursday, Sept. 28 more than 1,500
middle school students from across South
Texas are expected on campus for HESTEC
Exploration Day. Sponsored by NASA,
students will be able to take advantage of
a 3,000-square-foot exhibit area with six of
NASA’s rover and space craft models.
The College Students Career Expo on
Friday, Sept. 29 will bring corporate and
government organizations on campus to
meet with students from throughout the
state who are seeking internships and career
opportunities.
HESTEC 2006 ends Saturday, Sept. 30,
4-9 p.m. with a premier family event – Community Day – which has consistently drawn
more than 30,000 people to the UTPA
campus. This year Community Day visitors
will have the opportunity to see one of the
largest NASA displays ever seen at HESTEC.
Six exhibits encompassing 3,000 square feet
will allow area residents to view two full-size
Mars Rover models, a replica of the Phoenix
Mars Lander as well as robotics models and
other hands-on activities.
Other exhibits from Boeing, flight simulators from Lockheed Martin and the U.S.
Navy, and two biotech laboratories will be
on hand. Children and their parents will also
be able to view catapults, water bottle rocket
Duelo
launches and pedal and go carts commanded
by Valley TEX Prep students. College of
Science and Engineering tours along with
many other interactive, exciting exhibits and
presentations are open to visitors – all free!
Plenty of food and drinks sold by student
organizations will also be available.
Serving as masters of ceremonies for the
many entertainment events during the day
will be Mónica Noguera, host of Telemundo’s
broadcast of the 2006 Billboard Latin Music
Awards, and Candela Ferro, host of Telemundo’s prime-time show “Decisiones.”
A local “star” – NASA astronaut Mike
Fossum, a McAllen native – will headline
Community Day with a talk about his recent
trip in space as part of the shuttle mission
STS-121.
Actor Efrén Ramirez, better known as
“Pedro” from the hit movie “Napoleon DyMichael Fossum
Astronaut
namite,” will make an appearance and judge
a costume contest for those attending Community Day dressed as characters from the
movie. Some lucky attendees will leave with
“Vote for Pedro”
T-shirts.
Comedian
Paul Rodriguez
will also bring his
hilarious act to
HESTEC for the
first time.
Some of the
hottest musical
groups around
will also be in atEfren Ramirez,
tendance. McKactor
ane, a Mexican
rock band will perform some of their latest
releases. McKane has started gaining international attention after performing with some
of Rock en Español’s most popular bands.
A hot group
in Mexican
Norteño music
– Grupo Duelo
– will bring their
mix of music
and showmanship. Grammynominated band
Grupo Atrapado
Paul Rodriguez,
will also perform
comedian
for Community
Day attendees.
For more information on HESTEC and
each day’s events, visit the HESTEC Web site
www.hestec.org or call the UTPA Division of
External Affairs at 956/381-3361.
Join us for a week of fun and learning!
17
Proudly supporting
The University of Texas
Pan American
&
HESTEC 2006
Partners in the future
of education.
18
Phoenix Mars Lander to descend at HESTEC
Set to launch in less than a year, the
Phoenix Mars Lander is already set to become
the next major NASA mission to Mars and
has started generating intense interest
among scientists, astronomers and the
general public.
Visitors to this year’s HESTEC will get a
sneak preview as a replica of the Phoenix
will be on display for the public at The
University of Texas-Pan American
during Communiy Day, Saturday,
Sept. 30.
The Phoenix and other exhibits will fill
3,000 square feet in the HPE II complex and
will be open to everyone free of charge.
In all, six NASA Mars exhibits will be on
display. Others include two full-size Mars
Rover models, some robotics models, and
hands-on activities.
The Phoenix is being built by Lockheed
Martin Space Systems, the University of Arizona and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
(JPL) at Pasadena, Calif.
The Phoenix is expected to land near the
red planet’s north polar ice cap to analyze
In this artistʼs drawing, the Mars Phoenix
Lander is shown landing on the Martian
surface using thrusters rather than airbags
as previous Mars crafts have done.
scooped-up samples of icy soil.
“We know there is plenty of water frozen into the surface layer of Mars at high
latitudes. We’ve designed Phoenix to tell us
more about this region as a possible habitat
for life,” said the University of Arizona’s
Peter Smith, principal investigator for the
mission.
The spacecraft will land using descent thrusters just prior to touchdown, rather than airbags like those
used by the current Mars Exploration
Rovers. As Phoenix parachutes through
Mars’ lower atmosphere in May 2008, a descent camera will take images for providing
geological context about the landing site.
The robotic arm being built for Phoenix
will be about two meters (seven feet)
long, jointed at the elbow and wrist,
and equipped with a camera and scoop. It
will dig as deep as about 50 centimeters (20
inches) and deliver samples to instruments on
the spacecraft deck that will analyze physical and chemical properties of the ices and
other materials. A stereo color camera will
examine the landing site’s terrain and provide
positioning information for the arm. The
Canadian Space Agency is providing a suite
of weather instruments.
JPL, a division of the California Institute of
Technology, Pasadena, manages Phoenix for
NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.
Talk with a Wells Fargo banker
and get your child’s finances on
the right track.
Wells Fargo understands that college is a challenging time for parents
and students alike.That’s why we work to provide your child with financial
guidance and tools tailored just for them. From the College Combo®
designed to help them be financially successful to learning tools like
the Hands on Banking® program, a Wells Fargo banker will work with
your child and answer any questions they might have. Why wait for
someday? Stop by Wells Fargo, visit wellsfargo.com/student, or call
1-800-WFB-OPEN (1-800-932-6736) today.
Edinburg • 2808 W. Trenton Road • 956-664-4420
Wells Fargo Is A Proud Sponsor Of HESTEC 2006
© 2006 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. Member FDIC.
19
HESTEC 2002
HESTEC kicks off with a bang: 15,000 students
One of the most memorable events over the years of HESTECs still
remains the sea of high school students, 15,000-strong, that filled the
Edinburg Baseball Stadium during HESTECʼs inaugural year.
Over the years, an initiative to encourage and inspire young Rio Grande Valley students to puruse higher education started
by a South Texas Congressman – Rubén Hinojosa – and The University of Texas-Pan American has evolved into a model
national event involving major corporations, government agencies and eductors of every level – all joined in a collaborative
effort to increase the number of Hispanics in the fields of engineering, science and technology. A look at the events from its
inception in 2002 to 2005 and reflections by its participants on its evolution follow. Read how HESTEC has embraced the
past and is inventing the future.
In 2002, Hispanic Engineering, Science
and Technology (HESTEC) Week was new
and even the organizers were unsure of what
the response would be. But that first HESTEC produced one of the most enduring
memories – 15,000 high school students
packed into Edinburg Baseball Stadium
screaming and cheering as NASA astronaut
Alan Bean addressed the crowd.
Perhaps what is most remarkable about the
first HESTEC was the caliber of speakers and
partners who invested in the event without
knowing quite what to expect.
“I think the seriousness of the problem and
the unique approach we were taking is what
drew so many people to invest in HESTEC,”
said Dr. Roland S. Arriola, vice president
for External Affairs at The University of
Texas-Pan American. “We were able to draw
all these high schools to bring the students
because they understood the important role
that successful role models can play in inspiring students to follow a certain career. We
were also able to draw some very significant
speakers and sponsors to HESTEC in its
very first year.”
Most notable among the first year’s speakers were Michael Dell, founder and CEO
20
of Dell Inc.; Bean, former NASA astronaut
and the fourth man to walk on the moon;
Dr. Rita Colwell, executive director of the
National Science Foundation; Edward E.
Whitacre Jr., chairman and CEO of AT&T;
Sean O’Keefe, NASA administrator; David
O. Swain, senior vice president for engineering and technology of The Boeing Corporation; and Nigel Travis, president and COO
of Blockbuster Inc. Other speakers included
Jaime Escalante, world-renown mathematics, physics and computer teacher, who was
the subject of the 1988 movie “Stand and
Deliver”; and Edward James Olmos, an
award winning actor, producer, director and
community activist.
“These types of events are very expensive
to put on, and corporate support is vital,”
said Arriola as he recalled the inaugural year
speakers.
Among the event sponsors were IBM, IBC,
Coca-Cola, Dell, Boeing, State Farm, Lockheed Martin, NASA, SBC Communications,
Blockbuster Inc. and the U.S. Department of
Energy. Most of the companies and federal
agencies participated by underwriting meals,
hosting speakers, providing manpower and
donating prizes – the type of support that
Former NASA astronaut Alan Bean spoke to
the 15,000 students gathered for HESTEC
2002.
continues today.
But Arriola said the success of ambitious
events such as HESTEC, hinged on more
than just financial commitment.
“It’s one thing to write a check, but we
Continued on pg 23.
21
BPQLVCBIFW@LKJFPAB@FPFLKBP’
LJgBI@>JFKLJBKLPQO>KPFQ>ALV
@L@FKLJBGLONRBBII>’
BAFGB>JFPRBDO>NRBVL
B@LKSBOQkBKJFMOLMF>GBC>’
I>P@OkQF@>P’
DKLOg
RPFLK
BPC`@FIFO@>PF>@R>INRFBOM>OQB’
LK€JFII>PMLOD>IqK²—
qJLKLBPQ>OILŸ
*Estimación de millas por galón según EPA: 24 en ciudad/32
en carretera. Motor I-4 con transmisión automática.
Congratulations HESTEC
on your 5th Anniversary
©2005 KF Holdings
Explore exciting career opportunities at
www.kraft.com/careers
Kraft is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.
18
HESTEC 2002
Continued from pg 20.
valued their involvement too,” he said. “It’s
another thing to participate in the planning
process to be a real partner in making a difference.”
Great partners such as International
Bank of Commerce have allowed Valley
school districts the opportunity to expand
their knowledge in science and technology
through HESTEC.
“As a Texas-based company, we’ve always
taken a very pro-active stand and believe in
supporting and challenging institutions to
be the catalyst for change,” said R. David
Guerra, president and CEO of International
Bank of Commerce-McAllen.
Arriola said company sponsors are already
reporting they are yielding high returns on
their education investment in the annual
HESTEC event.
“IBM is always looking for top quality
engineering students as well as students that
come from a diverse background,” said Cynthia Gonzalez, director of worldwide channel
sales for IBM. “For quality students, UT Pan
American fits the bill perfectly.”
More than 1,000 teachers and administrators packed the UTPA Fieldhouse in 2002
to launch the beginning of HESTEC on
Math and Science Educator Day. Olmos and
Escalante urged teachers to maintain their
dedication to students.
“A teacher must have the tenacity to
persevere, the wisdom of Solomon, and the
understanding of a saint. Above all, a teacher
must have patience,” Escalante told the group
of educators.
Olmos spoke about the importance of
GEAR UP students line up their solar panel cars during a competition heat. The race was
among the activites that drew students to take part in HESTEC 2002. The students designed
and built the cars at their respective schools before entering the competition at UTPA.
Hispanics working toward a higher education and being consciously aware of one’s
heritage.
“I’m here to say thank you to all of you
because you are the reason we have hope for
the future, and the reason we are here today,”
Olmos said.
More than 2,000 ninth grade GEAR UP
(Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for
Undergraduate Program) students participated in Math and Science Student Exploration Day that year, which allowed students
to hear from nationwide leaders in business,
technology and government.
Actor/activist Edward James Olmos speaks to
reporters during HESTEC 2002 to discuss the
importance of increased educational opportunities
for Hispanics in mathematics, science and technology
fields.
The students also had an opportunity to
take part in a solar panel car race competition. The competition, sponsored by the
U.S. Department of Energy and TRW – an
aerospace company that builds satellites
– gave students the opportunity to get handson experience in building and testing their
models, and competing against others.
Each participating school district was
provided with a $300 solar car kit – which
allowed students to build up to 25 solar car
models – and 10 days to design the model.
Out of the many models built for the competition, students were permitted one car per
entry in the contest. The cars and race were
judged by the U.S. Department of Energy
and TRW.
The students also took time to hear from a
host of speakers from the corporate world
“Take full advantage of the GEAR UP
program, and each of the opportunities available to expand
your horizons,”
Nigel Travis of
Blockbuster Inc.
told the students.
“The world needs
many more like
you. Explore your
interests, find your
focus and dedicate
yourself.”
Lt. Colonel
“The transistor,
Edward Cabrera
laser, cell phone,
Continued on pg 24.
23
HESTEC 2002
Continued from pg 23.
computer and modem all started in Bell
labs,” he said. “It changed the way you live.
It changed the way I live. You can change the
world, too. I can’t promise you a job after
college, but I can promise you an exciting
career if you choose math or science.”
Lt. Colonel Edward Cabrera – also known
as “Fast Eddie” – was the master of ceremonies during the day’s presentations. The
Commander of the 411th Flight Test Squad-
ron at Edwards Air Force Base in California,
who at the time had more than 2,900 hours
of flight time in over 40 different aircrafts,
encouraged students to open doors that
would lead them to a successful career.
“I was able to open many doors by getting
an engineering degree. Today, my office is
50,000 feet in the air and twice the speed
of sound. Now that’s math and science in
action,” Cabrera said. “And I am glad that
A family views a model of the Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter during the Boeing
Sci-Tech Expo during HESTEC 2002. The young boy, bottom right, seems particularly
enthralled as a Lockheed representative explains the aircraftʼs functions.
24
you are already opening some doors by being here.”
Also speaking during Exploration Day
were Dr. Cesar Gonzalez, IBM; NASA Astronaut John Olivas; and Gerald Mora, program
manager for Air Force Research Lab.
South Texas children and parents had fun
while learning about the fields of science,
technology and engineering at the Sci-Tech
Expo Community Night (now Community
Day) at Edinburg Baseball Stadium.
Sci-Tech Expo, sponsored by the Boeing
Company, offered families the chance to see
exhibits, demonstrations and presentations
focusing on the importance of science, technology and engineering.
Children and parents walked from booth
to booth picking up brochures and goodies,
and also viewed the latest technology in
computers, airplanes and robots.
“The Sci-Tech Expo was one of the key
elements of HESTEC 2002,” Arriola said.
“We understood that it was very important
that we bring in the families as well. It has
to be a complete family effort to push students into the university track. If you don’t
Continued on pg 25.
HESTEC 2002
“
Continued from pg 24.
have the parents, it becomes very difficult.
This allowed the parents to see first hand
the exciting opportunities available to their
children if they pursue the more challenging
high school curriculum and then enter the
University.”
If numbers were any indication of success,
the first HESTEC’s Leadership Day was an
overwhelming success as 15,000 students
packed the Edinburg Baseball Stadium, all
wearing white Boeing T-shirts.
“We are looking at you as our leaders for
the 21st century to make things better for all
the people of the world,” David O. Swain,
Boeing senior vice president of Engineering
and Technology told the students. “It’s a great
responsibility, but I have trust in you. All you
need is patience, purpose and direction.”
Bean, a retired astronaut captain with an
outstanding 18-year career at NASA, also
addressed students, and generated confidence
in them to attain the unexpected.
“As far as we know, we are the only intellectual life form in the universe, so because of
that, we have a great responsibility to explore
and learn,” Bean said. “I suspect that many
of you are reaching for your own stars, and I
assure you that they are attainable. You just
I found my passion when I was 19 years
old. What I felt was an enormous sense
of opportunity.
“
–Michael Dell, founder, Dell Inc.
have to hold on to your dreams.”
Bean was involved in the Apollo program
and became the fourth person to walk on the
moon. In 1973 he was commander of Skylab
Mission II where he lived 59 days in space.
The Congressional Forum on Hispanic
Science Literacy challenged institutions of
higher learning to become more active in
supporting science education during the last
day of HESTEC 2002.
Congressman Rubén Hinojosa applauded
the University for its efforts and encouraged
other institutions to follow suit.
“They’ve raised the mark so high that
other colleges will have far to reach,” Hinojosa said.
Continued on pg 27.
Michael Dell, Dell Inc. founder and CEO,
spoke to the press after his speech at
HESTEC 2002.
ACHIEVEMENT STARTS WHEN
YOU HARNESS THE POWER
OF MANY PERSPECTIVES.
WE KNOW GREATNESS IS OFTEN THE PRODUCT OF PEOPLE
BRINGING FRESH PERSPECTIVES TO THE TABLE.
Achievement can take you places. At Northrop Grumman you’ll find people like yourself working
on the cutting edge of aerospace, defense and homeland security. At every level, we’ve made
strong commitments to workforce diversity, because we know that diversity fuels achievement.
If your goals include working on world-class projects, now you know where to find them.
Achievement never ends.
www.careers.northropgrumman.com
©2006 Northrop Grumman Corporation. U.S. Citizenship is required for most positions. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.
25
The most important ingredient in bringing you the future of broadband...
our people.
At Verizon, we believe the people creating the broadband future are as important as the technology itself.
This is why diversity plays a major role in everything we do. We’re continually promoting a workplace that
respects the diversity of our employees, customers and suppliers - and we are proud to be recognized
by DiversityInc and Hispanic Business magazines for our commitment to diversity. By respecting others,
we are able to deliver products, services and ideas that create richer experiences for everyone.
©2006 Verizon. All rights reserved.
26
HESTEC 2002
Continued from pg 25.
National Science Foundation Director
Dr. Rita Colwell called HESTEC a “historic
event” timely in the face of a critical shortage
of scientists and researchers and a problem,
that if not corrected, could
place the country’s standard of
living and national security
in jeopardy.
“By the end
of this decade
every job will
require some
technical experience,” ColDr. Richard E. Smalley, well said. “The
1996 Nobel Laureate country’s future
well being will
in Chemistry
rest with the success or failure of its diversity. We want our country to be the global
leader in tomorrow’s science and technology
innovation and manufacturing, and we can
only do that by developing the talent of all
our citizens.”
Dr. Richard E. Smalley, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in 1996 for Chemistry, took part
in the Roundtable.
Michael Dell, CEO of Dell Inc., addressed
a crowd of educators, students and parents
during a forum which concluded activities
for the first HESTEC.
Dell, who founded the company in 1984
with $1,000 and an unprecedented idea
in the computer industry, spoke about his
experiences in the technology field and his
road to success.
“I found my passion when I was 19 years
old,” said Dell about his decision to leave
school at The University of Texas at Austin
and pursue his dream in the computer busi-
ness. “For some people it takes years to find
their passion, and others never do. What I felt
was an enormous sense of opportunity.”
“I think educators play a special role in
imparting knowledge and skills. There are
opportunities that can link teachers, students
and parents by using technology,” he said.
“Embrace these tools. Don’t be afraid of
them. And make sure teachers get the appropriate training along with students.”
“When we look back at the first HESTEC,
we see how much this event has grown,” Arriola said. “It was a tremendous success from
the start. It has been due in large measure to
the tireless efforts of Congressman Rubén
Hinojosa. He was the spark that led to the
creation of HESTEC, and he has taken it to
heart as one of his top priorities over the last
five years. His energy and passion have led us
each and every year to expand and improve
on what we have already achieved.”
Two young girls watch as a fire-battling
robot built by UTPA students perform
some maneuvers during the HESTEC
2002 Sci-Tech Expo.
27
©2004 Anheuser-Busch, Inc., St. Louis, MO
28
HESTEC 2003
HESTEC 2003 featured space connections
HESTEC 2003 proved that it was not a
one-time event. Students, teachers, members
of Congress, corporate leaders, government
leaders and the community returned to The
University of Texas-Pan American ready
to take up where they had left off the year
before.
Unlike HESTEC 2002 when 15,000
students were cheering and screaming at
Edinburg Baseball Stadium, the most dramatic moment of HESTEC 2003 came in
absolute silence!
More than 1,000 high school students
filled the UTPA Fieldhouse during Student
Exploration Day. You could almost hear a
pin drop as they waited in silence for the
voices of American astronaut Edward T. Lu
and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko
to beam down via a satellite down link from
the International Space Station orbiting more
than 230 miles above the Earth.
“Alpha this is HESTEC, how do you hear
me?” said NASA Associate Administrator for
Higher Education Dr. Clifford Houston to
Malenchenko and Lu.
After a few moments of eerie silence and
static, a distant voice echoed in the building.
“I hear you loud and clear,” said Lu to the
GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and
Readiness for Undergraduate Programs)
students from across South Texas and more
than 30,000 other students listening elsewhere via webcast.
During the question-and-answer session
with the astronauts, more than a dozen
students from area high schools had the
opportunity to ask Malenchenko and Lu
questions about their experience in space,
what advice they had for students interested
in science, engineering or aeronautics careers;
and what type of music they listened to while
in space.
More than 1,000 educators, school administrators and GEAR UP directors were in
attendance during Educator Day to listen to
keynote speakers, U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige and Academy Award-winning
actress Rita Moreno. They also participated
in numerous breakout sessions to learn about
the latest teaching techniques in the areas of
math and science.
Quoting General Omar Bradley, Paige
inspired the South Texas educators by
saying “teachers are the real soldiers of democracy. Others may protect it but teachers
Ellen Ochoa, first Hispanic female astronaut to travel to space, spoke during Latinas Day
at HESTEC 2003. Ochoa, accepting a present from a University student, talked about her
experiences in pursing several university degrees, applying for the astronaut program and
participating in space shuttle missions.
create it.”
Moreno, who is best known for her performance as Anita in the 1961 motion picture
“West Side Story,” and has won all four of the
most prestigious entertainment awards – the
Oscar, the Emmy, the Tony and a Grammy,
shared with the audience her memories of
growing up in New York in a Puerto Rican
family. She described her rise to fame, and the
barriers and stereotypes she had to overcome
to make it in show business as a Latina.
“I just think it’s pretty special that there
are so many programs here geared toward
minorities, and that does not happen often,”
Moreno said. “I’m very proud to be a part
of HESTEC.”
During HESTEC 2003, the first University Science Symposium was held to spotlight
the importance of university-level research
by students and faculty and to highlight
the latest advances in science and technology. Dr. James Tour, professor of chemistry
for the Department of Chemistry and
Nanoscale Science and Technology at Rice
Continued on pg 31.
American astronaut Edward T. Lu, left, and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko
answer questions from students, during HESTEC 2003 via a satellite down link from the
International Space Station orbiting more than 230 miles above the Earth.
29
30
HESTEC 2003
Continued from pg 29.
University, spoke on “Nanotechnology: From
NanoTrucks to NanoComputers.”
Hinojosa again hosted the Hispanic Science Literacy Roundtable during HESTEC
2003 to emphasize how important policy
issues are in addressing the issues highlighted
during HESTEC. Participants included
Hinojosa, Paige, and other Congressmen
including Gene Green, District 29, Houston;
Ciro Rodriguez, District 28, San Antonio;
and Solomon Ortiz, District 27, Corpus
Christi.
Derek Parra, 2002 Olympic gold medalist in speed skating and world record holder
in the 1,500 meters, shared his lessons for
success, and said students should seek perfection in everything they do. He advised
that they learn to adapt and stay ahead of
their game and also encouraged students to
prepare for the future and have faith in their
preparation.
“I had to have patience, a complete understanding of the technique and focus to make
it as an Olympian, but it was the lessons I
learned and people who helped along the way
that got me there,” he said.
Despite sweltering humidity and a cloudy
sky, the solar car competition zoomed on,
mostly on batteries rather than sunshine,
during Exploration Day. Student teams from
more than 42 South Texas schools brought
a team car built by participating GEAR UP
students from each school to compete in
the double elimination competition sponsored and judged by the U.S. Department
of Energy.
Thousands of South Texas families “experienced” a humorous and animated Jeff
Corwin live and in person at Boeing’s SciTech Community Night. Corwin, executive
producer and host of the Animal Planet’s
popular animal adventure show “The Jeff
Corwin Experience,” told the crowd that
one of his first encounters as a child with an
animal was with a garter snake while visiting
his aunt’s house.
“I like to share information about animals
– some people do that in schools, some do
that in museums but I do it on television,”
Corwin said.
Another first for HESTEC 2003 was
Latinas Day where 1,000 high school girls
and their mothers heard success stories from
Latinas who chose careers in fields where
few women had worked before. Among the
speakers was Christie Haubegger, founder of
Latina magazine. Although she earned a law
degree from Stanford University, Haubegger
worked to launch the first Hispanic women’s
magazine.
“My family always told me that I was smart
and capable of doing whatever I wanted, but
I didn’t have a lot of positive role models of
Hispanic women,” Haubegger said. “I felt
like I had an obligation to give back to my
community, but I never really knew how hard
it would be.”
Ellen Ochoa, first Hispanic female astronaut to travel to space, shared her experiences
in science and research and her decision to
apply to NASA’s astronaut program.
Clockwise from top left, Animal
Planet host Jeff Corwin answers
questions from the crowd during
HESTEC Sci-Tech Expo 2003. A
child raises his hand to ask Corwin
a question. UTPA graduates and
Raytheon engineers Lizbeth Guerra
and Monica Guzman demonstrate
some of the radar components they
work on at Raytheon. Olympic
Gold Medalist Derek Parra talks to
students after his presentation for
Student Leadership Day.
31
HESTEC 2004
HESTEC 2004 brings focus on middle schools
HESTEC 2004 expanded its focus as it
became clear that getting students interested
in a university education and in science and
technology needs to start at an earlier age
than high school. Middle school students
became a major focus of attention during
the third HESTEC event.
Taking a cue from Robert J. Stevens,
president and CEO at Lockheed Martin, a
group of top executives from some of
the nation’s most
competitive companies took the
time to speak at
the HESTEC PreCollege Student
Forum. Nearly
1,000 South Texas
middle and high
Robert J. Stevens
school students
Lockheed Martin
heard from Stevens; Bruce G. Macklin, vice president of
global operations, ExxonMobil Chemical
32
Company; Carlos Dominguez, senior vice
president of Worldwide Service provider
operations for CISCO Systems; and John
Bell Sr., vice president for Human Resources,
Verizon, among others.
As top leader at Lockheed, Stevens manages more than 130,000 employees in several
countries. He told the students that his background and experience was very much like
theirs, pointing out that his parents had not
pushed him to attend college. However, he
was able to get a university education even
after having done poorly in high school.
J. Brian Ferguson, chairman and CEO of
Eastman Chemical Company, served as keynote speaker for teachers and school administrators during Educator Day that year.
“As educators, leaders and as role models
in your schools, you are in a unique position
to begin changing the failures of the past into
the successes of the future,” Ferguson said.
“You can’t do it by yourself and you shouldn’t
be expected to do it all by yourself, but you
can provide the impetus, and the spark for
reform. You can be the catalyst to help them
realize the possibilities.”
Dr. Orlando Figueroa, the director of
the Solar System Exploration Division and
director of the Mars Exploration Program
Office of the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA) gave the
luncheon keynote address at Educator Day
and shared a vision for space exploration
with the crowd.
“One of our key roles is to inspire the next
generation of explorers,” Figueroa said. “One
thing we’ve committed ourselves to is to leave
this world better than we found it.”
The Science Symposium featured research
posters from UTPA students from each
department of the College of Science and
Engineering.
The Congressional Roundtable on Hispanic Science Literacy again drew national
attention as the group of top leaders came
together to further explore ways to make
Continued on pg 33.
HESTEC 2004
Continued from pg 32.
key policy changes. The panelists included
Hinojosa, (TX-15), Solomon Ortiz (TX27), Lloyd Doggett (TX-10) and Chris
Bell (TX-25); Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee (TX-18); UT System Chancellor
Mark Yudof; and UTPA President Blandina
Cárdenas. Other roundtable participants
included Robert Stevens, president and
CEO, Lockheed Martin Corporation; Dr.
Richard Scharr, senior vice president, math
and science education, Texas Instruments;
Sandra Ulsh, president, Ford Motor Company Fund; Ferguson; Macklin; Bernard
Tyson, senior vice president, Brand Strategy,
Kaiser Permanente; Bell Sr.; Dominguez;
John Katzman, chairman, CEO and founder,
The Princeton Review; James Sepulveda,
Dell Inc.; Dr. Raymond L. Orbach, director, Office of Science at U.S. Department of
Energy; Arden L. Bement Jr., acting director, National Science Foundation; Theresa
Alvillar-Speake, director, Office of Economic
Impact and Diversity, U.S. Department of
Energy; and Art Rosales, director of special
Students work to build a car with a variety of parts during Ford Student Leadership Day
at HESTEC 2004.
programs, Boeing.
Camilo Pardo, chief designer in Ford’s
Living Legends Studio, drew perhaps the
most attentive audience at HESTEC 2004.
Pardo is the designer of the 2005 Ford GT, a
modern reincarnation of Ford’s GT40 classic racecars of the 1960s. His multimedia
presentation interspersed a series of videos
Continued on pg 34
33
HESTEC 2004
During HESTC 2004, middle school students pose in front of the Ford GT, the legendary
1960s car redesigned by Camilo Pardo.
Continued from pg 33.
showcasing the GT40s of yesteryear with
scenes detailing the inspiration, design and
development of the concept car that subsequently became a production performance
car, a project he has called a “dream assign-
ment.” The new Ford GT was also displayed
outside the UTPA Fieldhouse. Like Pardo
himself, the car was the center of much attention throughout the week.
Latinas Day again brought together mothers and daughters from more than 48 GEAR
UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness
for Undergraduate Programs) schools across
South Texas to encourage young Hispanic
females to think about the fields of science,
technology, math and engineering as possible
careers in the future.
They were treated to inspiring female
keynote speakers and panelists including Joan
Robinson-Berry, deputy vice president for
Technical Relations, the Boeing Company;
and Melendy Lovett, president of Educational and Productivity Solutions at Texas
Instruments.
A first for HESTEC at the 2004 event
was the presentation of the Latina Pioneer
Award. The award honors a lifetime of outstanding achievement that has contributed
significantly to the advancement of the cause
of education in Texas and throughout the
nation. Dr. Teresa Lozano Long was honored
for her long-term commitment to educating
Texas youth.
Middle school students were again the focus of attention during Student Exploration
Day. Sheri Klug, director of the Arizona State
Continued on pg 35
SYMBOL TECHNOLOGIES SALUTES
HESTEC FOR ITS COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION
About Symbol Technologies
Symbol Technologies, Inc., The Enterprise Mobility Company™, is a recognized worldwide
leader in enterprise mobility, delivering products and solutions that capture, move and
manage information in real time to and from the point of business activity. Symbol enterprise
mobility solutions integrate advanced data capture products, radio frequency identification
technology, mobile computing platforms, wireless infrastructure, mobility software and worldclass services programs under the Symbol Enterprise Mobility Services brand. Symbol
enterprise mobility products and solutions are proven to increase workforce productivity,
reduce operating costs, drive operational efficiencies and realize competitive advantages for
the world's leading companies. More information is available at www.symbol.com.
We proudly support all the men
and women who make HESTEC
Educator Week possible. Their
dedication to the quality of
education for all of our children
will ensure a strong future for
them and our country.
Corporate Headquarters
Symbol Technologies, Inc.
One Symbol Plaza
Holtsville, NY 11742-1300
TEL: +1.800.722.6234/+1.631.738.2400
FAX: +1.631.738.5990
©2006 Symbol Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved. Symbol® is a registered trademark and Symbol. The Enterprise Mobility Company is a trademark of Symbol Technologies, Inc.
34
HESTEC 2004
Continued from pg 34.
University (ASU) Mars Education Program,
took students on a journey to Mars thanks to
a multimedia presentation employing computer animation of the Mars Rover landing,
photos of the planet and other state of the art
elements that brought the sights and sounds
of Mars exploration to life.
Lt. Col. Edward
Cabrera, chief of
the Electronic
Warfare and Survivability Division
at Air Force headquarters in Washington D.C., focused on the doors
Melendy Lovett
that opened for
Texas Instruments
him throughout
his life and career path as a pilot.
“I think it’s important for the kids to see
someone who looks like them, with a similar
background,” Cabrera said.
GEAR UP students who attended HESTEC 2004 work on their computer-controlled
robotic units as they prepare for competition.
We’re plugged into this city. And vice versa.
CPL Retail Energy has been doing business in the area now for years,
helping keep local companies large and small running smoothly. As
a member of this community, we take pride in giving back through a
number of initiatives — including our recent donation to the Driscoll
Children’s Hospital, establishing college scholarships for cardiac patients.
We are sincerely dedicated to everyone’s business at CPL. As part of
Direct Energy, a leading North American energy retailer, our team has
the ability to seize opportunities in the market that can help your company
operate more efficiently. This includes generating more of our own energy,
finding better ways to buy and fighting for lower prices. In fact, you’ve
seen results of this in the recent continued price discount passed on to you.
Why do we do all this?
So you can focus on what matters most to you — your business.
Consult with one of our business energy experts today.
Call 1-800-850-2932 or visit us online at www.cplretailenergy.com.
We keep your world running.™
©2006 CPL Retail Energy L.P. (PUCT Certificate No. 10023). Direct Energy, LP (PUCT Certificate No. 10040).
Products and services may not be available in all markets. Please call 1-800-850-2932 to confirm eligibility.
35
HESTEC 2005
HESTEC 2005 reaches to all ages
HESTEC 2005 broke new ground with
a greater number of events aimed at an even
more diverse audience. While already addressing middle and high school students,
HESTEC started to aim more efforts toward
elementary schools, hoping to reach students
at an even earlier age than before.
Numerous elementary schools toured
the campus of The University of Texas-Pan
American during HESTEC 2005, taking part
in a NASA exhibit that allowed students to
practice creating their own space mission and
simulate landing a space shuttle.
UTPA science and engineering students
had the opportunity to receive advice from
1973 Nobel Prize in Physics Laureate Dr. Ivar
Giaever during the University Symposium.
Giaever told more than 200 students if they
can develop an invention that makes a significant difference in today’s world, they too can
An elementary school
student tries to land a
space shuttle using a
NASA flight simulator
during HESTEC 2005.
Continued on pg 39.
Innovate. Imagine. Lead.
Raytheon is pushing the boundaries of technological innovation and systems integration. Our Space and Airborne Systems (SAS) segment, with
multiple locations in North Texas, is the leading provider of sensor systems giving warfighters the most accurate and timely information available
for the network-centric battlefield.
Our international reputation for excellence in sensors, infrared and thermal imaging and electronic warfare systems is due to the achievements
of the talented and innovative Raytheon workforce.
Visit us online to learn more about positions available now at Raytheon in Dallas, Richardson and McKinney.
www.rayjobs.com
© 2006 Raytheon Company. All rights reserved. Raytheon is an equal opportunity and affirmative
action employer and welcomes a wide diversity of applicants. U.S. citizenship may be required.
36
37
Help Students Reach Their Potential.
Support them every step of the way—from
kindergarten through college—with quality
formative assessment programs, intervention
programs, test preparation, and guidance
services from The Princeton Review.
PROUD SPONSORS OF
HESTEC SINCE 2003!
800-Review2 | educators.princetonreview.com
Not Affiliated with Princeton University.
38
HESTEC 2005
Continued from pg 36.
some day become a Nobel Prize Laureate.
“All you have to do is make an invention
or a discovery, you don’t have to be focused
on a deep thought. If I was focused on deep
thought I probably wouldn’t have gotten
the Nobel Prize,” Giaever said. “Anybody
can make an invention or discovery if you
apply yourself.”
A first for HESTEC 2005 was the
College of Education Student Symposium,
which was developed to provide a forum for
UTPA education majors.
Dr. J. Michael Ortiz, president of California State Polytechnic University-Pomona,
shared personal experiences that led him to
his current position, as well as offered words
of inspiration for the budding teachers.
“The number of lives you are going to
touch as educators is going to be significant,”
he said. “You are going to be molding the
future of the Valley and the state of Texas.”
Sheri Klug, director of the Arizona
State University Mars Education Program
– which provides hands-on opportunities
for teachers and students to participate in
Mars explorations – shared ways to get K12 students interested in space, as well as
incorporate lessons about the “red planet”
into their curriculum.
Educator Day, supported by corporate
sponsors such as Texas Instruments, Shell Oil
Company, NASA, The Princeton Review,
and State Farm Companies Foundation
among others, provided a series of workshops
to help educators motivate young students,
particularly Hispanics, to pursue interests
Students race to build a tower with index cards during a challenge activity during HESTEC
2005 Ford Student Leadership day.
and careers in the fields of science, math,
engineering and technology.
Moderating a Congressional Roundtable
on Science Literacy convened by Hinojosa for
Educator Day was ABC News “Primetime
Live” co-anchor John M. Quiñones. Participating in the roundtable that addressed serious issues in the state of education not only
locally but nationally were a distinguished list
of government, corporate and organizational
leaders. Participants joining Cárdenas and
Hinojosa included co-conveners Congress-
Teachers learn new strategies for teaching math and science concepts through workshops
held during Educator Day.
men Solomón Ortiz (TX-27) and Lloyd
Doggett (TX-25); Sandra Ulsh, president,
Ford Motor Company Fund; Gilbert M.
Grosvenor, chairman of the board, National
Geographic Society; Marillyn A. Hewson,
president and general manager, Kelly Aviation Center, L.P., Lockheed Martin; Jeffrey
J. Owens, president, Delphi Electronics and
Safety; Raúl Yzaguirre, former CEO, National Council of La Raza; John Katzman,
president and CEO, The Princeton Review;
and Del Velasquez, vice president – federal
government affairs, Verizon.
More than 1,200 students from Valley
GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and
Readiness for Undergraduate Programs)
schools were encouraged by top Ford executives, engineers, and the designer of the Ford
GT to map a course in life to higher education during Student Leadership Day.
Mike de Irala, Ford executive director of
manufacturing and power train operations,
opened the day by showing a video of the
40th anniversary edition Ford Mustang GT
that revved up the young and enthusiastic
crowd.
Camilo Pardo, chief designer in Ford’s
Living Legends Studio and designer of the
2005 Ford GT, a modern reincarnation of
Ford’s GT40 classic racecars of the 1960s,
made his second appearance at HESTEC
Continued on pg 40.
39
HESTEC 2005
Middle school students pore over maps
as they complete their challenge during
Geography Day at HESTEC 2005.
Continued from pg 39.
2005 and presented a multimedia presentation detailing the inspiration, design and development of the concept car that has become
the “world’s best sports car” he said.
“It is quite exciting to see something you
worked on appear in a television commercial.
It puts all your hard work in everybody’s
hands,” Pardo said.
“I am more than happy to tell you what
it takes to work on something like this and
let you know if you have goals and you reach
for them things can be possible.”
Latinas in Science, Math, Engineering
and Technology Day served to again reinforce
the idea that Hispanic women can also compete in math, science and technology fields.
Speaker Magda N. Yrizarry, vice presi-
dent of Workplace Culture, Diversity and
Compliance, Verizon Communications,
motivated more than 1,200 students and
their mothers, with her story of growing up
in a barrio in Brooklyn, N.Y. to her successful
path in corporate America.
“I look around this room and I don’t
know your story, but we all have a story and
that adds to richness of who we are in the
community and it adds to the richness of
what America is as a country,” she said to
the audience.
During the event, Yrizarry, who has been
with Verizon for 15 years, was awarded the
UTPA Foundation HESTEC Latina Pioneer
Award for her outstanding achievement in
contributing to the advancement of Latina
education throughout the nation.
More than 1,500 students from middle
schools throughout the Rio Grande Valley
learned the importance of geography in
their everyday lives as well as the excitement
and possibilities in exploration at the first
Geography Summit held as a part of HESTEC 2005.
Sponsored by the National Geographic
Continued on pg 41.
HESTEC thanks its partners who helped promote and spread our message to the entire community.
$ % , ¬ 6! , , %
40
HESTEC 2005
Continued on pg 40.
Education Foundation, the day featured
presentations by two National Geographic
explorers – Emerging Explorer Mark Olson,
plant biologist, and Explorer-in-Residence
Sylvia A. Earle, oceanographer/marine
biologist – as well as Sandra Diaz, chief meteorologist at the El Paso/Las Cruces FOX
television affiliate.
Olson, who teaches at the Instituto
de Biologia at Mexico’s national university – Universidad Nacional Autonoma de
Mexico in Mexico City, showed photos of
landforms, plants and animals taken in the
area of Mexico where he does research.
A hands-on activity using remote sensing images created from aerial and satellite/spacecraft photographs and pictorial
representations allowed students to explore
Texas from a new point of view during the
Geography Summit.
Divided into small groups and armed
with a Texas road map and various other state
maps showing land cover and habitation as
well as local maps – some infrared – of the
Valley and Edinburg, the students answered
a series of questions using the tools they
were given.
UTPA students go through a science demonstration during HESTEC 2005 Community
Day. The demonstrations were held at the science labs in the Science Building.
The students also got a glimpse of ocean
life and plunged into discovering the sea
when Earle, an oceanographer and marine
biologist who has logged more than 6,000
hours underwater and who holds numerous
diving records, spoke to students about the
need for more research on the ocean and how
it affects other parts of their lives.
As possible future oceanographers, Earle
told students about the importance of having
qualified people to study the ocean because
so little is known about it.
Students also tuned in to Diaz, as she
gave a lesson on the different weather patterns
in the United States’ regions and discussed
the devastating forces of nature that have
caused major death and destruction in the
nation.
Coca-Cola salutes The University of Texas-Pan American and
Congressman Rubén Hinojosa for their efforts to expand
educational opportunties for all students and for the 5th
anniversary of HESTEC.
41
H-E-B salutes
The University of Texas
Pan American
and HESTEC
for five years of making
a difference in student
success.
42
Tex PREP launches high school students into tech fields
Celebrating 20 years at The University of
Texas-Pan American, the Texas Pre-freshman
Engineering Program (Tex PREP) continues
to provide academic enrichment for Valley
students year after year.
Twenty-five institutions in the state offer
the program, and according to Dr. Rudy
Reyna, Tex PREP coordinator for sites in the
state of Texas, UTPA is among the best.
“I think the commitment the University
has to providing the facilities and the leadership — the commitment they have to this
program is one of the things that sets them
apart,” he said.
Reyna, who also coordinates Tex PREP at
The University of Texas at San Antonio, came
to observe the program at UTPA in August
and encouraged students in their pursuit
of higher education. He said 2005 survey
statistics indicated that 99.9 percent of Tex
PREP students graduate from high school,
and 94 percent go on to attend college. Of
the students who attend college, 90 percent
follow through to graduation.
Reyna believes Tex PREP students are wellpositioned to succeed academically, citing
eight valedictorians who graduated in the San
Antonio area this past May who were former
Tex PREP students.
“What it does is it exposes them to a very
rigorous academic program. They’re doing
high school and college-level courses when
they are generally at a younger age,” Reyna
said. “It creates confidence, it motivates
them, and they feel like they can do it.”
Founded in 1979 at UTSA, the program
was brought to UTPA in 1986 and became
a year-round program in 2001.
“The mission of Tex PREP is to identify
achieving middle and high school students
in science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM), and to increase their
potential for careers in these areas,” said Dr.
Miguel Paredes, director of Tex PREP and
professor of mathematics at UTPA. “The
program also exposes students to a university environment, the development of time
management and study skills, and activities
that improve self-confidence.”
Rey Garcia, a UTPA sophomore majoring
in accounting, has been involved with Tex
PREP for six years – three years as a student
and three years in positions of leadership.
Currently serving as a program assistant,
Garcia said the program has had a great
impact on his life.
Tex PREP students learn to fabricate the materials they need for their models and
experiments with the help of mentors and teachers. Above, a welding unit is used to cut
some materials for use.
“More than just studying about these
signing a yearbook, and even putting together
subjects, Tex PREP provided a very practical
a play titled “Sit Down and Listen.”
system where, as students, we were able to
Deandra Perez, a sophomore at Mercedes
get first-hand experience with many different
High School and second-year Tex PREP stuexercises that required the use of special labs
dent, said she got involved with the program
or tools, therefore making academics fun and
so it would help prepare her for curriculum
entertaining,” Garcia said.
that she would be learning during the school
Students who participate in the eight-week
year.
summer program come to the UTPA campus
“I knew that it would give me that extra
Monday through Friday in the afternoons to
edge as far as school goes. You learn so much
attend classes in STEM (science, technology,
in just one summer, and in three years you
engineering and mathematics) areas, comlearn even more,” Perez said. “This summer
pete in weekly projects, and participate in
I learned you’ve got to stick with stuff. You’ve
a group mega project. Weekly projects have
got to try and try, and you’ll eventually suctypically included competitions in egg drop,
ceed and complete whatever you want to
bridge-building, race cars, kite-building, and
complete.”
designing division banners. Mega projects,
Daniel Torres, a sophomore at La Joya
on the other hand, are intended to produce
High School and second-year student, said
an impact in the community, conveying the
the program gives students the opportunity
message of what Tex PREP is about.
Continued on pg 44.
Mega project teams include about 30 to
40 first, second, and
third-year students
who have a common
interest in developing
a project with educational content related to the Tex PREP
mission, goals or its
academic curriculum.
Some of this year’s
mega project teams
undertook such tasks
as: building rockets,
constructing a go-cart,
creating a video of the TEX Prep students test the strength of a bridge they built during
summer program, de- one of their workshops.
43
Above, Tex PREP students build a bridge out of straws to understand the concepts
involved in structures. At right, a student cuts materials for a rocket.
Continued from pg 43.
to experience new things and learn a lot at
the same time.
“I learned algebraic structure, which was
something I never even experienced before.
I learned how to use tools that I never even
knew existed, and I got to build a new go-
cart,” he said. The program was a perfect fit
for Torres, who enjoys building things and
wants to become a mechanical engineer. “I
wanted to have a chance to prove myself and
actually build something,” Torres said.
Tex PREP serves students in 12 school
districts in the counties of Willacy, Hidalgo,
and Starr and is sponsored by the following
organizations: state of Texas, NASA, Shell Oil
Foundation, UTSA, and Valley school districts such as Donna, Edcouch-Elsa, Hidalgo,
La Joya, La Villa, McAllen, Mercedes, Mission, PSJA, South Texas, Weslaco, Sharyland,
Valley View, and IDEA Academy.
For more information on how to get involved with Tex PREP, call 956/381-3634 or
log on to http://w3.panam.edu/~texprep/index.html.
The Dr. Pepper company
is committed to supporting educational opportunities
for all students. HESTEC has made a difference in the
lives of students by offering new opportunities for
them to create a new future. We salute The University
of Texas-Pan American for their tremendous effort and
dedication in creating HESTEC.
44
Partnering with
The University of Texas-Pan American
to celebrate the
5th Anniversary of HESTEC
“Embracing the Past, Inventing the Future”
Region One and UTPA GEAR UP Programs
45
The Region One Education Service Center, its
Board of Trustees, Administration, and Staff
proudly salute
HESTEC
Hispanic, Science, & Technology Week
on its fifth anniversary
46
Someday, they’ll be doctors
and engineers, writers and
artists. Right now, they’re our
sons and daughters, our
nieces, nephews, neighbors
and friends. More than
anything, they’re our future.
We can’t think of a more
important investment.
Inspiring young minds,
in and out of the classroom.
47
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN
IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE OFFICE OF
CONGRESSMAN RUBEN HINOJOSA
INVITE YOU TO MAKE PLANS FOR
48
Engineering,
science lab tours
& demonstrations
49
Key leaders from the corporate, government, research and
entertainment fields who have made a difference at
The University of Texas-Pan American through HESTEC.
Rubén
Hinojosa
U.S. Rep.
Solomón
Ortiz
U.S. Rep.
John
Dr. Richard
Katzman
Smalley
The Princeton Nobel Prize
Review
Winner
Lloyd
Doggett
U.S. Rep.
Magda
Yrizarry
Verizon
Gene
Green
U.S. Rep.
John
Quiñones
ABC News
Michael
Dell
Dell Inc.
Cheech
Marín
Actor/Comic
.
Del V.
Velasquez
Verizon
Robert J.
Stevens
Lockheed
Martin
Dr. Ellen
Ochoa
NASA
Astronaut
Camilo
Sandra
Dr. Ivar
Joan
Jaime
Edward J.
Pardo
Ulsh
Gaever Robinson-Berry Escalante
Olmos
Ford Motor Ford Motor Nobel Prize
Boeing
Educator Actor/Activist
Company Company Fund
Winner
Christie
Dr. Clifford
Haubegger
Houston
Latina
Former NASA
magazine Administrator
Nigel
Art
Travis
Rosales
Former
Boeing
Blockbuster CEO
Edward
Whitacre Jr.
AT&T
Dr. Sylvia Lt. Col. Edward
Earle
Cabrera
National U.S. Air Force
Geographic
Vikki
Rod
Dr. James M.
Carr
Paige
Tour
Singer 7th Secretary of
Rice
Education
University
Planet
Jeff
Corwin
Animal
Chemical
Mario
Lopez
Actor
David O.
Swain
Boeing
Melendy Dr. Orlando
Lovett
Figueroa
Texas
NASA
Instruments
Dr. Rita
Colwell
Former NSF
Administrator
Alan
Bean
NASA
Astronaut
J. Brian
Chris
Dr. Mark G.
Carlos
Ferguson
Bell
Yudof
Dominguez
Eastman Former (2003-05) UT System
Cisco
U.S. Rep.
Chancellor Systems, Inc.