Equity in Engineering Summit & Leadership Academy

EQUITY IN ENGINEERING SUMMIT & LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

March 23-25, 2023 Courtyard by Marriott 6700 Padre Blvd South Padre Island, TX 78597

Welcome from the Dean & CEE Team

Dear Participant, Welcome to the Rio Grande Valley and to our Inaugural Equity in Engineering Summit, which is a key initiative of UTRGV’s Center for Equity in Engineering (CEE) sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The CEE goal is to increase the enrollment, retention, and advancement of Hispanics, particularly Latinas, in engineering by addressing the inequities along the engineering career continuum including the social/family, education, and professionalization systems.

The summit brings together key stakeholders in those systems, including K-12, higher education, professional organizations and societies, as well as industry/employers to share ideas and best practices for increasing the participation and success of Hispanics in Engineering careers starting, from the K-12 pipeline to college and through gainful employment. With students being at the heart of the CEE, we are excited to have many of our engineering students participate in the summit including a student research poster as well as a student Leadership Academy following the summit.

Broadening the participation of Hispanics in engineering is crucial for strengthening the engineering workforce and ensuring that the US maintains its global leadership and competitiveness in STEM. With Hispanics being the fastestgrowing minority population in the US, and as the nation’s second-largest Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), we are pleased to lead the way in the inclusion and professional preparation of Hispanics, especially Latinas, in engineering.

Thanks to the generous support of NSF and to all our regional and national partners in this important effort.

Hope you all have safe travels, and enjoy the summit and stay on our beautiful South Padre Island.

Sincerely,

CEE Team Dr. Ala Qubbaj, Dean and PI Dr. Laura Benitez, K-12 Outreach Co-PI Ms. Edna Orozco, K-12 Outreach Lead Dr. Angela Chapman, Education & Training Co-PI Dr. Noe Vargas, Education & Training Co-PI Dr. Arturo Fuentes, Education & Training Lead Dr. Alyssa Cavazos, Education & Training Lead Dr. Constantine Tarawneh, Professional & Research Experiences Co-PI Dr. Nazmul Islam, Professional & Research Experiences Lead Dr. Thuy Vu, Professional & Research Experiences Lead Ms. Jean McLaughlin, Research Associate Dr. Seokmin “Chandler” Kang, Evaluator

Keynote Speakers Mr. Miguel Alemañy CEO Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Hispanics: Who We Are & How We Are Misunderstood

Dr. Meagan Pollock Founder & Chief Inclusion Engineer Engineer Inclusion™ Approach to Leveling the Playing Field, Understanding Systemic Barriers

Dr. Jacqueline El-Sayed Executive Director, American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) The Role of Engineering Educators in Building an Equitable, Diverse, and Vibrant Workforce to Meet the Demands of a 21st Century STEM Workforce

Keynote Speaker Bios Mr. Miguel Alemany is Catalan by ancestry, Puerto Rican by birth, and Ohioan by residency. Previously Chair of the Board, Miguel has returned to being the Interim CEO for SHPE while they fill this important position. He is a 40-year veteran of Proctor & Gamble, having worked in every business segment before retiring as Vice President of Research & Design. He graduated from the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez with a degree in engineering. He is a tireless advocate for Hispanic issues, an in-demand public speaker, and trainer on differences in the work environment between Anglos and Hispanics. He is featured in the children’s book “¡Ay mijo! Why do you want to be an engineer?” Fluent in 3 languages and able to function in 7, Miguel has a passion for travel and exploring cultures.

Dr. Meagan Pollock began her career playing with light projection on tiny microscopic mirrors as an engineer for Texas Instruments.

Through her company, Engineer Inclusion™, she now utilizes metaphorical projectors and mirrors to shine a light on micro and macro social systems that, when adjusted, improve student and employee success in [STEM]. A TEDx speaker, author, and a past recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, she holds a Ph.D. in engineering education from Purdue University, an MS in Electrical Engineering from Texas Tech University, and a BS in Computer Science from Texas Woman’s University. As an engineer turned educator, Meagan focuses on helping others intentionally Engineer Inclusion™ in education and the workforce.

Dr. Jacqueline El-Sayed has leadership experience with the entire pipeline of engineering education and most recently served as Chief Academic Officer (CAO) of ASEE. Prior to that, she was CAO and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Marygrove College, as well as a professor of Mechanical Engineering for nine years. She also held various academic administrative roles at Kettering University for 17 years, with her final appointment as Associate Provost and VP for Academic Affairs. She was an American Council on Education Fellow at Harvey Mudd College from 2008-2009. She has served in industry and government, beginning her career as an engineer for the General Motors Company Truck Group. She sits on the board of the American Council on Education Fellows, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, and Women in Engineering ProActive Network.

Summit Agenda THURSDAY, MARCH 23RD 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. REGISTRATION/CHECK-IN 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. WELCOME DINNER & INTRODUCTION Grand Ballroom Dr. Ala Qubbaj, Dean & PI Dr. Regina Ford-Pope, Program Director, Broadening Participation in Engineering, National Science Foundation Keynote Speaker Mr. Miguel Alemañy, CEO, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Hispanics: Who We Are & How We Are Misunderstood

FRIDAY, MARCH 24TH 7:00 – 8:00 a.m. BREAKFAST & NETWORKING Grand Ballroom (Registration/Check-in) 8:00 – 9:15 a.m.

Grand Ballroom

WELCOME & INTRODUCTION Dr. Janna Arney, Executive Vice President & Provost Dr. Daniel King, Executive Director, Region One Educational Service Center Dr. Angela Chapman, Director of Engaged Scholarship & Learning, Co-PI

Keynote Speaker Dr. Meagan Pollock, Founder & Chief Inclusion Engineer, Engineer Inclusion™ Approach to Leveling the Playing Field, Understanding Systemic Barriers

9:15 – 10:30 a.m.

Grand Ballroom

INDUSTRY/EMPLOYERS PANEL Preparing a Diverse & Capable Engineering Workforce for the 21st Century Moderator Dr. Mauricio Salinas, P.E., Engineering Fellow, Raytheon Technologies Panelists Ms. Marisela Rios, Operations Assembly and Test Manager, Applied Materials Mr. Faraón Torres Lazos, Boeing Familia Vice President, Boeing Ms. Thelma Tamez, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Specialist, Delek US Holdings Mr. Lucio Salinas, Supply Chain Distribution Specialist, General Motors Mr. Terrence Buck, Talent Acquisition Manager, Idaho National Lab

10:30 – 11:00 a.m. BREAK & ROOM CHECK-OUT* 11:00 – 12:00 p.m. POSTER SESSION & EMPLOYER BOOTHS 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.

Grand Ballroom

LUNCHEON KEYNOTE Introduction Dr. Laura Benitez, Associate Dean, Co-PI Keynote Speaker Dr. Jacqueline El-Sayed, Executive Director, American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) The Role of Engineering Educators in Building an Equitable, Diverse, and Vibrant Workforce to Meet the Demands of a 21st-Century STEM Workforce

* Luggage storage available in the Falcon Room

1:30 – 2:45 p.m.

Grand Ballroom

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION PANEL Role of Professional Organizations in Promoting Equity in Engineering: Challenges and Opportunities Moderator Ms. Marie Leal, P.E., RGV Chapter President, Texas Society of Professional Engineers (TSPE) Panelists Dr. Kimberly Douglas, Chief Research & Innovation Officer, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Mr. Jim Greer, P.E., President, National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) Dr. Roberta Rincon, Associate Director, Research, Society of Women Engineers (SWE)

2:45 – 3:45 p.m.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS Student Breakout: Benefits and Process of Becoming a Professional Engineer Facilitator Dr. Nazmul Islam, Career Development Lead Speakers Mr. Aldo Garcia, RGV Vice President, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Mr. Rolando Rubiano, P.E., Vice Chair, Texas Board of Professional Engineers, and Land Surveyors (PELS) Mr. Michael Sims, P.E., Director of Compliance, (PELS)

K-12 Breakout: Opportunities for K-12 Students & Teachers Facilitator Dr. Laura Benitez, K-12 Outreach Lead & Co-PI Speakers Dr. Karen Lozano, Energy & U, and RGV Science Fair Lead Ms. Lesly Orozco, I-DREAM4D Consortium, Program Manager Dr. Constantine Tarawneh, Professional & Research Experiences Lead & Co-PI Faculty Breakout: Initiatives/Best Practices for Student Success & Equity in Engineering Facilitator Dr. Arturo Fuentes, Curriculum Lead Speakers Dr. Noe Vargas Hernandez, Boot Camps Lead & Co-PI Ms. Edna Orozco, Lecturer, Latina Camps Lead Mr. Jorge Vidal, Faculty, CEMENTor Program Lead

STUDENT LEADERSHIP ACADEMY AGENDA March 20 – 24, 2023

Pre-Conference Self-Assessment: Emotional Intelligence Nicole Englitsch, UTRGV Organizational Development Manager

Friday, March 24th 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 pm

Icebreaker & Meet with Facilitator Team Dr. Vu and Nicole Englitsch

6:00 p.m. – 8:00 pm

Emotional Intelligence – Part I Self-Assessment and Self Awareness Nicole Englitsch Saturday, March 25th

8:00 am – 8:45 am

Breakfast/Group Activity on Leadership Skills

8:45 am – 10:20 am

Training: Establishing Goals and Team Building Dawn Adams – Axiom Training Solutions

10:20 am – 10:30 am

Break

10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Training: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Part I Toni Davila – A 7 habit certified trainer

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Working Lunch: Emotional Intelligence – Part II Understand your Emotional Intelligence Assessment Nicole Englitsch and Dr. Vu

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

Training: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Part II Toni Davila – A 7 habit certified trainer

2:30 pm -3:00 pm

Guided Reflection, Planning, and Commitment Dr. Vu

This session is open only to registered Student Leaders.

POSTERS “Data-Driven Multi-Horizon Prediction of Ridesharing Spatiotemporal Demand Pattern” Student Author: Mark Hernandez Faculty Advisors/Authors: Dr. Mohamadhossein Noruzoliaee and Dr. Fatemeh Nazar “Personalized Driving Using Inverse Reinforcement Learning with RegionBased Approximation” Student Author: Rodrigo Gonzalez Faculty Advisors: Dr. Constantine Tarawneh, Dr. Qi Lu, and Dr. Tohid Sardarmehni “Vibration-Based Machine Learning Models for Condition Monitoring of Railroad Rolling Stock” Student Author: Sergio Miguel Martinez Faculty Advisors: Dr. Constantine Tarawneh & Dr. Mohamadhossein Noruzoliaee “Developing control for galvo, laser, and linear actuators for a Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) process” Student Author: Md Shahriar Forhad Faculty Advisors: Dr. Farid Ahmed & Dr. Jianzhi Li “Initial Investigation of Using the Waste Rubber Tires as a New Sustainable Material for Electric Conductive Rigid Pavement” Student Author: Islam Radwan Advisor: Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raheem “Vibration Control of a Two-Story Base Isolated Building Using a New Tuned Mass Multi-Sliding Friction Damper” Student Author: Syed Muhammad Bilal Haider Advisor: Dr. Mohsen Amjadian

“Computer Vision Module with Road Sign and Obstacle Detection” Student Authors: Ivan Cantu, Nicole Kayambu, and Blane McGee Advisors: Dr. Dimah Dera and Dr. Erik Enriquez “Delivery Autonomous Robot for Yummy Labor” Student Authors: Jose Oropeza, Andres Munoz, Christian Ortuno, and Brandon Mireles-Soto Advisors: Dr. Ben Ghalia and Dr. Wenjie Dong “Firearm detection Camera” Student Authors: Ovidio Serrato, Agustin Magana, and Isaac del Bosque Advisors: Dr. Ramos and Dr. Sanjeev Kumar “Robust Bayesian Recurrent Neural Network for Vulnerability Detection in Source Code” Student Author: Orune Aminul Advisor: Dr. Dimah Dera “Graphene-Conductive Based Electrochemical Biosensor Platform for Immune Sensing” Student Author: Dipannita Ghosh Advisor: Dr. Nazmul Islam “Robust Bayesian Transformer Model for Computer Vision Applications” Student Authors: Fazlur Rahman and Bin Karim Advisor: Dr. Dimah Dera "Development of a Small Business Data Management Pull System: A Case Study” Student Author: Alexis Andaverde Advisor: Dr. Hiram Moya “CNC Jewelry Wax Box” Author: Sebastian Villanueva and Jose Gonzalez “Nothing but Net” Student Author: Lourdes Perez, Tyler Landgraf, and Alex Sanchez "Optimization of Thermoelectric Energy Harvesting Device for Rail Service” Student Author: Danna Capitanachi Advisors: Dr. Constantine Tarawneh and Dr. Heinrich Foltz

POSTERS “A Dedicated Lane Analysis for Supply Chain Resilience in the US-Mexico Border” Student Author: Carlo Zorola Advisor: Dr. Hiram Moya “Design of Fibrous Membranes for Drug Delivery Application Through Emulsion Based Systems” Student Authors: Intisar Qubbaj and Cesar Montalvo Advisors: Dr. Padilla and Dr. Lozano “Synthesis and Characterization of Phthalocyanines for Use of Anode Materials in Lithium-Ion Batteries” Student Authors: E. Fletes and H. Morales Advisors: Dr. Alcoutlabi and Dr. Parsons “Pin-on Disk to Evaluate Advanced Materials at Elevated Temperatures” Student Authors: Jarrod Perez, Nicolas Perez, Ricardo Sepulveda, and Roberto Torres Advisor: Mr. Ortega “Energy Harvesting with Thermoplastic Polyurethane Nanofiber Mat Integrated with Functionalized Multiwalled Carbon, Nanotubes” Student Author: Julia Salas Advisors: Dr. Karen Lozano and Dr. Uddin “Synthesizing SnO2/TiO2 Short Fiber Composites as Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries” Student Author: David Sanchez Advisor: Dr. Mataz Alcoutlabi “Fatigue Testing of Inconel. Comparison of Wrought Vs 3D printed” Student Authors: Anette Torres, Jennifer Calderon "Surface Chemical Reaction Networks: Reconfiguration in k-Burnout” Student Authors: Robert M. Alaniz, Elise Grizzell, Ryan Knobel, and Andrew Rodriguez "The Effect of Cell Regeneration on Viral Infections" Student Author: Asher Haun

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THANK YOU, PARTNERS!

Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Engineering Division of Engineering Education and Centers, (Award # 2217780).