The 2023 STAR Awards recognizes UTEP as Academic Institution of the Year

POSTED ON Oct 25, 2023

Ahead of the National Convention of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, SHPE has shared a few exciting updates.

One of them is that Excelencia in Education has named the ScholarSHPE program as a finalist for the 2023 Examples of Excelencia.

This recognition is well-deserved, as the program is highly intentional in serving Latino students through culturally-relevant, evidence-based practices. ScholarSHPE is among 19 Examples of Excelencia finalists across the country.

Another noteworthy update is the inaugural U.S. Latinos in Engineering and Tech Report, which was produced with the Latino Donor Collaborative (LDC).

The report delves into the experiences of Latino students and professionals, highlighting their contributions and discussing the untapped potential within this community.

It provides insights that inform organizations and catalyze change across the broader engineering and tech ecosystem.

Later in the week, SHPE commended Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar and Congressman Tony Cardenas for reintroducing their Hispanics in STEM House Resolution.

The resolution states that the House supports the goal of increasing Latino individuals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as a way to promote economic empowerment and sustainability in the U.S. economy.

It also acknowledges that Latino individuals are underrepresented in STEM fields to the detriment of these industries and the broader U.S. economy.

During the SHPE National Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah, from November 1-5, SHPE will present the 2023 SHPE Technical Achievement and Recognition (STAR) Awards.

These awards recognize individuals in STEM who have made a significant impact in their community through their work, research, and outreach.

The STAR Awards also recognize a company and government agency for demonstrating significant, measurable, and visible assistance to further SHPE’s programs and Hispanics in STEM.

SHPE recognizes its STAR Award recipients each year during the SHPE National Convention. The awards honor professionals and students for their dedication, commitment, and selfless efforts to advance Hispanics in STEM careers.

The 2023 STAR Award Honorees include Company of the Year, Bank of America, and Academic Institution of the Year, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

The Rodrigo Garcia Founder’s Award goes to Julio Grapa of P&G; the Jaime Oaxaca Award goes to Antonina Robles of HP Inc. Brenda Isaza of The Boeing Company won the Dr. Ellen Ochoa Award.

The Rubén Hinojosa STEM Champion Award winners are Antonio Tijerino of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and Ray Mellado (1948-2022) of Great Minds in STEM. Click here to view the complete list.

The STAR Award honorees will be recognized at two ceremonies: the Excellence in STEM Luncheon on Thursday, November 2, from 12:00-1:30 p.m. and the STAR Awards Ceremony on Friday, November 3, from 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Lastly, SHPE expressed gratitude to the 2023-2024 Industry Partnership Council for supporting the SHPE 2023 National Convention. The council includes reputable organizations such as 3M, Abbott, Accenture, The Air Force Research Laboratory, Air Products, Amazon, American Express, The U.S. Navy, Amsted Industries, Ansys, Apple, ASML, BAE Systems, Bank of America, Bechtel, Boeing, Boston Scientific, BP, Cadence, Capital One, Cisco, Cummins, Danaher, Delta, Discover, Dominion Energy, Dow, DuPont, Eaton, Lily, ExxonMobil, FirstEnergy, Ford, General Dynamics, GE Aerospace, GE Vernova, General Motors, Goldman Sachs, Granite, Henkel, Intel, Jacobs, John Deere, Johnson&Johnson, Johnson Controls, Lam Research, Leidos, Lenovo, Lockheed Martin, Medtronic, Micron, Microsoft, Motorola Solutions, Nascar, Northrop Grumman, Nucor, P&G, Pepsico, Qualcomm, Rockwell Automation, Texas Instruments, Toyota, UPS, USAA, Walt Disney Imagineering, Wells Fargo, Woodward, Veolia, Volkswagen, and Wabtec Corporation.