2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Board 399: The Freshman Year Innovator Experience (FYIE): Bridging the URM Gap in STEM

Presented at NSF Grantees Poster Session

The project focuses on increasing “effective STEM education and broadening participation” in underrepresented minority STEM students at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) to successfully face academic and professional challenges, recently exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Freshman Year Innovator Experience proposes the development of self-transformation skills in freshman mechanical engineering students to successfully face academic and professional challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic while working on two parallel projects of technical design innovation and academic career pathways. The authors will present the work in progress and preliminary results from a pilot implementation of the Freshman Year Innovator Experience.
This project is funded by NSF award 2225247.

Authors

Dr. Noe Vargas Hernandez The University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley [biography]

Noe Vargas Hernandez researches creativity and innovation in engineering design. He studies ideation methods, journaling, smartpens, and other methods and technology to aid designers improve their creativity levels. He also applies his research to the des
Dr. Arturo A Fuentes The University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley [biography]

Arturo Alejandro Fuentes is a Professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Texas Pan American. He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering from Rice University. Among his research interests is Engineering Education.
Dr. Karen Lozano http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6676-8632 The University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley
Dr. Javier A. Ortega [biography]

Dr. Javier A. Ortega is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). His research interests include Tribology, Lubrication, Biomaterials, Additive Manufacturing, and Engineering Education. Dr. Ortega has been involved in different research projects, including tribological and corrosion studies of surface-engineered biomaterials intended for hip joint replacements and developing vegetable-oil-based lubricants modified with nanoparticles as lubricant additives.
Dr. Eleazar Marquez The University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley [biography]

Eleazar Marquez is a Lecturer of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas Grande Valley.

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