2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

1. Dr. Araceli Martinez Ortiz http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3375-1519 The University of Texas at San Antonio [biography]

   Araceli Martinez Ortiz, PhD, is the Microsoft President’s Endowed Professor of Engineering Education at the University of Texas at San Antonio, with a joint appointment in the Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design and the College of Education and Human Development. She is currently Professor and Director of the Engineering Education Graduate Program. She also serves as Executive Director of the Dr. Manuel P. Berriozábal Prefreshman Engineering Program (PREP), advancing STEM engagement and community-integrated research in engineering education. Her research focuses on pre-engineering pathways, skilled technical workforce development, challenge-based learning, STEM educator professional development, and the integration of artificial intelligence in engineering education. She previously served as Executive Director of the LBJ Institute for STEM Education and Research at Texas State, leading major initiatives supported by NASA and NSF. Dr. Martinez Ortiz holds degrees from the University of Michigan, Kettering University, Michigan State University, and Tufts University.

2. Melisa Ramos Walters MA The University of Texas at San Antonio [biography]

   Melisa Ramos Walters, MA, is a Graduate Research Assistant in Engineering Education at the University of Texas at San Antonio, with work spanning the Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design and the College of Education and Human Development. She is currently on the thesis track of the M.S. in Engineering Education program, with the intent to continue into the PhD program at UT San Antonio under the mentorship of Araceli Martinez Ortiz, Ph.D. Her graduate research includes serving as the lead research assistant on the BMES program and focuses on the Dr. Manuel P. Berriozabal Prefreshman Engineering Program (PREP) as a mechanism for broadening participation in engineering pathways. She holds a master’s degree in Computational and Applied Mathematics from Rice University, where she studied under the tutelage of Dr. Richard A. Tapia.

   Her research agenda centers on family engagement in STEM, access to informal engineering education opportunities, and the design of learning environments that support persistence and identity development in underrepresented populations. In addition to her research, she is an exemplary mathematics teacher at CAST STEM High School, where she supports students in developing analytical and problem-solving skills. Raised in San Antonio, her work is informed by a culturally grounded perspective and a commitment to connecting STEM education to real-world and community contexts.

3. Ana Maria Rabago The University of Texas at San Antonio [biography]

   Ana Rabago is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Engineering Education at The University of Texas at San Antonio’s Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design and the College of Education and Human Development. Her work focuses on community-based engineering challenges, STEM instruction for K-12 learners, and family and community engagement in science education. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Texas at San Antonio and serves as a 6th-grade Science Master Teacher at CAST Network’s Advanced Learning Academy in San Antonio, Texas. She collaborates in the Texas Biomedical Research Institute Residency Program to develop curriculum, integrate authentic biotechnology and infectious disease research into middle school classrooms, and manage labs for their Valero Young Scientist Program, where she exposes high school students to biomedical research.

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 24, 2026